Apparently Carolyn Goodman thinks less of any woman who has not produced children from her womb. 
Does she give us an age cut off for that judgement say women over 40 without children?
Are women not valid in her eyes as a viable contributing female member of society until you have produced four children of your own as she did?
Check out the quote from Steve Friess’ article:
Who Will Replace a Boozing, Gambling Mayor? In Vegas, Maybe His Wife
In this piece Goodman is quoted as saying
“That’s weak. She has no idea. Look, this is her life. She doesn’t have children, she doesn’t have a family. … Her life is politics, from what I see…”
What is wrong with having a life in politics when that life has fought the tough fights to do right by our community?
While I personally have four children as Mrs. Goodman did and like Carolyn my career has taken a backseat to my family; I would never judge another woman by her choice to have or not to have children.
The choice to become a mother is deeply personal. All women who want to be mothers can’t. It is a fact of biology. We would never demand that men discuss deeply personal issues about their reproduction yet women are called upon to explain themselves.
As a mother to two daughters I want motherhood to be a choice for them that they either embrace or pass – never as an obligation in order to be accepted by society.
Carolyn Goodman is of a different era. Her era is one of hate the sin yet love the sinner. It’s a time of judgement against those who do not take your same path. That time has passed. Las Vegas has to be a 21st Century city led by a strong leader versus housewife do as our husbands tell us to do rhetoric.
In defense of housewives however as one myself I still manage to find time to read the newspaper while raising four kids in a hectic schedule. Mrs. Goodman your children are grown yet you still did not know about the Dream Act?
Plus life out here in suburbanite soccer mom land is a lot different than your generation. We have proud gay couples raising children in our community. Those children need the protection of domestic partnership agreements. It is unconscionable not to have any informed opinion on domestic partnerships when this is the face of the next generation of families.
We need more brave families like those shown below from California to continue the growth of Las Vegas into a world class city. This cannot happen when leaders cling to backwards beliefs.
That one woman would criticize another woman for her reproductive choices is the antithesis of everything women have worked so hard for the last 50 years. I’m appalled that a woman would sling so low.
The fact that Carolyn Goodman’s children received private school educations and went on to become successful white-collar professionals does not mean she is qualified to be the Las Vegas mayor. In fact, it doesn’t even mean she was a good, bad, or indifferent mother. All it means is that she had the money to buy good educations for them.
The more I look at Carolyn Goodman the more I fear for our city. Her loyalties are to the artistic elite, her friends are among the rich and powerful, and her qualifications seem limited to being able to raise a lot of money for the Meadows School. Her vision isn’t even her own – it’s taken directly off the back of her husband. She has no plan of her own, no direct life experience, and no understanding of the “real” Nevadan.
But since she raised the issue, let’s just take a look, shall we? While Carolyn was raising her children, Chris was out working for the little guy, giving voice to those who couldn’t speak or couldn’t be heard otherwise. She was teaching the most disabled among us; championing the rights of workers, teachers, public safety officers, women, Latino/a, Black, White, Brown, and everything in between. She was making sure there were parks and roadways and access to basic human services. She was fighting for human rights, animal rights, and yours and my right to criticize her work. Where was Carolyn? At some gala, raising money for the private sector, dining in fancy restaurants with other privileged families, or tagging alongside her husband and his showgirls. Carolyn has ZERO record of ever working for the commoner among us.
Biologically producing four children of her own and raising them in a life of privilege means nothing in terms of Goodman’s qualifications to be mayor. But when one compares her parenthood to the thousands of children whose lives were improved as a result of having Chris Giunchigliani for a teacher and/or public servant, the silence is deafening.
Message to Caroloyn Goodman: using a woman’s personal reproductive situation as a campaign strategy is about as offensive as you can get. SHAME ON YOU. As a woman, I’m ashamed of you. And if you did a good job as a mother, your daughters should be ashamed of you, too.
Just to clarify, Carolyn Goodman adopted her four children. She was unable to bear kids of her own. I’m not sure that alters your view of her or this remark, but it deserves to be noted.
Also, your readers can hear my entire discussion with Carolyn and decide for themselves what to think of her here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thestrip/SPECIAL__The_Goodman_Wife.mp3
Best,
Steve
Thank you for clarifying Steve. All these years I had just assumed they had not adopted because WOW Ross is sure like his Dad.
http://www.goodmanlawgroup.com/about-ross-c-goodman/about-oscar-goodman/
I really want everyone to read the whole story. Thank you Steve for bringing this story to all of our attention.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/thestrip/SPECIAL__The_Goodman_Wife.mp3
Thank you for that clarification. It’s an important distinction but does nothing to change my viewpoint. One need not bear a child in order to raise one.
I listened to your interview, and if anything, I feel more convinced than ever that Goodman is a snobbish socialite who doesn’t believe there’s a single person in the entire city able to successfully lead Las Vegas post Oscar. It seems lost on her that she’s asking the very constituents who voted IN FAVOR of term limits to put her in office so she can continue her husband’s agenda.
Bottom line? Carolyn comes to the table with no qualifications of her own and a supreme lack of faith in the people of Las Vegas.
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