Never Say Never

Five things I thought I'd never ever ever do . . . and have done.

1. Go to law school
Somehow during my upbringing (ahem, Mom and Dad) I got the distinct message that going to law school was not a desirable life choice. (Maybe I imagined this, like I thought there was some big political reason for me never getting to join the Girl Scouts, and when I asked Mom about it, she said, "I don't know. Maybe you had a music lesson that day?") So I declared that I would never, ever do such a thing. But then there I was after three and half years of blissfully not thinking about a productive career or even what comes after college. My now-husband commented on my Spockian logic in arguments and got me to take the LSAT. My parents commented on how I could go to Case law school on a faculty-kid tuition waiver. And the rest is history.

2. Go to Case
Come to think of it, I am pretty sure I never intended to go to Case, what with both my parents working there. But at least in law school I could borrow their car (and run it into the garage door, oops).

3. Go back to school ever again after law school
I was absolutely sure of this up until this past summer, when I enrolled in creative writing courses at Cleveland State and had the time of my life. Now I am seriously considering pursuing an MFA.

4. Break up with a friend
Like breaking up with a guy, only a million times worse. But sometimes necessary.

5. Sign up for Weight Watchers
As a foodie raised by foodies, I was positive I could never look at each bite numerically (counting up the Weight Watchers daily "points"). But I looked around me (or tried to, I do need to lose a few pounds) and noticed that the people I know who have successfully lost weight have done it with WW. So after consulting with my trusty friend Jen, I joined the online version (I am way too introverted, not to mention busy, for meetings. The very thought makes me shudder). I actually really like it, though the website is just as addictive as the snacks I am learning to avoid.

6. Vote for a Republican President
Ha! Just seeing if you were paying attention. Ain't gonna happen. But in all other matters, never say never!

What Do I Have Against Hillary and Her Peeps Anyway?

Why am I hatin' on all the Hillary supporters? Friends (as John McCain would say), that's not it at all. My whole family was for Hillary. Some of my best friends were for Hillary. My most brilliant students were for Hillary. Do I think they are stupid and knee-jerk? No. I also don't think they will sit out the election or vote for McCain for spite. But I did sit beside a Hillary supporter at the Cleveland Heights Democrats meeting who told me she just wouldn't vote for President since Hillary was so wronged. I've seen their quotes in the paper or on the news about how four years of McCain would be worth it to allow Hillary to run again. I saw that woman crying (and crying and crying) on CNN. PUMAs do exist. I profoundly disagree with them.

Now, there are plenty of people out there who believe McCain is best for America. Fine. I disagree with them too. But I'm not upset with true McCain supporters in particular, because they are voting their convictions. I am upset with the PUMAs in the Democratic party who will vote against their political beliefs just to avenge Hillary's loss in the primary. That is self-destructive, and unfair to the rest of us who would have to live with his policies just so they can get their petty (or strategic) revenge. And it degrades the democratic process.

If you have talked politics with me recently, you know I Don't Like Hillary. I got very tired of her tactics. I got very tired of her presenting herself as Co-President when she was really Wife Of (Obama should have been much more critical of her "experience" claim - now it is the gospel). I got very tired of her sense of entitlement. In short, I really don't like her style. Plus, I don't trust her. I feel like she will vote conservative if I turn my back for a second and she thinks it will help her win the next election.

But that's just my opinion. Plenty of people voted for Hillary because they truly believe she is the best candidate. However, I also can't count how many times I saw someone in the news say they just wanted to see a woman elected President before they die. That's great, but don't vote McCain because it didn't happen. That just leaves the rest of us hanging.

I have been for Obama since '04, when my jaw dropped during his convention keynote address. "Who IS this guy?" (and it had nothing to do with his looks this time, I swear.) He cuts through all the noise that other politicians thrive on. He gets it. It's not superiority or conceit on the part of Obama supporters - it's just our conviction that this is the right guy, and as we all know, the right guy hardly ever shows up at the right time, so let's get him elected.

The bottom line is, if the PUMA Democrats don't vote Obama, it will be one of the reasons we (all) lose. Don't be a PUMA, people!

PUMA Patrol

Ok, I looked up "PUMA" and found it stands for the very classy "Party Unity My Ass." That's beautiful, isn't it? I like my version better.

I also just perused McCain's abysmal record on women's issues. This link comes from the Obama campaign and appears to be accurate. Women who will vote for McCain just to get back at Barack Obama are throwing the rest of us under the so-called Straight-Talk Express.

Now, maybe it is a stereotype that the PUMAs are all baby boomer women, but I still think there is a big generational conflict here. Hillary and her PUMAs were all about electing a woman because she's a woman. Yes, I know they believe she's more qualified, but the real pain comes from the fact that we were thisclose to nominating the first woman, and the cool handsome young male upstart took it all away. So obsessed with the retro-feminist factor, they can't even appreciate what it means to black and biracial kids across the country that they might soon have a President who looks like them.

PUMAs seem to be mired in an outdated version of the women's movement the way Presidential politics for decades were mired in Vietnam (and I'm afraid that measuring contest's not over yet, with McCain and Biden on the tickets). Is it a coincidence that blouses with bow-ties are back in the stores? Is it all about getting a woman into a man's world or are the issues more nuanced now? That's not to say it won't be a milestone when we finally do have a woman President or that the women of the sixties didn't break down doors for the rest of us to walk right through. But we have to live in the present, and the fact is, now women are walking through those doors as breadwinners for our families and as caregivers, going to work with our kids and our infants and our breast pumps and yes, our ambitions. There's a lot more to this election than feminist symbolism. There's modern feminist reality.

Frankly, I don't want these sore losers dictating my and my kids' future. Here on the ground, we need expanded and paid family leave, equal pay for equal work, access to universal preschool and childcare, a woman's right to choose, sex education that's based in science, not religious belief. We need the Hillary feminists of yesterday to get with today's program. Yeah, that means get over it. (Hey guys - the same goes for Vietnam.)

If PUMAs vote for McCain or sit this one out, they can only blame themselves when it all falls apart. Of course, many of them will be comfortably sitting back on their pensions and Social Security, plotting for Hillary's comeback in 2012. Their daughters and grandchildren will pay the real price.