More on Jackson and Hoffman

Sorry, it's hard to write a coherent post when I'm not exactly sure where it's going.

I did mean to address a few more points:

* As I said in the last post, I admire Jackson's ability to put herself thru college. This compares to Hoffman whose grandfather once chaired Geico insurance.
* I admit that the fact that if Cheryle fails to win this primary that means there won't be one African-American in the U.S. Senate...again...and that depresses me.
* Word from the Jackson camp (after they read my post) is that Jackson and Blago weren't on speaking terms as she left his administration and that changed only when she got to the Urban League position.

But one thing that I have been brewing and stewing on the last few weeks is that at the beginning of the race, the press set out three front runners: Jackson, Hoffman & Giannoulias. The two men swiftly went after Jackson for her Blago connections. Yes, it was an obvious angle to take. But honestly, I'm quite tired of seeing men candidates band together, planned or not, to take out the lone woman candidate. I also noticed that even after a Chicago Tribune poll showed that Jackson was in second place, that the media seems to simply ignore her. Well other than to talk about how she's not raising any money.

And I think that's what gets my goat the most.

It's not that I think women can't play the game, it's that I feel that women have a different set of rules and that they change on the fly. And that is why I essentially go into races like this, where I don't have an overwhelming favorite, trying to find a reason NOT to vote for the woman candidate.

Compare this to the Cook County race where we have two women running, two African American women running and the race is about the issues, qualifications and all the stuff you would think should be on the table. I know sometimes there is more than one woman to split the women's vote, but I think women as a voting bloc has evolved from that point. Especially when the two candidates are clearly so different.

As a woman and a woman of color, I must pay attention to these factors. "Taxation without representation" isn't just a slogan, it's a reality for far too many communities in this country.