A Feminist in the White House: Midge Costanza, the Carter Years, and America's Culture Wars

by Doreen J. Mattingly

Overview

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 the 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197583357
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/03/2021
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Doreen J. Mattingly is Professor Emerita of Women's Studies at San Diego State University.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Making It in a Man's World
Chapter 3: Vice Mayor of Rochester
Chapter 4: Sex, Power and the Campaign to Elect Jimmy Carter
Chapter 5: Window to the Nation: Midge Costanza Opens Up the White House
Chapter 6: Abortion, Controversy, and the Limits of Loyalty
Chapter 7: International Women's Year and the Battle to Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment
Chapter 8: "It Isn't Enough": Fighting for Feminist Policy
Chapter 9: The Decline and Fall of Midge Costanza
Chapter 10: It Never Rains in California

Editorial Reviews

"...a splendid, wholly engrossing biography."
—Women's Review of Books

"This book identifies factors driving development, location, and the height of Manhattan skyscrapers from the late 19th century. The focus is on market land values, signaling location demand with building heights resulting from location value. Evidence, not geologic features, justifies economic theories on land use and building heights and development of New York's skyline...Recommended for New York City development details. Familiarity with its streets will give greater insight to the city's development."
—E. C. Erickson, California State University, Stanislaus

"The biography is a fascinating and thorough look at the way second-wave feminism played out in the political arena, and highly relevant at this particular political moment."
—Publishers Weekly

"I covered Midge Costanza for Newsweek, and the controversies described in this book give Midge her due as a principled advocate while raising questions about the appropriate role of a White House staffer. Drawing on a wealth of material, the author documents her subject's increasing feminism and her clashes with the president who made history when he named her to his staff. In the end, each felt betrayed by the other and the reader will feel torn too knowing how the story ends."
—Eleanor Clift

"For anyone interested in presidential politics this book is a must read. The meticulously documented story of the life and career of Midge Costanza lays open the inner workings of the Carter White House at a time when the role of women was changing dramatically. It also sadly portrays how badly Carter was served by his top male assistants who sought to crush and marginalize the influence of strong loyal women throughout his administration."
—Peter Bourne, Former Special Assistant to President Jimmy Carter, 1977-1981

"The lessons learned from Midge Costanza's life have informed the political path of the modern LGBTQ movement-even for those who didn't know it. The seeds that were her passion, including uncompromising idealism, drive and political risk-taking have grown into a fierce forest of activism and change. A Feminist in the White House skillfully surfaces political and cultural tensions that we still see playing out today in the work for women's equality and LGBTQ freedom. This should be required reading for anyone interested in how far we've come and how far we have left to go."

—Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force

From the Publisher

04/04/2016
Mattingly chronicles the political career of her friend and former colleague Midge Costanza, a liberal feminist who became assistant to the president for public liaison under President Jimmy Carter—at the time, the highest position a woman had ever held in the White House. Described by Mattingly as tiny, stubborn, and loud-mouthed, Costanza was born to the working-class owners of a sausage factory in Rochester, N.Y., and used flirtation and a self-deprecating sense of humor in order to navigate the sexist world of 1970s politics. Her political appointment was loaded with symbolism and expectations: special interest groups counted on her to fight for their interests, and liberals took it as a sign of Carter’s commitment to social justice and women’s equality. But when Carter turned out to be less invested in women’s rights than Costanza had initially been led to believe, their partnership grew tense, leading to her eventual resignation. Mattingly provides an overwhelming amount of detail; the endless names and acronyms are difficult to keep track of and can prove daunting for readers who aren’t political junkies. Luckily, bouts of dry narration are broken up by colorful quotations from Costanza herself (she once said about her Thanksgiving birthday, “My father always told me that what they really wanted was a turkey, and they got me instead. There are those who would say they got both”). The biography is a fascinating and thorough look at the way second-wave feminism played out in the political arena, and highly relevant at this particular political moment. (June)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2016
When feminist Midge Costanza was appointed the first female assistant to the president for the Office of Public Liaison by Jimmy Carter, she broke an important glass ceiling. Twenty months later, frustrated and marginalized by more traditional White House staff, Costanza resigned from her position. Mattingly (women's studies, San Diego State Univ.) traces Costanza's successes and conflicts in those months to explain what went wrong. She provides an in-depth look at the Carter administration's mixed messages about the women's movement and reveals the philosophical differences being worked out within the movement itself. Mattingly believes that the main difference between Carter and Costanza centered on their separate interpretations of an "open" White House, a condition Carter promised during the campaign in response to American disgust in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal. Costanza saw the vow to mean inclusion of marginalized groups in decision-making, while Carter was committed to making his own decisions transparently in a rational, efficient manner. The author shows that at times Costanza was her own worst enemy by openly speaking for positions that were not supported by Carter. VERDICT Readers interested in early women's movement issues, the Carter administration's record on women's issues, and women in politics will appreciate this book.—Jill Ortner, SUNY Buffalo Libs.

Library Journal