Women in Politics

Our nation has a long and storied history of women in politics.  Women like Shirley Chisholm, Frances Perkins, Bella Abzug and Elizabeth Dole paved the way for our daughters and granddaughters. 

Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to Congress and was a tireless advocate and activist for women’s and civil rights.  Frances Perkins was literally the woman behind the man.  She was one of the foremost defenders of worker’s rights and the first woman to be appointed to the U. S. Cabinet as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor.  Most credit her as the driving force behind the New Deal.  Bella Abzug was an outspoken rabble-rouser from the Bronx, identifiable by her big hats.  She was a Civil rights lawyer and peace activist before running for Congress in 1970. Her six years as a representative demonstrated her dedication to social justice issues, and she co-authored additions to the Freedom of Information Act and the Right to Privacy Act.  Elizabeth Dole was a graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School who served as Secretary of Transportation under Ronald Reagan and Secretary of Labor under George H.W. Bush before becoming head of the American Red Cross.

There is Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Lydia Chapin Taft, Patricia Harris, Geraldine Ferraro – all of whom brought honor and respect to the role of women in politics.  You may not agree with their politics, but you can agree with the fact that their strength and intelligence made a huge impact on the importance of women in government and in the representation of the “fairer sex”.  As a mother and a grandmother I thank them for being exceptional role models for generations of women to come. 

Because of the admirable nature of the aforementioned, I am puzzled and saddened by a new crop of women in politics.  These new women show an insufficient knowledge of history, a miniscule understanding of The Constitution and a sparse, woeful attribute for leadership. 

I’m fairly certain that Sarah Palin is a lovely person and a dedicated wife and mother.  But to elevate her to such a level of adulation, with her limited abilities, is bewildering.  I am sure that Ms. Palin did a modestly reasonable job as Governor (while it lasted).  But I thank the good Lord she did not become our Vice President.  Ms. Palin’s good looks prove her worthy of her beauty-queen accolades.  But ask Abraham Lincoln if looks are tantamount to governance.  Thin-skinned and defensive, she lashes out at anyone who dares question her ethics, beliefs or lack of knowledge.  If President Obama had the same proclivities, we would have seen a firestorm each day for the last two and a half years coming out of the White House. 

I’m equally sure that Michele Bachmann is a lovely woman and a dedicated wife and mother.  But the same can be said for my next door neighbor.  Unfortunately, it does not make her any more capable of leadership than it does Ms. Bachmann.  She, like Sarah Palin, seems to hold a large majority of the American people in contempt.  It’s a barely disguised contempt that rears its ugly head when she speaks on the state of our economy, on religion in this country, on patriotism or on any of a multitude of other topics.  Any woman that believes that a wife should be subservient to her husband is not my idea of Presidential leadership material.  One thing I can say about Ms. Bachmann – she has Choots-pa! 

I worry that in this day and age of “Housewives” and “Mean Girls” and Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears and Lindsay Lohan and Sarah Palin and Michele Bachman that my daughter and granddaughter will grow up without the kind of strong role models that we were fortunate enough to be blessed with in my generation - the kind of role models that stood up for, and changed, the role of women in government.  There is no place for the petty and the vindictive in the annals of great American women.   It’s past time for recognition of the truly great women in the political arena today.  I will begin with just a few – Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Amy Klobuchar, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Nancy Pelosi, Kathleen Sebelius, Janet Napolitano and Christine Todd Whitman.  Let us hope that our daughters and granddaughters recognize the qualities of the best among us and follow their lead.