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Sparkle (1)
At the California Women’s Conference last night, Senator John McCain’s daughter Meghan and wife Cindy held a freewheeling conversation about the current state of politics in this country, and the need to get more women involved, especially younger women.
“I think for our generation it’s no longer an option not to be involved,” said Meghan. “Our generation is the first generation to look out into the future and not see a future that is as bright as the one my mother had. It’s scary. We’re being left with a national deficit that is quite literally bankrupting our grandchildren. It’s no longer an option.”
But Meghan is not a member of the Tea Party, and laughed about her recent appearance on Meet the Press, when she referred to Christine O’Donnell as a “nut job” (“Not the best way I could call her,” she laughed).
“I think unfortunately, what the Tea Party has done is you put these candidates up that are seemingly a national mockery,” she said. “As a woman, I take particular offense to it. We have lots of strong women out there that are more than capable of being kickass Senators. I don’t think Christine O’Donnell is one of them.”
Meghan’s political views are well known, thanks to her campaign blog, Daily Beast column, best-selling book and many television appearances. But Cindy McCain –- who gave very few interviews in 2008 -– was something of a blank slate to me.
It was easy to project my own preconceived notions on her, as a Pat Nixon-like political wife, standing quietly beside her husband in a “good Republican cloth coat.” Last night, Cindy McCain turned my prejudices around.
“In my opinion, there’s no room for hate anywhere in politics and I’m very frustrated with what’s going on right now, particularly with all these races now," said Cindy. “It’s as nasty as I’ve ever seen it in politics, and I go back to the days watching Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan settle issues that were very important to this country, over a cocktail in the White House. That may sound a little trite, but it’s absolutely the way it was done, and it was a very civilized, gentlemanly way to do it and I don’t mean –- not to make it sexist, but it was a good way to do things.”
Cindy and Meghan both discussed gender differences in politics, motherhood and how women are treated by the media.
“A lot of female candidates this season ... they’ll say I’m a mother first. You notice that male candidates don’t do that, or don’t have to do that,” Cindy said.
Meghan concurred: “I think it’s interesting it’s becoming such a big issue for women now with this candidacy that’s going on in Colorado; one candidate saying that because she’s a mother of six she’s more qualified than this other candidate who is not a mother. I think what’s interesting for my generation is motherhood and being a wife is a lot less emphasized. I’m 26 years old and I don’t really have a lot of that are married let alone have children, so for me it’s not a big deal.”
But Cindy thinks it is important.
“Motherhood gives you a certain perspective on life that other people don’t have, and I think it’s a very important perspective,” she said. “So I think as a candidate, I think it adds an extra dimension to the person that’s running and it gives them an opportunity to look at issues; particularly issues that affect the globe, and I’m talking about poverty, hunger, things that I obviously work a great deal with. I think it’s a very necessary perspective.”
Meghan was asked if she thought female candidates could be both smart and sexy.
“I really hate the idea that no matter what you feel like about women like Sarah Palin and Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton –- their looks come first in any kind of political discussion. ... This is something that I continue to fight against,
