A Response to the Feminists of Yore

An Excerpt from
Second-Place Citizens
by SUSAN FALUDI
Published: August 25, 2008

"In one poll, 40 percent of Mrs. Clinton’s constituency expressed dissatisfaction; in another, more than a quarter favored the clear insanity of voicing their feminist protest by voting for John McCain. “This is not the usual reaction to an election loss,” said Diane Mantouvalos, the founder of JustSayNoDeal.com, a clearinghouse for the pro-Clinton organizations. “I know that is the way it is being spun, but it’s not prototypical. Anyone who doesn’t take time to analyze it will do so at their own peril.”

The reason this would be insanity is that John McCain is an enemy of women's reproductive and health issues. Faludi's article explains the Cintonistas' mindset beautifully, but the whole article does come off as whining. Laurel (who hadn't read the article at the time, and just went on my summary of 'Susan Faludi's whining in the op-eds about Hillary's loss," suggested that they hit something and move on, already.

All of the issues outlined in Faludi's article are unbelievably valid. Women's issues will suffer a setback as a result of Hillary's defeat, just as the did in the 20's as outlined in Faludi's meticulously researched article. Am I worried about this? not so much. After being oppressed for the last 6000 years as chattel, it would be disengenuous to pout that total equality had not been reached in under a century. We've made exponential strides, but setbacks are part of the process. We keep on keeping on, and our daughters' daughters' daughters will have no frame of reference for our struggles.

Do I find it that much of a struggle? Nah. There are, today, more women in college than men, and the shift will come, generationally. Me? have two college degrees and make the larger dollar amount in my house. Always have. In my house, there's no question of parity.

So why do I prefer Obama over Hillary? Simple. When she voted to support the Iraq war in 2002, she did it to prove that she had the biggest balls in the room. Hr gender means nothing to me. I respect her as an equal of a man by holding her to the same level of accountability that a man would face. Can't have it both ways, Senator! That is why I didn't support her.

Barack Obama earned my vote after Dennis Kucinish dropped out, and I was looking for the next Dem to support. After careful consideration, Obama fit the bill for me (funny note, the quiz I took suggested Hillary as the politician most likely to fit my tastes, but then there's that vote! I guess Rachel Maddow would call that "post-rational").