Open Letter to Hillary

Dear Hillary -

I say this to you almost daily, but since it's normally to you on the TV screen, I thought I should find a way of saying it where you might actually receive the message: Thank you.

Thank you for what you have done. For your sheer tenacity, strength, and stick-to-itiveness. Thank you for working so hard every day when you must have been exhausted. For showing us what leadership looks like: doing something well, with grace, in good times and bad. Most of all, I thank you for not quitting.

Your many supporters will tell you what your race means to them and history will write what it means to the world, but it also means so much to me and to the little world I live in. I thank you on behalf of the women who have been so special in my life:

For my daughter -- who is, as of yet, just an idea in my mind. But I imagine her one day reading the story of this historic campaign. I am so grateful that the story she will read will be of a complete campaign, with the biggest numbers possible -- states, votes, and delegates. That story will show that our first woman presidential contender was truly competitive -- like, nearly won competitive - and show a little girl her own vast possibilities in this country. Thank you for giving her a history worth reading.

For my mother -- who is one of those women who work tirelessly to support her family, worries over rising healthcare costs and frets that her grandchildren may not have social security. She's always been passionately interested in politics, but never before found a politician who she felt understood her. She'll be 65 next year and she wrote the first political check of her life to you. Thank you for validating the day-to-day concerns that she faces.

For my grandmother -- who was, as it was noted at her memorial, "a woman ahead of her time." I think of her every time I see one of your senior women supporters who were born before women first got the vote and were out on the streets filled with hope that they would inaugurate one in their lifetimes. Thank you for showing them that their efforts to make women loud and proud actors in American politics created real change.

For my best friend -- who would listen to me talk about just about anything in the world for hours - except politics - until you started to run. Little by little, day by day, she became more engaged in your campaign and what it meant to the country and our place in the world. She started out reading your emails and went on to lobbying her husband and friends to change their votes. Thank you for awakening an incredible woman to her role in the political process.

For my former junior staffer -- who did not necessarily believe that sexism was still an issue alive and well today. She watched pundit after pundit behave in ways that even she could not deny were... crude. Then she saw it pass as kind of acceptable. And then she saw it happen again and again. Finally, she took up her pen and now Chris Matthews and the MSNBC brass know her name... well. Thank you for reminding her of how much work we all still have to do.

For me -- who has been, at times, described as direct, forward, forceful, pushy and a few other choice adjectives. Thank you for helping make the world a little safer for aggressive, ambitious women. Because isn't aggressive just one way of saying "she gets things done" and isn't ambition just another word for "dream?" Thank you for pushing for my dream -- and that of so many others -- to elect a phenomenally talented and capable woman to lead our country and change our world.

As you promised from the outset, you have, and will continue to, make history.

Thank you, for all us.

Sincerely,

Ilana Goldman

President, Women's Campaign Forum

Related:
Read more from Huffington Post bloggers on Barack Obama clinching the Democratic nomination for president

Comments

[rajoro]

Stop, just stop! Trying to cast Hillary as some kind of banner holder for women's rights. Hillary has become a creature of the worst kind in American political, a say anything, do anything to win politician. She and her husband, who is no friend of women (how many female Hillary supporters have been witness to or succumb to a Bill Clinton kind of boss?) Hillary lost her feminist credentials long ago, by enabling a serial sexual harasser. Was Monica Lewinsky young and dumb? yeah, should she have been used and abused by the most powerful man on the planet? Hillary stood by that and how exactly did that help women faced with this issue in the workplace? Should a married boss be fired for such? Most executives have a morals clause in their contracts, this would definitely qualify as moral turpitude.

The women who have rallied around her for sexism's cause are forgetting that sexism is part of the progressive continuum. Her vote for the war was in no way progressive. She voted that way for the worst of reasons, self interest. Now women who are progressive should stand with those who oppose the war and the havoc it wrought on the women of Iraq. Where is the responsibility? Sexism and racism and economic imperia;ism are part of a continuum too. One that all progressives should oppose.

[XME]

Look, whether you like Hillary Clinton or not, whether you like how she has handled this campaign or not, Democrats will stand a MUCH better chance of a win in November if you can make an effort to acknowledge that SOME positive things have come from her campaign.

* She has inspired millions of women who have probably for the first time in their lives, believed it is possible for a women to be taken seriously in a run for the president.

* She has PROVEN with nearly 18 million votes that a woman can and has been treated as a very serious candidate for president.

* I believe Obama IS a stronger candidate now than he was 5 months ago because of his battle with her.

* She has played a part in record numbers of people registering to vote, and changing parties.

I am an ardent Obama supporter and not particularly fond of Clinton, but Hillary Clinton is not without ANY redeeming qualities, and those who constantly claim she is aren't doing Obama or Demacrats any favors.

Some good comes from everything, and that includes her campaign, agree with her or not. She's said that Saturday she'll put her support behind Obama. Please give it a break at least until then and see where things are. Keep in mind that bashing her when one of her supporters is attempting to thank and honor her hurts Obama and dismisses that persons views.

[ZaneC]

I agree that Hillary's campaign will not be soon forgotten and that it has contributed some things to our society (at least, as much as any campaign involving politicians could). I also agree that it has served to bring out the sexism present in our society. While she is a far cry from perfect, her critics make her sound like the dirt underneath the devil's toenails. Also, Obama has not exactly been positive every step of the way. Overall, though, both are excellent candidates who deserve recognition for their remarkable achievements, regardless of who one supported.

I would also like to address those who criticize her for her war vote and for using fear-mongering. These are not neccessarily false claims, but to call Obama innocent of them may not be wisest, either. In a speech he made in Des Moines, he said the following: "Change is ending a war that we never should have started," but then he adds, "Change is finishing a war against Al Qaida in Afghanistan that we never should have ignored." (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/us/politics/20text-obama.html?_r=2&pagewanted=3&sq=obama%20afghanistan&st=nyt&scp=1&adxnnlx=1211556752-sbsSc0gNnGNXUgUdNuptUQ&oref=slogin) Ending one war to step-up another is change? I do not know if Hillary had the same plans, but that is at least what Obama says he will do.

[YuryGetsin]

Hey Obama folks:

Stop being dickheads to the Clinton folks. Still President Bush is the target; just because we have not hit him yet, you are taking you anger out on Hillary. Quit it. Grow up. I wish we had more Democrats who know how to fight Republicans with Republican strategies. Maybe then our Constitution would not have been so mistreated.

Vote Obama

[UncommonSenz]

The animosity will stop when Clinton "grows up", accepts her loss with even the tiniest bit of grace, and moves the hell out the way.

[hopeless277]

Yeah, Hil, thanks for opening my eyes to Clintonball. Much like Calvinball except meaner, nastier, and now with 80% more victimness. I'm not afraid of the Hillbots. If they want to vote for McBush, then they really aren't Democrats anyway. So go ahead, 'ladies', follow your leaders orders, vote for McBush's 'experience' and not Obama's speech he made in 2002. But when you elect him, don't come crying to me when your Social Security is cut and you can't feed your 38 cats.

[TheApeMan]

At first I thought this was a joke..waiting for the NOT! (Borat Style).
Unfortunately it wasn't.
"For showing us what leadership looks like: doing something well, with grace, in good times and bad. Most of all, I thank you for not quitting. "

with grace?!

she's kidding right?!

[mhoiles]

Am I on Huffington Post??!@$%

[4President]

Anything left for African Americans? She owes them a lot now!

[JimR]

I voted for women for Attorney General and governor in the last election in my state. And I hope to see a woman president in my lifetime.

But I also hope she doesn't get there by using the vile, nasty campaign tactics that Hillary Clinton resorted to.

[kfs]

Gee, this "vile, nasty campaign tactics" seems to be the meme about Hillary Clinton. Would you please spell out exactly which tactics you are referring to?

[SpoxLogic]

Here's one (and it's now in a GOP ad agaisnt Obama by the way..
"John McCain brings, eyars of experience, I bring years of experience,..Sen Obama brings a ...speech!"

How about another one?
"John McCain and I will be ready on day one...as for Sen Obama, you'll have to ask him." (may not be an exact quote, but that was the gist of it).

'Sen Obama has a problem with many hard working Americans, white Americans.." ...that's another one.

Trying to change the rules of the game - mid game (popular vote, numebr of delegates needed to win, FL and MI now count, even though I said they shouldn't before I started losing.

What about not even congratulating him in her speech on the night of the SC primary?

"Bittergate", "Rev Wright gate", "Bill Ayers gate"

Is that enough?

Want to know what's ironic? Had she decided to forego some of the above and run a less "Rovian" campaign - she'd be the nominee now. I was ready to support her, (cuz Bill is my guy, not so much now tho'), and maybe a few other Obama supporters were probably as well, but her campaign turned me off. Maybe it turned others off as well.

[PJay1]

I know you didn't ask me, but I'll take a stab at it.

Praising the candidate from the other party at the expense of your fellow Democrat on several occasions is kind of "vile", imo.

Using Rovian fear tactics like invoking Bin Laden and Hitler in an ad for a PRIMARY, like that 3 AM phone call ad which was interpreted by many to be racist - as in protecting your children from the wily hortons out there - that's pretty "nasty" imo.

Slicing, dicing and dividing the electorate into not only hyphenated Americans, but into the "hard working" White Americans, implying that the 'other' Americans are not hard working ' that's really 'vile' and 'nasty' and divisive.

There's so much more.....