Co-author: Ellen Offner, Principal, Offner Consulting, LLC, healthcare strategy and program development
Let's hope the Cubs victory is a preview of coming attractions. History changed last night in an amazingly exciting game. What had seemed impossible has been achieved with lots of twists and turns, many ups and downs, much drama, many inches in newspaper columns as well as the the total absorption of the airwaves. This historic World Series mirrors our election season. Let's hope the election too changes the course of history once again, just like last night's game broke the Cub's 108-year losing streak and the curse of the Billy Goat, we want to break the barriers to women's participation American democracy.
All was going well, the Cubs were up 5 to 1 in the fifth. Cleveland's star pitching looked very shaky. What could possibly go wrong? The Cubs were destined to win. Likewise, early on, Hillary's numbers were up in the polls. Republicans were divided. She had the election in the bag. But then the winds began to change. Out of nowhere Trump unexpectedly gained in the polls. Similarly, Cleveland came back to tie the game in the eighth inning. The rain began to fall. No runs were scored in the 9th, and just like that the game would go to extra-innings, but first both teams were forced to wait out the heavy rain looming overhead. For the next half- hour the world stood in shock. The Cubs had come this close, yet it seemed once again that the baseball gods would dash the hopes of loyal Chicago fans. However in the tenth inning, the Cubs proved resilient and won! History was made.
In the election, she was up, he was up, and on and on it went until the locker room video, which exposed Trump's misogyny, mirroring the Indians' racist logo. The master of marketing, the serial frivolous lawsuit initiator, the person who refused to rent apartments to African-Americans, the unabashed womanizer, the king of innuendo was in trouble. Hillary was gaining at a rapid clip, but then the FBI said new emails were possibly, maybe,but not definitely, related to the election and Hillary 's numbers began to fall. For one week and five more days to go accusations without proof are raining down on Hillary
The ninth inning is next Tuesday. Let's hope the election doesn't go into a tenth inning, with a deadlocked Electoral College engaging Congress to adjudicate. That would assure that the popular will would be thwarted given the Republican majority in Congress. Instead, let's make history after 240 years with no woman president. Let's show that a strong, capable, experienced, and resilient woman can lead America . On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote. Let's make November 8, 2016, demonstrate that like the Chicago Cubs, not giving up, even being victimized by dirty politics can still lead to winning.
Let us keep working to make sure that another historic victory will take place. Just as the Cubs fly the W flag proudly, we want to be sure citizens of every gender, race, and ethnicity can fly American flag with pride.