The life of Ruline Steininger would be a fascinating story even without her current political views. She was seven-years-old when American women gained the right to vote.
She lived through two World Wars. She has seen the development of antibiotics, the first man on the moon, and the Equal Rights Amendment.
In her long, long life in Iowa, Ruline has survived the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War and the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
RawStory reports that Ms. Steininger was interviewed by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. At 103 years old, she has had a very full life, and realizes that it is close to its end. She has one more goal to achieve before she passes, though.
During her interview, Amanpour read part of the Christmas letter that Ms. Steininger sent to her friends. She was reflecting on the election as she wrote:
“The chances are high that my vote will be absent. After giving this problem much serious thought and consideration, I’ve come to the decision that I must live to do my part November 2016. I can die later.”
At last, Donald Trump (R-N.Y.) has done something positive for someone! He has given Ruline Steininger the determination to hold onto life for a few more months, just so she can vote against him.
In her interview with CNN, the thoughtful, articulate old woman had a lot to say about the upcoming election.
First of all, she feels very positive and excited about the chance to see a woman president. Remember that when she started school, women were not even allowed to vote. She had a lot of complimentary things to say about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), too. She said:
“Hillary is the best qualified candidate we have had in a long long time.”
She described how she had gone to the Iowa caucus to cast her vote for Clinton, saying that the caucus vote was more important than the general election. She also said that she had canvassed for Hillary before the caucus date.
Amanpour also asked Ms. Steininger about her thoughts on Donald Trump. She had strong negative feelings about him and his supporters. She was as direct as the candidate himself when she said:
“I’m shocked. I don’t know what has gotten into people. If he’s elected president, it’s going to be a national disaster which we will likely take years to recover from.”
A national disaster. Remember, this was said by a woman who lived through the Hitler years.
I hope that CNN goes back to Iowa to film Ruline Steininger as she casts her vote for Hillary Clinton in November.
Watch a video of Ms. Steininger via CNN here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97sCAq69Pz0
Featured image via YouTube Screengrab.
