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Blog Entry 24 of 31 Naz in L.A.

I am an L.A. bred and based writer. I grew up in Encino across from Balboa Park and in Tarzana in a seniors-only condominium. These are my stories - all of which revolve around the L.A. axis.

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A Hillary by any other name...

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Contributed by: Nazbanoo Pahlavi on 2/4/2008

I firmly believe that Hillary Clinton would have still gotten involved in the political life had she been Hillary Rodham Gonzalez, or Hillary Rodham Bakker, or just plain Hillary Rodham. Her status as first lady to former President Clinton does not automatically lend her the credibility - her own intelligence and strength does that for her.

At a Superbowl pary yesterday, I got to talking politics with a group of largely older Iranian women (plus one older American gentleman - sorry Bernie, but you were it!). This one lady asked me whether I was supporting Hillary because she was a woman - whether that was important to me. I said that yes, that it was important. And, no, I would not have supported Diane Feinstein for a presidential bid, and probably not even Senator Boxer. I support Hillary. The fact that she is a woman adds to her qualifications and my support for her.

Let's face it, it's not easy being a woman. And for a country that supposedly espouses equal rights, this is still true of the US. After all, we can't soon forget that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) did not pass nearly three decades ago. We also can't deny that other countries - even Pakistan - has had a woman leader and we have yet to take this next obvious step.

I also believe that women bring in a different conciousness to politics. Women are not the same as men, and equal rights does not translate into a woman reaching equality with a man. Why should women be encouraged to be like men? Why establish that men have set the bar and women need just to reach it? Why isn't it the other way around?

As women, we offer our own insights into the political discourse. Women are more intimately familiar with issues of elder parent care (Hillary's mother lives them). Women are more involved in the raising, education and healthcare of children and their families. Women bring in this extra heightened understanding of issues that are so important to daily life. The personal is political.

Also, I will be honnest with you, I want a woman president. I need a woman president. But it's not only me. It's scores of young girls and young women who are led to believe that they can accomplish anything. Really? How can we back this up when our country can not even train, empower and elect a woman president? To make change, we have to create change that will not only affect politics but people. Let's do this.

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