It also helps to give us hope when some of our goals….such as electing a woman to the White House… seem, at times, to recede before us, like those refracted heat waves that appear to form shapes, then vanish in the desert, leaving us wondering where is our palm lined pool of shimmering water? Nothing but miles and miles of dry, hot desert when it comes to women’s presidential aspirations.  But, better to light a candle than curse the darkness.  The candles women have lit and carried in the past year, or a bit over in one case, include some of the following outstanding women:

The New York Daily News named their New Yorker of the Year saying: “Hillary Clinton proved a woman of resolve and class.”

We couldn’t agree more.  And she did a lot more than that.  She made it more feasible for a woman to run for President of the United States, and she upped the ante for contenders to 18 million votes.  But Clinton’s skills as a campaigner, we predict, will be overshadowed by her skills as a serious decision maker and global negotiator.  I, for one, am heartened and relieved that , at least, the second phone call which comes in at 3am will be to Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

I don’t believe in “book-ending” Governor Sarah Palin with Clinton, but neither do I believe in ignoring her plucky candidacy. She was called on and she took up the challenge, energizing her party and becoming a celebrity in the process. Common wisdom has it that she made Tina Fey a bigger celebrity in the process as well with her Saturday Night caricatures of Palin.  I don’t deny those caricatures were fun, of a type, but I will find them a lot funnier when we actually do have a woman in the White House.

I think we should give Queen Elizabeth of England some appreciation if, for nothing else, endurance.  She fills that classic requirement: 50% of winning is “just showing up for the job”.  Queen Elizabeth has shown up for over 50 years, if you only count the years since her coronation. ( She also, for example, presided over public events and, during the war, trained as a driver and mechanic, and drove a military truck  making her the first, and so far only, female member of the Royal Family to actively serve in the armed forces.)

I met Benazir Bhutto in San Francisco in 2001, I believe.  Although there was some controversy surrounding her I always admired her and found her speaking inspiring. “Bhutto was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state,^[5] having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996). She was Pakistan‘s first and to date only female prime minister. She went into self-imposed exile in Dubai in 1998.

Bhutto returned to Pakistan on 18 October 2007, and was assassinated on 27 December 2007, after departing a PPP rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, two weeks before the scheduled Pakistani general election of 2008 where she was a leading opposition candidate. The following year she was named one of seven winners of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.

I think Bhutto provides another example of a woman persisting in her beliefs and showing up in the face of personal danger. Although she died a few days before 2008, it is now time to mark the anniversary of her violent death.  I salute her and say farewell.

I know there are many, many more women who should be saluted and honored in 2008.

I would nominate all the women who worked so hard for their candidates in 2008.

I would nominate all the mothers and daughters and wives who worked to maintain their families and those who lost loved ones in national service in conflicts abroad.

I would nominate all of us who have persevered, despite an unlevel playing field and personal challenges.

I suspect that might be all of us.

If you have women you think should be named women of the year,  please do write and share with us who they are.

But will it happen? And which woman?

There are some good ones out there.

Two names which have been floated are scrappy and talented upstate Albany-area Congresswoman  Kirstin Gillibrand and Nydia Velazquez, described as “a twofer,” since she is a woman and a Hispanic.  But they are less well known, so might best be described as “dark horses”.

Two national women’s groups have urged Democratic New York.Governor David Paterson to name Manhattan Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Time Magazine has called Maloney a “tenacious, resilient legislator.” The Village Voice characterized her as “a tiger in the House on every dollar due New York.” Maloney is both an advocate for women and strong on the economy which she has made her specialty.

Maloney is not only articulate and effective but women believe “she gets it.” In 2008, Maloney published a book on women’s issues entitled “Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Why Women’s Lives Aren’t Getting Any Easier — and How We Can Make Real Progress for Ourselves and Our Daughters“ In the book, Maloney argues that progress for women has stalled and offers recommendations for resuming their advance toward full equality^.

But whoa!

There seem to be an evergrowing number of wanna be’s out there. Actress Fran Drescher, The Nanny, wants the appointment. Yes, really.  And some find her very politically savvy and committed.

And Caroline Kennedy………iconic daughter of legendary Camelot star couple, JFK and Jackie, niece of former N.Y. Senator Bobby Kennedy, who held the same seat……gave the Guv a call and discussed the position, although no one is at liberty to repeat what was said.

But it did get all the politicos and their followers’ attention. A political acquaintance of mine, male,  has invited me to a new Facebook group, sporting a photo of Caroline Kennedy with the caption splashed across it, “Entitlement we can believe in,”

“The woman has never run for office in her life. We have no idea how she’d fare on the campaign trail, or how well she could stand up to the electoral process. She simply picks up the phone and lets it be known that she just might be up for having one of the highest offices in the land handed to her because — well, because why? Because her uncle once held the seat? Because she’s a Kennedy? Because she took part as a child in the public’s romantic dreams of Camelot? I’m not quite sure…”

Senator Ted Kennedy, her uncle, is said to be feverishly working the phones for her, hoping to continue the family dynasty. ( See article below.) And many of us are very empathetic with the Kennedy’s magical, often inspiring but tragic past. But is that enough of a foundation to be appointed Senator?

Another with his  hat in the ring: Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who served as the Clinton administration’s secretary of Housing and Urban Development and who, apparently seeks to carry on his own family’s political dynasty. ( There’s a bit of a family feud between ex-inlaws Kennedy and Cuomo, but that’s another story. I thought I’d give you a heads up because all the gory details are bound to hit the blogs, or, at least the tabloids).

According to Time magazine:”A Dec. 9 Marist poll found that 25% of New York residents think Paterson should pick Kennedy vs. 25% favoring Andrew Cuomo, with the rest either divided among other candidates or “unsure.”

Also, longtime city teachers union President Randi Weingarten recently contacted Gov. Paterson about the seat and the Governor said he would consider Weingarten as well.  So he has a lot to think about.

But here’s the rub: whoever takes Clinton’s seat would have to face voters in 2010, to fill out Clinton’s term, and again in 2012, for re-election.  That means, almost from the day he or she enters office he or she will have to start running…..and running and running…. and raising lots of very big bucks.

So, all things considered, it appears that money, the ability to raise it, monied connections and being linked into deep pockets and piles of money are going to weigh heavily on the scales of who is the best Senate selection for New York .

Who do we think will best meet that criteria?

Is the richest hopeful really the one most credentialed to hold office….. considering that one of the credentials appears to be money?  Stay tuned.

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• Ted Kennedy Boosts Caroline’s Senate Bid

As noted, “The heightened perceptions of how women were treated this cycle just may drive more votes by women for women next time around.”

After the turmoil of the 2008 primaries and election, as the dust is settling, there appears to  be a new movement afoot of activism on behalf of parity for women in all areas, but particularly representation in government.  Many believe that women will never achieve a “level playing field” until we have 50% women represented in the three branches of goverment.  A good place to start, in the view of the esteemed Dr. Lynette Long, is with representation in the Cabinet over which incoming President Barack Obama has full control.  Dr. Long challenges Obama to select 50% females for his cabinet.

In PARITY IN THE CABINET???, Lynnette Long discusses this goal in depth:

“The current cabinet of the United States is attended by the President, fifteen Cabinet Members, and six cabinet level administrative offices that includes the Vice-President and the White House Chief of Staff for a total of 22 members. The Bush Cabinet has four women: Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State, Elaine Chao as Secretary of Labor, Mary Peters as Secretary of Transportation, and Margaret Spellings as Secretary of Education. In addition Susan Schwab has Cabinet level rank as United States Trade Secretary. Out of the 22 people that attend cabinet meetings, The President, the Vice-President, the Cabinet, and the Cabinet level administrative offices, five are currently women, which is 23%. Will President-Elect Obama appoint more women to his cabinet than President Bush? I am starting a cabinet watch. Help me. I would like to see 50% of the female cabinet women. I am starting a cabinet watch. As the cabinet members become appointed I will color the titles blue or pink. Please lobby the Obama campaign for more women in the cabinet.  Call his office at 202-224-2854. Thanks.”

(See also Lynette Long: WHAT OBAMA CAN DO FOR WOMEN. )

Cabinet-level administration offices · Vice President of the United States
· White House Chief of Staff
· Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
· Director of the Office of Management and Budget
· Director of the National Drug Control Policy
· United States Trade Representative

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“That’s what one of the CNN people called Sarah Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention tonight, and Amy Holmes, a conservative commenter for CNN said, She balanced toughness and femininity very well—something Hillary Clinton got a lot of flack for.

It’s clear from the above comments that gender is still a central issue in the campaign.

What struck me as notable tonight was my impression that she could be right here in my living room, talking to me (in fact, her accent reminds me of my Aunt Linda) and, as Anderson Cooper noted on CNN, talking to small town America was the thing that won George Bush the White House.

Average Americans will listen to her and feel like they know her, and in a way they do—she’s our neighbour, our sister, or the woman we chat with when we’re in line at the post office. We get Sarah Palin. She’s one of us. And she’s sharp, too. The speech had some funny lines. My favorite: That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay.

It was a great introduction to Sarah Palin as a Vice Presidential candidate.”

One of AdvancingWomen’s favorite lines was “What is the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?  Answer: Lipstick.

Which brings to mind Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous saying:  ” A woman is like a tea bag. You don’t know how strong she is until she’s dropped in hot water.”

Another noteworthy comment was McCain’s observation, regarding Sen. Obama’s claim that he had more experience than Palin: “Sarah Palin has 24,000 employees in the state government” and was “responsible for 20 percent of the nation’s energy supply.” He added that he was entertained by the comparison of her experience to that of Mr. Obama and that “I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America.”

“It started Friday afternoon with John Roberts on CNN, and then in a slow build over the weekend it became clear what the leading sexist charge would be against Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin: Is it appropriate for her to accept the vice presidential nomination given the magnitude of her current family responsibilities? …

The obvious retort is whether anyone would ask the same question of the father of a four-month-old with Down Syndrome and a pregnant teenager. We think not.

Stamping out sexism is about shifting the culture. It will be good for America to watch Sarah Palin on the campaign trail – bouncing from parenting to politics. That’s how most women function – multi-tasking, leaning on friends and family, and waking up each morning and doing it all again.”

AdvancingWomen.com thinks the media should stand down from their sexist harassment and disparagement of VP Nominee Sarah Palin. We are in complete agreement with WomenCount that “It is important to distinguish between the broader issue of sexism and the ideology of an individual.” It is irrelevant whether Palin is conservative or progressive on social issues and values. This is America.  Palin has every right to put forth her candidacy and make her case. Whether we choose to vote for her or not is each person’s choice.  But it should be every woman’s choice to defend Palin’s right to take the public stage and not have to endure a barrage of sexist criticism and gender biased innuendo.  Until the day comes when a women can enter the political arena and participate on a level playing field, every woman should say “What they did to Hillary Clinton, what they are doing to Sarah Palin, they do to me as well.”  So, to those in the media who, like Rip Van Winkle, may have slept through the women’s movement, wake up!  Time to move on and be fair to all of us.

“We cannot and will not sit idly by while another qualified candidate goes through what Senator Hillary Clinton had to endure. Issues are fair game. Sexist treatment is no longer fair game,” said Amy Siskind, a co-founder of The New Agenda.

The New Agenda members are monitoring the airwaves, blogs, and print reports for derogatory language, misogynist attacks, and denigrating statements. The New Agenda will respond swiftly against any perpetrators of such attacks.

“Our members were outraged that within 24 hours of Governor Palin’s historic candidacy she was dismissed as “tokenism,” she was referred to as a “MILF” (mother I’d like to f*uck), and chuckling male commentators said:” The only thing she didn’t say was who needs some pie I baked this morning?” added Siskind.

The New Agenda members are committed to promoting women’s leadership and ensuring that women candidates are treated with the respect they deserve. We are confident that the media, the campaigns, and campaign surrogates can turn this historic election into one we can look back on with pride.

For more information contact:

newagendapress@yahoo.com