When I was young, about the only woman politician girls could look up to was Margaret Chase Smith. And she was pretty much it. I, of course, have lived through the 'burn the bra' and 'you've come a long way, baby' movements--a push for women to show what they can do--so I have seen things change. The Vietnam War was a time when so many people--women especially--started to say "women should be in power--they would do things differently." And many listened. Today, we have quite a few--some would say not enough, however--women in positions of power. And we see more and more getting into power every year.
And yet, nothing has changed.
The women who have come into power were supposed to try and change things--to do things differently. This has not been the case--we see things going on as they always have. Women have talked about 'the old boy's club,' but the 'old girls' have joined the same club. It is business as usual--and things don't seem to be getting any better. Actually, a lot of the women in power seem to be more masculine than the men--and that is one scary thought. So, we are NOT getting any different perspectives on any of the problems this country faces.
I believe one of the reasons Sarah Palin was so popular with so many people--and why she SCARED so many others--was because she was different. Now, depending on what side of the like/hate fence you were/are on with her, this was either a good thing or a bad thing. But, a lot of people liked the fact that she WAS different than the same old, same old. And this is what is going to get some people elected in the coming years--being different. After all, how else can you explain Minnesota electing Jesse Ventura? He CERTAINLY brought something different to the table.
Many people have called on Ted Nugent to run for office here in the state of Michigan. He has the same mindset--on gun control, hunting, natural resources--as many citizens of this state, and I could see him winning if he ran. He wouldn't necessarily be saying things that differ from what many believe, it's just that he would do it in a manner that hasn't been seen before. And that alone could win him an election.
While 'change' and 'different' could possibly be a good thing, it also could blow up in our faces. We are comfortable with what we know and are scared of the unknown--and it may not be a bad thing to feel that way. On the other hand, we may be limiting the possibilities by not trying something different. Hmmm, I will have to think on that for a while...
Yeah, More Politics
