It is a shame that we women cannot be supportive enough of each other to be able to claim that we have been able to elect a women to the highest or at least to the second highest office of government in the United States. Shelly Mandell the president of the Los Angeles NOW chapter, introduced Sarah Palin at a political activity in California. Immediately following this the California NOW president issued a statement making it clear that NOW and its PAC were supporting the Barack Obama/ Joe Biden ticket. This was done by NOW to leave no room for misunderstanding that Ms. Mandell’s support for Governor Palin was just support in Mandell’s  personal capacity. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/la-now-prez-on.html

In my opinion Ms Mandell actions were not incomprehensible but defensible under the following analysis, there is more to be gained, and strategically women would show more strength as a group, if they could gather the numbers to elect a woman to a very powerful highly visible political office (President, Vice-President) than to organize around an issue that they have very little control over. Regardless of what a future Justice to the Supreme Court may say in a confirmation hearing, once she/he is appointed, there is no influence NOW or anyone can have over that person’s decision-making process because she/he has been appointed for life.  Reality is that all the nominees to the Supreme Court avoid giving an answer about a case involving abortion rights under the excuse that cases are decided on their specific facts and that they would be speculating and prejudging a merely hypothetical question.  So even if you vote for a candidate who may submit a nominee to the Court that is a “liberal”, women’s real influence on the outcome of a judicial decision is minimal, while their influence in electing a candidate to office is real and direct. Women’s influence on the symbolic achievement of helping elect that first women would definitely be of great historical importance and of great policy impact, more than merely voting for someone who will nominate someone they as a group cannot influence once he/she is exercising the power of his/her office.

 Political power is shown by controlling powerful offices that can set the policy agenda. Women have not been able to achieve political power and set the agenda because they have been divided on how to deal with issues they cannot really control, especially when they do not have real political power.