Does Hillary Clinton Exemplify Women Today?

Question: Does Hillary Clinton Exemplify Women Today?

Absolutely not. Most women my age have moved past Junior High and no longer participate in girlish antics of gossiping, whispering, badgering, lying, brow beating, haggling, sniveling bratty behavior. Hillary Clinton does not represent the average woman!

I am a middle class, college educated, single woman in my late 50s. I am four years younger than Ms. Clinton, so we are kind of like sisters – of the same generation. I clean my house, fix meals, wash dishes, take care of my own clothes, run errands, put out familial fires regarding my adult sons, change my own flat tires, work for three attorneys and their paralegals, manage bills, have a growing 401(k) plan, paid off my house and my car, volunteer for different projects, and I am a caregiver for my bed-ridden mother-in-law when I'm not at my real job. I have no body guard, no limo driver, and I don't care to take apart Obama's speeches because I agree with him – that the elitist people, like Ms. Clinton herself, are NOT listening to me! And there she goes again, being juvenile and being the pot calling the kettle black.

I came into adulthood in the middle of the so-called "feminist movement." I vividly remember the company I worked for having a fashion show the summer of 1968, on pantsuits. Until then, women wore dresses or skirts. Most women got married and had children and then thought about having careers; but the standard of the day was still having the wife/mother stay at home and the hubby was the breadwinner. Very few women opted to have careers first and then start families after they were established. Ten years later, I was a newly divorced, single mother of two toddler boys, trying to earn enough to support us and make a go of a new stage in my life – that of a single woman in a work force predominated by males. Now, thirty years later, I am a fairly well paid secretary with a substantial financial package to enable me to retire comfortably in about six years. Through these years, I have gone from a daughter and then a submissive wife, to a struggling single Mom continuously trying to make ends meet, to an independent, successful woman with some smarts, talent, and wisdom.

More and more women are going into careers that were once male dominated. More women are becoming doctors, lawyers, firemen, police officers – and are just as successful as their male counterparts. It is therefore a natural course of events to have a woman run for president. The country seems riveted on the fact that we have a first-time deal here: a woman running for president for the first time, and a black man running for president for the first time. However, the criteria for being president shouldn't be because the nominee was a first time record breaker for any category. I think someone running for president should have a couple "running for president" periods under the belt before they actually get the Gold Crown Award.

The women who are my friends and co-workers today are focusing on their families, as they leave the nest, as they bring back little chicks of their own. We are focusing on our lives as wives, friends, mothers and maybe early retirement if the economy would just slow down to a low roar. We watch world events with great interest and concern. We do not engage in petty bickering and sniveling – we are problem solvers and goal setters.

I don't have the time or patience for Hillary Clinton. I want Change. I want Compassion. I want Leadership!

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