A feminist in the White House
Subtitle: Midge Costanza, the Carter years, and America's culture wars
By: Doreen J. Mattingly
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 285
ISBN-13: 9780190468606
Subjects: Politics and government; Friends and associates; Sex role; Biography; Political consultants; Feminists; Social conditions; Culture conflict; History; Political activity; Women
Description: "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 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"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-276) and index.
Table of contents: title: Making It in a Man's World; title: Vice Mayor of Rochester; title: Sex, Power and the Campaign to Elect Jimmy Carter; title: Window to the Nation : Midge Costanza Opens Up the White House; title: Abortion, Controversy, and the Limits of Loyalty; title: International Women's Year and the Battle to Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment; title: "It Isn't Enough" : Fighting for Feminist Policy; title: The Decline and Fall of Midge Costanza; title: It Never Rains in California.