In 1984, when my mom was 54, she had her first opportunity to vote for a woman Vice President on a major party ticket.
I don’t know if Mom voted for the Democratic ticket of Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro, but I did. I was one of the few (and yes, I lived in Minnesota at the time).
![](https://julekucera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1984_ElectoralCollege.jpg)
In 2008, when my mom was 78, Hillary Clinton lost the Democratic nomination to Barak Obama. Afterward, my mom cried. “I was hoping we would have a woman President in my lifetime,” she said.
In the 2008 general election, Mom didn’t vote for the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin. Neither did I. (But I would have voted for Tina Fey if I could have.)
Mom was glad the Obama-Biden ticket won but she sounded hurt when she said, “I never thought I would vote for a Black man for President before I could vote for a white woman for President.”
In 2020, my mom turned 90. When I talked to her after the Biden-Harris inauguration she said, “I didn’t cry but my face was wet the whole time. We have a woman Vice President.”
Yes, Mom, we do.
I don’t know if my mom will live to be 94. I hope so. I would like her to see a woman President in her lifetime.
Chewing the Cud of Good
![Amanda Gorman reads her poem, "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris](https://julekucera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AmandaGorman_Inauguration_Wikimedia.jpg)
Thankful for songs and poetry and people that move us to tears.