Hillary Honors Women
08 May 2008 4:00 am by Taylor Marsh
from Washington, D.C.
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| Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones |
It all started with Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. What a dynamo that sister is. Energy
personified. She talked of women, of mothers, of sisters and daughters. She went outside
the political to the human story of generations, which was the theme of the
event. Terry McAuliffe spoke, Senator Barbara Mikulski. Dorothy Rodham, Hillary’s mom,
came out with Chelsea. She sat and took it all in, while Chelsea commanded the
stage taking questions. They found a perfect way to utilize this beautifully
charming woman who, as HLF said, is a meld of both of her parents. The Ebenezer
AME Church choir came in singing, which brought me to my feet. Gospel does that
to me, always has.
When she came down the long rope line towards the stage she stopped and talked,
took pictures, and you could tell that everyone was exchanging energy, feeding
off one another.
HLF had a table right on the aisle, second from the front. What a seat I had
thanks to her. The table she purchased at the event was in honor of her mother’s
memory, as well as her sister-in-law, who was there and I got to meet. It was
part of the $1 million plus raised at the event that included over 1,500 people,
mostly women.
As Hillary turned to walk close to where I stood, I reached out to shake her
hand. As I always do with people I don’t see frequently, I always say my name
to them when greeting. We’ve met before, but she also knows and reads this blog,
so I knew when she heard my name she’d remember. Instead, she took my hands
tightly. She looked into my eyes, then said “Thank you. Thank you,”
squeezing my hands even tighter. There was no doubt, the moment moved us both.
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Hillary’s speech was passionate, filled with things she was ready to do, all
of which revolved around solving problems for people in order to make their
lives better. Nobody gave these ideas to her. They came up through the passion
she has for policies, because she’s a politician who believes that Democratic
solutions don’t just provide hope, they change people’s lives.
During one point in the speech she was interrupted by Code Pink. A man standing
on a table with a banner about Iran until he was forcibly removed. Medea Benjamin,
dressed casually, knelt right across the aisle from me, looking like she was
recording Hillary’s speech. I waited for it. She didn’t get far in her vocal
protest before she too was escorted away, as the room chanted “Hill-ary, Hill-ary.”
The candidate herself remained smiling, didn’t react, but didn’t miss a beat either.
Clinton simply stated, and I’m paraphrasing here, that she didn’t mind they were there, because it’s part of the package of American politics, but
she hoped they had paid for the pleasure. The crowd roared with laughter, then on Hillary went.
No one knows when this will end. But one thing is certain. Until either she
or Senator Obama has the requisite numbers to lock down the nomination, Hillary
is fighting on. Every single person in that room will fight on with her. She knows she is not alone.
Oh, and by the way, I ran into some TM.com readers, which was wonderful. Some
comment anonymously, so I’ll leave it to them to come out. Met quite a few women
who listen to my podcasts, which thrills me. Other women stopped me to thank
me for this site, recognizing me after a double take. The support I felt from all I met was a tonic. It’s been a long, hard slog for us all, and
it isn’t over yet.
