Ruth Rosen: Why would a feminist vote for Obama?
Source: TPM Cafe (2-5-08) Some people are stunned that I have already voted for Barack Obama and that I signed a “Feminists for Obama” statement which now includes over a thousand rather distinguished names. They know I’ve been involved in the women’s movement since 1967 and have spent my life teaching and writing about the history of women and gender ever since. So why, they ask, didn’t I cast a vote for Hillary Clinton? Am I filled with self-hatred as a woman? No. In fact, there is nothing I’d rather do than vote for the first female presidential candidate. I still remember hearing–on a remote Greek island–that the Democratic party had chosen Geraldine Ferraro as a vice-presidential candidate. To my great surprise, tears flooded my face. So why haven’t I cast this historic vote? The reasons are not all that complicated. Before I was a feminist, I worked in the civil rights and anti-war movements. Supporting Obama fits those life-long commitments. In my opinion, both Democratic hope
