http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/12/08/patrick_was_right_to_skip_boys_night_out/
Globe Editorial The Boston Globe <http://www.boston.com/news/globe/> Patrick was right to skip boys' night out December 8, 2009 E-mail this article To: Invalid E-mail address Add a personal message:/(80 character limit)/ Your E-mail: Invalid E-mail address Sending your article Your article has been sent. * E-mail <javascript:void(0)>| * Print <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/12/08/patrick_was_right_to_skip_boys_night_out?mode=PF>| * Reprints <http://reprints.bostonglobe.com/>| * Yahoo! Buzz <http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=bostoncom751&guid=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Fbostonglobe%2Feditorial_opinion%2Feditorials%2Farticles%2F2009%2F12%2F08%2Fpatrick_was_right_to_skip_boys_night_out%2F>| * ShareThis <javascript:void(0)> Text size -- + GOVERNOR PATRICK surely wished that he or his staff had done a better vetting job on Saturday afternoon, when he abruptly cancelled a speech scheduled that night before a club that doesn't allow female members. Better late than never. In calling off his appearance at the Clover Club's dinner at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, the governor was taking a stand against the kind of rote discrimination that is, thankfully, becoming far less common. <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/12/08/patrick_was_right_to_skip_boys_night_out/?comments=all> Discuss COMMENTS (78) <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/12/08/patrick_was_right_to_skip_boys_night_out/?comments=all> As a private organization, the 126-year-old Clover Club has the right to exclude anyone it wishes. And as time passes, such clubs look ever more like quaint anachronisms than secret seats of power. Indeed, even though the Clover Club has some prominent and well-connected members, one leader likens its activities to "girls' night out.'' Yet the club does have a history as a venue for business and civic networking. Had Patrick lent the prestige of his office to a men-only club, he would have helped to uphold the kind of knee-jerk exclusion that long kept minorities from golf courses and women from their fair share of seats at power-brokers' tables. No one would flinch if Patrick spoke to a women's political or business group. But there are substantial differences between a club that literally perpetuates an old-boy network and an organization formed to encourage networking among underrepresented groups. In measures ranging from pay scales to representation in corporate boardrooms, women still lag behind men. Old Boston, like much of the nation, apparently still needs some prodding. And while the circumstances of his Saturday night turnabout were clumsy, it's nice to see that Patrick was willing to prod. One of the powers a governor has is the bully pulpit: the right to take a stand and send a message all at once. A politician who has broken significant ground himself, Patrick has done good work opening opportunities to all in the high reaches of his own administration. On this subject, he understands the many ways to lead by example. © Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company. READER COMMENTS » View reader comments (78) » <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/12/08/patrick_was_right_to_skip_boys_night_out/?comments=all> Comment on this story » <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/12/08/patrick_was_right_to_skip_boys_night_out/?comments=all#addComm> -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
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