Women & Politics
An Inconvenient Debate: Caroline Kennedy and the American Dream
Who says we have no royalty in America?
I’ve waited to weigh in on Caroline Kennedy’s come-lately bid for political office because I’m fascinated by the competing arguments. I almost don’t want them to end in the decision about who’ll fill Hillary Clinton’s seat as the junior senator from New York, once she’s confirmed as secretary of state. But decide Governor David Paterson must.
So what are the narratives of his choice?
Read MoreMoose, Mousse, and Spalinism by Robin Morgan
Guest posting again! This was just too good not to share, especially with some folks who have been commenting on Heartfeldt. recently. Award winning author of 21 books, and feminist leader Robin Morgan takes laser-beam aim at a few “feminists” who have taken to the blogways lately to support John McCain and Sarah Palin. You…
Read MoreWhy Appearances Matter–and Corrupt
In response to comments both pro and con on my previous post here, I have been thinking a lot about why it matters that Sarah Palin uses her looks, her cutesy down-home phrases, her flirty moves. All politicians use whatever it is they’ve got to appeal to voters, after all. In fact, each and every…
Read MoreTightrope!
You can find just about anything on the web these days. These 14 pointers on how to walk a tightrope ought to be required reading for political candidates, especially candidates who are any sort of historic “first”. The key instruction is: “Don’t look down”. That’s less about technique than about having the courage to keep…
Read MoreLilly Ledbetter, a Real War Hero, Could Help Obama Win
Little did I know a few weeks ago, when Carole Joffe and I wrote “It’s About Time Working Women Get Straight Answers from John McCain”, showing the connective tissue uniting economic and reproductive justice–you know, like the phrase “barefoot and pregnant”– and challenging McCain to clarify his positions on basic questions such as: Do you…
Read MoreWomen Take Talmudic Advice, Organize for the Change They Believe In
The Talmud offers this advice, which I have often cited tongue-in-cheek as a metaphor for leadership in times of crisis, especially when it fell to me to figure out what the heck to do about it: “Where there are no men, strive thou to be a man.” A number of women I know are taking…
Read MoreQuestions about Palin Power, Sexism, and How Upset the Gender Applecart Really Is
Updated Sept. 15: You know the saying–after all is said and done, a lot more is said than done. Nowhere has that been more true than all that has been said about Sarah Palin and what her candidacy means. Maria Hinojosa , Senior Correspondent for PBS’s newsmagazine NOW has a forthcoming program on everyone’s topic…
Read MoreWhat I Really Said About Bristol
Anti-choice blogs have been on a rampage, slamming me over and over with allegations neither accurate nor true. I’m quite accustomed to their techniques of misleading readers in an attempt to persuade by histrionics and lies if truth doesn’t work. So I’m not about to waste my time in a food fight with them. On…
Read MorePalin Speech: Sneers Like Cheney–but if You Go Moose Hunting with Her, Hope She’s a Better Shot
John McCain’s vice presidential running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, delivered an engaging speech last night at the Republican National Convention. Her roaring crowd voraciously devoured every morsel of the copious red meat she served up with a fierceness that illustrates how she earned the nickname “Sarah Barracuda” in high school sports competition. Jill Miller…
Read MoreNO WAY, NO HOW, NO McCAIN: HILLARY, THE DESIGNATED ADULT
Her orange pantsuit might be a Glamour magazine “don’t”, but like every word Hillary spoke last night during her moment at the Democratic National Convention, it was so right, so Hillary.
Her once-ridiculed pantsuit is part of the Hillary brand now, like Barry Goldwater’s thick-rimmed black glasses, Winston Churchill’s smelly cigars, Joe Biden’s train tickets.
Standing sharp against the cobalt blue DNC backdrop in the organgest pantsuit I ever saw, Clinton paid tribute to her “sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits”. It was a moment of feminist humor and a nod to the fact that she was today truly, completely, and finally ceding the Democratic nomination to her former chief rival, Barack Obama.
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