Poll: Clinton's Run Opens Doors For Women

(CBS)  Hillary Clinton's campaign as the first serious female contender for the Democratic presidential nomination represents a shattering of the glass ceiling in presidential politics, a new CBS News poll shows. Most voters think that win or lose, her candidacy will make it easier for other women to run for president.

Sixty percent of men and 76 percent of women agree that Clinton's candidacy will make it easier for future women to run for president.

The historic nature of Clinton's candidacy is reflected in the bipartisan nature of voters' views on this question. Seventy-five percent of Democrats and 63 percent of Republicans think her campaign will make it easier for females to run in the future.

Voters embrace the concept of a woman as a serious presidential candidate, as 88 percent agree with the statement "I am glad to see a woman as a serious contender for president." This is a more widespread welcome than what Geraldine Ferraro received when she became the first female vice presidential candidate representing a major U.S. political party in 1984. A CBS News/New York Times Poll that year found that 62 percent of voters agreed they were "glad that a woman was nominated as vice president."

Sixty-three percent of voters would like to see a woman become president in their lifetime. More women (69 percent) than men (57 percent) said they would like to see a female commander-in-chief.

Sixty-nine percent of voters think it is likely that there will be a woman president in their lifetime. Seventy-nine percent of voters under age 45 say this possibility is likely, while just 44 percent of those 65 and older say it is.

Nearly half of voters (45 percent) think the media has been harder on Clinton than they have been on other candidates. Sixty-seven percent of those who think the media has been harder on Clinton feel that it's at least somewhat the result of her gender.

Read The Complete Poll

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 798 adults nationwide, including 712 registered voters, interviewed by telephone May 30-June 2, 2008. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus four percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. The error for the sample of registered voters is plus or minus four points.

[skylight-71]

I''m a working woman w/an education who let her hair go gray long ago and I hear that is supposed to make me a member of the Great Hillary Voter Bloc that Barack Obama needs to mollify by putting her in the VP slot. Wrong! A lot of females with jobs and life experience voted for Obama and want to see what he can do. There are many good candidates he can select from to be his vice president. The jokes are already beginning and crass as this sounds I agree with the theme of them: the Clintons were great entertainment during good and easy times (think humidor, think body in the rose garden) but good and easy times are gone and joke fodder isn''t what we need anywhere near positions of power.

[rjudy3]

You idiot Obamanuts just keep on slinging dirt at Hillary. WHY would we want to NOW jump on your alls bandwagon? You NEED our vote and yet you keep on disrespecting her and Bill. If Obama loses because the Hillary supporters did''nt come out or voted McCain , it WILL be because of you immature a--h----!

[ggm1957]

Hillary didn''t open any doors in my eyes. I wanted so much to be able to vote for a woman - but not that one. I am a 50 year old working woman and would never vote for a lying and manipulative person like her. She gives women in power a bad name. She had the name recognition - experience (she was only an expresident''s wife) - and could have gone far with the name, but she chose to lie and throw everything she could at Obama. She couldn''t talk about what she was capable of - maybe there wasn''t anything. She chose to try to tear Obama down instead of taking the high road. She wanted (wants)only one thing at the expense of anything and everyone - and that is to be president. If I was Obama, I would not put her in the vp position. She would be very dangerous there. Would she stop at anything to get her way? I don''t believe she and hubby would.

[twotraps]

One more thing, the Bosnian incident was just funny but looking back...there was a much worse infraction.

When Hillary was speaking about her health care plan and used a womans recent death to illustrate the story...without the facts...was character revealing. The hospital involved contacted her campaign and asked her to stop with the campaign story SINCE IT WAS NOT TRUE. The excuse from the campaign was that they ''could not possibly check out all the facts on all the stories...''. Hillary dropped the story.

Here is a person running for President, not bothering to do her homework, or even have someone else do it.

How would any of us feel if a candidate was out stumping for votes on a family tragedy? Its easy for Hillary, she does not care what is in her way. She is not bothered by the rules...the DNC, her own party, common sense, the basic rule of law, or even what the media will think of her. I cannot imagine if that was my sister or mother she was talking about without all the facts and riding my loss for her personal gain.

[twotraps]

The Clintons have disgraced the Presidency with lies and scandal and have recently mocked the DNC and campaign process by demanding votes in a clearly faulty primary. Enough.

Insult to injury, the entire country waits for her decision, how she feels, what she thinks. Obviously, this woman does not hear ''No'' too much...she can''t handle it.

For all the Hillary supporters angry about the sexist-women-hating media....how is it that NOT ONE story about the Clinton v. Paul trial was reported?

How does a candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America, ordered to testify in a civil trial for fraud...get a pass. Judge Munoz required her to testify but allowed her to finish the campaign first. Very nice of him, doesn''t sound like sexist treatment there!

With all the Hyper-scrutiny going on, we overlooked that a candidate involved in a case concerning the same candidates senatorial campaign!!

This was Hillary''s race to lose, and she did it all by herself. Her campaign has been broke since January, her staff asked to take pay-cuts and a string of small business left un-paid across the country...maybe they were asked to make ''donations'' of the debt owed...we''ll never know.

The Clintons have shamed and mocked the country enough. I agree that Obama does not have the experience she does....but we''ve seen the Clintons operate and its ugly.

I would love to hear a Hillary supporter explain away all the scandals that seem to follow the Clintons around.

[citadelma]

All the civility aside, if after all the begging and pleading, Hillary makes the ultimate sacrifice and it''s eventually decided politically expedient by the Obama camp to invite HRC in as veep nominee, I''d respectfully suggest having her sign an iron clad ''policy'' pre-nup. Bringing an official taster on board might also be advisable? Perhaps a bit of extra life insurance for our man wouldn''t hurt either? As his VP, there''s little question that if a certain someone doesn''t get her way with various pet projects and policies, heavy tantrums will be going down on Pennsylvania Avenue come early 09. Watching Obama''s back will very likely become a full time gig for Mr. Love. I''m quite certain that no one needs to explain that even statistically, his 46 to her 60 means under normal life span circumstances, he could very well survive her. So living like a moth too close to the flame..and even now possessed by obvious deep frustrations, attempts to realize her seriously unrequited presidential aspirations could lead to drastic action, which in turn, may result in very bad news for our hero. Better methinks to avoid the potential mess and send the lady packing.

[citadelma]

If after all the stupidity and hate that continues to foul these pages, the new Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama is actually elected our next US President, is there any possibility those racist pigs posting here will leave the country in protest? Please, please say YES...and make everyone else''s day!

[libra127]

Her lack of class is demonstrated by her shameless attempt to coerce Obama to name her as VP.

Posted by shaheed8 at 01:25 PM : Jun 04, 2008

"shameless attempt" ? "coerce Obama" ? How many more lies have you got up your sleeve, shaheed8 ? Your credibility is now in negative territory.

[anappleadae]

Obama won, but is he the Convention choice?

Hillary can register as an Independent as did Joe Lieberman during the last election. If she chose that option my guess is that she would leave both Obama and McCain in the dust. Influential Democrats and Obama followers have made no secret that they dislike her. If she chooses to stay with the Democrats such a decision can be only judged as selfless.

[tiredofobama]

HILLARY, STAY AWAY FROM THIS MAN! YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE SEEN SUPPORTING HIM WHEN THE REPUBLICANS START UNRAVELLING HIS CORRUPTION!

STAY THE HELL AWAY THIS DIRT!