Saturday, Jul 19, 2008
Is it time for a female vice president? Plus: Get that spam out of my mailbox; "Millionaire" contestant gives Philbin the thumbs-up.
Nov 22, 1999 | The Blair House 10
BY SARAH WILDMAN
(11/15/99)
If the increase in the number of women in Congress since 1984 is notable, even more notable is the huge amount of progress that is still needed. Less than 15 percent of the House of Representatives is female and less than 10 percent of the Senate. We are clearly at least one or two generations away from true parity in political power for women, and progress may actually slow down unless young people get more involved in politics.
-- Nate Levin
Although your first page touts the "significantly greater pool of qualified women to pick from" -- and concludes, "With more well-qualified women available, the parties won't have to settle for someone unknown to the public" -- the short list essentially leads us to believe there are two, maybe three, potentially viable female vice-presidential candidates. The remaining prospects are either "unknown" or from states whose lack of electoral votes makes them non-options for serious candidates. This piece simply begs the question, "Are we any further along 15 years later?"
Having viable minority candidates for this office is a very important issue; interestingly, it seems the Republicans currently have the upper hand. If they're smart enough to play it, or even realize it is one, well, that's another issue. Unfortunately.
-- Chris Cook
The title of Sarah Wildman's article "The Blair House 10" is not an indication of the prospects for a female vice president. The vice president's house is known as the Admiral's House; Blair House is the the guest house for White House visitors. I would hope any one of the 10 worthy women listed in the article would be in Washington for more than a visit.
-- Edward Zaharevitz
You failed to mention former Texas Gov. Ann Richards as a potential candidate. Although she has not been on the political scene in a while, Richards is sorely missed by many Democrats across the nation for her candor and outspokenness on traditional Democratic issues.
-- Ken Zirkel
I was disappointed that you didn't mention Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, as a potential vice-presidential candidate. She was impressively articulate during the impeachment proceedings.
-- Jane L. Smith
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