I understand the hurt feelings. I know that a lot of women, particularly older women who remember well the struggles for equality of the 1960s and 1970s, pinned their hopes on Hillary as the first female president of the United States.
It isn't going to happen. Now some of them are demanding that Hillary be given veto power over the VP choice. Marcia Pappas, head of the NY chapter of NOW, said that Hillary be given "the first right of refusal." This is because "she is the only woman in history who has ever garnered this much support...She is the only woman in history who was able to raise the kind of money one would need to run a presidential campaign."
This is hypocritical self-serving bullshit, and it pisses me off.
It is hypocritical because the premise is this: Hillary deserves to be on the ticket because she is the most successful woman to run for the presidency.
Um, what?
She should not be picked because she brings the most electoral strength, or the most experience, or any other trait that she has earned, but merely because of her biological characteristic of sex?
To go further, Mario Cuomo said "No matter who he picks, the question is going to be raised: Are you telling me that this person would be a better qualified vice president than Hillary Clinton?"
Seriously? Do you really want to compare Hillary's "qualifications" with Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Wesley Clark, Jack Reed, Kathleen Sebelius, and on and on? Only someone blinded by emotion could seriously believe that someone with HRC's qualifications would get a second look absent other qualities that she doesn't have either.
ANYONE that Obama picks will be more qualified that Hillary by just about any objective standard. Even Tim Kaine, first term governor that he is, has more years in elected office and has experience managing budgets and bureaucracy.
Geraldine Ferraro said "If he picked Claire McCaskill or [Janet] Napolitano [or Kathleen] Sebelius, I think it would annoy women."
So let me get this straight...not only should Hillary get the VP slot because she is a woman, she should even get the slot over a more qualified woman.
And the self-serving character of these sentiments is obvious. It's the "I'm taking my ball and going home" mentality. It's petulant and petty. And I can't help but think there would be some cosmic justice if those women who witheld their votes from Obama had their right to choice taken away when President McCain appoints that fifth justice to oveturn Roe v. Wade.
But that's the thing. It won't be just those selfish Hillary boosters who would suffer. It would be women the whole country over. And that's not counting the millions who won't get healthcare, or a fairer tax code, or alternative energy, etc. We will all suffer if enough of them play this game through til the end.
I thought the whole point of equal rights was to be treated as an equal. You know...treated without regard to sex. So someone tell me how this isn't the height of hypocrisy and self-interest?
BTW quotes come from this story: VP pick may chafe Hillary supporters