Bulls-eye!
September 20 / September 12, 2017
Sometimes a loss is actually a win.
(This is probably one of those times.)
By this point, we hope everyone has had a chance to recover from the 2016 election. Just think, about a year ago we were all wildly entertained – and it was entertainment, not education - by the presidential debates. And now, just ten months later, for those of us who remain confused; and in order to help us “process” the outcome and help us heal as a nation, we can turn to “What Happened,” a new book by Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Wait just one minute. We have a few thoughts to share about the book, and about the election itself, and it’s our website so we’re doing it. Feel free to skip this one if you’re just not up for a good old-fashioned rant. (We understand. We can only take so much, too.)
First, the book. No, we haven’t read it and that’s irrelevant to our point, which is simply this: Ten months? TEN MONTHS after the election we have a book in hand? Actually, it’s even less time than that if you read the link. Simon and Schuster announced the book on February 1, so it’s more like seven or eight months.
Well, wait another minute. They announced a forthcoming book from Secretary Clinton but that one, the one they announced, was different than the one we all see in bookstores around the country. According to the story in The Los Angeles Times, ‘What Happened’ is one of two new books by Clinton announced by Simon & Schuster earlier this year. Simon & Schuster said Clinton will use her favorite quotations “to tell stories from her life, up to and including her experiences in the 2016 presidential campaign.”
But then this happened: The publisher's new description of “What Happened” makes clear that it will be a memoir, however, and that it will focus heavily on the possible role of Russia in swaying the election’s outcome. . . Previously, the book had been described by the publisher as an essay collection that would center on Clinton's favorite inspirational quotes.”
Let’s recap where we are so far, since TWAN finds all of this just a little confusing:
Before we move on, let’s just stipulate to this: The birth of a book is long and painful. From the author (who typically spends months if not years writing the thing but whatever; that doesn’t seem to apply here; the book magically appeared in a matter of mere months) to the literary agent who shops it around and ultimately sells it to the publisher (again, not applicable here but whatever), and then back to the author several times for re-writes and notes; then from the editor to the fact-checkers, the copy-editors, and designers, then from the marketing team to the sales force, (including subsidiary and foreign rights plus licensing; and special sales), and then to the publicity team sending out galleys for reviews and cover blurbs, and booking appearances and interviews, then to the printer, the distributor and the wholesalers. Let’s just say this: Many people work together to birth a book into a harsh, uncaring world; hoping it finds some love and a home on book shelves around the world.
And Mrs. Clinton and Simon & Shuster did all this - start to finish - in about six months. Incredible. Seriously, this lacks credibility but who are we to quibble with the likes of a major publisher with a major author?
So let’s move on to a discussion of the election and it’s outcome.
Last fall, Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Ms.Gloria Steinem ignited headlines from coast to coast with their statements about women, their voting proclivities and the sad lack of solidarity among female voters, especially young female voters. Both of these accomplished women, along with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, seem mystified and dismayed by the lack of enthusiasm and support shown for Secretary Clinton by women in their twenties and thirties. Where is the sisterhood? What happened to "women supporting women?" Who don't we hear a very loud and enthusiastic roar?
We know why. It may be for a reason the media roundly ignored. What follows may offer some comfort, or at least another point of view. This is for everyone still weeping softly over the misguided young women in this country, wondering where it all went so horribly wrong as they page through the latest edition of Bust.
In fact, things didn’t go “wrong;” everything went tremendously right. It's possible that young women - or more accurately, some young female Democrats - chose to support Bernie Sanders - chose him - for the most perfect, most coveted reason of all: The Women's Movement worked.
Imagine you’re an American woman between the ages of 25 and 35. Take a look at just a few aspects of our government and some welcome and enlightening facts emerge. In 1981, just one year after the first women graduated from service academies and nine years after Ms. magazine appeared, President Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court. Since then, there have been four female Supreme Court Justices. That may not feel all that significant until you consider the following: In its history, the Supreme Court has had 112 justices, and 96.4% of them were men. But since 1981, eleven have been appointed and 37% of them were women. (Note: All of these figures are based on totals and facts as of fall, 2016.)
American women who are 35 years old have never known a Supreme Court that didn't include a woman. For 25-year-olds, they've never seen a court that didn't include two. Yes, it’s true: That's hardly a majority. But it's an enormous stride, is it not? It illustrated one of the core tenets of the women's movement: equally qualified men and women can do the same job.
Let's use 1981 again, and look at the Cabinet. Since then, the country has had ten people appointed as Secretary of State and thirty percent of them were women. Four women Secretaries have served for eleven of the last twenty-six years. As a percentage, for 42% of the last twenty-six years, we've had a female Secretary of State in the Cabinet.
While feminists decry how Clinton's campaign seems to have landed with a dull thud among young adult women – Lena Dunham’s gushing interview and America Ferrara’s recent luncheon with Ms.Clinton notwithstanding – we suggest they're not listening hard enough. That sound they refuse to hear is the success of the movement, resonating loudly with young women. Feminists should celebrate this group of independent thinkers; a group of women who came of age secure in the knowledge that the struggle for recognition of their skills, intelligence and capability - as women - had been overcome - or largely overcome.
In fact, it's such a non-issue for them that the idea of supporting a woman because she's a woman feels as ridiculous as supporting a man so they can "be where the boys are." Feminists who continue to beat the drum circle of female solidarity at all costs are starting to look like an anachronism, and becoming less and less relevant to their daughters and granddaughters.
No doubt many young women - more correctly, many young people - are open to a woman serving as President. One day, a woman will be our Commander- in- Chief. When that happens, we know that millions of people will support her unilaterally. But won't it feel so much authentic and substantive if she earns the office as a result of her platform, her skills, her savvy, her resolve to serve the American people and her efforts to position our country effectively and safely in the world, not because she's a woman, or because it's here "turn?"
Sometimes a loss is actually a win.
(This is probably one of those times.)
By this point, we hope everyone has had a chance to recover from the 2016 election. Just think, about a year ago we were all wildly entertained – and it was entertainment, not education - by the presidential debates. And now, just ten months later, for those of us who remain confused; and in order to help us “process” the outcome and help us heal as a nation, we can turn to “What Happened,” a new book by Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Wait just one minute. We have a few thoughts to share about the book, and about the election itself, and it’s our website so we’re doing it. Feel free to skip this one if you’re just not up for a good old-fashioned rant. (We understand. We can only take so much, too.)
First, the book. No, we haven’t read it and that’s irrelevant to our point, which is simply this: Ten months? TEN MONTHS after the election we have a book in hand? Actually, it’s even less time than that if you read the link. Simon and Schuster announced the book on February 1, so it’s more like seven or eight months.
Well, wait another minute. They announced a forthcoming book from Secretary Clinton but that one, the one they announced, was different than the one we all see in bookstores around the country. According to the story in The Los Angeles Times, ‘What Happened’ is one of two new books by Clinton announced by Simon & Schuster earlier this year. Simon & Schuster said Clinton will use her favorite quotations “to tell stories from her life, up to and including her experiences in the 2016 presidential campaign.”
But then this happened: The publisher's new description of “What Happened” makes clear that it will be a memoir, however, and that it will focus heavily on the possible role of Russia in swaying the election’s outcome. . . Previously, the book had been described by the publisher as an essay collection that would center on Clinton's favorite inspirational quotes.”
Let’s recap where we are so far, since TWAN finds all of this just a little confusing:
- A little over two months after the election, Hillary Clinton and her publisher announce that she’ll publish two books this year – her “memoir,” based on the quotes that have inspired her throughout her life and a picture book version of her previous book, “It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us.”
- In short order, it would appear that the inspiration book idea was shelved (pardon the expression) in favor of a more substantive memoir; one that would include a candid, honest, no-holds-barred assessment of the campaign and election, as well as the role Russia (possibly) played in the outcome.
Before we move on, let’s just stipulate to this: The birth of a book is long and painful. From the author (who typically spends months if not years writing the thing but whatever; that doesn’t seem to apply here; the book magically appeared in a matter of mere months) to the literary agent who shops it around and ultimately sells it to the publisher (again, not applicable here but whatever), and then back to the author several times for re-writes and notes; then from the editor to the fact-checkers, the copy-editors, and designers, then from the marketing team to the sales force, (including subsidiary and foreign rights plus licensing; and special sales), and then to the publicity team sending out galleys for reviews and cover blurbs, and booking appearances and interviews, then to the printer, the distributor and the wholesalers. Let’s just say this: Many people work together to birth a book into a harsh, uncaring world; hoping it finds some love and a home on book shelves around the world.
And Mrs. Clinton and Simon & Shuster did all this - start to finish - in about six months. Incredible. Seriously, this lacks credibility but who are we to quibble with the likes of a major publisher with a major author?
So let’s move on to a discussion of the election and it’s outcome.
Last fall, Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Ms.Gloria Steinem ignited headlines from coast to coast with their statements about women, their voting proclivities and the sad lack of solidarity among female voters, especially young female voters. Both of these accomplished women, along with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, seem mystified and dismayed by the lack of enthusiasm and support shown for Secretary Clinton by women in their twenties and thirties. Where is the sisterhood? What happened to "women supporting women?" Who don't we hear a very loud and enthusiastic roar?
We know why. It may be for a reason the media roundly ignored. What follows may offer some comfort, or at least another point of view. This is for everyone still weeping softly over the misguided young women in this country, wondering where it all went so horribly wrong as they page through the latest edition of Bust.
In fact, things didn’t go “wrong;” everything went tremendously right. It's possible that young women - or more accurately, some young female Democrats - chose to support Bernie Sanders - chose him - for the most perfect, most coveted reason of all: The Women's Movement worked.
Imagine you’re an American woman between the ages of 25 and 35. Take a look at just a few aspects of our government and some welcome and enlightening facts emerge. In 1981, just one year after the first women graduated from service academies and nine years after Ms. magazine appeared, President Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court. Since then, there have been four female Supreme Court Justices. That may not feel all that significant until you consider the following: In its history, the Supreme Court has had 112 justices, and 96.4% of them were men. But since 1981, eleven have been appointed and 37% of them were women. (Note: All of these figures are based on totals and facts as of fall, 2016.)
American women who are 35 years old have never known a Supreme Court that didn't include a woman. For 25-year-olds, they've never seen a court that didn't include two. Yes, it’s true: That's hardly a majority. But it's an enormous stride, is it not? It illustrated one of the core tenets of the women's movement: equally qualified men and women can do the same job.
Let's use 1981 again, and look at the Cabinet. Since then, the country has had ten people appointed as Secretary of State and thirty percent of them were women. Four women Secretaries have served for eleven of the last twenty-six years. As a percentage, for 42% of the last twenty-six years, we've had a female Secretary of State in the Cabinet.
While feminists decry how Clinton's campaign seems to have landed with a dull thud among young adult women – Lena Dunham’s gushing interview and America Ferrara’s recent luncheon with Ms.Clinton notwithstanding – we suggest they're not listening hard enough. That sound they refuse to hear is the success of the movement, resonating loudly with young women. Feminists should celebrate this group of independent thinkers; a group of women who came of age secure in the knowledge that the struggle for recognition of their skills, intelligence and capability - as women - had been overcome - or largely overcome.
In fact, it's such a non-issue for them that the idea of supporting a woman because she's a woman feels as ridiculous as supporting a man so they can "be where the boys are." Feminists who continue to beat the drum circle of female solidarity at all costs are starting to look like an anachronism, and becoming less and less relevant to their daughters and granddaughters.
No doubt many young women - more correctly, many young people - are open to a woman serving as President. One day, a woman will be our Commander- in- Chief. When that happens, we know that millions of people will support her unilaterally. But won't it feel so much authentic and substantive if she earns the office as a result of her platform, her skills, her savvy, her resolve to serve the American people and her efforts to position our country effectively and safely in the world, not because she's a woman, or because it's here "turn?"