Feminists seem to be joining up and issuing public statements everywhere this week. Kimberle Crenshaw and Eve Ensler have teamed up in a hot post over at HuffPo, called “Feminist Ultimatums: Not in Our Name.” I utterly dig what they have to say about young feminists, and I absolutely agree. They write:

Young feminists have been vocal and strong in critiquing the claim that a vote for Obama represents some form of youthful naiveté, a desire to win the approval of men, or a belief that sexism no longer factors into their lives. While paying respect to those women who carried the banner for so many years, these young women have reminded us that feminism is not static but evolutionary, changing in content, scope and tenor as new generations elevate their concerns and aspirations. And while we agree that this “either/or” brand of feminism fails to capture the imagination and hopes of countless numbers of women who refuse to entrust this capital into the hands of a candidate just because she is a woman, we think it important to add that this is not simply an intergenerational difference at work here. At issue is a profound difference in seeing feminism as intersectional and global rather than essentialist and insular. Women have grappled with these questions in every feminist wave, struggling to see feminism as something other than a “me too” bid for power whether it be in the family, the party, the race or the state.

Amen to all that.

For a, um, slightly different take on young women, see here. Younger women’s responses here.

(Thank you, Cathy, for the heads up.)

Just to continue with my “I’m really moved by the passion of this election!” blogging, I had to share my voting story this morning.

On my way out of my polling place (ya’ll know by now who I cast my vote for, so no more ’bout that I swear), I came upon a corner where Hillary supporters and “Women for Obama” supporters were hanging out campaigning, the established legal distance from the polls. I stopped to ask a Hillary women if she had a sticker or anything to give away. Nothing against her, but she didn’t. I thanked her for the work they were doing and walked away.

Then I circled back and went over to the Obama women to see if they had any specific literature on Obama and women. Nothing against them, but they didn’t. I chatted with them for a moment cheerfully, thanked them for the work they were doing, and walked away.

As I walked down the block, I turned to look over my shoulder back at the scene, feeling this crazy patriotic pang. I do love this country when it’s working right, I confess. Let’s just hope our votes make it to the right place and nothing ends up like Florida in 2000 ever again.

But I digress. When I looked over my shoulder from halfway down the block, I realized that the whole scene was being documented by a tv camera from one of the major stations over here, and that the camera was still trained on (gulp) me. Must have been my bright red coat. Anyway, if you’re watching the news and happen to see a girl in a red coat and braids chatting up representatives from both campaigns looking like she can’t quite make up her mind, it’s me. Only I had made up my mind. Even if only a few days ago.

Man, I can’t wait til all this is over and we can just get the heck behind one of these two amazing candidates and give it our collective all.

As they say in my hometown Chicago, vote early and vote often (though you didn’t hear it here!). Meanwhile, here’s some of what’s going on in my adopted hometown, NYC.

(Photo cred)

Stimulus plan doesn’t hold up against a female audit, according to Women’s eNews. And neither does 30 Ways of Looking at Hillary, argues smarty Susan Faludi over at the New York Observer. (I maintain: When I grow up, I still seriously want to be that woman.)

Ok, nuf about candidates. Let’s talk issues. Tomorrow is the 15th anniversary of signing into law of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Check out what’s still at stake, courtesy Ellen Bravo.

Our HuffPo piece is now up, here. Comments, there or here, most welcome, as always!

And to readers and friends who are fervent Obama supporters: I will fervently campaign for your man if he wins. On that, you’ve got my promise.

I’m taking a stand for Hillary. Keep an eye out for my HuffPo piece being posted hopefully early today — I’ll crosspost here when it goes live 🙂 I cowrote it with a close friend, journalist Rebecca Segall. Strength in numbers and all.

Thank you to everyone who sent me articles and wrote heartfelt comments and emails, in support of both candidates. I am so moved by the passion this election is inspiring in people young, old, and in between. In my opinion, that’s the real win here — a resurgence in civic engagement in a nation where 7 years of an undemocratic regime have profoundly broken our trust.

And may the best of two amazing candidates win.

Hey – wait – before I sign off for the weekend, just wanted to post this MOST interesting portrait of feminism across generations by Susan Dominus today in the NYTimes.
Featured are Jessica Valenti of my alltime favorite blog feministing.com, and Marcia Pappas, who took over as president of the New York State chapter of NOW the same year Jessica founded the blog (2004). Pappas was the one who issued a press release this week proclaiming that Edward Kennedy’s endorsement of Barack Obama was a betrayal of women. Feministing.com responded (on the blog), “Wow. This is completely unhinged, and frankly, mind-boggling….All I can say is, NOW-NY does not speak for me. And it does not speak for all feminists.”

The NYTimes article, called “Feminists Find Unity is Elusive,” ends with this:

“The two women should probably talk. Surely, there’s a message board somewhere big enough for both of them. We already know they have a lot in common.”

I’d like to see that conversation take place. In fact, I’d like to moderate. I know, I know, I should be careful what I wish for. But seriously, women across generations need to talk to each other, and not just at each other. Which is what we all more often do.

And please note: I took the feministing icon from the left side of the banner over there so as to be sure it does not look like the mudflap girl is giving NOW the finger. Though I admit it was iconographically tempting, that’s not what I’m about.

Thank you, everyone, for all your comments this week! I promise promise promise to respond to all v. soon. Interesting times, I tell ya, interesting times.

And just to prove how fuzzy headed I feel today, I am cat blogging. Which I swore I’d never do. This, ladies and gents, is Amelia Bedelia. And I think this is probably now her second debut.

Have a GREAT weekend!

That debate made nothin’ any easier. To even the score and balance all my Hillary blogging, here’s an Obama reader to cap off the day:

“The Visionary Minimalist: Toward a Theory of Obama-ism” by Cass R. Sunstein, The New Republic

“What Counts as an “Issue” In the Clinton-Obama Race?” by George Lakoff, Huffington Post

(Thanks V., S., others–you know who you are.)