As I noted below, last night was a great night for women. But though we made significant progress last night, we still have a very long way to go. To take just one example, it is nothing less than shameful that in the entire history of the United States, there has been only one African-American woman who has been elected governor or as a U.S. senator: Carol Mosely Braun of Illinois, who served in the senate between 1993 and 1999. Moseley Braun’s old senate seat is currently occupied by a not-especially-popular Republican, Mark Kirk.
I can’t be alone in fervently wishing that Michelle Obama would run for that seat in 2016. Illinois is a blue state, Kirk is eminently beatable, and Mrs. Obama is an Illinois native and one of the most popular people in America. Her speech at this year’s Democratic convention was viewed by many as the highlight there, and the lady has serious political chops. It’s clear to me that Kirk’s seat has her name on it. The only question is whether she herself wants it. Here’s hoping she will give it very serious consideration. It’s said that last night, we achieved a a liberal fantasy, and if we’re thinking in those terms, we might as well add a Michelle Obama campaign for the Senate to our collective liberal wish list!
