Ladies' Room

Hillary in the house.

by Mary F. Patel

Last Wednesday, the Sheraton City Center Hotel played host to Hillary Clinton's "Club 44 Make History Tour." The fundraiser drew a few hundred women who paid an affordable $100 to attend the "all-women event" that marked the start of Clinton's "campaign with women" in Philly.

The afternoon began with a three-woman panel that included Ann Lewis, senior adviser to Hillary Clinton for President and sister of U.S. Rep. Barney Frank; Patricia Schroeder, CEO of the Association of American Publishers; and Ellen Malcolm, president of Emily's List. U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz moderated.

George Feder (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

The Blackberries came out as women caught up on e-mails during the panelists' speeches on all things Clinton. A truly feminist event, each speaker stressed the importance of electing a woman president and referenced the past obstacles women have overcome to gain equal rights.

Another focus was the "New Direction" slogan, the same rhetoric used in last year's election for Democratic candidates, and the promise that Clinton would end the war. Lewis said that Clinton is winning with women and that 54 percent of all voters are female.

Contributors were encouraged to host house parties for Clinton (not that she would attend) to raise awareness and collect checks. Some women thought the term "house party" was rather patronizing and sounded too much like a bake sale or a Tupperware party.

Schroeder said it was time to rip down the "No Girls Allowed" sign from the White House.

Malcolm pointed out that the fundraising efforts of Emily's List (Emily is an acronym for Early Money Is Like Yeast) were very strong for Clinton. The grassroots organization has proved its ability to raise millions nationally for women candidates.

Clinton was running late— expected at 4 p.m., she arrived at 4:30 — so Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll took the stage and started speaking. She seemed to have lost track of time because she wouldn't cede the microphone until Clinton walked on.

Clinton gave what is now her stump speech — her top bullet points are withdrawal of troops in Iraq, protecting the environment, universal health care, rebuilding the middle class and balancing the budget.

"The cowboy diplomacy is over!" said Clinton. "I will end the war! Iraq is not willing and I will withdraw the troops!"

Stating that she intends to "reclaim the future," Clinton spoke about global warming, terrorism and other threats against the planet. (Is Al Gore now one of her advisers?)

Speaking of Gore, since most of his supporters have given up on him running for president, it was curious to see Vanity Fair give him so much ink in its latest issue. Why do we need to know almost seven years later how Gore and his wife, Tipper, felt about how the media treated them during his 2000 presidential campaign? The magazine did not spill any ink to explain John Kerry's and Teresa Heinz Kerry's feelings on the media in a more recent election, so why Gore now? Doesn't make much sense — unless he has plans he is not yet sharing.

Hillary is undoubtedly more concerned about competition from Barack Obama, the darling of one of America's richest women. TV personality Oprah Winfrey recently raised $3 million for Obama at her expansive Santa Barbara mansion with a high-profile African-American guest list that included Stevie Wonder, Forest Whitaker and Chris Rock. It is expected that Winfrey will have Obama on her show and that she will campaign for him.

This and That

State Republicans and Democrats each nominated a candidate for Superior Court last weekend. Superior Court Judge Michael Joyce will not seek a retention vote this November and has been suspended pending his federal indictment on insurance fraud. This leaves an extra seat open for Superior Court; there are now three up for grabs.

The Republican State Committee nominated Pittsburgh attorney Jacqueline Shogun and the Democratic State Committee nominated John Milton Younge, a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge.

The other two Republican candidates for Superior Court are Cheryl Allen and Bruce Bratton; the Democratic candidates are Ron Folino and Christine Donohue.

There are also two openings on the Supreme Court that will appear on the November general election ballot. Republican candidates are Maureen Lally-Green and Michael Krancer and the Democrats are Seamus McCaffery and Debra Todd.

(rcpatel@aol.com)