New Beginnings

The only thing better than studying history is to witness it.  Today I sat in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and stood witness to the swearing in of our nation’s first African-American president. It was truly inspiring to watch how far our country has come, not just in terms of turning a new leaf with the “change” that President Barack Obama talks about constantly, but the progress it has made in the last 60 years. News analysts tend to analyze Obama’s presidency as a progress mainly in the realm of the Civil Rights Movement, but to me, this progress is even bigger. To me, this is a social and cultural progress that is composed of immigrant families from all over the world. This is truly the new face of America. This is truly what it means for America to be a “melting pot.” From now on, people of different colors can serve in leadership positions without anyone giving it a second thought or analyzing the signifance of it because this is the direction our country, and the world for that matter, is moving. The world is progressively becoming more intertwined, and with technology and transportation, our borders become fuzzier and less defined. Soon, we will be of one people, of one global nation. This is only the first step of many more to come.

In other news, I stayed with my friend over the weekend in DC in anticipation of the inauguration. As a gesture of celebration, my friend threw a house party and invited all her friends from GWU. I met one of her friends, Brian, and we hit it off almost immediately. We were, of course, drunk, and kissed several times. He ended up spending the night on the futon and had breakfast with us the next morning. He could barely remember the previous night, which made me a little sad because I wasn’t sure if he could remember that we hit it off really well. But he did, and asked for my number, and if he could call me if he was ever in the city (he lives about an hour away in Connecticut). A couple of days later, my friend said Brian mentioned me and seemed likely to call me. So, we’ll see. Honestly, I’m kind of excited, and I’d be ecstatic if he actually called. He is really cute, smart, and funny, and according to my friend, is a “really good guy.” I couldn’t stop thinking about him the days following the party, and I got excited at the prospect of hanging out with him again in the future. In fact, he is the first guy who has completely taken my mind off of Vicky for an entire two days. That is quite a feat. But! I don’t want to get my hopes up. I just hope that he calls.

Here is to new beginnings of 2009.

Cracks in the Glass Ceiling

Hillary Clinton officially suspended her campaign today for the presidential election. What a sad day. Even though I’d known this was going to happen as early as in March, I still didn’t want to believe it. When I heard her speech, tears came to my eyes several times. Even before I heard it, just hearing the news of her concession, tears gathered at my eyes. I don’t hate Barack Obama; I just don’t think he would be a good president, let alone be elected in November. I’d like a Democrat to be elected just as much as the next Democrat, but this election has shown me that Democrats are a sorry group of people who are no different from the Republicans or any other ignorant American. I guess, when I say “Democrats” I don’t mean the average Joe Democrat, but the party elite who ultimately control the direction and tone of the party. They’re the ones who tried to oust Hillary from the beginning. Well, they and the media, really.

That being said, I am de-registering and becoming independent for the November election. To be honest, I don’t even know if I’ll be voting. I am just so disillusioned by this primary process and bruised by the American democratic process that I just don’t even know what to think anymore. What I do know, however, is that I won’t think along party lines because that is the most ignorant thing you can do as a voter. You can’t just blindly agree and vote for something just because your party votes for it. That’s the sad part about democracies. It has a very… democratizing effect on people. Alexis de Tocqueville noticed this in the 19th century when he visited America. Democratization dumbs people down and makes choices simple, but not necessarily the best. I truly believe that this is what we have today. The best candidate was clearly Hillary Clinton out of the three candidates, but she was, in the end, forced out of the race by egotistic party leaders and self-righteous TV pundits. When she won the primaries in Kentucky, Puerto Rico, and West Virgina, there were scattered reports over the victories. However, when Barack Obama won a string of victories after February 5, it was all the rage. He, apparently, was going to win the nomination at that point. People have undercut what her campaign has achieved both directly and indirectly. I never hear anyone talk about how amazing it is that she is the first woman to win a presidential primary state election, let alone so many! Instead of focusing on the fact that well into May and June, there were still people who believed that she could be the best president, the media focused on how Obama would be nominated eventually, but the pesky Hillary just wouldn’t let him grab the nomination. How inconsiderate of Hillary.

Hillary has done so much for women in America, now and forever. And if people can’t see that, then they are sexist and blind. What a sad day for Democrats. I now see them in their true colors. They are a party supported and carried by men and African-Americans. More men, though. I would not be surprised if there was a steady number of women who de-registered themselves as Democrats and even end up voting for McCain in November, who is pro-life! I am one of those women who will de-register, but whether I will even end up voting will be an entirely different question. It will take the next five months of my viewing the debates between McCain and Obama to make the final decision. But until then, I am a young, Independent, and undecided voter, whose dreams of seeing a woman win the White House have been crushed. I can go either way, so Democrats better step up their game.

The Clean & The Corrupt

Though not the best articulated statement, former “madame” Heidi Fleiss said it best in today’s Newsweek article: “Step down from office. And, dude, if you’re into hookers, that’s fine. But lie to the public? That’s not right.”

Shame. On. Spitzer.

While generally American society tends to look unfavorably upon politicians who are embroiled in unsightly sex scandals, I think there is something in particular that needs to be said for Eliot Spitzer’s current scandal. The whole situation could not be any more ironic. For him, that is. For someone who built his reputation and framed his self-image as a squeaky-clean, straight edge, and morally upright authoritative figure, this is particularly humiliating. True, Bill Clinton survived a sex scandal, but that is, in a sense, different from Spitzer’s predicament. Spitzer built his career on busting immoral businesses, like prostitution rings, and framed his image around that of an upright American citizen. He made the rest of us want to be better because he stood for all the better things.

Honestly, as an aspiring lawyer and someone who ultimately wants to enter public interest law, I looked up to Eliot Spitzer. I loved that he was a public figure who stood for all the right things. The “Sheriff of Wall Street” is what they called him. I considered him one of the last remaining “good” politicians. He seemed to fight crime and enforce laws without wavering in the face of corporate or factional opposition. Finally, here was someone who was willing to fight the good fight even if it meant making some enemies or sacrificing here and there.

And yesterday, the image that I and thousands of other people had built for him completely crumbled before our eyes. The peculiar thing about Spitzer’s episode is that he can never, EVER climb back from this. Not when you’ve devoted so much time and energy to building such a “clean” image only to be found out as a complete hypocrite. You can’t proudly claim to fight crimes like prostitution only to be a john yourself. There is probably nothing worse that a politician can do than betray the public as a hypocrite.

Many people are wondering if he will resign or if he should resign. My answer: YES, please resign. Even if he fought to stay on as governor, he could never redeem the credibility he had worked so hard to earn from the public. This is evident. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so highly regarded as a moral politician, he might’ve been able to get away with not resigning, but Spitzer, you dug yourself into this hole. For the sake of your wife and daughters, resign now and keep out of the public spotlight for as long as you can and as much as you can. You have disappointed so many of us.

- m.

Yes, We Can.

I am a staunch supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton. That’s right. I’m young, and I’m voting for Hillary.

I’ve been following the presidential primary race since March 2007, and I’ve kept a careful eye on which Democratic candidate I would like to vote for. I started out as a John Edwards supporter because I wanted him to win the nomination in 2004, but a series of statements made by him and his wife really turned me off to his candidacy. The other factor was also that Hillary and Obama were clearly the superstars of the campaign trail from the beginning. I then became an Obama supporter because he was fresh and young, and he spoke eloquently. After watching several more debates, I decided Obama was all talk and no substance. He stuttered his way through responses, used a lot of words, and said very little. He had the poise and the appearance of a politician, but he lacked the experience and concrete vision that would allow me to put my confidence and trust in him as a president. After each debate, I still knew very little about Obama’s plan besides the fact that he wanted “change.” What sort of “change,” and how he would bring about this “change” was consistently unclear to me.

Then there was Hillary. A woman, who for the first time in our history, had a realistic chance of becoming the President of the United States. I have to admit that I was her biggest skeptic from the beginning. I knew people were excited that she is an influential woman who has an extremely popular husband, but I wanted her to prove herself to me that she was fit for the job. Sure, she has the experience, and yes, it’s exciting that she’s a woman, but does she understand the issues in our country well enough to form a solution? Not only that, but does she have the confidence and strength to execute it? I was her harshest critic from the start, perhaps falling into that sorry category of women who judge one another more harshly than they would judge men. I didn’t want her to run for president just because she was a woman; I wanted her to prove to me that she was running because she thought she could be a great president. And that’s exactly what she did time again during the debates and during her speeches. She understood the issues better than anyone else on that stage, especially better than Obama, and she had the experience and the strength to speak clearly and loudly about her plans. After each debate, I would feel more and more inspired by her and her ambition to break the ultimate glass ceiling. She understood the issues, and she had great ideas on how to solve these issues or take steps toward solving these issues. When criticized for her past mistakes (e.g. the failed Universal Health Care Plan under the Clinton Administration or her vote for the war in Iraq), she stood by her logic for making each decision time again — never changing her response and never wavering in the face of pressure. She is accomplished in her own right, not just from her husband’s accomplishments. I thought how wonderful it was that we would finally have a woman running for and perhaps becoming the next president. And I couldn’t think of any other woman — or man, even — who was more qualified to be the Democratic nominee this year.

And then there is the part of me who admires Hillary not just as a politician or a leader, but also as a woman. She is ambitious and driven in her personal and professional life. I think she is more than an inspiration for all women in America, especially for young women. She obtained an excellent education and has fought for the rights of women and children since her days in law school. She has built a strong reputation as a lawyer and as a politician. She is the embodiment of the women’s movement. Being a feminist is not about burning bras or bashing men; it’s about accomplishing and breaking patterns in a world dominated and controlled by men. She is a successful lawyer and politician, both realms which are dominated by men and in which women have a hard time of advancing. She was the first female partner at her law firm, and she was knowledgeable and active in making policies during her husband’s administration. But above all, I admire her personal strength to overcome what must have been a devastating and humiliating time during the Lewinsky scandal and to continue serving in the public because that’s what she cares about. She could have easily returned to a private firm and continued her life as a corporate lawyer, earning a more than comfortable salary away from the public eye. But she didn’t. She continued her life in politics and to push through legislation in Congress for causes that she believed in. It takes a strong and devoted woman to turn such an ugly page in her life over and continue doing what she passionately believes in. I think this is an example of a woman that we can all look up to.

I believe so strongly in her candidacy. So much more than in any previous election, but that may also be because I am much more informed about the issues now than ever before. But I feel so passionately for her candidacy that I feel as if I am personally invested. It irritates me the way Obama uses airy and vague rhetoric to rouse up support without giving concrete answers or solutions. He’s inspirational, yes, but I would love to see some substance in his words. How can I believe in words if I don’t have a reason to? To me, Obama throws out a series of topic sentences with no paragraphs to follow. I don’t feel comfortable placing my trust in someone who speaks pretty words but doesn’t give me any answers. I don’t only need to feel optimistic; I need to feel like words can be converted into actions. I’m voting for a president, not the next American Idol. I need to know that my vote goes to someone who can carry out the duties of a president with confidence and good judgment. Hillary is strong and confident, and she understands the problems facing our country. She has outlined detailed plans and has the experience to navigate Washington to carry out those plans. She wants to and knows how to take the necessary steps to repair the damage done by the previous administration. She has the vision and the plans to carry out that vision, and she’s been clear and consistent on both. That is what gives me hope.

Many of my friends are Obama supporters, but they have no reason to be one. Every time I ask them to explain Obama’s policies to me, they can’t because they don’t know them. All they can say is “He’s about change.” (And if one more person says “change,” I will seriously harm them.) And every time an Obama supporter challenges me to a debate, I inevitably come out as the more informed and more reasonable supporter. I’m not out to convert Obama supporters, but I want them to understand how important it is to understand the issues and to be knowledgeable of what each candidate stands for before casting that vote. If you can give me a concrete reason why you support Obama (because of his health care plan, economic plan, etc.), then please, go right ahead. But don’t pull that lever just because your best friend tells you to or because you really liked his star-studded YouTube video.

A friend of mine messaged me via Facebook after seeing that I had posted a website listing 100 reasons to support Hillary. I specifically pointed out, in a tongue-in-cheek manner, the 66th reason, which was “She would never say anything as creepy or cult-like as ‘We are the ones we have been waiting for.’” My friend proceeded to ask, “That can’t be your favorite reason, right? There are plenty of reasons to support Hillary, and I respect that, but there is no reason to be divisive. I support Obama but I hope this election doesn’t divide the party.” I responded kindly and said of course that wasn’t my favorite reason, but it was a reason worth pointing out because Obama’s campaign was filled with airy rhetoric that doesn’t tell his audience anything informative. It simply instills an empty sense of hope in young, naive voters about “change.” She then gave me a detailed explanation of why she supports Obama, saying that she was disenchanted and jaded by our government and the Bush administration. She believes in his words because of the effect they have on people who listen to them. They unify his audience and bring back a reason for being proud to be Americans — something that could also help repair the American image on the international stage. Her response was beautiful and inspirational in itself, but it still didn’t tell me that she knew anything about Obama’s policies or stances. In fact, she clearly admitted to not watching the news, paying attention to politics, or listening to politicians on television. Well, that’s a great way to make an informed decision — just stop paying attention! But I think this example, as well as many others, shows that there are lot of people supporting the politicians they support for reasons that do not apply to the most dire issues facing our country right now. And I find it sad that our political process has ultimately come down to evaluating the charm of 30-sec television spots of quotations and catchphrases rather than the strength of a debate performance. I strongly believe that if more people watched the televised debates, they could make a more substantial decision, whether they vote for Obama or Hillary.

As the public believes more and more that Obama has gained momentum after winning the last eight primaries, I am beginning to feel very much like a Mets fan from Queens — wanting to believe in magic and that the underdog can come back hitting a home run. Her campaign has not been perfect, it is obvious. Bill has had various detrimental effects on her campaign (and thankfully he’s been laying low recently). She has had difficulties raising enough money to campaign in states after Super Tuesday, focusing mainly on Ohio and Texas now. She seems to ignore the states that even her campaign writes off as “Obama territory,” which is highly defeatist and not promising at all for a presidential candidate. Today a large union announced its endorsement for Obama only hours after a superdelegate announced he would support Obama instead of Clinton, like he had announced previously. Hillary’s nomination seems further and further away with the publication of each news story.

But I have to admit that her fight has been more difficult than it should be. If she were a man, all the experience and accomplishments she has built in the last 35 years wouldn’t make this fight so difficult. She would be the clear favorite against a candidate who has had minimal experience in public office and offers little in substance when responding to questions regarding policy. Her gender is a big factor in this election, and it shows in every aspect of the game, from the negative media coverage to the negative political commentary to the obvious double standards at every corner. If she talks about being a woman (like the statement she made at Wellesley about how going to an all-women’s college prepared her for an “all-boy’s club”), people say she’s playing the gender card. If she cries in public like she did before the New Hampshire primary, people question her strength and ability to lead. I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama cried in public people would say he was a sensitive male. The fact of the matter is, going to an all-women’s college does prepare you for an “all-boy’s club” and an “all-boy’s world.” Women’s colleges instill a sense of pride and strength in women that cannot be found at co-ed institutions. I know this because I go to a women’s college. So I wasn’t surprised that I was in the minority when I understood exactly what she meant by her statement. Women commentators on television bashed her for playing the gender card. That’s another thing that is frustrating. Women are especially hard on her. Essentially, at times, both men and women are working against Hillary, and that’s the sad reality of modern day sexism. Misogyny and patriarchal values are so deeply ingrained in our society that women don’t even realize that they are victimizing themselves.

With the experience and confidence that Hillary has, I can’t imagine a better qualified candidate for the Democratic nomination. And yet, the nomination is slipping away with each day, and that’s what saddens and angers me the most. If Hillary does not win the nomination, I will forever remember this election as the year we prevented the most qualified candidate from running in the general election because of 1) our not understanding the issues enough to make an informed decision and 2) our own sexist prejudices preventing us from making an objective decision. The women’s movement has accomplished much, but it has a long way to go. Regardless of whether Hillary wins the nomination, she will undoubtedly inspire many women in the country as they realize that a woman can realistically run for president and that women can be qualified to do the job just as well as any other man. And even more, she will inspire and fire up millions of young women like myself. Her failure to clinch the nomination will be even more reason for women to face the sexist reality of modern society, to step up, and move forward to try to break these barriers. Essentially, to borrow from the Obama campaign, Hillary is telling all little girls in America: “Yes, we can.”