As I stayed up too late last night watching election results, I couldn't help but see a pattern emerging. It was very clear to me that binders full of women stood up and re-elected our president last night. I could see that women led the way. I've always thought that if women got their act together, we could lead the country in a better direction, and I believe that's what happened last night. We stood up to the bullies, the misogynists, and the tantrum-throwers like Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove and Donald Trump.
It was women, who put this election over the top for the president, and who threw a bunch of idiots out of the Senate last night. There was no mistaking the very clear message from our actions last night. We stood for the poor, minorities, the elderly, the unemployed, our gay and lesbian community, and the misinformed who would vote against their own best interests due to a constant drumbeat of lies. It was we who saw through a fog of misinformation and took command. I've always thought that women might do a better job of running this country, and last night we did.
Last night, it was clear to me that women's issues do matter. Yes, economic issues are important to women. Many of us are the ones who struggle to balance our families' budgets. Issues like Planned Parenthood, rape, and choice are economic issues to us. The idea of turning the clock backwards and erasing the gains women have made on these issues over my lifetime was soundly rejected last night.
We women stood up and saw past the lies, the money, the misinformation, and the obstruction and we got the job done. And from what I can see, it's only going to get better and better in future elections. In the near future (2016) we'll have Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren as our standard bearers. The best part of last night was that money didn't buy the election, no matter how much of it was thrown around to obstruct and obfuscate the truth.
I've never been prouder to be a woman. I've never been prouder to be a Democrat. I stayed up much too late last night, waiting to hear our president's uniting words of joy and encouragement for our nation. I'm really hopeful that maybe now Republicans will move towards a saner platform for the first time in many years. If they don't, they may run the risk of becoming irrelevant. But even if they continue with the same selfish policies, we women have finally found our power to move the country in a positive direction with or without them. Way to go women! I knew we had the power all along if we just stood up and used it. Last night we did.