I am very excited to be part of this historical period in the US History. The prospect of having a woman as president in 2020 at the Centennial of women securing the right to vote is auspicious.
In 1970, when I was a freshman in college, I helped petition for signatures so the 18 year old right to vote would be placed on a referendum. The logic was that an 18 year old could marry, pay taxes, enlist in the Armed Services, drive, and sign a contract…so why not be allowed to vote? I stood outside a supermarket asking for signatures, was called a Communist, weirdo, and generally talked down to. But nationally, we collected enough signatures and the 26th Amendment of the US Constitution was passed. This meant that in the 1972 general election millions young people between the ages of 18-20 year could vote. I was among them.
Now when I hear young women who are between 18-21 years say they are going to vote, I feel a sense of pride that I helped that happen so many years ago. From 1920 through the present the baton has been passed along and US women should raise their voices in victory! God Bless America.
We are so far behind other countries in our politics. We hold women to a higher standard than men. We are not perfect and make mistakes. Instead of circumventing them we own up to them and try to rectify them. We made history electing president Obama. Hopefully it will happen again as long as the citizens of our country think it through and make the best choice for everyone.
We ElderChicks are happy to hear from all of you. And while the speech is certainly free, we do take pride in the civility we all show. Our prompt this month marks the advent of our first woman major party candidate – accent on First Woman. While Marianne’s post mentions Hillary Clinton, it’s in the context of what she hopes she will bring to the office of president as a woman – not Hillary’s personal history.
I am thrilled we will have a female president–I don’t want to think otherwise. Long overdue. Hopefully under Clinton’s watch many discriminating practices against women will be put under the spotlight and women will advance in the workplace, not to mention that we will give more attention and funding for health care services for children and improved educational opportunities for all our fellow Americans. Sounds rather Pollyanna but just the thought of a female leader makes me quite optimistic.
