He Picked Sarah Palin!
September 2, 2009
by Amy Siskind
|This week, a year ago, I was driving my kids to their post-camp pre-school dental appointments when my cell phone rang. On the other end of the call was Cynthia Ruccia who had been trying to reach me since the crack of dawn. Cynthia, as always, had the scoop.
The country had been waiting for weeks, or perhaps months it felt like, for John McCain to announce his running mate. Cynthia, on that morning, was calling to let me know that she was hearing that McCain would announce shortly AND that he had picked a woman! A woman- that was a specific request of The New Agenda in the first days of our formation. Through a McCain surrogate, Carly Fiorina, we had handed in our short-list of qualified women who we wanted as VP. Sarah Palin of course was one of our picks.
On the way back from the dentist, the phone rang again – it was that familiar 614 area code. Cynthia was so excited when she called. She was screaming that is was Palin – we both shrilled with excitement.
The next call came from Arleen, my dearest friend from my Wall Street days. Arleen and I worked as traders together – two of the few women in the jungle so to speak. Arleen’s comment on Palin: She’s one of us.
Yes, there it is. There is a connectiveness that women have with other women. While I might disagree with Sarah Palin on many policy issues, she seems, well, familiar. I feel like I “get” Sarah and can relate. I admire what she has accomplished despite the odds and the barriers that our society places on women as they reach for leadership roles. I would have been thrilled to have her in the White House.
The New Agenda did speak out for then Governor Palin a year ago – our first three press releases a year ago were in defense of Gov Palin. We were proud to be the first and only national women’s group to have Gov Palin’s back!
And today as I read the front page of The New York Times – a story about how Attorney General Holder plans to recharge civil rights:
As part of this shift, the Obama administration is planning a major revival of high-impact civil rights enforcement against policies, in areas ranging from housing to hiring, where statistics show that minorities fare disproportionately poorly.
Sigh, I couldn’t help think about what could have been.
Our country can be proud, yes, for electing its first African American President. But I can’t help but wonder, as Secretary Clinton makes women’s issues her main focus abroad, sigh, what could have been. And as Sarah Palin pursues a path less travelled now, sigh, what could have been if she were in the White House.
Women understand women’s issues. Plain and simple. What Sarah Palin needed to go through to get to be governor of a US state, coming from a path where she wasn’t someone’s son or family member, meant that she understood the struggles women face in leadership. Even walking to her car at night in a dark parking lot, Sarah would understand the way the women face daily life.
So here’s to what could have been and to what we must all fight for now. And to Sarah Palin – good luck deciding between the 1,070 speaking engagements; but, please, please – DO keep speaking!
I remember the day also. I was at work and went online to check the old Hillaryclintonforum when I saw a thread posted about McCain picking a woman. I remember jumping up and down for joy. I was so proud of him.
That thread remains the most viewed thread on that forum.
I was there when she was announced. In Dayton Ohio.
Can’t tell you what a breath of fresh air that was! Women were jumping up and down. Crying. Hugging. It was wonderful to be a part of the whole thing, coming off the incredible sexism of the Obama campaign.
Yes, Sarah…. do keep talking! Don’t let us down!!
I was excited when he picked Palin too, but felt a twinge of dread at all the misogyny to come. Kind of like today when I heard that Diane Sawyer was replacing Charles Gibson. (According to the NYT comments, he’s “the fatherly figure we all want to get the news from”; she has a “condescending, *motherly* tone.” Do these people ever listen to themselves?)
I heard on NPR that Eliot Spitzer may challenge Kirsten Gillibrand in the primary. If there was ever a race that could expose the divide between Liberal Dudes and the women’s rights movement…
I was curious and interested to learn about Sarah Palin and went to her first visit to the region. 35000 people, kids in the trees (homeschoolers) listening to her. I got quickly excited about her fresh and non-complicated way of talking.
is Charles Gibson retiring. I used to like him especially his coverage of the early primary debates. and then came the Palin interview. to see the patriarch coming down on a accomplished bright women and asking questions like can you tell me what the BUSH doctrine is. i think we don’t need fatherly.
Diane Sawyer is o.k. still there are so many misogynists on TV, that our TV will stay in hiding. well if Sarah or Hillary would give great speeches, that would change the situation.
I remember being thrilled that the Palin pick took the wind out of Obama’s convention speech coverage. Of course, I also recall that the misogyny started that day when members of Obama’s camp kept referring to Palin as a small-town mayor.
Still, this is a day to celebrate.
Thanks for this post! I was joyful when I heard Palin was the VP candidate. Like you, I often think of what it would be like if Palin was our president. Palin is well-suited for leading a nation because of her experience and because it seems to be in her nature to lead-to Palin leading is like breathing. Palin has a record of delivering on her campaign promises so I could trust her: http://journaloffeministinsigh.....rm-to.html
I remember it well too. Unexpectedly, one of the parties had turned to a woman for its ticket. We gave up on the Dems.
Not only did Palin stick her neck out, her candidacy exposed the bipartisan sexism that originates from both left and right. Many of our “allies” were the most vicious and derogatory. But that resonates with the 1960’s, when women in the left faced deep sexism from their male “allies.” Have we come a long way or not?
But thanks to New Agenda for its unapologetic defense of Palin and its confrontation of sexism in all political venues. That’s why this group is such an important player in advancing women in public life.
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I admire Sarah Palin because she had also done a lot in the area of Politics specially in Alaska where she was a governor.
i admire Sarah Palin because she had done a lot in the area of politics. she has also a good track record when she was still the governor of Alaska.
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