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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe Hillary Clinton I Know Will Do Wonders for Women
POLITICO Magazine ?@POLITICOMag 4h4 hours ago@neeratanden on why the Hillary Clinton she knows will do wonders for women: http://politi.co/24dbQrH | Getty
For decades she has practiced what she preached in the workplace.
For decades, Hillary Clinton has been a lot more than a public champion of child care, paid leave and equal pay. Shes lived these issues and led on them personally. I know, because I worked for her during much of that time. As a boss, shes always made family flexibility a reality for her staff. Most importantly, while shes advocated for policies like workplace flexibility for two decades, shes practiced what she preaches.
Thats important to progressives like me, because we have long advocated for a government that looks like America. Why have we done that? Why do we think its so important? Because we know experience matters. I dont just mean past job titles or policy expertise. Peoples life experiences shape their views, their values and, ultimately, their decisions. So its no surprise that when we study womens leadership, we know women leaders help women.
I worked for Hillary at three different times in my life: first, when I was young; later, when I was just starting a family; and then again when my kids were growing up. All during that time I faced the same question that worries so many working mothers: How could I do my job well and still be there for my kids?
I first worked for Hillary in my 20s and early 30s, when she was first lady; later, when I was pregnant with my first child, I was no longer on her staff, but I confided in her that I was worried whether Id be able to keep up a career with a child. Hillary gave me a pep talk about the importance of co-parenting, prioritizing and not giving up before I tried. Later on, when she was in the Senate, she reached out to me about a job opening on her staff. I had one child then, 14 months old. Again I worried that I couldnt do a pretty intense job for a pretty intense senator as a new mom. So I shared my fears once more with Hillary, and she assured me we would make it work. She promised me that I could leave at 6 p.m. to make it home for dinner; that I could accommodate my daughters needs for doctor visits or anything else that came up. And it worked. She kept her promise, and I tucked Ilina in every night. Id keep working after she fell asleep. And when Hillary would call, she would always ask whether she was disturbing me, always happy to call back in the morning.
But the hardest decision for me was to come. In late 2006, Hillary started talking to me about the ideas that would fuel her presidential campaign. I had advised Hillary on policy when she was first lady, a Senate candidate and a senator, so it seemed natural that I'd be part of her presidential run. Natural to everyone but me, that is. By that time I had two young children, ages 1 and 4; advising a presidential campaign while caring for them seemed a gargantuan task.
I ached over the decision but ultimately said yes. And again, even as she mounted her presidential campaign, Hillary made certain I had the flexibility to do my work while still fulfilling my responsibilities as a mom. There were some gut-check moments: I was in charge of Hillarys debate preparation on the campaign, and ahead of one of our earlier sessions, I learned that my daughters pre-K graduation was the same time as the prep I was supposed to be running. I decided I would put my deputy in charge, but I worried I was letting folks down. When I told our campaign manager, she and Hillary came up with a solution. Hillary flipped her schedule to travel earlier that day to ensure that I could do both. She never gave me less work or responsibility just the ability to do it on a schedule that let me get home for dinner most nights. I was able to make it work because I had a boss who got it and also a husband that did more than his share as a co-parent.
I know I would not be where I am in my own career, as a mother of two, without a boss so committed to workplace flexibility early on (and a feminist husband). Hillary saw her staff not just as workers but as people juggling their jobs and their families. And she gave me the chance every woman in America should be given: to step up in my career when my kids were young, not step back.
No doubt, there are plenty of men who have been fierce and laudable advocates for womens issues. But I know from my many years in Washington that when setting priorities and creating an agenda, it matters who sits around the table. Weve accomplished so much for women over the last few decades, but were still far from where we should be. Weve fallen short on ensuring equal pay and protecting reproductive rights. And we remain the worlds only developed nation that doesnt guarantee the basic protection of paid family leave to its citizens. If we want to make meaningful progress, we need more than just promises and policy proposals.
Hillary has plainly done far more than just talk about these issues. Shes lived them as a working parent whose first law firm didnt accommodate new mothers because they didnt have them before she started work there. Shes lived them as a first lady who stood up in Beijing and declared to the world that womens rights are human rights. And shes lived them as a boss who made sure no one on her staff had to neglect their family to do their job.
In Washington, the values of folks around the table matter. Their experiences matter. What they do, not just what they say, matters. And the person at the head of the table matters a lot.
read: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/02/hillary-clinton-women-213649#ixzz40ZdQddga
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The Hillary Clinton I Know Will Do Wonders for Women (Original Post)
bigtree
Feb 2016
OP
jeff47
(26,549 posts)1. Then why didn't she do wonders for women while she was in the Senate? (nt)
bigtree
(85,999 posts)2. she absolutely did
...you need to look beyond the hyperbolic criticism from your camp.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)3. so list it off for us mmmmkay
jeff47
(26,549 posts)4. I'm looking at Congress.gov.
You know, the site that actually lists what she did as a Senator.
How come she didn't do wonders for women as a Senator?
SheenaR
(2,052 posts)7. She did not
you need to look beyond common talking points.
I don't blame you for assuming a champion of women's right like Hillary Clinton would have done so.. The facts say otherwise.
Fawke Em
(11,366 posts)5. When she's not sending our kids off to all the wars she wants?
When she's not kicking the poorer of us off welfare?
When she's not taking 1 percent money to tell us to have no hopes and dreams?
When she's no longer fighting for our right to have access to healthcare?
When she's telling us "No We Can't!"?
When exactly is she doing anything for me?
tk2kewl
(18,133 posts)6. ...when she's not busy considering constitutional restrictions on abortion?
libtodeath
(2,888 posts)9. As long as their parents are part of Goldman Sachs.
McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)10. Thanks again, bigtree!