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Women Gain With Hillary Clinton's Run

As Hillary Clinton grapples about how to re-energize her campaign and regain her momentum, pundits are already opining about what her race for the White House means for future Madam President aspirants.  One opinion is that if she loses, her bid sets women back.  What?  I disagree wholeheartedly.  Her bid inches women forward in the quest to smash the ultimate glass ceiling. The cracks are there and it is coming down.

Of course, if Hillary Clinton loses the nomination to Barack Obama, the irony is glaring.  Historically, women have been judged by their style and not their substance.  So Hillary Clinton has done what every woman in a male dominated field knows she must:  she has emphasized her substance over her style, only to be trumped by a candidate who has created a buzz over his style—what has been dubbed Obamamania.

In many ways it seems that Clinton is being penalized for her predictable steadiness, while the young and stylish upstart is swooning voters left and right.  Literally.  Still, her bid has been but the opposite of symbolic, and it takes women in politics closer to the Oval Office.  When my 12-year-old daughter asked:  “Mom, is this the first time a woman has gotten this far to be president?”  I silently thanked Hillary Clinton.  To see an African American and a woman in a close battle for the nomination is nothing short of an embarrassment of riches for America.

Women in politics have walked the fine line of appearing confident and at the same time still looking like a woman.  Hillary Clinton had it figured out stylistically:  pantsuits and power jewelry, a consistent, easy care hairstyle.  After her Senate win she paid homage to the “six black pantsuits” that served her so well during her hard fought campaign.  She mentioned her pantsuits in her speech as she recounted, “Sixty-two counties, sixteen months, three debates, two opponents and six black pantsuits later, because of you, we are here!”  

Her most impressive accessory, however, is her encyclopedic knowledge of issues that has given her an edge in debates with Barack Obama.  What she didn’t count on is his rock star appeal.  Still, win or lose, Hillary Clinton’s White House bid has been markedly different than any of the other women who have run.

Women such as Maine Republican Margaret Chase Smith, dubbed “the Quiet Woman,” who in 1964 refused to take campaign contributions, but nonetheless made it all the way to the convention hall.  The “unbought and unbossed” Democrat Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, who wanted to prove—and did—with her 1972 presidential bid, that candidates are not always white males.  In 1988, firebrand Democratic Congresswoman Pat Schroeder wanted to give America a “rendezvous with reality” and got more press coverage for her tears.  And in 2000, another famous political spouse, Republican Elizabeth Dole, learned that an overtly feminine style and a toe dip into the race wasn’t an effective strategy.  

These four women were symbolic in their efforts, and Hillary Clinton has been a front runner to be reckoned with. In fact, when we compare her bid to those of other women candidates, she has done everything right.  Her most persuasive response during her latest debate with rival Barack Obama proves her mettle:  “Well, I think everybody here knows I have lived through some crises and some challenging—moments in my life. And I am grateful for the support and the prayers of countless Americans. But people often ask me, how do you do it, you know, how do you keep going, and I just have to shake my head in wonderment because with all of the challenges that I’ve had, they are nothing compared to what I see happening in the lives of Americans every single day.”

Then she summed up her debate performance with:  “And you know, whatever happens, we’re going to be fine. You know, we have strong support from our families and our friends. I just hope that we’ll be able to say the same thing about the American people, and that’s what this election should be about.”

That is, indeed what this race should be about. So while we may all see yet another woman bumping her head on the ultimate glass ceiling, Hillary Clinton has already shown potential women candidates how to perform on the way to the Oval Office.



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