By Marie Buckley Fish
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”
Words that sparked a revolution back in 1776. After eight years of bloody battle, the King and his military backed off.
The men who had championed the battle trooped back to Philadelphia, sat around a table and tried to figure out “what do we do now?” There was no use to look around the world. Every country, large and small, had rulers or dictators.
Most of these educated men had studied Greek as part of their schooling and, by golly, there was a time when Athens had tried this idea of a Senate running the city. This kind of worked for them for twenty years. I guess we can try that until we can figure out something better.
After days and weeks of discussions, arguing and suggestions, they came up with a plan. This plan was written into a document that began with the words “We, the people.”
In spite of this solemn declaration it took the country a while to agree that, “we, the people” mean all of us even if we have to fight another bloody war to achieve that as we did in the 1860s.
In 2007, Barack Obama decided to seek election. I didn’t think he had a chance. So, in a diverse nation all men were allowed to vote and, finally, in 2008 a non-white man was elected president. And he served not one, but two terms.
Baby steps or a giant leap for mankind but we’re getting there.
They had declared religion off limits in the political arena but it comes up time and again. Like when Al Smith had the audacity to run for president and was soundly defeated.
I recall when John Kennedy was on the ballot he had to reassure some folks that, no, he didn’t take orders from the Pope. Does anybody know that President Biden is Catholic? Does anybody care?
Is there any ground left unbroken before we can honestly say “We, the people, in order to form a more perfect union …” whoa, wait, back up. Not we men but we, the people. Who are we leaving out?
It seems that Victoria Woodhull figured that one out when she ran for president on the Equal Rights Party in 1872. Was she nuts? Women were not even allowed to vote.
Belva Lockwood took a shot at it in 1884, an activist for voting rights for women and black people.
Margaret Chase Smith in 1964 was the first woman to be nominated at a Republican convention. Was she qualified? She served in Congress for 33 years.
Charlene Mitchell was the first black woman nominated in 1968.
Shirley Chisholm gave it a shot in 1972. Several other women were also in contention that year.
Women kept trying as Republican, Democrat and Independent. By the way, we actually won the right to vote in 1920. Well, that only took 144 years. Some of us cantankerous old ladies just never give up.
The well-qualified Republican Elizabeth Dole attempted to run in the year 2000 but withdrew.
Then, finally, Hilary Rodham Clinton, who actually received the most votes, lost in the Electoral College.
Now, in 2024, it looks like we might have a real chance to make our history a little more interesting. According to what I’m seeing on the news, there’s even a “Republicans for Kamala.”
Come on, people now. Isn’t it time to come together one more time and recognize that we really are all created equal regardless of race, religion, sex or what have you? Isn’t it time to ask ourselves the simple question—who is the best qualified to run this complicated and diversified country the way the majority want it run for the next four years?
Sure, we will never agree on what we want done, but isn’t that the real point in having an election? ISI
