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Hillary Clintons liabilities have been endlessly chewed over by the punditocracy:

Shes too tied to Wall Street. Out of step with the Democratic left. Prone to dead broke mistakes. Hardly a fresh face. Another Clinton. Benghazi.

But theres one question that hasnt been discussed lately. Indeed, it seemed to have been written off as a non-issue. But it popped up in a largely overlooked part of a Washington Post/ABC poll:

Nearly one-quarter of Republicans surveyed, 24 percent, say the fact that Hillary would be the first female president makes them less likely to vote for her. Only 8 percent say they would be more likely.

Think about that for a moment. Those Republicans are telling pollsters that they are simply not comfortable with the idea of a woman in the Oval Office.

Were at the point where this sort of thing doesnt even get discussed in polite company. Yes, women are underrepresented in Congress, and yes, many states like New York and California have never had a female governor, and yes, many cities like New York and L.A. have never had a female mayor. But if Germany has Angela Merkel and Britain had Margaret Thatcher, wont America eventually take that step?

Even Sarah Palin, while hinting at her own desires about 2016, told ABC the other day:America has had enough of seeing thatsign on the Oval Office door saying No Girls Allowed.

Clinton, after all, has already played on the world stage, both as first lady and secretary of State. And while she ran almost as a gender-neutral candidate in 2008, shes made clear that this time shell cast herself as a trailblazer who can shatter the ultimate glass ceiling.

Its obviously fair to talk about how Hillary could pull a stronger-than-usual womens vote, just as Barack Obama drew record support from blacks. In the poll, 40 percent of Democrats say Hillarys gender makes them more likely to vote for her (while two-thirds say it makes no difference).

So is the potential downside fair game for discussion as well?

See the original post here:
The gender factor: Is that actually an obstacle for Hillary Clinton?