Politics and Society

In a recent interview with ABC News reporter Cynthia McFadden, Sen. Rodham Clinton responded “I haven’t made a decision about it,� when asked about potentially running for Presidency in 2008. American politics have become much more accepting of new ideas in recent years, and although being a female candidate for a major political party is unprecedented, a woman president is no longer an outlandish thought. This shows a more liberal shift in American politics and society as a whole. It has taken America roughly 217 years (almost 55 elections) to even have a female candidate, let alone one with an actual chance of winning. This shows huge strides in gender equality for a country run entirely by white males since birth. This leads many to ask if this country is really ready for a female President. The fact that Clinton is a woman may prove too detrimental to her campaign regardless of her platforms. It is almost certain that the war in Iraq will still be a major issue in 2008, and as stereotypical as it may seem, many people view a woman to be unfit for a job dealing with war and military defense. If the voters of this country are willing to accept a woman being capable of handling military situations, this country is ready for a woman president.

Although proving that females are capable of holding such a position of power will be an issue in Clinton’s campaign, I believe the real problem she will face will be to please both sides of the American public. How does Clinton maintain the support of her already loyal democratic followers while appealing to a more conservative side as well? Her pro-war opinions, although pleasing to the more conservative bunch, have already created quite a stir among the democrats. If Clinton chooses to run she will be putting herself in a position that could potentially gain conservative support while losing some of the democratic support or vice versa. Clinton is known for being a very strong and empowered woman but it is hard to predict the outcome if she were to run for President. Putnam discusses how civic participation has decreased and voter turnout for elections in the US is very poor but having a female candidate could possibly spark a much needed change in participation. Some people may vote for Clinton because she is a woman,and they feel the need to support a woman candidate. On the other hand, more people may vote for other candidates because she is a woman and they want to make sure she doesn't win. The public, of all political affiliations will be anxiously awaiting her decision and then we’ll see how much of a liberal change American politics has actually experienced.