THE United States is on the cusp of a stunning first. A white woman or a black man will challenge John McCain for the presidency. While Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton would present a feel-good story for a Democratic Party that believes anyone can achieve the American Dream, their respective campaigns have rattled the ranks. Some Democrats believe Clinton is the only sane choice, and if she doesn't prevail they'll do the unthinkable: Abandon ship. But I didn't think folks would seriously cast aside long-held partisan loyalties, until I spoke with Robin Frooman of Seattle. She's dead serious. “If Hillary is not there,” Frooman, 55, told me, “I'm voting for John McCain.” Such words sound like heresy in left-leaning Seattle. Given Frooman's background, the words bring to mind Benedict Arnold. “What do you mean?” she asked pleasantly. “A traitor?” Frooman grew up near where Obama became steeped in politics, in Highland Park, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. She called the neighborhood of her childhood “very Jewish” and “very liberal Democrat.” Her mother was raised in a Republican home but jumped the political aisle after walking down the marriage rites. Frooman attended Northern Illinois University, where she joined Students for a Democratic Society, a nationwide organization that railed against the war in Vietnam. “I came of age during the anti-war protests,” she said. “I was pretty involved.” She left the Midwest for a retail industry job in Seattle in 1980, but stayed the political course, voting in presidential races for Walter Mondale, Bill Clinton and Al Gore. But now she's about to break ranks - and she has company. More than a quarter of Clinton supporters - 28 percent - say they would vote for McCain if Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, according to a Gallup Poll in March. Just 19 percent of Obama backers reported they would embrace McCain if Clinton should win. “There are a lot of us,” said Frooman this week about rebellious Democrats. “We're out there.” It's not that she abhors Obama, the person. She credits him for being a deft orator who entrances young ears, much the way politicos Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern captivated youths of her era. His pitch riles her - what she sees as his inability to offer concrete policies beyond buzzwords like “change.” “My big concern is Social Security,” Frooman said. “I haven't heard him say much about that.” There's also the issue of the resume. Obama has held his seat in Congress for three years, compared to Clinton's seven. Clinton's Beltway tenure - not including an eight-year turn as First Lady - has seasoned her to deal with the snake pit of D.C. and enabled her to bridge party lines, Frooman said. “Experience counts for something,” she argued. Frooman reflects the passions of the Clinton faithful. It pains her to see the nomination race devolve into mean volleys. As a woman, she says, the displays of misogyny against Clinton, both subtle and less so, smart. On Facebook, for example, there are dozens of anti-Clinton sites, including one called “Hillary Clinton Stop Running for President and Make Me A Sandwich.” That site boasts more than 44,000 members. Such bruising and brawling only divide Democrats and help McCain conquer. I told Frooman that Democrats like her who flock to the other side don't help. Of course, political parties do have a way of coming together after the nominee is chosen. But Frooman remains unmoved. “I'm not voting this way because I'm endorsing the Republicans,” she said. “I'm just so annoyed with the Democrats.” I'm not buying her angry logic. If Democrats don't get their act together, and end this bickering, cannibalizing and defecting, they're sunk. __
