Women Politicians Discuss Their Strategies

Four female political activists disagreed yesterday at a Radcliffe Institute Colloquium over campaign strategies women should use in the political arena.

Susan McLane, a New Hampshire state representative, advised women not to "get hung up on women's issues," and said "you would loss 50 votes by saying women's liberation in New Hampshire."

Broken Through

Citing the fact that women make up one-fourth of the New Hampshire legislature, McLane, a Republican, said that "there's no question we have broken through. You never think about being a woman in the New Hampshire legislature."

"Once you get to a fourth or a third [of the legislature], all that matters is quality," she said, advising women to "be political" and "learn the system."

Massachusetts State Rep. Elaine Noble, who described herself as a "feminist lesbian," said she "ran on feminist issues as well as neighborhood issues" in her 1974 campaign.

Noble, a Democrat, helped form the women's caucus in the Massachusetts State Legislature this year. She stressed the need to form coalitions with other women and minorities to develop a unified set of priorities.

Common Friends, Enemies

Minorities and women share common enemies and friends, Noble said.

Betty Hudson, Democratic state senator from Connecticut, said, "You can't run on feminist issues only, but always get the feminist point across."

Hudson cautioned that proposed election reforms might hurt minorities and women, adding that the proposed Massachusetts low to reduce the size of the legislature may significantly decrease minority and female representation.

Dr. Erna Ballantine Bryant, executive director of the Black Ecumenical Council, addressed the problems of black women in politics, and said they face a "different set of circumstances," functioning in an anti-black and anti-women environment.

"Black women have not been able to achieve the same kinds of political gains as white women," she said. "We're not in competition with white women-we're just in competition."

Bryant was nominated by the Massachusetts Republican State Convention as a candidate for state treasurer in the 1974 election. Her name did not appear on the ballot because she failed to get enough signatures on her nominating petition.

She said that "attributes one normally requires" for political success are "insufficient" for black women. "Success is possible," she said, "but black folks can't romanticize about it."