"Zero"

Hi, "Mr. PunditMom" here taking over the reigns for my wife Joanne (aka PunditMom) for the annual "dad" posting day here at DC Metro Moms blog.  This is my first ever blogging effort.  Enjoy!

I was sitting with PunditGirl the other day, and she says to me, "Papa, how long have there been men Presidents?"  The question was a propos of nothing. 

I squirmed as I struggled to reconcile my desire to answer her truthfully --  such moments, when a father can help his child understand the world, are precious -- with the premonition that I knew just where this conversation was going, and I would just as soon play another game .

I put on my best good Daddy straight face and said, "Oh, about 230 years."

From the look on her face, I might just as well have said, "Since the dinosaurs roamed the earth, Sweetheart." 

Obviously having decided to go in for the kill, she said, "And, Daddy, how many women Presidents have their been?"

I thought to myself, is it possible that the answer could be zero?  Not ten.  Not five.  Not even, like the number of current women Supreme Court Justices, one?  No, the correct answer was, of course, ZERO!   

And so that is what I said, feeling most uncomfortable.

I tried not to be embarrassed. After all, it really is not MY fault. But, in all seriousness, how is that possible?  What other conclusion can one draw from that stark fact other than we have a serious problem in this country?  And how do I explain that truly unbelievable, if not bizarre, historical fact to my little girl without either seriously damaging her Daddy's credibility (by treating the matter as trivial) or by throwing buckets of ice cold water on her dreams.

One thing was absolutely clear in my mind -- It is way past time that we fix this.

Now, having said that, does that mean that I should vote, and that I should convince everyone I know to vote, for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton?  After all, it's not that I don't like Hillary. She seems incredibly smart, and I am a true-blue Democrat.

Believe me, whoever the Democratic nominee turns out to be, he or she will have my vote. But, knowing the indisputable but truly pitiful answer to my little girl's question -- "ZERO" -- how should that affect my vote?  It seems to be such an incidental fact that Hillary Clinton is a woman. Yet, how can I ignore that?

I don't know the answer to that question. I am struggling with that.  But I suspect that, for PunditGirl, it would be a "no-brainer."

You can read more about the PunditFamily at Joanne's blog, PunditMom.