On Women and Politics

I grew up in a political household. By that I mean politics were discussed. We watched the news, we read the newspapers. We were informed. I was encouraged to have opinions and state them. Speaking my mind was never an issue.

Thing is, the 2016 election? It pretty much killed me. I was a hardcore Hillary Clinton supporter. At least I was during that election. In 2008? I was Team Obama from the second I saw him speak at the 2005 ALA Annual as the keynote. It was evident from that moment that he would be president and I would be on his team. And I was. From the beginning.

But in 2016? Team Hillary. It was her time. During the 2016 DNC, when she was nominated? I cried. No, I bawled. I watched it on YouTube in my car, sobbing. It wasn't until that moment that I realized how long I had waited to see a woman in that position. I hadn't realized how important it was to me. And when she lost? I felt like the country was telling me that as a woman, I didn't matter.

I don't know if I would've felt that way if she hadn't been running against Donald Trump, a a man so disgusting and filthy he doesn't even attempt to hide his misogyny. I mean, I was one of the few Democrats who thought Bill Clinton had no respect for women and wasn't willing to give him a pass on his affair with Monica Lewinsky, because, c'mon.... But Trump was, is, and always be a racist, misogynistic jackhole. So, a woman losing to him? A woman so much more qualified? It hurt.

And since then, I have pretty much removed myself from politics. I rarely talk about it. I don't read much about it. I can't. It's pure denial. I live in a blue town in a blue state and I can ignore it. I know not everyone can. but I wouldn't be able to function if I didn't ignore it.

Fast forward to the current primaries. I didn't know who I supported. I liked things about all of the candidates. I liked Elizabeth Warren. I like Kamala Harris. I like Buttigieg. But I wasn't sure. And as time passed, I still wasn't sure who I would vote for. And then Warren took out Bloomberg at the Vegas debates, and I was 150% Team Warren, almost immediately.

And then everyone else started dropping out. It was obvious why. The moderates knew if they didn't, they'd split the vote with Biden. But the worst part of the primaries? How badly Warren was doing. I mean, she was losing to fucking Mike Bloomberg. Elizabeth Warren, an incredibly intelligent, competent, and qualified candidate was losing to a fucking Bloomberg.

It became apparent she would have to drop out, there was no way she could keep going. But what I didn't expect was how much her suspending her campaign would hurt. And it wasn't just that Warren had to quit, it was that am incredibly intelligent, competent, and qualified woman had to quit.

It was a kick in the gut, in the teeth, in the heart. And it fucking hurt. It was knowing that, once again, the country was rejecting a woman for.... well, for two inferior candidates. It was hard not to take it personally. Because, once again, it felt like a big chunk of this country was rejecting me and every other woman out there just because we were women.

A friend, a former prof, posted on his Facebook that he was tired of telling his daughter that she'd have to wait (for a woman president).

My response? I'm tired of waiting.