The voices of women, who of course make up the largest majority group in America, are featured in two new video ads released by the Hillary Clinton campaign. An appeal to women, and support from women, are both key to Hillary Clinton’s final push in Texas.
The first Ad, named “One of a Million”, presents a collage of Texas women from all walks of life, each giving voice to the issues that concern them, and each pledging to stand up for Hillary in Texas, at both polling booths and caucuses;
“I am one of a million who will stand up, be noticed, be vocal, right here in Texas for Hillary Clinton… So now‘s the time to make a real difference, to make history.”
The ad closes with “Let’s do this for Hillary”, followed by scrolling text explaining in simple terms how to caucus in Texas.
Women are disproportionately present in the electorate, forming the clear majority that elects America’s leaders. But women are disproportionately lacking, both in Congress and Governor’s Mansions, while well into our third century as a nation, women are still waiting for America’s first female head of state. But Texans don’t have to reach far back in their own history to remember a remarkable female Texas head of state; Ann Richards.
A remembrance and honoring of Ann Richards life, and her contribution to women and to politics is the subject of the second new Hillary Clinton Ad; “This One’s for Ann!”
Seeing Anne Richards again here now, the iconic silver haired Grandma of Texas politics, with her huge warm smile and mischievous sharp tongue reminding our nation’s leading Democrats all gathered together at a National Democratic Convention that: “If you give us a chance, we can perform. After all Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did, she just did it backwards and in high heels!” is simply a visual that can’t be remembered or savored too often.
Ann delivered that line in true larger than life Texan style, and the ad is a must for that moment alone. And Hillary evokes Ann perfectly here in her own reminiscence of Ann Richards delivered when she recalled;
“I got a lot of advice from Ann about my hair. And one time I was with Ann and she sort of looked at me in that way she had and she said, ‘You know, really you got to make up your mind. You either just have to do something that people forget about, and pay no attention to, or you’ve got to make A STATEMENT.”
Making a statement, making history, is the common theme of both of these ads geared for Texas women. And a transcript from last night’s debate in Cleveland when Hillary Clinton made these comments in her closing statement shows that making history is very much on her own mind as well:
“As I said last week, you know, it's been an honor to campaign. I still intend to do everything I can to win, but it has been an honor, because it has been a campaign that is history making.
You know, obviously I am thrilled to be running, to be the first woman president, which I think would be a sea change in our country and around the world, and would give enormous...
(APPLAUSE)
... you know, enormous hope and, you know, a real challenge to the way things have been done, and who gets to do them, and what the rules are. So I feel that either one of us will make history.”
Ann Richards never met a glass ceiling she wasn’t willing to shatter. She did it with style and she did it with skill, but she never for an instant forgot they were there. Just because a ceiling is transparent doesn’t make it invisible.
Today in Austin, official portraits of every Texan Governor are hanging in the capital; a long line of men and one gritty and determined woman; Ann Richards. Ann Richards didn’t become Governor of Texas by being a woman. She became Governor of Texas by beating a man despite being a woman, because Ann Richards danced just as good as any of them; only backwards in high heels.
Ultimately it’s only the performance that counts when our next President takes the dance floor. But women at least will be watching, if that President excels while wearing high heels. And women in Texas remember exactly what it looks like to watch as that dance unfolds.