But we can't have a female President, right?

[senseandsensibility]

I just watched Abigail Spanberger's rebuttal to the SOTU from last night. It was too late for me to watch last night. Here's my reaction: She destroyed trump. She made more cogent points in her short response than trump made in almost two hours, by far. She was presidential. She was strong. She spoke up for the American people and spoke truth to power. She was not afraid to call out the administration's corruption. AND she didn't lie.

But for some reason it seems that it is conventional wisdom, even among Dems, that she is not in the running for 2028. No women are. Are we that spooked by 2024 and the Harris campaign?

Look, I get it. 2024 was brutal and playing it safe is extremely tempting. I feel it too. But it's a damn shame.

[Whyisthisstillclose]

1. Rec for "it's a damn shame". Truer words never spoken.

[Bettie]

2. I'd like to believe that we could

but misogyny is stronger even than racism.

So, no, we can't have a female president.

Growing, up, I thought we could. I have no such hope anymore.

[senseandsensibility]

3. I feel similarly

I might be a little more optimistic, but I don't think it's in the cards for 2028. The situation is too dire and people are too risk adverse to "take a chance" on Spanberger or any other woman. And I agree that misogyny seems to be the driving force here.

[MadameButterfly]

30. Yes, we can. It's inevitable. But

maybe not now, with democracy at stake?

And just because Obama, who was beyond perfect, got elected, doesn't make it safe to nominate a Black man. Or a gay man. How about a Democratic Socialist? Can we risk a Californian or does it need to be someone from a swing state? I thought we were over the Jewish thing, but with antisemitism on the rise on one side and Gaza on the other--i just don't know. Being overweight might be acceptable, but there is some risk there too. Taft didn't have to go on TV. There will be a new litmus test for age, and maybe everyone will have to make their medical records public.

Once you've considered all the prejudices, hardly anyone is left. But for that, I'd say we have a deep bench of talented, courageous potential candidates in the Democratic Party.

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. Spanberger just got to the Governor's office

She’s not running in 2028

The Dem nominee in 2028 will be a straight white male not named Shapiro or Newsom.

I don’t like it (I had hoped Whitmer would get the nod), but it’s a reality we need to face.

[Quiet Em]

5. The same people who are pushing talking points to discourage women from running

also believed that Mikie Sherrill would not win NJ. Sherrill crushed it. This talking point does not line up with where the Democratic Party is right now. Hopefully the March 3rd election in Texas will knock down this talking point as well.

[senseandsensibility]

7. Well, sometimes reality has a way of overtaking "conventional wisdom"

We'll see if this is one of those times.

[Deuxcents]

38. I still am optimistic because anything can happen and all the changes we are and will go thru until 2028

So never say never. The mood and energy of the country could change with just one event.

[maxsolomon]

6. No one is running yet. Not even Newsom.

No one's stopping Spamberger.

[TheProle]

8. I wish this rhetoric would stop here

I know it's said out of frustration and/or sarcasm, but yes we can elect a woman and papering the site with it is a terrible signal to young/new Democrats.

[Torchlight]

35. Not really.

[BaronChocula]

9. I loved what I heard from the governor

I heard a lot of "all of us vs. trump" which is a great way to marginalize him. She could have gone on for an hour given this conman's failures, but she kept it concise and short without giving us too much to ruminate over.

[get the red out]

11. No, we can't

The risk is democracy right now. I wish it was different, but I believe there are people who would starve their families before voting for a woman for President.

[senseandsensibility]

24. I think we are fooling ourselves if we ignore or refuse to admit

how sexist many, many voters are. This past election was a real eye opener for me. They used the "manosphere" to win, and I believe it was coordinated. The RW, funded by billionaires, can and will use whatever they can to defeat Dems. But the sexism is particularly potent, apparently.

[get the red out]

39. Agree

As racist as this country is, I think if she had been the same in every way but gender HE would have won.

[Aviation Pro]

12. Two capable women

Were defeated by a fucking pedophile because men of the loser persuasion can’t abide by the fact that they were out competed by them.

Let that sink in.

[The Grand Illuminist]

13. Careful what to wish for.

The UK wanted a female PM, they ended up with Margaret Thatcher.

[Cha]

18. And that has Nothing to do with

our Democratic Female Leaders.

[leftstreet]

14. The first female POTUS will be a GOPer

a Margaret Thatcher type

sadly

[NNadir]

15. I will continue to support women candidates. The consequences of NOT going with the woman are becoming...

...graphically pronounced.

Maybe we've been smacked so hard we can get it through our pathetic heads.

There was a time, I note, when nobody thought a black candidate would win, and it was a concern I had when a guy named Barack Obama (rhymes with Osama, as in bin Laden) could win.

We had Shirley Chisholm run; we had Jesse Jackson...and maybe others less prominent.

"Rhymes with Osama" was not just a twice elected President, he was a great President, followed by a pathetic fool, but great all the same.

[Hieronymus Phact]

16. To me she didn't project strength.

Her voice trembled
She didn't articulate boldness.
I don't think we can't elect a woman, but it needs to be the right model.
With a drill sergeants temperament or something.
She wasn't "Commanding". That might have done better.

Of course i voted for her, but i thought she was a weak candidate.

Don't tell me all the ways she had strength,
Don't tell me about her visionary policy,
This is between-the-lines body language level perceptions stuff.
It's not an argument.

[NNadir]

41. Oh please... Are you saying the "They're eating the dogs" orange guy projected "strength?"

If one does not wish to have an argument, a possible approach would not to make a weak one.

[Hieronymus Phact]

42. believe it or not

Yes.
Tough talk and bluster are fake strength, real strength is internal and we know trump has none,
but people buy his dumb-ass tough guy bullshit. Telling a lie and saying he'll save people from it is his M.O.
.
I'm not making an argument AT ALL. I don't care if you agree.
I'm reporting My Perceptions. Just accept that at face value, learn from it, or don't.

[NNadir]

43. Well I haven't "learned" anything from this comment irrespective of a claim...

...other than weak perceptions exist.

I agree however that people of weak perceptual abilities exist, and note them presently.

I attribute the outcome to racism and sexism and very little else.

[Hieronymus Phact]

45. "weak perceptual abilities" Nice way to insult someone.

It's not a "Claim" get that? It's not there for you to prove it wrong, and I don't have to show any proof of what i perceive. Get that?
"people of weak perceptual abilities exist, and note them presently."
Do you crap on everyone you clearly don't understand?

"I attribute the outcome to racism and sexism and very little else."
Wow! talk about "weak perceptual abilities", you're describing your own obviously limited world view, not mine.
(makes sense now really).

[Joinfortmill]

17. I'm with you. And WHY is a male candidate playing it safe? We need to get over the hidden misogyny, dammit.

[gulliver]

19. Running as "a woman" is asking to lose

Just run as a leader. If you're leadership skills are good, run. If you vote or run on identity over skill, you'll lose (and deserve to).

Personally, I would love to see Spanberger run. I'll actually be surprised if she doesn't.

[Javaman]

20. she could be the dark horse. nt

[ALBliberal]

21. Just watched she rocked it.

[TomSlick]

22. Governor Spanberger is too moderate for many here.

She should run if she wants and let the primary voters decide.

[senseandsensibility]

25. I'm on the progressive side but I would vote for her

I wouldn't even hesitate.

[TomSlick]

28. I'm unprepared to commit until we know who is running in the primary.

I will do what I always do and vote for the Democrat that seems to have the best shot at winning the general election.

[senseandsensibility]

29. Yeah, the same.

I didn't mean that I am committed to her at this moment. There's lots of time.

[TomSlick]

32. Too much time.

Unless the Grim Reaper intervenes, we're stuck for three more years.

[Fil1957]

23. In most other places, it's not an issue. But by comparison the U.S. is a backward country. I don't see a woman getting

elected here with the current mentality. Maybe in 20 years if we "evolve". But that's a big "if".

[Bread and Circuses]

26. That's WHY misogynist men don't want WOMEN To LEAD!

Last edited Wed Feb 25, 2026, 08:30 PM - Edit history (1)

[maxsolomon]

33. They left out the "n" at the end of Misogynist Men.

Typo.

[senseandsensibility]

34. Okay, thanks.

Knowing this poster, I knew there had to be an explanation.

[QueerDuck]

31. Remember "Killer Kamala" and the ugly chants of...

... "Leave it Blank!" (It all started with certain elected officials encouraging their Democratic constituents to disengage and vote uncommitted.)

I guess they showed us, eh? 🙄🤪

[BlueHurricane]

36. Couple thoughts

So every election except Clinton and Harris was lost by a man so it feels unfair to focus on the two women candidates who lost. Men lose a lot, maybe we shouldn’t let them run. Also Clinton got more votes than Trump.

[kwolf68]

37. Can we quit trying to get the "first women"

Into the White House and just try to do Democracy? Find the best person, period. Women or man or black or white or purple. Who cares.

[obamanut2012]

40. Little girls care

[SocialDemocrat61]

44. No

There is still a lot of sexism, unfortunately.

[betsuni]

46. There's an assumption for some that a woman candidate is only running as "a woman" when she's doing no such thing,

Started about ten years ago, the condescending scolding "It's not good enough to say 'I'm a woman, vote for me'" -- like, there go the Democrats again, doing identity politics.