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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Frank
EDITORIAL EDITORS
Kameron Cole
Stefanie Knowlton
no more
A political organization aims
to boost chances for female
presidential candidates
My friend Camie’s most coveted
T-shirts is the one with Rosie
the Riveter on it, flexing all
she’s got. The patriotic colors
gleam, and across the top the words “WE
CAN DO IT" thunder proudly and
strongly.
Today there is no question; of course we
can do it. Anybody can: scientists, doc
tors, teachers, governors, advocates and
even stay-at-home moms.
Opinion
Amy
Goldhammer
1 his is exactly what the
men and women of the
White House Project hope
to communicate to the pub
lic: That you don’t have to
be a man to become presi
dent of the United States.
The White House Project
is a campaign dedicated to
changing the climate of
American politics so
women will be able to
launch successful cam
paigns for the U.S. Presi
aency in tne future.
The campaign has compiled a biograph
ical list of 20 women who may be serious
ly considered for the position of president.
The White House Project has placed bal
lots in numerous magazines and on the In
ternet, where the public may vote on
women who they personally feel have the
proficiency to lead the country.
These ballots give people the opportuni
ty to not see just one woman, but 20 capa
ble women from all over, with different
backgrounds and life experiences.
The White House Project, a non-profit
organization, is not endorsing these
women but merely communicating to the
public how broad and outstanding
women’s leadership is.
At ballot distribution time, however, the
public has found the White House en
veloped in sex scandals involving Presi
dent Clinton, where the current lady in
the White House is not having the best of
times.
“This is not exactly the climate we ex
pected when we started this,” Marie Wil
son, head of the White House Project, told
the Washington Post.
VIE CAN
1
(liot Kin ti i Salimena/Emerald
As much as the scandal has dominated
a large portion of recent political activity,
the nation is ready for a change, and the
White House Project could actually be
emerging at the right time.
This serious, successful campaign to
promote women leadership, which began
planning in November of 1997 and was
formally launched in June 1998, is on the
verge of becoming one of the most talked
about, controversial campaigns the United
States has ever been introduced to.
Some people fear change and, after be
ing raised in the mindset that a man is the
only one who has the capacity to govern
the United States, still feel a woman is not
capable of leading the country. It may take
some time, but the White House Project
hopes to change this mentality.
"There are so many options out there,”
said James Devitt, communications direc
tor for the White House Project. “If you
can see it, you can be it.”
More than 20 countries have had
women prime ministers or presidents and
unfortunately the United States is not part
of that number.
Its goal of having a woman elected as
President by 2008 may be some years
away, but the White House Project is on
the right track and paving the way for fu
ture campaigns.
A poll taken last November indicated
that 76 percent of the public wanted to
vote for a woman for president. If well
over half the nation wants to make history,
what are we waiting for?
The White House Project’s enthusiastic
response from people may very well be
the giant stepping stone in cultivating a fe
male presidency.
The nation is apt to latch on to the idea
of electing a woman President and The
White House Project's professional ap
proach presents the importance and seri
ousness of its campaign.
Rosie, we may just see you out there
again — only this time, in the Oval Office.
Amy Goldbammer is a columnist for the
Emerald. Her views do not necessarily repre
sent those of the newspaper
Letters to the Editor
Election day information lacking
This is my third and final year at the University, and in
all my time here I have never been so disappointed in the
ASUO, the Emerald and the UO in general as I was on No
vember 3. And that is saying a lot.
Not only were there no pre-election day reminder, but I
awoke on election day to find one lonely sign along 13th
Avenue advertising where to vote. I’ll grant that it was
neon orange, but it was hiding by the post office, which is
not the most trafficked part of campus. The same com
plaint goes for the shabby set-up under the EMU — why
was there no advertising up by Gilbert? The Emerald did
have a small, unclear article regarding where I could vote
(ODE, Nov. 3), but why wait until the day of elections to
get the word out?
As a resident assistant, I am also concerned about the
lack of publicity within the residence halls. My residents
needed to vote in Agate Hall, a hall most freshman have
never heard of. A map would have been nice. And hey,
ASUO — are you sure we’re really registered?
Now, I realize that there has been a rise in the number of
absentee ballots recently, but a little help for the rest of us
would have been not only useful but responsible. If I had
not felt that this years ballot measures were very impor
tant, I would have given up long before hiking out to Agate
Hall. In the University is really interested in raising stu
dent votes, they need to work on a little common sense
preparation. There’s more to voting than getting registered.
Megan Koster
Anthropology
The Clinton and Hyde affairs
Equity demands that attorney and House Judiciary
Chairman Henry Hyde approach the mendacity and deceit
of the Lewinsky case in the same manner as he approached
the mendacity and deceit of the Snodgrass case — with a
lawyerly motion for summary dismissal. After all, doesn’t
the “youthful indiscretions" of all randy, middle-aged men
deserve equal absolution under the law? And doesn’t the
chief executive of the United States merit the same justice
as the grand inquisitor of the Starr Chamber?
Ron Black
Junction City
Parties bring police
In his letter (ODE, Nov. 2), Matthias Kubr asked an inter
esting question: Why don’t rioters rip down signs and de
stroy lamps in their own homes? Well Mr. Kubr, the Eugene
Police Department won’t let them. Having a party with more
than 15 people in Eugene virtually assures that the police
will come. And if you want to have a keg or play music to
dance to, you will certainly get some variety of ticket. I, for
one, would love to destroy lamps in my own home as Mr.
Kubr suggests, but I can’t afford the ticket. Police crack
down, coupled with arrogant ignorance will certainly lead
to greater clashes between students and the police.
Doug Flaherty
Political Science