Just Smashing

Sheesh! Why are women always asked to choose between making progress against racism and making progress for women? It happened in the 19th century, in the Civil Rights movement, and it's happening again now.

By choosing Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate, McCain not only appeases right-wing interests but takes a big step in the direction of change, stealing the battle cry of the Democratic Party.

He's gambling that some women who were excited about the historic candidacy of Hilary Clinton will vote for a McCain-Palin ticket, and he may be right.

Any feminist worth her salt will stick with Obama-Biden in order to end the war in Iraq and its drain on the economy, as well as to protect the Supreme Court against appointment of a justice who might further weaken Roe v. Wade.

But McCain's choice of Palin guarantees that women will have a consolation prize if the Republicans win. At the possible cost of our reproductive rights, we will at least have a woman vice president--and if this 72-year-old cancer survivor encounters any health problems, we may even get our first woman president as a result of this choice.

For a long time I've wanted women to break that last political glass ceiling and take on the vice presidency and presidency of the US, but this is not the way I want that to happen.

In October and November of 1984, I stood on a street corner in Daly City, near San Francisco, seven months pregnant, waving a sign for Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro. They lost, and my country took only baby steps toward women's equality for 24 years until this year when women again have had a serious chance for top leadership in our nation.

Now we have the amazing spectacle of right-wing men defending the vice-presidential candidacy of this woman of slim experience. Hey, let's enjoy it.

They think they can control this self-described soccer-mom like a puppet. She's an NRA member and strongly against women's right to make reproductive choices.

She doesn't know about the life and early death of Martha Pueblo. She doesn't see young women, men and children killed in gun violence at the rate of 1,165 in one year (2000), the way we see lives lost in Los Angeles County.

She hasn't faced the agony of Maria Riveros in Paraguay, trying to help her 16-year-old daughter with a pregnancy she didn't want, watching her life in peril as a result of an abortion done at home without access to full medical care.

Palin and her husband have a different life experience. They recently conceived a Downs syndrome child and chose to carry him to full term and deal with his disability--though many couples would have ended that pregnancy after early blood tests.

I have to admire their personal choice, even while I reject their desire to impose that choice on other couples and single women.

Will the Democrats win? If not, will McCain and Palin govern as mavericks and make at least a few choices not aligned with their right-wing supporters?

All we can do is work hard and keep our courage up.

But at least, even if the vote turns out to be very close, even if a Democratic victory is stolen as in 2000, we'll have a consolation prize--a smashing of that many-cracked next-to-last ceiling.