Women under 60 less cynical about hope
The recent endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama by NARAL has re-opened the debate over why some women don't support Sen. Hillary Clinton in her bid for the White House. Earlier in the campaign, in...
View ArticleClinton's failure: not raising awareness of gender divide
Sen. Hillary Clinton and her supporters are absolutely correct when they claim sexism has played a role in this campaign. So has racism. Both are rampant in our society, although incidents of racism...
View ArticleObama's VP decision--consistent with his message?
The choice of a vice presidential running mate is often the first public decision that a presidential nominee makes. It is a real decision, but also a highly symbolic one; it communicates much about...
View ArticleThe only delegate count that matters
Another Clinton Superdelegate has switched support to Obama. As the media and supporters for each side recalculate the delegate count, they should not lose sight of the fact that a delegate can and did...
View ArticleThe speech Hillary never gave (w/ video link)
In an earlier diary, I pointed out that while Hillary Clinton rightly calls out sexism in this campaign, she has not delivered a speech about gender or sexism comparable to the one Barack Obama gave...
View ArticleVideo: The Speech I Wish Hillary Had Given
On June 3, I posted the text of a speech I wish Hillary had given on gender. I think she has missed an opportunity to bring awareness to why so many women felt so passionately about a woman in the...
View ArticleMy Father's Backbone
by Lois Ruskai MelinaMy father’s spine had fused into one solid mass of bone before I was born. Bowed forward, it might have been the tusk of an ancient beast stood on one end. With his back forming a...
View ArticleThe New Yorker got me thinking
Well, The New Yorker cover got me thinking.Although I've read attempts to find comparable caricatures of McCain, notably the idea that his POW status raises suspicion of him as a Manchurian candidate,...
View ArticleQuestions for CBS News and Katie Couric
A lot of the posts about the editing of Katie Couric's interview with John McCain seem to assume that CBS deliberately edited the piece to hide McCain's gaffe. But the fact that they posted the entire...
View ArticleWhat "Pro-America" Means: Values I Acquired Living in States that Start with...
For 35 of the past 41 years, I've lived in small towns (under 35,000) in Ohio, Indiana and Idaho. My closest neighbors have included immigrants who owned their own restaurant; a family of 13 who belong...
View ArticleHey you with the job opening!
Hey you--you with the increasingly rare opportunity to hire someone to work for you. These are tough economic times. Lots of people are looking for work, and you hold all the cards. That may feel good,...
View Article"Who Wants to be the President?" or how the media treats debates like game shows
The upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates are being framed as the last opportunities for turning points in this election. Unfortunately, if past debates are any indicator, the questions...
View ArticleThe burning ground of stories
My mother used to remind me of the saying “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” I had shoes. Today my internalized mother voice might admonish me by saying, “That’s a...
View ArticlePlanned Parenthood de-funding: a calculated distraction
I don’t think those who are voting to de-fund Planned Parenthood are actually confused about what goes on in neighborhood clinics. The doctored videos and distorted talking points are intended as...
View ArticleWhen terror is the new normal
In the wake of the shootings in Paris, where people had gathered to hear music, have a drink, watch a soccer game; and in San Bernardino, where a training program was to be enlivened by holiday...
View ArticleSanders, Clinton, and old paradigms of leadership
Every four years we participate in the ridiculous fiction that the candidate who has the “right” positions on “the issues” will make the best president. If that were true, there are at least 100...
View ArticleHillary and the Invisibility of Older Women
If Hillary Clinton wins the 2016 presidential race, I fully expect to see a headline declaring: Grandmother elected President of the United States. Gender analyses of Hillary...
View ArticleVideo: The Speech I Wish Hillary Had Given
On June 3, I posted the text of a speech I wish Hillary had given on gender. I think she has missed an opportunity to bring awareness to why so many women felt so passionately about a woman in the...
View ArticleMy Father's Backbone
by Lois Ruskai MelinaMy father’s spine had fused into one solid mass of bone before I was born. Bowed forward, it might have been the tusk of an ancient beast stood on one end. With his back forming a...
View ArticleThe New Yorker got me thinking
Well, The New Yorker cover got me thinking.Although I've read attempts to find comparable caricatures of McCain, notably the idea that his POW status raises suspicion of him as a Manchurian candidate,...
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