Our Fabric is Missing a Lot of Threads

Oliver Willis says what Hillary's really up against is that Obama, by virtue of his race, really does offer greater change than Hillary would, by virtue of her sex:

Undboutedly [sic] people are excited about the prospect of a woman president, but I think it's safe to say that the possibility of a black president would present an even more fundamental shift in the basic fabric of what America is.

I don't know how one can possibly claim to legitimately quantify something like that, when both possibilities—a black president, a female president—would be hugely groundbreaking, if realized.

America is a deeply racist and deeply sexist country; recall that the biggest shitstorm over intolerant language of last year was Imus' "nappy-headed hos" comment, which is comprised of both racism and sexism. They are blights on the American landscape, from the presidency to the gutter—and I would really love for it to be possible for us to celebrate one step toward comprehensive equality re: race without diminishing the importance of continued marginalization re: sex. (Or vice versa.)

Our national fabric stands to be changed by either an Obama or a Hillary Clinton presidency—and they would challenge (and fail to challenge) endemic prejudices the other would not. When gatecrashing is presented as a contest—"Obama would be more revolutionary than Hillary!"—it perpetuates the lie that racism and sexism aren't each profoundly pervasive problems in America and subverts the reality that both must be vigorously challenged at their every ugly appearance.

I want a black president. I want a woman president. I want a black woman president!

And I want a gay president, and an openly disabled president, and a dwarf president, and a trans president, and an atheist president, and an intersex president, and a deaf president, and a blind president, and presidents of every race, and every conceivable combination of all these variations that America has to offer.

I want a list of presidents that looks like the fucking country they're leading.

We don't get there by saying this country needs one more than the other. Talking about Obama and Hillary like gatecrashing is a race, rather than an ongoing march toward comprehensive equality, doesn't serve any of us—or all of us collectively—particularly well. So let me infuse Oliver's thought with a much-needed twist of progressive solidarity:

Undoubtedly people are excited about the prospect of a woman president, but it might not be Hillary's turn this time. A black president presents a fundamental shift in the basic fabric of what America is, too—and it's that particular shift toward which voters appear to be drifting right now. In any case, its fucking awesome that someone looks likely to crash the gate this year.

That's better.