How could it be that I am still living in Orange County? I am blue (not sad-blue) in the reddest part of California. I live in the dreaded 46th. Come on, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is right of Bush. That is crazy. When I rented my house, I asked the landlord if he rented to Democrats and he said, "only one at a time," controlling the migration pattern. One friend of mine says I am here doing missionary work though I do not wear a white shirt and ride a bike through the neighborhood.
Election years I take great delight in driving around with my political bumper stickers; Kucinich, Kerry/Edwards, Clinton/Gore ~ now its Hillary. I used to worry about someone messing with my car but that only happened a few years ago when I had a Lakers flag on the rear window and someone wrote something very nasty on my car. One time a man sped up in his BMW and I thought for sure I was gonna get the finger for my Kucinich sticker. Instead the driver gave me a thumbs up! I was shocked.
Yesterday I was knee-deep in a pretty bad day. I couldn't find a movie to see so I set out to the two closest shopping centers; Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza. With my Hillary 2008 rhinestone pin on my Eileen Fisher vest, I took off for an adventure shopping. Who knew what would happen if there was no car with a bumper sticker, just me and a campaign pin.
I started at Bloomingdales; cosmetics, purses, plus sizes and without exception, each clerk ~ seriously EACH AND EVERY sales women told me, "I love your pin, she is going to win, you know!" Wow, that was a surprise. I took off for Nordy's to spend my Christmas gift cards. The three sales women there all lined up at the counter and started taking about Hillary and how much they love her. They voted for her. They know she is going to win. Last stop, Macys.
The woman who helped me told me how much she loves Oprah. She never missed a show (oh oh, is the Obama talk about to happen?) As I was arranging my purchase, she called over the other two women working the department. "Look how gorgeous the woman's pin is," she said and they proceeded to carry on and on about how much they love Hillary. I just got overwhelmed and welled up. The working women, its the working women who know, who want Hillary in the White House.
It was a great day in the OC. My missionary work may not be so solitary after all.
That warms my little black heart. Way to go, clerks of Orange County.
Posted by: Chelsea | February 17, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Zoe - thanks so much for this post. I volunteered here in california before the primary. I have to say the greatest joy I found was the phoning banking and speaking to women all around the state who were DELIGHTED to hear from Hillary's campaign . I have always thought she was great - and think she will be a fine President. It just never occurred to me that she meant so much to so many women. I mostly called women over 50 - registered Dems to be sure - but there was a pervasive sense of pride in Senator Clinton's campaign. So much has been written about the rightful sense of pride the African-American community has taken in Senator Obama's campaign - but very little has been said about the value Mrs. Clinton has to so many women. I certainly came away with a much deeper sense of what it must be like to always feel like you are starting in "second place" . I am so grateful for a deeper sense of what women have been up against.
Having said that - she is just the best candidate out there.
One other note: I had a small informational gathering for Clinton supporters at a friends house last fall. My friend's six year old sat in on it. Since then he has been keenly interested in "when Hillary becomes President" Asking questions etc. today at lunch he looked across the table and said with pure innocence "Papi, was someone in Hillary's family President before Bush? "
If a six year old can judge Hillary on her merits alone why can't the media?
Posted by: John Smart | February 17, 2008 at 07:48 PM
That pin is gorgeous (post a pic of it so everyone can see)! and I'm so glad to hear that the working women of Orange County can see how valuable Senator Clinton would be in the White House.
Unfortunately, when I was recently in the RC (Riverside County) I saw a home made sign taped on the back of a truck that said something like: "Hillary wants back in the White House b/c she forgot a few pieces of furniture, and Bill missed a few interns".
Posted by: Mandy Benson | February 19, 2008 at 06:58 PM