Aug 29, 2008 8:54 pm US/Eastern
Ferraro: Palin 'Will Make A Difference' For Women
Former Veep Candidate Says Country Wasn't Ready For A Woman Before
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks during the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, May 28, 2007.
Michael Conti/AFP/Getty Images
Dreams of the first woman president were put on hold when Sen. Hillary Clinton ended her campaign, but Sen. John McCain's choice of a running mate for the GOP ticket gave life to new ones.
"She's not from these parts and she's not from Washington, but when you get to know her, you're gonna be as impressed as I am," McCain said Friday when he announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Palin is not the high-profile woman many thought would shatter the glass ceiling this political season. But shatter that ceiling she did. McCain's choice of the mother of five as a running mate makes her the first Republican woman on a national ticket and only the second woman ever.
Geraldine Ferraro was the Democratic trailblazer as Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984.
"I've spent a lot of time over the last 24 years saying, 'Gosh, I wish I weren't the only one.' So I welcome seeing a woman on the ticket," Ferraro told CBS 2.
Ferraro admits when she ran, the country wasn't ready for a woman. But now?
"The potential for a woman to be vice president will really make a difference for girls in this country," she says.
As the first Republican female governor of Connecticut, Jodi Rell knows something about glass ceilings. She thinks McCain's selection of Palin adds to the ticket.
"She is one of those people who will stand up and talk to you and tell you where she stands on the issues, and make no bones about it, she is quite capable and articulate and will make a great asset on the McCain ticket," Rell said.
Men, women, young and old, everyone CBS 2 spoke to on Friday was elated to have a woman in the race, but no one was sure how much, if any, it would sway their votes.
In a WCBSTV.com poll asking viewers whether McCain's choice would make them more or less likely to vote for him, about 54 percent said it would make them more likely to vote for McCain, 38 percent less likely, and 9 percent said it had no effect.
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