Lynette Long

CRY, BABY, CRY

By Joan Lipkin

For the past few days, my phone has been buzzing with calls from devastated volunteers and celebrating friends. In the accelerated world of the blogosphere, writers have begun to rationalize the demographics of the vote and to anticipate the future.

Important new groups like The New Agenda (www.thenewagenda.net) have raised significant concerns about the Obama administration potentially selecting economist Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard as Secretary of Treasury.  Summers resigned from Harvard in the wake of a controversy in which he suggested that women received promotion at a lesser rate in the sciences because they were less qualified. Lynette Long (www.lynettelong.com) has started a cabinet watch to encourage Obama to appoint women to 50 percent of the positions.

Wouldn’t that be a great thing and real change?

All of this is good and necessary work. I am grateful that others are doing it because I am just not there yet. I will get there again I am sure but I am not there now.

After months of working to promote Hillary Clinton and fair and open elections, after months of examining the issues and making a conscientious and principled decision to move over to McCain, after months of traveling the country, I am not there yet.

I am exhausted and it is an exhaustion that goes far beyond the physical.  It is an exhaustion that permeates my emotional and psychic core. For me, as well as many others, it is tied to the death of a dream.

The dream that we would have a woman president in my life time.

The dream that Hillary Clinton might break from the party, demand justice and a free election and that she would be heard.

The dream that women would act in their best interests.

The dream that men would support women.

The dream that people become journalists because of an aptitude and desire for investigative reporting and passionate commitment to truth.

The dream that the American people would not be seduced by mass media.

The dream that deep friendships would endure over differences of opinion.

The dream that a concern with sexism would share equal space with a concern with racism.

The dream that people would keep their word and that patriotism and honor would prevail.

The dream that if we just worked hard enough, even if we were outspent seven to one and out staffed by far more than that, we would win because we were right.

My dreams have been shattered. 

Perhaps they were naïve.  But they were real to me and shared by many, many others.  Hopefully, some of those dreams can come true in the future.  As we can see, there are people and groups who are already working to realize them and they welcome others to join them in these significant efforts.

But I am not there yet.  Because with the loss of my dreams, of our dreams, is a kind of death.

And when death comes, one must mourn.

In the Jewish tradition, when there has been a death of the family, one sits Shiva for seven days.  The mirrors are draped in black to avoid consideration of appearances and business is suspended. Neighbors, friends and family stop by with trays of food and to talk about the departed loved one because there is no more important business than acknowledging the death of that person, and what was lost as well as what remains.

And so it is with us.  Maybe we won’t drill, baby, drill.  But we can cry, baby, cry and acknowledge the gut wrenching pain of what it means to have our dreams shattered.  And especially how it feels to not be able to openly, joyfully celebrate this breakthrough historic presidency as well as the much anticipated end of the Bush administration because it was not come by honestly.

Ironically, the same technology that helped drive the election for Obama has also been our friend throughout this election season as we write and become allies through our exchanges with people we may never have met.

I encourage people to reach out, to talk and share their feelings in whatever ways they can.  Across the blogs and airwaves. On the phone and in person.   I encourage them to not skip past this crucial stage of grieving for the loss of our dreams.

For many of us, it is only through going to the rock bottom of our pain that we can make space to empty out and thus, reenergize for our shared battles to come.

Cry, baby, cry.

CAMPAIGNING IN MIAMI

1.2 Million Cubans in Miami Support McCain and this Hillary Clinton Supporter Does, Too.

By Joan Lipkin

I just returned from working in Miami Dade as the coordinator for Citizens for McCain.  As a former Hillary Clinton supporter who volunteered for her all over the country, to many, I know it can seem like a stretch to have crossed over to the other side.

But as I reviewed the history of the primary and the current issues facing us, it seemed increasingly like the only ethical, pragmatic and appropriate choice.

Consider the caucus fraud, stripping of Clinton’s votes and denial of a fair and open roll call.  The relentless sexism from the media and the silence from Democratic Party. Obama's refusal to have town halls with her and then McCain. Obama's waffling on important issues like FISA and campaign finance reform.  The obscene amounts of money that Obama's campaign has spent when people are losing their homes. Over 680 million dollars of which we know.  Probably more. His lack of judgment in choosing close associates and friends.  Like Jeremiah Wright. Tony Rezko. William Ayers.  Khalidi.

It is clear that the Democratic Party as we knew it, the Democratic Party of my parents, no longer exists.  Its leadership does not support the most basic principle of one person, one vote.  And they do not support women, the majority of its membership.

Clearly, it is time to look somewhere else.

And then the economy tanked and the choice became very clear. I have never voted Republican in my life.  As I began to study the issues more closely, I grew to really appreciate what John McCain has to say.  He understands that you cannot tax small businesses at a high rate, as Obama is proposing.  Small businesses are what drive the economy.  We need and must create opportunities for Joe (and Josie!)  the Plumber.  What can Obama be thinking?  And how does he possibly plan to pay for all of the programs he is proposing?  More taxes in a struggling economy?

Nobody gets this more than the Cuban community in Miami.

Traveling much of the time in Miami with Dr. Lynette Long, the leading expert on the caucus fraud perpetuated against Hillary Clinton by Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee, we did a lot of canvassing and shaking of hands, otherwise known as retail politics.

Almost everyone we met were proudly, even vehemently pro McCain.  Even the seniors who didn’t speak English would shake their heads and wag their fingers when we asked them about Obama. They are suspicious of charisma and empty promises.

Families who had made the treacherous journey to come to America, often leaving behind everything they knew or had owned compared Obama to Castro.  “Fidel said change, too,” one young woman said whose family's property had been seized and whose father had been imprisoned in Cuba for six years. “I don’t want socialism.  I know how bad it can be. Our families want to work hard.  We want opportunities, not hand outs. We love John Mccain.  We trust him.”

America is the land of immigrants and opportunities.  In honor of these wonderful Cuban Americans who are the soul of Miami and part of the extended heart of this great country, let’s get out the vote.

In Praise of our Young Ones: Featuring Kevin Cooper

By Joan Lipkin

Many of us have been looking at younger Obama supporters and despairing of their critical thinking. Or lack thereof. Who hasn’t had the experience of asking someone just what is it that Obama promises to do? What kind of change? 

Often, they just shake their heads, tongue-tied in a stunning lack of articulation and look at us as if we haven’t got a clue. And of course, the predominantly left-leaning media has been so infatuated with the narrative of Obama’s meteoric rise (which they co-created), it is challenging for most well-intentioned folks of all ages to get the real story.

Here in Miami, the TV and radio stations are practically Obama 24/7. That is what $600 million can buy. And $600 million is what Obama gets when he agrees to campaign finance reform and then rejects it. He gets to try to buy the election. Especially by duping many, many young people and preying on their vulnerabilities.

Well, no. Because there are other young people like 15-year-old Kevin Cooper who are thinking about the issues and working hard to ensure the best outcome. That’s right. Fifteen years old. You read correctly.

Kevin says he started his political career working for the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Campaign. Inspired by Giuliani’s message, Kevin served as a coordinator for Junior Volunteers for Miami-Dade County under the direct supervision of Field Director JC Flores.

Kevin is a sophomore at Hillel Community Day School in Miami and the vice president of the Hillel Political Club at his school. Flores said, “Kevin is a hard-working self-starter who invariably understands exactly what campaigning was all about from the outset, and how to get it done quickly and effectively.”

Kevin has also served as a campaign assistant for the Jorge Luis Lopez campaign assistant directly to the campaign manager, Greg Aguirre for the Jorge Luis Lopez Campaign for the Florida State House of Representatives-District 107.

Currently Kevin is a field coordinator for the City of Aventura and co-manages the local victory office for John McCain, where he is managing dozens of volunteers and making and helping to coordinate hundreds of phone calls for his current candidate of choice, John McCain.

Now if a 15-year-old can run a phone bank in addition to go to school, how about volunteering this week to elect the only honest man in the race for the highest office in the land, John McCain? 

Don’t wait for someone to call you back from an office or a headquarters. They are all swamped. They don’t have as much money for staff as Barack Obama because they are playing by the rules. So we all need to work harder and smarter. 

Just go. And run, don’t walk.

They will put you to work for as long as you have. This is especially crucial if you are in or bordering a battleground state. Do it for yourself and in honor of a wonderful young man like Kevin Cooper. He is our future. 

Fiddling while Rome Burns or Millions for TV Commercials instead of Books

By Joan Lipkin

                     

In the latest round of economic obscenities from Barack Obama, his campaign is reported to be spending  a record $230 million on television advertising, including  Wednesday prime-time commercials on CBS, NBC and Fox.

The three 30-minute ads or infomercials cost Obama nearly $1 million each. This is the first time mark the first time in 16 years that a White House contender has aired commercials of that length on broadcast networks. Billionaire Ross Perot paid for 11 half-hour ads during his 1992 bid as an independent.

According, to USA Today, Obama's ad spending will easily surpass the record $188 million President Bush spent in 2004.

How is this possible?  How does Obama have $230 million to spend on television advertising?  The answer is that he accepted campaign finance reform and then rejected it when his campaign decided he was not just a cash cow, but the whole herd.

Meanwhile, John McCain, who first began working on campaign finance reform with Senator Russell Feingold, a democrat from Wisconsin,13 years ago, is limited to $84.1 million because he accepted taxpayer funds for the general election.

Once again, John McCain shows himself to be a man of his word. 

And Barack Obama? 

Well, he has already shown himself to be a liar, since he went back on his promise to accept campaign finance reform as well as on many issues.  But as if that is not sufficient cause for alarm, one has to wonder about the conscience of the man who is being hailed as the messiah of the Democratic Party. One has to wonder about a man who claims to have worked in the field of education for years.

$230 million for television advertising????

It takes my breath away.

And I’m wondering, how many school books that might buy. How many salaries for teachers? How many college educations?

Hmmm . . . How many mortgages might that pay?  How many gas tanks might that fill? 

How many hungry bellies might that feed?

I guess Obama is for redistribution of wealth as long as it is not his wealth.

I am stunned at the utter lack of morality and ethics on display here.

For shame, Obama.  For absolute shame.

Let’s not waste a moment letting the world know that the American public will not be bought.  Let’s get ourselves to any field office or campaign office, especially if it is in a battleground or border state.

This is the real deal.  So I say, Just Say No Deal. Vote McCain/Palin and do the right thing.

TALKING 'BOUT THE C WORD AND FEMALE RIGHTS OF PASSAGE

By Joan Lipkin

For most women, there are instances and occasions that mark one’s awakening to the realities of their gendered life in America.  Some are full of joy, some painful and others a strong reminder that women are still second class citizens in this country.

What are some of these rites of passage?

The first time you get your period.

The first time you get a manicure or pedicure. 

The first time you buy a bra.

The first time you have sex.

The first time you realize you do not feel safe walking down the street by yourself.

The first time you realize that your opinion is not valued as much as some of the guys you know.

The first time you realize that the men you know make far more money than most of the women you know.

The first time you realize that men who do not do as good a job as some of the women you know are still getting the promotions.

The first time you realize you have never seen a woman on a printed bill and that there is no image of a woman carved onto Mount Rushmore.

The first time you realize the United States is the only country in the industrialized world that has not elected a woman to the highest office of the land.

The first time you realize that all sorts of people, including members of the media, can say sexist things about women and very few people or organizations call them on it, including organizations that promote general human rights and women’s rights.

And then, there’s the  first time you are a called a cunt.

Ouch.  You read correctly. It even hurts to read it on the printed page.

I remember the first time I was called a cunt. I was in college.  I disagreed with what a friend of my boyfriend wanted to do and he called me a cunt.  Loudly.  Across the room.

I remember the waves of shame washing over my face. Feeling reduced to my gender and gender alone, and in the most intimate way.  Suddenly understanding the relationship between voicing my opinion and being called a name that was intended to be derogatory and to keep me in my place.

Ouch.

It took me a long time to get over that.  And to get over the fact that no one said anything to counteract it.  Not my boyfriend.  Not the manager or the store.  Not anyone around us.

A simple, “Hey, man, knock it off,” or “That’s not cool,” or “ Please apologize to the young lady,”  would have helped. But there was nothing.

In that instance, I understood the old and young boys club and the loyalties that exist between men and how they often shore up each other’s insecurities or make excuses.

Cunt.

Kind of like nigger, kike, wop or faggot.

It is one of those words that civilized people should not use in reference to each other. In public or in private.  It is hurtful and conveys utter disrespect for women and yet it is undergoing a renaissance it would seem.

Recently, at political rallies for Barack Obama as well as John McCain, both men and women have shown up wearing tee shirts that read “Sarah Palin is a cunt”.

Remarkable.

Has all notion of civility gone out the door?? 

And what of the young women?  Do they not understand that they are colluding in their own denigration? Or do they think that putting down another woman with vulgar language will open the doors to the boys club?

And where are our organizations that supposedly promote women’s rights and dignity?

Like the National Organization for Women or Emily’s List or NARAL. 

Or are they primarily concerned with raising money?

John McCain mentioned the tee shirts during his third and final debate with Barack Obama on Wednesday although civility precluded him from going into the specifics.

Barack Obama brushed this aside, saying that all campaigns have some fringe elements.

Indeed, they do.  And his campaign seems to have a surplus of extremists. But Obama didn’t apologize for the actions of his devotees or say they were out of line.  Just like he was completely silent as the media excoriated Hillary Clinton for month after month after month  in sexist terms.

How differently I might feel about him had he said something.

Anything.

To be sure, I still would have a hard time excusing the fact that his campaign swamped the caucuses causing massive voter fraud, stripped Clinton of her rightful votes in Michigan and Florida and denied her an open and honest roll call at the Democratic Convention.

To be sure, I still would question his paper thin resume, lack of effectiveness in his own district in Illinois which he was elected to serve, his questionable associates like convicted felon Tony Rezko, unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers and Reverend Jeremiah Wright who promotes racism and anti-Semitism through the pulpit.

I cherish my opportunity and responsibility to vote. I know politics can be rough business so I am trying to be realistic.  I have asked myself what I can overlook since so much of the country has somehow excused Obama’s behavior.

I have tried. I have had countless conversations and read countless articles and viewed countless hours of television and I just can’t go there.

Because in addition to all of these other red flags, no matter how Obama paints it, he ultimately does not have respect for women.  He will not speak up when it is inconvenient for him and John McCain will.

Just who is this man?  How can Barack Obama--- who professes to revere his grandmother, his mother, his wife and two daughters--- stay silent in the face of this kind of sexism?  Who is he, really?

I’m thinking Just Say No Deal.

THE BUCK STOPS WHERE?

By Joan Lipkin

In a recurring series of nightmares which sometimes seem to take place in the day when I am awake, I keep thinking about money.

I dreamt that I heard Barrack Obama had spent half a billion dollars on his campaign to secure the presidency.  Maybe I am off by a few mil. If I am, no doubt some brilliant blogger will help set me straight. I can almost always count on a diligent investigative blogger for the real facts since in the latest chapter of the world gone mad, the New York Times seems to be giving up on actual investigative reporting. At least where Barack Obama is concerned.

But here’s the thing.  With this kind of money in the tank, why do I get so many emails from Barack, Michelle, Joe, David and Nancy? We’re on a first name basis, it would seem.  They call me Joan, they sign with their first name.   I get them every day, sometimes several times a day.  Sarah Palin had barely walked off the stage at the Vice Presidential debate when I got an email from David about what a great job Joe had done. Send money.

I guess it takes a lot of money to rig an election.  All those people to bus in. All those free lunches and dinners.  All those homeless or disenfranchised people to pay to register voters and get them to vote the same day when their address or identities can’t be verified. All those bloggers to infiltrate sites promoting freedom of speech, election reform and accountability in the media. 

Yup, fraud, is indeed, expensive.

Money is a sore spot right now.  As we witness the collapse of the economy, it seems more obscene than usual that any candidate is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the election.  So I am confused by the Democrats, my usual party of choice.

How is it that Republican nominee John McCain, along with Democratic Senator Russell Feingold from

Wisconsin

have pushed for campaign finance reform when Obama or party leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have not?  McCain and Feingold have been talking about campaign finance for a long time.  They first introduced their bi-partisan bill in 1995.  Talk about tenacity.  I wonder what Barack Obama was doing thirteen years ago. Given the way the media wagons have circled around him, I wonder how we would find out.

I’m also wondering why--- if Obama is so concerned about the economy and sending a message of unity that we need to work together--- why didn’t he head for

Washington

immediately last week, as a Senator and the current leader of the party?  Why did he need to be summoned by the president?

And why isn’t he willing to honor staying within a budget that can be agreed upon by both parties? Was all this work on campaign finance reform for naught?

I guess fraud is, indeed, expensive.  As are below the belt television commercials that criticize John McCain for not doing email or that question his life expectancy.

It’s true that John McCain can’t type or raise his arm very high.

Kind of tough to do when you have nerve damage after being tortured in a prisoner of war camp for five and half years.

And it’s true that John McCain has had a recurrence of a kind of skin cancer.  It is a commonplace cancer that affects many Americans who go to the doctor, have it taken care of and go about their lives.

But raise the specter of technological incompetence or cancer and you can really get a bang for your buck. Through the magic of television with some well placed commercials, you can suggest that McCain is an old guy who is out of touch.  An old guy on the verge of death.

Nice. I guess indecency is also expensive.

As more and more Americans struggle with gas prices, foreclosures and unemployment, it is understandable to want to lash out.  For many, the obvious target would be the Republicans, since so much of the disaster in our financial world happened under George Bush’s watch.  But many Democrats were also asleep at the wheel, or so tied up in angry partisan politics that they refused to participate in substantive discussions and actions to prevent a collapse. 

Can Barack Obama and the Democratic Party stop passing the buck?  Especially since they’re raking in so many of them. 

Just Say No Deal. And focus on the solutions.

SHOWING ME CENSORSHIP IN THE SHOW ME STATE OF MISSOURI

By Joan Lipkin

These are difficult times to be living in the swing state of Missouri.  The “Show Me” state is looking more like a police state at the moment and appropriate coverage by the media or intervention by the ACLU is scarce to be found.

Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike should be concerned to hear that the Obama campaign launched a truth squad composed in part by Obama supporters U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, St. Louis City prosecutor Jennifer Joyce, St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch and a sheriff, among others. According to a report on KMOV TV in St. Louis on the 6 pm news on September 23, the squad announced their intention to file charges against those allegedly saying anything negative or erroneous about the junior senator from Illinois.

A truth squad like this dangerously blurs the lines between the personal beliefs and professional obligations of elected officials, further complicated by the fact that most “truths” are subjective.

When I called KMOV, to request follow up, the assignment editor said, “We’ve already reported this. What do you expect us to do, go through every commercial that has been aired and check out every conversation?”

I told them the issue was not necessarily about the reliability of any commercials, since there had been fact stretching in both campaigns, but rather the importance of providing air time to people or organizations who might contest the appropriateness of a truth squad comprised of elected officials who endorse a particular candidate.

I got nowhere fast and as a former public relations consultant, I am usually pretty good at this sort of thing.

Next, I called KSDK, the station’s major competitor and was told that, well, if KMOV had already covered it, why would they?

My calls and emails to the managing editor, executive editor and political editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch went unreturned.

Interestingly, KTVI, the Fox affiliate in St Louis agreed that the story warranted more coverage and sent a reporter to talk with me as well as county prosecutor McCulloch. In his televised interview on KTVI, McCulloch shrugged off concerns, saying that it was unlikely that anyone would likely be prosecuted.

My statement about the importance of free speech must have hit the editing floor in favor of my less controversial suggestion to establish a bi-partisan truth squad.

Regardless of how McCulloch or any surrogates for the Obama campaign may spin it, the issue of a crusading partisan squad is very serious. Its ultimate effect is to frighten the general population who aren’t in a position to sort through the technicalities, dampen free speech and engender distrust of neighbors.

No less than Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, talk show host Rush Limbaugh and the Drudge Report have raised concerns about the impact of these police state tactics on freedom of speech. The Rush Limbaugh website said prosecutors on the Missouri Obama Truth Squad "threaten to prosecute anti-Obama speech." 

Governor Blunt posted his reaction on the Missouri state web site.  Blunt charged the purpose of the squad "is to frighten people away from expressing themselves, to chill free and open debate, to suppress support and donations to conservative organizations."  He called the action "reminiscent of the Sedition Acts-not a free society.”

County prosecutor Bob McCulloch insisted such claims were "nonsense."  "I don't know what charge anybody could be talking about. There is no such thing; libel is a civil matter entirely," said McCulloch."

So what actually is going on? Something is going on, even if it is confusing as heck. And where are those organizations and individuals whose job it is to help sort this out?

With few exceptions, it is stunning that both the local and the national media have been missing in action in covering this latest development from the Obama campaign.

Well, maybe it is not so stunning.  Millions of Hillary Clinton supporters are still trying to fathom how the Democratic National Committee could have condoned the Obama campaign’s illegal swamping of the caucuses to create voter fraud, stripping of her delegates in Michigan and Florida and assigning them to him (including the Undecideds), harassing her delegates at the Democratic National Convention and ultimately preventing a fair and open roll call.

Where was the media in all of this?  Many are in love with the narrative they have helped to create about the meteoric rise of a political super star and don’t want to add new chapters.  Some are overextended covering too many things in too little time.  And some, frankly, are lazy. 

So most of the media weren’t paying attention then and it is tough to get them to pay attention now.

If there should be a necessity for a truth squad, at the very least, it needs to be bi-partisan and composed of people from a range of disciplines and experiences such as political scientists, ethicists, religious and faith based leaders and educators, for example, without singular ties to one party or campaign.  If this campaign season has illustrated one thing, it is that truth is subjective.

So, how about a little coverage of these tactics of intimidation, calling off the goons and encouraging the good people of America to talk without fear of reprisal? And how about a little civility in these difficult, difficult times, in which many people are struggling with economic as well as ethical decisions?

Gee, that might actually be change we could believe in.

COURTED AS A HILLARY SUPPORTER IN A SWING STATE

Upon Being Courted as a Hillary Supporter in a

Swing

State

By Joan Lipkin

As an out and proud Hillary Clinton supporter who lives in a swing state, I am feeling downright popular these days.  People I haven’t heard from in years call me up or send notes. They want assurances that I have moved into Obama's camp but I want to have a different conversation before I go anywhere.

The other night, at a fundraiser to provide services for low-income women, a lawyer I know gave the requisite sympathetic preamble, “I know you were for Hillary” before launching into an attack on Sarah Palin.

“What are we going to do about that moron, Sarah Palin?”

I tell her that I think Sarah Palin is a very smart and accomplished woman, even though I don’t share her perspective on some issues. And I don’t think it benefits anyone to engage in name calling.

The next person, a social work professor, again gives the requisite preamble, and then asks, “What are you going to do?”

I tell her I haven’t decided.  That there are a lot of options and I am weighing them carefully. I say that I care about the platform of the Democratic Party but I also care about the principles of democratic representation. From my point of view, they have been egregiously missing and I am still trying to understand how my party could condone what has gone on during this election.

“Like what?” she asks.

“Like the Obama campaign swamping the caucuses illegally to win a disproportionate number of votes.  There were 2,000 violations in Texas alone.”

“That really happened?”

“Really,” I say. "And there's more."

"Really?" she asks.

"Yes," I say. “Like the silence from the Obama campaign and leadership of the Democratic Party as sexism was lobbed by the media over and over again at Clinton.”

“Yes,” she acknowledges.  “That was not so good.”

“Yes,” I tell her.  “And Obama also participated directly in it.  Remember? How would you feel about having someone talk about your 'claws' coming out or periodic moodiness?"

She lowers her eyes.  I get it.  It is hard to hear information that sounds so outrageous. Because it then requires that someone rethink their decisions and maybe even change them.

I talk about the reassigning of votes designated for Clinton in Michigan and Florida and awarding them in the form of delegates to Obama. Even the votes that were Undecided.  I say that this high jacking of votes was decided by the Democratic Party’s very own Rules and By Laws Committee meeting in our nation’s capitol in May.

She shifts her weight. “Yes,” she says.  “That was not so good.”

I talk about the hours and hours of work on behalf of dedicated volunteers to get Clinton’s name on the ballot in nomination at the first roll call at the convention in Denver.  About trying to get an answer from Howard Dean about this for months, even though his name had been in nomination on the roll call in  a previous election, as had Ted Kennedy’s and Jesse Jackson’s. And they didn’t come anywhere near accumulating the number of delegate votes that Clinton had.  She received more votes than anyone in the history of the democratic primary.

I talk about how many Clinton delegates were harassed, race baited, isolated or given little information and ultimately prevented from voting for her at the convention. About how some were even offered reimbursement for their considerable expenses to attend if they would switch their vote.  And then there were the numbers of Super Delegates who had been bribed with donations from Nancy Pelosi’s PAC.

She is incredulous.  “Did that really happen?”

“Yes, it really happened.”

“So why didn’t we hear about it?”

The $64,000 question.

How much time does she have?

“I don’t know exactly,” I say. “Lots of reasons. We need media reform in addition to election reform.  There was plenty of information about this if you read the blogs. We should know better than to rely strictly on mainstream media to get the full story.  So I am thinking hard about all of this as I make a decision about my vote.”

And then it comes.  There is that moment in the conversation when it always comes.

She raises her eye brows and asks about Roe v Wade.

My vote suitors always ask about Roe v Wade.

Even after I outline the corruption in the Democratic Party that prevented Hillary Clinton, a more experienced and principled candidate who won the popular vote from receiving the nomination, they still always ask about Roe v Wade.

I say that for over 35 years, Roe v Wade has been the law of the land, through several Republican administrations.  There is no reason to think that Roe v Wade will disappear.  Not only is it the law of the land but it is embedded in the culture.  I say that Roe v Wade is the threat that is dangled by the Democratic Party to hold women hostage to their corrupt process and I am a little tired of hearing about Roe v Wade.

“Oh,” she says.

“Yes,” I say.   “Oh.”

And she leaves for a refill.

A man I know who considers himself a feminist asks if I have seen the photos of Sarah Palin wearing a bikini made out of the flag and holding a rifle.  I ask if he really thinks someone of Palin’s stature and faith would wear such an outfit and for public display, no less.  I tell him it has been photo-shopped and suggest he check the snopes website for accuracy in the future.

He looks disappointed and says, “Well, one can only hope.”

Then it is time for the first person of the evening to ask if I have seen the Gloria Steinem editorial about why Sarah Palin is the wrong woman.  Yes, I have seen it.  It has been sent to me 17 times.

So what do I think, they ask.  “I mean, it’s Gloria.”

Yes, I know it’s Gloria.  That is why I read it so carefully.  I revere Gloria Steinem.  To my mind, she is one of the heroes of our time but even Gloria Steinem is human and gets it wrong from time to time.

I tell them that Gloria’s piece is problematic, not so much for what she says but for what she doesn’t say.  That Sarah Palin hasn’t limited teaching to creationism; she wants this view point included in the curriculum along with evolution.

That Sarah Palin doesn’t propose banning books, she asked how a particular librarian would respond if the issue came up, as it has in many communities across the country.

That Sarah Palin doesn’t hate wolves and encourage shooting them from planes for sport, she is concerned about their effect on caribou and moose that provide sustenance for some Alaskans and also that there have been reports of wolves attacking humans and dogs.

That to label John McCain as beholden to the Right Wing is maybe not much different than Barack Obama’s nomination being brokered by the Democratic National Committee. What about his obligations?  Do they really think Obama will come without strings?

We go through Steinem’s editorial point by point.

“I don’t get it, “they say.  “Do you support Sarah Palin?”

“I support the truth,” I tell them.  On any side, at any time.  I support the truth.”

And I wait for the next suitor.

And when they pat my arm and give the requisite preamble about how sad I must be that Hillary lost and by the way, have I seen the amazing piece that Gloria Steinem wrote, I say, “With all due respect, if Gloria Steinem feels so strongly about the future administration, where has she been?  She wrote an editorial supporting Hillary early on but there weren’t many reports of Steinem sightings and they sure would have been useful. Because unlike, say Matt Damon or Sandra Bernhardt, she has serious intellectual cred.

But no, no Gloria.  So where has Gloria been, along with other feminist high profile public figures  for over a year while Hillary Clinton was pilloried in the press? 

Robin Morgan courageously laid it on the line as did the great Maya Angelou.
And of course, the amazing Stephanie Tubb Jones, the late African-American congresswoman from Ohio. Or, another great African-American public servant, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from Texas.  Both were running for re-election and their seats were at stake and they spoke up as out and proud Clinton supporters.

But with few exceptions, our famous sisters and organizations have been missing in action.  Or if they took action, like the National Organization for Women, it was pretty anemic.

I mean, no tangible results from our oldest and largest women’s rights organization. Zilch.

And NARAL?  NARAL even came out and endorsed Obama months ago, long before Hillary suspended her campaign.  Even though Hillary has a stronger track record on issues of reproductive choice.

What the heck was that about?"
 

“Hmmm,” they say.

“Yes,” I say. “Hmmm.” 

I take a deep breath and wait.  Here it comes.

“But what about Roe v Wade? “they ask. “Aren’t you concerned about Roe v Wade?”

I give my Roe v Wade spiel yet again and then decide that it is tiring being an out Hillary Clinton supporter in a swing state, even if people are buying drinks and chatting me up.

I think maybe I need a vacation from all these feminists, female and male who have been asleep at the wheel for the past year and are suddenly concerned about Roe v Wade but not about the sexism and corruption that prevented Hillary Clinton, the greatest candidate of my lifetime from ascending to the highest office of the land.

Hillary Clinton, a feminist who knows how to extend her hand to Republicans and Democrats alike and who continues to work on behalf of a whole range of issues pertinent to women and children and men, as she has for some thirty five years.

A vacation is sounding good about now.  Especially since I worked for months on behalf of Hillary Clinton, of all of us, really, trying to get the word out. I don’t need umbrellas and an ocean view. I would be happy to visit the Land of Reason and Responsibility. Does anyone know how to get there? But let's make it a short trip.  There is clearly much work yet to be done. And I have a vote to decide.