This One's For the Girls - For My Little Girl (Updated)
I've written about my son a few times over the past year, and of how Hillary has my undying gratitude for her work on behalf of children with special needs. Well this one's for my little girl...
Over the past few weeks I've been stepping up my efforts to raise money for Hillary's campaign via my HillRaisers link, and it's been going pretty well. The folks here among the Net Roots are incredibly generous and Hillary's got some amazing backers on this and other discussion boards and blogs. In increments of $10, $20, $50 and even one or two $1,000+ donations, Hillary's online supporters have stepped up to the plate when it counts. Because of our joint efforts, I've raised just shy of the $20,000 mark and I'm not letting up until she wins this thing in November.
Because of this I'll get to attend an event here in DC this week with Hillary - along with about 1000 other folks but the point is, I'm going to get to hear her speak and I can't wait. I'll also get to bring a guest and since it's tough fur hubby to get time off work in the middle of the week, I'm going to take my little girl with me to hear Hillary speak. She's a huge fan and has been a great help with our efforts on the local level, and I can't think of a better event for her to attend. This will be held in a conference center rather than a stadium or rally with bleachers - so she'll get to actually hear what's said and in a much calmer setting. She'll actually get to see what's going on too.
Now I'm a relative nobody as far as this gargantuan effort to elect our next President goes. There are literally thousands upon thousands of people working tirelessly to help Hillary make it to the Oval Office. As someone who works full time and just posts to blogs in the evenings, volunteers on the local level and does some phone banking, the thought of hearing Hillary speak and maybe meeting some of the folks who actually get to work with her is pretty exciting stuff.
But I had to make a choice regarding this event. The upside in bringing my daughter is pretty obvious - she'll get to hear Hillary (hopefully our next President) speak. This is something she'll remember for the rest of her life. But the downside is, I'll be so busy with her that it won't leave a lot of time for me to meet people from the campaign or Hillary's many other supporters at this event.
A day my daughter will never forget - or a chance to network? Hmmm... tough choice - not!
As much as I want to develop a network of new contacts in that arena, I'm a mom first and my little girl needs to be at this event. It's something she'll never forget and hearing Hillary speak will (hopefully) set her on a path of good solid Democratic values (peace, the environment, helping others...) that will stay with her the rest of her life. Things like this will help instill a social conscience in my little girl that will help her become the woman I hope she'll be some day. I get the sense that Hillary is just that powerful a speaker when you see her in real life.
This will also continue a family tradition started by my own mother. I took a road trip to Chicago with my mom to lobby for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment when I was a kid. I also walked Farmworker picket lines at the local A & P and went to anti-war rallies with my folks when I was a little older than my daughter is now. We have pictures of some pretty cool people in our family photo album too like Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden and Holly Near, and my stepdad was Cesar Chavez's bodyguard whenever he came to the mid-west.
We're already off to a great start with our own kids. They've been to rallies to call for an end to the genocide in Darfur, Earth Day events, Million Mom Marches and pro-choice marches, and my little girl has already led her own anti-Bush march around the tot-lot at the tender age of 4 (chanting "hey hey! Ho ho! Bush & Cheney have GOT to go!). It'd be wonderful to take her to hear Hillary speak, and maybe take a picture or two of Hillary - if we're sitting close enough.
My sweet girl is still pretty young and could get a bit cranky or tired at this event. But some friends of mine passed up the chance to take their daughters or granddaughters to hear Hillary speak because they were worried they were too young - and they're regretting it now. I just can't imagine passing up this chance for her to hear her hero speak - and possibly shake her hand.
I'm suddenly flashing on that picture of Bill Clinton, when he attended that Boy's Nation event at the White House and got to shake JFK's hand (the year after I was born). This could be the start of great things for my bright and amazing girl. Perhaps one future president meeting another? Who knows? Now, thanks to Hillary the sky's the limit for my daughter and millions of other girls and women just like her. With more hard work Hillary may just shatter that last and toughest of glass ceilings this November.
Who knows? When Hillary runs for re-election in 4 years I could take my son to hear her speak too!
And thirty years from now... I could be on the campaign trail working to help elect my own daughter to the White House.
For now though, This One's For the Girls
Hey gang - I'm just $500 shy of the big two-oh-oh-oh-oh mark. Help me break $20,000 by the time my little girl and I sign in for this event Wednesday afternoon ok? Thanks!
FOR THE GIRLS! Aww heck - for ALL of us!
U P D A T E
Hat tip to dBrown04 for this idea...
TO ALL YOU MOMs AND DAUGHTERS OUT THERE - Despite Hillary's non-stop effort over the past 15 months to meet as many of us as she can, there are a lot of moms and daughters who'll never get to shake Hillary's hand or hear her speak in person.
So please - Feel free to leave a message for Hillary here and we can always send a link to this diary to the campaign. She just might get to read your message.
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