Hillary Clinton’s best shot at capturing the presidency is to count on a Pavlovian appeal to women that it’s time to end their bondage and put one of their own at the helm in the White House.

In other words, she’s hoping H.L. Mencken had it right when he caustically observed no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people, including American women.

Does she not think women who manage household budgets care about the economy?

Does she not think women who are mothers of soldiers care about the support and deployment of our armed services?

Does she not think women care about the quality of our schools, the safety of our streets and the security of our nation?

No, according to her it’s all about estrogen; if you don’t have any, then get out of the way.

Sisters, arise! She is woman, hear her roar.

Please. How pathetic is that? Indeed, how insulting it is.

Women now run universities. They preside in operating rooms. They have become mayors, governors, members of Congress, justices in our legal system, members of the Supreme Court.

Indeed, if every woman here and at the Globe walked off her job today you’d have no paper to read tomorrow.

Would a guy solicit your vote simply because he’s a man? No? Then why should you vote for a woman based on nothing more than gender?

But this is Hillary’s clarion call and there appears to be no shortage of fools who are buying it.

Madeleine Albright, one of her predecessors as secretary of state, introduced her to a crowd by declaring, “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.”

Even Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the leader of the Supreme Court’s liberal wing, threw propriety to the wind by coyly noting the next president — “whoever she might be” — will have a lot to say about the future makeup of the court.

In accepting her nomination at the Democratic National Convention, Hillary shamelessly played that gender card, pleading, “If you believe your working wife, mother, sister or daughter deserves equal pay, join us!”

Does she not realize conservatives and Republicans have mothers, sisters and daughters they passionately want the best for, too?

No, she delusionally believe she’s cornered the market on fairness.

And now she yearns to be president, which is the last thing this country needs.

What we need is a great president, gender notwithstanding.

That’s a not-too-subtle difference she clearly does not understand.