Not over 'til lady in the pantsuit says it
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2008 5:03 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli and NBC's Abby LivingstonGRAFTON, W.V. -- In the week since disappointing results in the Indiana and North Carolina, Hillary Clinton’s stump has focused not so much on her policies, but on both her gender and the words of encouragement she’s received as she tries to rally new support in the few remaining contests.
Today, this was evident as she held a “Mother’s Day Celebration” in this town, the so-called “Home of Mother’s Day.” Clinton told the crowd that she drew inspiration from the example of women who came before her, be they historical figures like Harriet Tubman and Sally Ride or her own mother and grandmother.
“Women have been standing up for what we believe in, defying convention and going forward for a long time,” she said.
She also acknowledged that women, including herself, have “experienced a moment along the way when your own sense of limitless possibility collided with a harsher reality.”
“Women face a lot of barriers, some visible, some invisible,” she said. “And in 2008, it’s really important we recommit ourselves to making sure that our daughters and our sons have an equal chance to lead and serve in the future.”
Twice during her remarks, she cited e-mails she has received from supporters, most of them women, encouraging her to fight on. She said her favorite was from a woman named Angela who urged her to “keep strong.” “It’s not over until the lady in the pantsuit says it is,” Clinton said, quoting the letter.
Clinton closed by asking the supportive crowd to join the “tens of millions” of Americans who have already voted in this election.
“I am asking for your support, so that I can continue to fight for you, fight to finish the work that we have started,” she said, before quoting yet another message she received.
“Happy Mother’s Day,” the woman wrote to Clinton. “Hopefully I’ll be wishing you one next year as president. You have already succeeded at the world’s hardest job, being a mother. The second hardest job should be a breeze for you.”
