A Woman Wins

I was surprised that when I learned of Hillary Clinton’s victory in New Hampshire on CNN, I actually got choked up. Surprised, because I have been ambivalent about whether she is the best nominee for the Democratic party.

But my eyes were wet with the realization that a woman really does have a shot at the highest elected office in this country. I won’t go so far as to call it a “fair shot.” Many other, perhaps better, female candidates have been stifled by the near-impossible public expectations for female leaders.

Clinton’s win in New Hampshire won’t erase that — but it could open the door wider for viable female presidential campaigns within the Democratic party in upcoming election years, and have a trickle-down effect on women considering running for elected office on the local or statewide level.

Regarding the Iowa caucus results, I wrote that Barack Obama’s victory demonstrated that Iowa Democratic primary voters were able and willing to deal with whatever racial prejudices they may have held that would have stood in the way of their voting for an excellent candidate.

I have to believe the same kind of phenomenon took place in New Hampshire; many voters who may have held prejudice against women in office were able to get past that prejudice at voting time because they believed Senator Clinton was the best choice for our country. (Of course, there were also many feminist New Hampshire voters who have long wanted a viable, liberal female candidate for president).

I know America still has a long way to go in eliminating sexism and racism, both at the personal and institutional levels.

But the recent Democratic primary and caucus give me some hope after these years of war, of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiment, of inadequate health care and education for low-income people, and of other grueling problems afflicting our spiritual and material wellbeing, Americans may finally be ready–and able– to turn things around. And that starts with taking our elections, at every level from the presidency down to city council, as opportunities to select the best possible candidate to make our society more compassionate and just.