A political pioneer passes today. Geraldine Ferraro dies today from a form of blood cancer. She was 75
I still remember hearing the news that Water Mondale had selected a woman to run with him during the 1984 presidential campaign. I remember thinking to myself that while this might give Mondale a boost; it really wasn’t going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Reagan was a force of nature and Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro were sacrificial lambs being lead to the slaughter.
Through no fault of her own (let me repeat that; through no fault of her own), I think her being on the 1984 democrat presidential ticket might have set women’s politics back by a decade. She was an able politician, and actually more popular than her running mate, Presidential candidate, Walter Mondale. I think there might have been some residual animosity towards Ferraro and women in politics in general by some who blamed Ferraro for Mondale’s landslide defeat. I will repeat this one more time; Not her fault.
I did not support her politics. As a liberal democrat she was a staunch supporter of abortion, which I do not support at the level it is available today. She was also a strong supporter of unions, too strong in my opinion, but it did help get her elected in the working class district in Queens she represented. But I do admire her for a frankness of speech. During the last presidential election she felt that Obama was using the color of his skin as a prop during his run. I tend to agree with her. But what I liked about her was the fact that she wouldn’t back down from her statement.
Having a family member pass is never an easy thing, and her husband and kids will grieve for a while. But they need to be proud of her accomplishments and always remember she stood up for what she believed. May she rest in peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment