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Hillary Clinton vs Condi Rice... Is the US ready for a woman president?
[Essay by Tanya Jonker-Bryce]
As Hillary Clinton moves her as-yet unofficial 2008 presidential campaign into higher gear over the coming months, this question will increasingly come to dominate our political discussions.
The answer, of course, depends entirely on how the question is framed. If the question is whether a woman can lead the US, the answer must be an emphatic yes. There are surely few people left, even the Cheneys and Rumsfelds of the world, who believe president of the US is exclusively a man's job. If the question is whether the US electorate is ready to give the top job to a woman candidate, the answer becomes a little murkier. Chances are, they are not, though most people believe this will depend more on the calibre of the candidate than pure gender. Which brings us to what I think is the more interesting of the woman president questions: why are there not better woman candidates preparing to launch presidential campaigns? Condoleezza Rice has denied she will be seeking higher office, but she remains the Republicans' only real winnable candidate. At least in the short term. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, has done everything but put her name on a ballot and is widely considered as the Democrats' leading candidate. But there are very real fears that she is decidedly unwinnable.And that's it. These are our choices: one disinterested candidate, and one interested but probably un-electable candidate. Women are increasingly stepping up to take equal and even superior positions in all spheres of society. We are already running blue chip multinations corporations, Ivy League universities and billion dollar non-governmental service oriented organisations. Women are writing and contributing meaningfully and intellectually at every level of political life, including the House of Representives and the Senate. So where are the candidates? The landscape looks truly bleak - and, more worryingly, there is also a dearth of second-tier woman politicians who could feasibly step up for 2012. Condi Rice, even if she were to change her mind, has effectively disqualififed herself from being taken seriously for this or any future presidental race by virtue of her disinterest: no-one should become President if they have to be begged to run. The less said about her blind loyalty to, and support for Bush's monstrous policies, the better. Which leaves Hillary Clinton. In its third incarnation, the question then becomes: Can Hillary Clinton become the next President of the US? And, more importantly, should she? If her unfavourability ratings in recent polls are anything to go by, many people remain unconvinced she is the right woman for the job. There can be little doubt that the US needs a gentler, more intelligent alternative to the Bush-clones and the McCain wannabes; someone who will return honesty and integrity to the Oval Office. Someone who means what they say, and say what they mean; who values life and liberty, and promotes civil justice for everyone, not just a select few. But sadly, that gentler, wiser President we yearn for will almost surely have to be drawn from the ranks of male candidates.
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