The politics of color. Sure, the first thing that comes to mind is black and white referencing our nation’s great racial divide, or maybe even blue and red by party affiliation . But what about pink and green? I’m talking about the women and the vets.
There is a wave sweeping across the land and it is not the color of deep sea glass. It is the rising tide of women who are standing up and stepping into politics in numbers: the pink tsunami.
If there is anything the current presidential administration and congressional seat warmers have ushered in is a counter insurgency into the historic oppression of a woman’s ability to be successfully elected and represent a constituency that is equal, if not greater than, the number of men in our general population.
Future female leaders are fearlessly making their mark in the political world from the first Black woman to win a gubernatorial primary in Georgia to the first openly gay Latina candidate taking a primary win in Texas. Congratulations to Stacey Abrams, Lupe Valdez, Lizzie Fletcher, and Amy McGrath who were forces to be reckoned with in deep, red states, hence the only “deep states” in existence.
Women who were once men are taking a transgender perspective to the ballot box like never before. In an interview with Boston.com, Vermont gubernatorial hopeful Christine Hallquist is setting her eye on the prize in Montpelier. “Having lived as both a man as a woman gives her a different perspective,” Hallquist said, “I have a unique experience with women’s issues,” Hallquist said. “As a male I was not aware, unfortunately, of the gender hierarchy.”
According to an article published in The Christian Science Monitor, “An estimated 40 transgender candidates plan to run for office in the upcoming midterm elections, signaling a tidal shift in LGBT representation in government. Many candidates cite what they see as anti-LGBT policies from the White House as motivation to run.”
Alexandria Chandler of Massachusetts and Chelsea Manning of Maryland cross this deep divide from two fronts. They are not only transgender, but former military officers. In her interview with the CSM, Chandler stated, “The real simplistic answer to why I'm running: It's to answer a call. It's to a answer a call to service like I did after 9/11.” In reality, gay representation in elected positions has been on the uptick for several years, however, transgender status in state houses and in congress was a dramatic political revelation, if not revolution, in 2017 with 8 seats filled. Chelsea Manning, as you may recall, was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment for violation of the Espionage Act by providing WikiLeaks with thousands of classified documents, only to have her sentence commuted to seven years by President Obama. Manning may or may not be your flavor of candidate, but it takes rocks to run a political campaign, especially when your rocks are now a pretty, heart shaped box.
But at the ballot box, does the absent enthusiasm of male dominance matter? Not when you have the likes of Pennsylvania’s newest congressman, Conor Lamb, congressional candidate, Randy Bryce of Wisconsin, and gubernatorial candidate, Adam Cote of Maine. “I’ve seen Adam three times during trips to Iraq and Afghanistan and I will say this, if you are looking for somebody who is a born leader, this is your guy. I’ve seen him literally in action and I think that he is more than cut out for this kind of job… If the Democrats are smart and if they want to win a race, this might just be the way they want to lean.” - Bill Nemitz, Portland Press Herald columnist.
These men of honor have served their nation in a military capacity and now seek to serve in a political capacity. This transfer of military power from the battlefield to the political playing field is unprecedented in the most unpresidential term of our nation’s history. They have proven themselves as veterans and as Americans, both men and women, and will commit themselves to this nation’s future, as leaders we have already vested in, can bring their experiences to the political arena and score a knockout punch to the status quo with new perspective and vibrant hues for our future. Everyone wants change, here is hope.
It’s a brave new world.
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Elizabeth Ruediger is a self-described “force to be reckoned with," independent, political junkie, former elected official and uber fresh blog writer.
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This blog post was curated and/or edited by The Ardent Reader, Esther Hofknecht Curtis, BSOL, MSM-HCA. The views expressed in this blog post are those of the guest blogger. Visit Esther's page at www.parrotcontent.com for more information.
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