The Hillary/Barack Non-Divide

Great op-ed in the NYTimes today written by Gloria Steinem, on why those of us who consider ourselves progressive should avoid the trap of pitting Hillary and Barack (and their respective subject positions) against one another. The set up:

"EVEN before Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton threw their exploratory committees into the ring, every reporter seemed to be asking which candidate are Americans more ready for, a white woman or a black man?

With all due respect to the journalistic dilemma of reporting two 'firsts' at the same time — two viable presidential candidates who aren’t the usual white faces over collars and ties — I think this is a dumb and destructive question."

Read the full article for the "why" behind the "dumb and destructive" comment. Makes you think again about how history--should we actually choose to pay attention to it--really does inform both present and future.