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Zusatztext Mattingly has resurrected an important figure in women's history and widened our view of feminists in politics. She has provided hundreds of stories and anecdotes that reveal Costanza's personality and behavior. Read A Feminist in the White House to learn about an extraordinary woman who witnessed the growth of the culture wars and the religious right from inside a presidential administration. Informationen zum Autor Doreen J. Mattingly is Associate Professor of Women's Studies at San Diego State University. Klappentext A feminist, an outspoken activist, a woman without a college education, Midge Costanza was one of the unlikeliest of White House insiders. Yet in 1977 she became the first female Assistant to the President for Public Liaison under Jimmy Carter, emerging as a prominent focal point of the American culture wars. Tasked with bringing the views of special interest groups to the president, Costanza championed progressive causes even as Americans grew increasingly divided on the very issues for which she fought. In A Feminist in the White House, Doreen J. Mattingly draws on Costanza's personal papers to shed light on the life of this fascinating and controversial woman. Mattingly chronicles Costanza's dramatic rise and fall as a public figure, from her initial popularity to her ultimate clashes with Carter and his aides. While Costanza challenged Carter to support abortion rights, gay and lesbian rights, and feminist policies, Carter faced increased pressure to appease the interests of emerging Religious Right, which directly opposed Costanza's ideals. Ultimately, marginalized both within the White House and by her fellow feminists, Costanza was pressured to resign in 1978. Through the lens of Constanza's story, readers catch a unique perspective of the rise of debates which have defined the feminist movement and sexual politics to this very day. Mattingly also reveals a wider, but heretofore neglected, narrative of the complex era of gender politics in the late 1970's Washington - a history which continues to resonate in politics today. A Feminist in the White House is a must-read for anyone with an interest in sexual politics, female politicians, and presidential history. Zusammenfassung Midge Costanza was one of the unlikeliest of White House insiders. But for a time during the seventies, this "loud-mouthed, pushy little broad" with no college education was a prominent focal point of the American culture wars. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Making It in a Man's World Chapter 3: Vice Mayor of Rochester Chapter 4: Sex, Power and the Campaign to Elect Jimmy Carter Chapter 5: Window to the Nation: Midge Costanza Opens Up the White House Chapter 6: Abortion, Controversy, and the Limits of Loyalty Chapter 7: International Women's Year and the Battle to Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment Chapter 8: "It Isn't Enough ": Fighting for Feminist Policy Chapter 9: The Decline and Fall of Midge Costanza Chapter 10: It Never Rains in California ...
