After last night, Hillary Clinton is now the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major political party. She has the delegates and the rest is just formality at the Democratic convention.
Congratulations to Mrs. Clinton, even though I take issue with her claim last night that her win was a victory was for “every little girl who dreams big.”
Little girls have been dreaming big for decades, Mrs. Clinton, and it was just a matter of time before a woman headed a national ticket.
Still, that woman is you, Mrs. Clinton, and this is a noteworthy moment.
But I can't help concurring with veteran Democratic commentator Susan Estrich, who observed last night, the reaction is muted. Estrich said that there is less excitement in her circle than there was when Walter Mondale asked Geraldine Ferraro to be his running mate in 1984.
There is a reason for this and it is a good one: the muted reaction shows that women know opportunities are open and that we are not desperately yearning for Mrs. Clinton to lead us out of lives of oppression. The appeal to gender ain't what it used to be.
The real issue isn't Mrs. Clinton's sex–it's her policies.
The Independent Women's Forum issued a statement pointing out that her agenda is simply not the best one for women (or for men!). Entitled "Hillary Clinton's Policies Would Backfire on American Women and Families," the statement is here.
I can do no better in summarizing what should concern women about a Hillary Clinton presidency than quoting from the statement:
It’s no secret that Hillary Clinton has been running to be the first woman President. While we applaud any woman who puts the hard work into running for public office, Americans ought to consider the real impact of a President Hillary Clinton. While she has tried to present herself as a champion for women’s rights, Mrs. Clinton – like so many other progressives in Washington – supports policies and legislation that will ultimately backfire on women and their families. Whether it’s her support of government-run health care, higher taxes, more energy regulations, or the micromanaging of the labor force, Clinton’s vision for America is one in which an even greater government would be at the center.
"Today, more than ever before, we need leaders in Washington, in the states, and at the local level who embrace a smaller government so that we can fulfill a promise of real economic growth and opportunity for women and their families"