“My candidacy was a benchmark moment for women. No matter what anyone thought of me personally, or of the Mondale-Ferraro ticket, my candidacy had flung open the last door barring equality – and that door led straight to the Oval Office.”… by Geraldine Ferraro in “Framing a Life, A Family Memoir,” published in 1998. 

It’s hard to believe that it has been 32 years since Walter Mondale named Geraldine Ferraro as his vice presidential running mate,  on July 12, 1984. The excitement back then was palpable.    Women’s efforts to end inequality felt like it was within reach — at the tips of their outstretched fingers.  The door to the Oval office had been opened, and the presidency was only one step away.  Just look at this photo taken a mere four days after the veep announcement in San Francisco, showing Ferraro hugging an exuberant Congresswoman Barbara Boxer.  But while they were excitedly chanting, “We’ve Come A Long Way, Baby”,  their male counterparts were surely snickering and whispering under their breath,  “Still Got a Long Way to Go, Sweetie”.  And they were right.

Over the past 32 years, there has been only one woman willing to withstand the scrutiny, the personal ridicule, the microscopic media attention and the harsh judgment of an often cynical nation to run for the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States — twice.   Some call her the most significant and inspirational leader of our time, others call her a liar and a fake.  True, her life has no shortage of drama, but her ability to remain committed and steely-focused deserves our admiration. She is a fighter, she is tough.  She is a lousy campaigner, but she is smart.  She takes risks, and shoulders the consequences with bravado and conviction, making her foes churn with questions about her veracity and character.   Whether you love Hillary Clinton or hate her, she has made history tonight as the first woman to become the Democratic Party’s Presumptive Presidential Nominee for the United States of America.

While no one should vote for Clinton solely based on her gender, we should take pride in  this historic moment — that America has  a woman formidable enough to walk through the door Geraldine Ferraro opened 32 years ago, and to imagine the possibility that she may soon hold the highest office in the land.