When I was a little girl, I used to think I was going to be a lawyer, and then I was going to be the President of the United States. Now, of course, I find that I am not a lawyer and I doubt I am going to be the PotUS. I’m sure I’m not the only woman who grew up with those kinds of dreams - they are probably more common now than they were even when I was a kid, and I’m sure they were more common in the 80’s than they were when Hillary Clinton was growing up.
She’s the same age as my mother. I don’t know why I think of that, but I do. I know what my mom has gone through - promotions received because she was a woman, other promotions or opportunities denied for the same reason. I remember when I was a kid, and I was sick, she couldn’t stay at home with me as much as she would have like to have done, because at that time she could have been fired for missing work to take care of her kid. So I have no illusions about what my mom and the women of her generation, including Hillary Clinton, went through so that I have the privilege of working for a female boss, of being respected by my co-workers, of being able to go to the exact school I chose. I know what feminism has done for me, and I do not now nor have I ever said that I am not a feminist.
So, it’s fairly obvious then to say that I, like a lot of women, have been in the position of having to justify our support for Obama when women like Hillary have worked all their lives to secure the opportunities and what even ground we have for those of us in the younger generation. It’s definetly tough to look at those women and say, no, I did not support Hillary Clinton, but it would be dishonest of me to do anything else.
In many ways, Tedra Osell’s piece Electing Hillary Would Be A Symbolic Victory For Women, But Obama Should Win covers the way I feel about it. I understand that she is qualified. I understand that women, especially a lot of older women, have a lot invested in her candidacy. I get it. But my gut tells me that Obama is the winner here. And my mind, while it knows everything Hillary Clinton and her generation has done for me and every other young woman in the US, cannot persuade my gut. And, honestly, I have a personal dislike for Hillary - I won’t lie about that - I do find her distasteful on a personal level, and a lot of it does go back to my very, very early impressions of her in 1992. I recognize that I was young, that these impressions were probably driven by an even more unfriendly media than we are dealing with now - I get it - and that’s why I never said I would sooner vote for McCain than vote for Hillary.
Also, frankly because I am not stupid. If someone wants to have Hillary run because it’s the feminist thing to do/have happen, fine, I get that, but please spare me the write-in campaign and the threats of voting for McCain. If you are actually a feminist, then you need to vote for the candidate that will best represent you in November, and I cannot think of any way, shape, form, or fashion in which John McCain better represents feminists or women in general than Barack. Voting for McCain or writing in Hillary’s name is like cutting off your nose to spite your face, except it’s your nose and the nation’s face. No, I’m not saying to women, “Put yourself last,” I’m saying, “Don’t be foolish.” Don’t let’s engage in some Custer’s Last Stand maneuver in order to make a point. Hillary played a good game, she played a tough game, and in the end, she lost the game. She was fine with the rules until she started losing. I realize and recognize that the media was not necesarily fair to her, but she knew that going in. Her candidacy accomplished a lot of things, but getting her nominated wasn’t one of them. Let’s not throw everything else away in a fit of pique. Let’s elect the right person for the job in November, and then in a little while a capable woman will have the chance to try again, on a playing field that’s a little more level due to Hillary Clinton’s effort this election season.
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