Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House . . . Yet Book Review

Over the last half a century or so, there has been a shift in regard to women and politics. Many nations across the world have had at least one female in the highest office in the land. Except for one….the United States.

Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House…Yet, by Ali Vitali was published last month. Dissecting the events of the 2020 Presidential election, she examines how it was both history-making and business as usual. Though there were a good amount of female candidates (Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, etc), Joe Biden still ultimately won the Democratic nomination.

She also deconstructs previous elections (the 2008 and 2016 Presidential elections to be specific) and how both Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton were viewed by the press and the voters. As usual, the questions of “likability” were applied unequally. The qualities that were questionable or just plain wrong in terms of the female candidates were brushed off as completely fine for their male counterparts.

Throughout the book, Vitali asks two important questions:

1. When will we finally be able to say “Madame President” in this country?
2. When will women and men truly be equal, both legally and socially in the US?

This book is an important and vital read. It is a reminder of the fact that the glass ceiling is still intact and how far women still have to go. Given our present political circumstances (i.e. Roe V. Wade being overturned in June), we need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask why only a man can be President.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Electable: Why America Has Not Put a Woman in the White House…Yet is available for purchase in bookstores.

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It Would Have Been Nice to Say “Madam President” in 2020

If nothing else, America is an idealistic nation. We are dreamers and fighters, we do not give up because we are told no.

We are also a nation that can be hypocritical.

August 18th is the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment. In the nearly 100 years since the ratification of the 19th amendment, American women (and women across the world) have achieved what our grandmothers and great-grandmothers could have only dreamed of.

But with every battle that we have won, there is still much more work that is required of us if there is to be true equality between the sexes.

I would have liked very much to use the term “Madam President” this year. But there will be no women in either party on the ticket come this fall.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton’s loss to you know who was heartbreaking. This year, we had brilliant and capable women who might have done a bang up job as President. Senators Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar had all of the qualities one would want in a President.

Of all of the female nominees, Senator Elizabeth Warren came the closest. Some in the press are arguing that it was sexism that ultimately doomed her campaign. I can’t disagree with their arguments, even if she was not my first choice for President.

Though it is indisputable that these women will forever have a place in American history, it still does not dull the frustration of not being able to say “Madam President” in 2020.

I’m Voting for Amy Klobuchar

With the Iowa caucuses starting next week, the 2020 Presidential election is no longer a thing that is far away. It is much closer than we think it is.

Among the candidates who are still in the running is Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). I’m voting for her and I hope that Senator Klobuchar is the one who wins the nomination.

The reason I am voting for her is that in order to defeat you know who, we need a Democratic candidate who is firmly left, but not so far left to push voters into the arms of the Republicans. I like the ideas of Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, but my concern is that their proposals are so far left that they alienate some voters. I respect that former Vice President Joe Biden has decades of political experience, but do we really want another old white man as President?

Former New York City Mayor Michel Bloomberg, Tom Steyer and Andrew Yang, to be honest, don’t have a chance in h*ll of winning the nomination. Mayor Pete Buttigieg has youth on his side (compared to the other candidates), but will that be a help or a hindrance if he wins the nomination?

I like her because she is solidly middle of the road and speak to the needs of the average American, especially the average American woman. As a working wife and a mother, she understands the daily challenges of the woman on the street. She also understands and respects that America is not a monolith. In respecting the differences of Americans, she is paving the way for this country to become what its founders envisioned.

That is why I am voting for Senator Klobuchar.

Thoughts On Elizabeth Warren’s Mention of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

In 1911, 146 garment workers perished in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Most of them were recent immigrants to America, young women of Italian and Jewish descent who worked in unsanitary and unsafe conditions. As a result of the fire and the unnecessary loss of life, working conditions improved for factory workers.

This week, Presidential candidate and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) held a rally in New York City’s Washington Square Park. During the rally, she referenced the former sweatshop, which is mere blocks from the park.

I feel like America in the 2010s is not so different than America in the 1910’s. The unofficial class and wealth divide grows ever larger. We have new immigrants coming into this country every day. While we celebrate their achievements, we simultaneously accuse them of destroying this country. Hate, racism and prejudice still infect our country.

However, there is something to be said for the progress we have made in a century. Women and citizens of color have made tremendous strides to real equality. We live in a technological age that our ancestors might have only dreamed of a century ago.

We need a President who honors the past while striding into the future. I have a feeling that Senator Warren, if she is elected, will do just that.

Thoughts On Last Night’s Democratic Debate

As we get ever closer to the 2020 Presidential Election, the pool of candidates gets ever smaller. Last night the top ten candidates put their best foot forward and tried to prove why they should be the Democratic nominee come next fall.

Though former Vice President Joe Biden is still the front runner, I am not sure that he is the right candidate to go up against you know who. Though his decades of public service are very much appreciated and recognized, I feel like it is time for Biden to hang up his hat. I don’t quite agree with the low blow that former HUD secretary Julian Castro laid on the feet of the former Vice President, I think that he has a point.

You know who is a bully. Like all bullies, he had a way of sniffing out and using his opponents or victim’s weaknesses against them. Whoever wins the nomination must have an airtight campaign. Vice President Biden’s campaign, as I see it, is not airtight.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) and businessman Andrew Yang are the long shots from my perspective. I would honestly not be surprised if in the coming months, they decide to end their campaigns.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) is really starting to grow on me. At the beginning of the year, I was not so sure if she was the right person for the job. Last night, I found her to be a political breath of fresh air. I like that she is not only prepared, but that she had to pull herself up by her own bootstraps. She was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she has to earn and continually fight for her place in the world. On that alone, she has my respect.

My opinion of Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) has not changed. I certainly agree with his ideas. What he is proposing is necessary if we are to become the country that is truly democratic and diverse. However, I have to wonder if the logistics of putting these policies into place match the ideas.

Those are my thoughts. Readers, what do you think? Who stood out to you and who do you think has a chance of being the Democratic nominee?

Thoughts On the First Night of the Second Round of Democratic Debates

Last night, the first night of the second round of the Democratic nominees aired on CNN. Over the course of three hours, the nominees debated, argued and did their best to prove why they should go against you know who next fall.

I have a few thoughts about last night.

• As much as I would like to say that Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) will be our first Jewish-American President, I don’t think he will be the nominee. From my perspective, his plan can best be summed up as a Monet. He didn’t do anything for me during the 2016 Presidential Election and does not do anything for me now. But, he did have the best one-liners.

• Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) said nothing new or different than she has said before. This round of debates are do or die for the candidates. While the Senator had many good talking points, nothing she said inspired me.
• Marianne Williamson surprised me. I didn’t think much of her during the previous debate. But last night, she sounded like a candidate who might have a shot winning the nomination. However, her limited political experience bothers me. Not that there is anything wrong with a political newbie, but given the lack of previous political experience of you know who, I would feel more comfortable with a candidate who has at least some experience in government.

• Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) stood out. I read her as a centrist Democrat who is able to walk the fine line of holding true to the ideals of the party while appealing to all Americans. I honestly believe that the ideal Democratic candidate to go against you know who is a centrist Democrat whose appeal goes well beyond the party’s base.
• I don’t agree that immigrants whose status is labelled illegal should just be handed health insurance. Let them pay in, either out of their own pockets or via taxes and enroll in one of the government insurances. I’ve spoken on past posts about my immigrant forebears. They came to this country for the same reasons more than a century ago for the same reason that immigrants are coming today. My forebears did not ask for a handout. They only asked for an opportunity, which what they were given. We should be giving these immigrants the same opportunities that past generations of immigrants were given.

Those are my opinions. Readers, what do you think? What moment or quote stood out to you from last night?

P.S. Did anyone else notice that everyone on stage last night was Caucasian? All of the nominees of color are debating tonight.

Thoughts On the First Half of the Democratic Debate

The 2020 Presidential Election will be here before we know it.

Last night, the first half of the twenty Democratic Presidential candidates debated as to whom would best represent the party and go up against you know who next fall.

While there were many moments to go over, I want to talk about two moments that stood out to me.

Julian Castro made his mark. I knew of him by name, but I knew nothing of his positions and his potential policies. After last night, I hope that he will be given the opportunity to prove his mettle, especially after he announced his public support of the Equal Rights Amendment. This amendment has been bouncing around the halls of Congress for for nearly fifty years. It’s time to make it the law of the land and ensure that American women are once and for all viewed by the law as equal to American men.

The other moment that stood out for me was the question about socialized medicine. When the candidates were asked who among them supports socialized medicine, only Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio raised their hand. I agree with the idea of socialized medicine (known in the US as universal health care), but I disagree that private insurance should be gotten rid of completely. I think that every citizen should have access to some form of socialized medicine, but I also think there should be the option of obtaining private health insurance via an employer.

Readers, what do you think? Do you have any favorite moments or candidates from last night’s debate.

Thoughts On Kirsten Gillibrand’s 2020 Presidential Election Announcement

Yesterday, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced that she was throwing her hat into the ring for the 2020 Presidential election on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

I am absolutely thrilled with this announcement. Not just because she is my Senator, but because I think (and hope) that she has a shot of winning the party nomination and getting a certain person out of office. It’s about time that America caught up with the rest of the world and elected a woman to lead us. Unlike the current occupant in Washington D.C., she understands the needs of the average American. She is not just saying what we want to hear, she is saying what has to be done to move this country forward. She is a woman balancing a marriage, raising children, working and dealing with what we all deal with.

If I am being honest, I don’t believe that Elizabeth Warren would be able to win the election. I believe that Senator Gillibrand would be able to win the nomination and the election.

Next year is the centenary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. To know that Americans have elected a woman into the highest political office in the land a century after American women were given the vote would be more than a dream come true. It would finally shatter the glass ceiling and prove once and for all that women are much more than we are made out to be.

Only time will tell, but I am crossing fingers that fall, we will be able to say President Elect Gillibrand.

 

 

 

Thoughts On Elizabeth Warren Potentially Running For President

2019 is not even a day old and the first contender has potentially thrown her hat into the ring for the 2020 Presidential Election.

Yesterday, Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts announced that she is putting together an exploratory committee to see if running for President on the Democratic ticket is viable.

Do I agree with her political point of view? Yes. Do I think that she is best candidate to beat you know who in the general election? The honest answer is that at this time, I don’t know. Whomever is elected to go up against a certain person needs to be smart, sharp as a tack and on the top of  their political game. From my perspective, this person needs to knock the literal rose-colored glasses off the faces of those who blindly support you know who. Unfortunately, I don’t think that as of now, Elizabeth Warren will be that candidate. While I would love to see a woman in take the oath of office, Elizabeth Warren may not be that woman.

But it is only January 1st, 2019. I’m sure that there will be quite a few people announcing that they will be running or potentially running on the Democratic ticket over the next few months. I just hope that whoever wins the nominations has the political firepower to defeat you know who and get this country back to where it’s supposed to be.

Thoughts On the Senate Tax Bill

The Senate tax bill was passed last night.

I’m not an economist, nor was math my favorite subject when I was in a school.

But common sense tells me two things: first that handwritten edits going to senators just before they are about to vote without reading the draft is not the wisest choice. Elizabeth Warren posted the video below last night.  The fact that the senators were expected to read and vote on a bill that has not yet been clearly defined and cleanly written by its architects just makes it that much more questionable.

Secondly, I have a sneaking suspicion that cutting taxes for corporation and the rich to create a modern version of trickle down economics is not going to go as planned. Ronald Reagan tried it in the 80’s. The results were not what he and his administration hoped they would be.

The fact is that this tax bill will not just affect this generation, but future generations. It is also dubious as to whom it will benefit, despite claims from Trump and the Republicans that middle class Americans will see a positive change in their taxes.

A tax bill, in my uneducated opinion, need to be logical, cleanly written and works for the benefit of the 99%, not the 1%.  From what I can tell, the tax bill as it stands now cannot be defined by any of these factors.