Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Clinton's Legacy Leaves Light on for Other Women



Hillary Clinton did not concede defeat

In a rousing speech to supporters, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton did not concede defeat and revealed no immediate plans to step off the stage.

"I understand a lot of people are asking, 'What does Hillary want?'" she proclaimed, adding: "I want nearly 18 million Americans who voted for me to be respected, to be heard, and no longer invisible."

Clinton said she will consult supporters and party leaders to determine her course of action. "This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight." ...
And Clinton's candidacy shined a high beam on stubborn strains of sexism, said Clare Giesen, executive director of the National Women's Political Caucus, a group in Washington, D.C., that works to elect pro-choice women to office.
"This campaign has unveiled sexism as none of us thought existed," she said. "It's like some feral object; it's just out of control."


...The effects of Clinton's trailblazing run ripple beyond the political arena, said Toby Graff, a spokesperson for Lifetime Television, a women's cable station that is co-sponsoring a project to increase female political participation.

Clinton has "shown more women and girls that anything is possible, and that they can shoot for whatever they like, including the presidency," she said.

1 comment:

Susan said...

Yes we can shoot for the top but alas once again we are reduced to 2nd fiddle due to rampant and flagrant sexism. Obama's own words - "kitchen sink", "throwing the china", "moodiness", "sweetie". He should know better.

The party leadership and the media supported a man over a woman from the start of this campaign. Just look at Nancy Pelosi (did she forget where she came from) and then locally Kathy Castor and Pam Iorio. Women who can't come together for a common purpose - to elect a qualified female to the top office of our country, need to be ashamed of what they allowed to happen. Many thanks to Debbie Wasserman Schultz for taking a stand.