Potential Vice Presidents

I stumbled across a blog that I just love. It is lvpoliblog.blogspot.com! This blog is written by a seemingly moderate democrat, a very smart Mom who lives close to my neck of the woods. The lv stands for Lehigh Valley, which encompasses the area's just north of the Philly-five-county area known as the Delaware Valley. Lehigh Valley includes Allentown. Anyway, this blogger has been doing a nice job of profiling potential female VP's on both the democrat and republican side. Her coverage is fair and impressive. What's more, she has been researching these women with her daughters! (they are certainly lucky girls)

For someone like me who may be switching parties for the big vote in November, finding some good, well researched and fair information on potential VP candidates is very welcoming. Again, check out http://lvpoliblog.blogspot.com

Thinking about politics, women as leaders, and some points made by my new favorite blogger, I have a Monday Morning Quarterbacking thought about Hillary's campaign: Would Hillary have secured the democratic nomination had she been a member of a NPH sorority? Consider these points:

* 17 Presidents since 1877 (basically when fraternities came into being) were members of fraternities.
* 40% of the Senate are greek affiliates.
* 30% of the Congress are greek affiliates.
* 40% of the Supreme Court are greek affiliates.
* 25% of Fortune 500 CEO's are greek affiliates. (I guess I could just say fraternity members, as I suspect that all of these CEO's are men.)

These numbers are all the more impressive when you consider that less than 9% of American's are members of greek letter organizations.

I noted the Fortune 500 CEO's because of their importance in funding campaigns.

When Elizabeth Dole ran for the republican nomination in the '80's, she surprised a lot of pundits with her very strong third place finish. But she did well in the early primaries and caucuses, particularly Iowa, when her fellow Tri Delt Alums rallied support for her amongst their own and other sorority women. They networked as if First Prize in the Homecoming Parade were at stake. It worked. Elizabeth, not known for her support of women's issues, handily got the women's vote.

Hillary Clinton is a strong supporter of women's issues and her largest block of support did come from women. But it was from older, more blue collar women. (Editors note: I am a Hillary Supporter. I am a woman. I admit to being on the older curve. Today I am wearing a white collar, but tomorrow it may be lime green) Obama got the younger democratic women's support. And he got more of the men. But most importantly, he got more of the southern states.

Now let me explain why I think Hillary may have won the nomination if she had been a KKG, or a Pi Phi, or a Chi O or another sorority member. SHE WOULD HAVE WON MORE SOUTHERN STATES!

Greek letter organizations thrive in the south. It is a way of life. It is all important. 'The Machine' that runs everything on the Univesity of Alabama's campus from who will be elected Student Body President to who will win Homecoming Queen purportedly also dictates who will be elected to Alabama state and national government. You cannot win the presidency, or the party nomination, without winning at least 4 southern states. If Hillary had the backing of the greek's - both sorority and fraternity members and alumnae - she would have pulled more younger women and she would have got more male votes. She would have had the support necessary for her to win states like Georgia.

On the Pledge Delegate count, Obama is ahead of Clinton by only 123 delegates. He had 41 more delegates from Georgia, 27 more from North Carolina, 25 more from South Carolina and 30 more from Virginia. If Hillary had been able to tap into the strong, southern, greek letter organization support in these majorly greek states we might well be nominating her as the democratic party candidate. If Hillary could have turned those tables on Obama in Georgia and any one of the other three above, she would be the nominee.