Saturday, January 20, 2007

Are We Ready?

Washington Post - Far From a Hindrance, Gender Could Be Key for Clinton
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton enters the presidential arena as the most viable woman ever to seek the office and at a propitious moment.

More women hold elected office than ever before, and 9 million more women than men voted in the last presidential election. The New York Democrat's candidacy will test whether she can turn excitement over gender into a powerful political advantage.

"Over the last 35 years, the political climate has changed to make women more acceptable to Americans at all levels of office," said Ruth B. Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. "And now, finally, the moment has arrived when we have a candidate ready to make that leap and a public that can see a woman in that role.
I agree that it is high time the United States elected a female president, at least in theory. Many countries less "developed" than we are have had female leaders. That said, I'm not willing to vote for Hillary just because she is a woman.

The articles continues:
"I like her because she's a Democrat and a woman, and it's time for a female president," said Rene Davis, 23, of Gloucester, N.J. "If I have a daughter, I want to know that she can run for president."
I don't think that it is right to vote against someone based on race, ethnicity, religion or gender, but I don't think it is right to vote for them for those reasons either. When it comes time to cast a vote, I think it should be based on the merit of the individual and I'm not yet convinced that Hillary is the right person for the office. Maybe she is, maybe she isn't, but just being a Democrat and a woman is not sufficient to merit my vote.

1 comment:

Tal said...

Unfortunately for the few like us, those factors will weight in a lot of people's vote.