|
 |
 |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
[Back to index of April 2008 articles] Women Discuss Politics, Progress at St. Mark's By Bart Barnes Newsweek magazine contributing editor Eleanor Clift came to St. Mark's, Capitol Hill March 4 to talk to the women of the church about "claiming my political authority," and the message she delivered was that for women today the task is different but probably no easier than it was a generation ago. As 150 women sipped wine and dined on an elegant chicken and salmon buffet in the nave, Clift observed that despite statistical improvements at several levels in recent years, women in the political arena "are under represented and really have to fight to be heard." An author and regular panelist on NBC television's political talk show, the McLaughlin Group, Clift was the keynote speaker at the third annual International Women's Day Dinner, arranged and sponsored by Woman-to-Woman, a St. Mark's organization "dedicated to providing a safe and lively forum for personal growth…finding renewal among a company of women." As a McLaughlin Group panelist, Clift said, she has grown accustomed to working in "a men's locker room" ambience where her speech is regularly and routinely interrupted, and she said she was delighted to be at St. Mark's or "anywhere when I don't get interrupted." Other McLaughlin Group panelists have included John McLaughlin, a former Jesuit priest; and conservative columnists and commentators Pat Buchanan, Bob Novak, and more recently Monica Crowley. Clift described the talk show as a place "…where you're expected to speak before you think," and she facetiously remarked that the epitaph on the headstone of her grave should be "let me finish." Quoting Washington Post columnist David Broder, Clift said that "much of the political future is in the hands of women," and she noted that currently half of the students in American law and medical schools are women. Several major American universities are now headed by women, she said, including Harvard and MIT. But there is "no organized women's movement today as there was a generation ago," Clift said, drawing a contrast between the Democratic presidential candidacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton this year, and the nomination in 1984 of Geraldine Ferraro for vice president on the Democratic ticket headed by Walter Mondale. Twenty four years ago, she recalled, Mondale was perceived in some quarters as weak for having yielded to demands from an organized women's movement to have a woman on the Democratic ticket. No such perception attaches to the candidacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton, she said. "I never thought I would see in my lifetime a woman president," Clift said. "And I still may not…but it could happen." In contrast to the Ferraro vice presidential candidacy of a generation ago, Clift observed, the tacticians and strategists of the Clinton campaign are pondering the question "is Hillary soft enough?" as they struggle to find the right tone for her candidacy. Ferraro was seen as insufficiently tough, Clift recalled, when she said she could not release copies of her income tax filings because her husband would not permit it. This caused critics to argue that "…if she can't stand up to her husband, how can she stand up to the Soviets," Clift recalled. In 2008, Clift said, we have "…Hillary Clinton running a testosterone campaign…Obama running an estrogen campaign." As the St. Mark's International Women's Day speaker, Clift followed former Bishop pro tempore Jane Holmes Dixon and syndicated radio show host Diane Rehm, the speakers two years ago; and Ysaye Barnwell of the women's vocal ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, who spoke last year. Dixon was in the audience at this year's dinner. Two years ago, she and Rehm spoke about their 30-year friendship and what it had meant to both of them. Last year Barnwell discussed the significance of spiritual music. This year, organizers of the Women's Day dinner sought a political theme, since 2008 is an election year, but the picture that emerged from an evening of talk and analysis was one of uncertain predictions and no sure bets. There was less than unanimous support behind the presidential bid of Clinton, the first female aspirant to the nation's highest office to be taken seriously. One woman called her "an embarrassment…She got where she is only because she was married to the president." Another, who is not backing Clinton, said "my 6-year-old daughter is incredibly ticked off at me because I am not voting for the girl." Away from the political arena, and in the professional workplace, many of the old obstacles and barriers to a woman's advancement remain, Clift said. "…ambition in a woman is still kind of a dangerous thing. They don't know what to do with it." "It should be easier today because there are so many of you…you don't have the 'queen bee' slot." But the increase in numbers does not necessarily add up to a smoother passage, Clift said. There is an increased likelihood of woman-on-woman confrontations, which "can easily be characterized as a "cat fight.'" Among the few certainties: "Keep your women friends close because you will need them as the years go by." [Back to index of April 2008 articles]
|
|
||||||||||
