For all the media moaning about too-tightly scripted conventions, one needed only visit peripheral events like “Women Win ’96, A Fund-Raising Celebration for Democratic Women” to witness the dangers of flying blind. All five female Democratic senators turned out on the afternoon of Aug. 26 to honor Hillary Clinton and Tipper Gore, bringing with them their softest pastels, their sassiest sass, and their sloppiest dance moves. The only things they left at home were their brains. Before Barbara Mikulski introduced Patty Murray of Washington as being from the “great state of Seattle,” she tried to delineate the differences between the parties by saying, “Now we Republicans are different from Democrats . . . ”
But she was the height of eloquence next to Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, who when ticking off the gains women have made said, “As women, we are U.S. senators today, we are members of the House of Representatives today, we are members of the cabinet today, [pointing to Tipper Gore] we are vice president of the, the, the . . . [we are] the first lady of the United States, we are the wife of the vice president of the United States.” Speechwriter, anyone?
