Never did I think this day would come. Last night women all over the United States watched proudly as one of our own was finally nominated for the Presidency. Make no mistake: Hillary is to women as Barack Obama is to African-Americans. Regardless of what one's politics are, Hillary made history and gave hope to women in this country that our gender is breaking the glass ceiling. My favorite line from her speech last night was, "if I am playing the woman card, then deal me in!'. Another potent endorsement came from President Obama when, during his speech at the DNC, he looked right at Bill Clinton and said, 'Hillary is more qualified to be President then even me and Bill.'
Women are greatly underestimated in politics. Probably because our country is run mostly by white straight men. Most of these men cannot fathom what daily life is like for women, even in a country as 'enlightened' as the United States. Every day on some level women feel the barrage of sexism in blatant and subtle ways. All one has to do is spend any amount of time watching TV to see how we are bombarded with messages that we need to be thinner, sexier, prettier, and younger looking to be a real woman. And, even if we get those powerful jobs, we must prove we are smarter and work harder than male counterparts to get 75% of their pay. Women may not talk about this, but they do quietly vote.
As women, we can identify with other minorities, and the LGBT community, who have also felt the cruel sting of discrimination. The same politics and institutional obstacles they face, we face. Hillary was right last night when she said that standing up for human rights is a woman's issue. Until one has walked in our shoes, one cannot experience how impotent we have felt. Now we have a person running for office who understands this.
Thank you, Hillary, for your tenacity and fortitude. Like Barack Obama, you've endured unjust heavy criticism because of your liberal, service-oriented philosophy. Those misguided people who want to return to the 1950's 'Leave it to Beaver' white, straight, male-dominated world, will get a wake-up call this November that America is made up of women, members of the LGBT community, minorities, and the marginalized. We a global microcosm with a powerful voting block.
And yes, I am with her.
