At New York City’s Union Square on Super Tuesday, Democrats faced off.

On one side, Suzanne Worthington – a woman who went to college before the women’s rights movement swept the 1960s – held a sign for Hillary Clinton. Worthington’s top concern was health insurance since her health insurance bill is $677 per month and will soon go up to $799.

For Worthington, Clinton symbolizes intelligence and action: “She’s a planner. … She’s not just, ‘I hope.’” Worthington said she trusts Clinton to win international debates and listen to international concerns: “I don’t have that confidence in Obama.” She said Clinton has fielded media attacks: “She has bounced back and gone over the hurdles brilliantly. She’s tough. People don’t like tough women.” She saw one difference between Bill and Hillary Clinton: “Man and woman. … In terms of policy, I’m sure they’re right together.”

A few feet away, Neil Hussein, 23, and Will Storie, 21, pounded the pavement for Barack Obama. They had different priorities: the war in Iraq. Storie described the “change” he wanted to see: “Our foreign policy has moved in this direction where the Republicans are aggressive to the point of disaster, and the Democrats have given in. … They think they have to be Republicans to protect this country, and Barack stands up to that.” A New York City resident, Storie said he has no qualms about voting against his own senator: “I’m an American. I’m going to vote for who’s best for America.”

Why do young people care more about Iraq than health care, and why do they support Obama? Storie said, “We’re young enough to still think about things on an abstract level. I think that’s the soul of the Hillary, Obama divide.”

No Republicans stumped in Union Square, although McCain made an early Tuesday morning appearance at the Rockefeller Center. (The New York Times quoted a participant who was surprised at the turnout: “It’s hard to find this many Republicans in Manhattan.”) Worthington wasn’t surprised at the dearth of GOP campaigners: “This is a Democratic race in New York.”