Women’s Caucus Spurs Unity in Denver
August 26th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Michelle Obama catapulted herself into Barack’s rock-star league with her prime-time speech last night. Today you get the feeling that perhaps Hillary delegates have taken her on as their surrogate female candidate. At the Women’s Caucus today, “Michelle” was the buzz word. She garnered more raucous cheers than Hillary Clinton when her image came on the jumbotrons.
The Lifetime TV network had set multi-colored plastic tambourines on every chair, which turned into audible girl power. Caucus-goers welcomed iconic women like Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), activist, strategist and just plain mesmerizing speaker Donna Brazile, and Cecile Richards, daughter of Ann Richards and current president of Planned Parenthood.
There is still — still – that lingering roll call vote when Hillary’s name will be placed in nomination, which became the inevitable emotional elephant in the room. Brazile was greeted on stage with a standing ovation. Hundreds of trembling tambourines shot up into the air. With wide eyes, Brazile declared, “Last night I signed my name to put Hillary Clinton’s name in nomination.” Tambourines went rattling, and just when it seemed to be Hillary ‘08 all over again, Brazile plunged forward saying, “I did it because Barack Obama understands that a united Democratic party is a victorious Democratic party.”
Women have one instinctive reflex that ultimately binds them together. It goes beyond themselves and dissolves party lines. Their children’s — or unborn children’s — future is, as Michelle Obama drove home last night, their stake in this election. This means placing importance not only on children’s health insurance and education funding, but electing a president who preserves women’s reproductive rights.
When DNC Secretary Alice Germond took the stage, an anti-abortionist priest suddenly walked on to the floor in front of her, saying, “Ladies, let’s not forget about abortion.”
Before he could get another word out, women leapt out of their seats, tambourines flying, shaking their dissent into the air. Germond eloquently added to the din, shouting “Thank you women, thank you women!” over and over again. The crowd then began chanting “O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!”
As police escorted the priest away, to the chanting of Obama’s name, it became clear that when it comes to their most important rights, unity is alive and well with women Democratic voters. And while it’s easy to think that they were chanting “Obama” because of Barack’s 100% pro-choice rating with Planned Parenthood and NARAL, perhaps we should recognize that, in some small part, the women were chanting for Michelle.
August 26th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
rachel - great reporting! got here via the link in your blog.
and re the priest, do you know how he got in there? the caucuses are open to all comers, like they are during our state convention, yes? wonder how long he’d been wandering around. wouldn’t it have been fascinating if someone had offered to help him with a conversion?!
August 27th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Rachel, thank you for keeping us up to date on what is going on behind the scenes.
I do have a question…..
I have been hearing and reading that the Hillary delegates are being pressed to vote Obama when the roll call is done.
As a Delegate who voted for my National Delegate……our expectations were that the National Delegates would show integrity and vote for Hillary as expected by the people they are representing.
All this talk we here about Obama pushing for the Hillary Delegates to do otherwise is going to make matters worse and is it legal?
The Delegates are REPRESENTING the constituents in THEIR state NOT Senator Obama or Senator Clinton.
Would you please tell us what is going on regarding the roll call vote. It is important to and for many of us will help us determine whether we will support Obama.