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Rankin

On the campaign trail yesterday in Montana, Hillary Clinton invoked the career of Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress: "Remember, Jeannette Rankin was elected before women could vote. So who says men don't vote for a woman?"

Setting aside the question of who, exactly, "says men don't vote for a woman," Rankin was elected in 1916. Montana women received the right to vote in 1914. And, even though Clinton has tried to redefine herself as an early opponent of the Iraq war, is it really good politics to link herself to the only member of Congress to oppose going to war against Germany and Japan in World War II?

Posted on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 9:49 PM | Comments (7) | Return

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