Posted on 10/24/2004 12:08:00 PM PDT by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
By ROBERT TANNER, AP National Writer
Nine women governors — a record — now hold office. But bruising terms, party politics and tough, well-funded competition in this fall's elections combine to make holding onto that high-point a challenge.
For women politicians and those who strive to see women equally represented in state capitols, Congress and the White House, this year's struggle underscores how far the nation's political culture has moved in the past few decades — and how far it has to go.
"This has changed so dramatically and so quickly," said Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat and the state's second woman governor. "It opens doors, not only for future generations, but also it begins to change the mindset of the American electorate."
Besides her state, women now govern Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana and Utah.
Two Republican governors in the West are on their way out — Judy Martz of Montana chose not to run after a rocky first term, while Olene Walker of Utah, a former lieutenant governor who took office when her predecessor joined the Bush administration, wasn't nominated by fellow Republicans.
Two Democrats are making strong bids elsewhere: Christine Gregoire of Washington state, the state attorney general seeking an open seat; and Claire McCaskill of Missouri, who unseated one-term Democratic Gov. Bob Holden in the primary. Polls show both women are very competitive.
In Delaware, Democrat Ruth Ann Minner has led in recent polls in her race for a second term.
Some argue that electing women to office brings important life experiences and perspectives otherwise missing from the political world. That argument aside, others say, women should be represented as equally as their 50.1 percent of the population.
"We have the obligation to look at the full spectrum," said Walker in Utah, who made a name for herself on housing and education but rejects "categorizing" issues. "Men need to be as involved in education as women."
Some activists focus on the grass roots, encouraging women to run for school board, city council, state legislature. Many look higher, rueful that there hasn't been a woman on a major-party presidential ticket since Democrat Geraldine Ferraro as vice president in 1984.
The success of women as governors offers hope, possibly even more than the 74 women among the 535 members of Congress, including a record 14 in the Senate.
"It's breaking a boundary and a barrier that's important for women's general progress in politics," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
"We've gotten comfortable with women in legislatures," an arena of compromise and negotiation like Congress, Walsh said. "That's our stereotype of women, that they work well with others. Now we've got women as chief executives, where the buck stops" — akin to the presidency, she said.
Both of the women bidding to become governors bring criminal justice experience that builds their credentials for toughness. McCaskill served as a county prosecutor, while Gregoire made a name for herself as a state attorney general and a leader of the landmark 1990s tobacco settlement negotiations.
It was only 1975 when the nation first saw a woman elected governor (Connecticut's Ella Grasso) in her own right, without following a husband. Republican M. Jodi Rell became that state's second woman governor in July after John Rowland resigned amid a federal corruption investigation and threats of impeachment.
It was just two years ago that the nation hit a record when six women were in governors' offices.
Since then, the rise to nine has brought only scant attention, whether because of the nation's attention to global rather than domestic politics or just a reflection of how accepted it has become for women to move up.
But the high-profile successes mask other worries. Fewer women are entering politics, experts say, shown by a recent drop in percentage of women in state legislatures and in statewide office.
"It's not a battle that can't be won, but it's like a mountain and the valley," said Sandi Huddleston, who seeks to encourage Republican women to get involved with Indiana's Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series. It's one of many organizations of all political persuasions working to get more women involved in government. "We may be on the upswing," she said.
Increasingly negative campaigns take a toll, too. Sebelius — whose father served as Ohio's governor — said she's knows firsthand how public life has gotten rougher.
"While my father was under the spotlight, that spotlight wasn't focused on my siblings and me," she said. "I've talked to a number of women, trying to convince them to run for public office. That aspect is so appalling to them that they're not willing to put their kids in that position."
The hope, said Rell in Connecticut, is that as more women get involved, they can help change the tone.
"It's part of the game of politics," Rell said. "Women will help to change that game, in a better format, I hope, down the road."
Despite the obstacles, they and others said having woman as governors can't help but inspire others.
"That's going to have a tremendous impact on young women and girls who are now growing up," said Llenda Jackson-Leslie, president of the National Women's Political Caucus, a pro-choice, nonpartisan group. "It's going to seem entirely possible to handle the biggest job in the state. And from there to the White House. It's an absolute natural."
Kathleen Sibelius vetoed a concealed carry bill this year in Kansas.
I'm oldschool in my views on gender roles. I believe that God made man with the ability to make decisions and lead. Women's natural abilities tend to deal with detail-forming, keeping the peace, etc. Every woman that I've dated has had the same characteristics in this way. Therefore, I see it as being a hindrance to our country and a slap in the face of God to pursue putting women into higher political positions in this country. Women weren't designed to be leaders. Men were. FLAME AWAY!
I stand with you on this.
I'm from the old school as well. I believe that merit should be the ONLY criteria.
Can you say Margaret Thatcher (aka the Iron Lady)???
No flame here, FRiend - I agree w/ you 100%
Ok, ok - Lady Thatcher is an exception.
A close reading of the article reveals that AP wants more liberal women in power. Right. Maxine Waters, Barbara Boxer and Hillary are going to "work well with people" and bring everybody together.
Not meant as a flame but just food for thought.
Oh yeah....guys all over the nation are clamoring to date "strong, decisive" women. Men are really attracted to women that are 24/7 ballbusters. Yeah, right.
Well I am attracted to strong woman. I married one. And if I get hit by a truck tomorrow, I don't have to worry about her. She can continue to raise our kids and pay the bills without having to latch herself to the first man she meets. That's how many women get trapped into bad marriages and abusive situations (or go on welfare). That's not what I want for the women in my life.
Well, call me old-fashioned, but "stong and decisive" are male qualities. Most men aren't attracted to women that act like men. Most men are attraced to "soft and feminine" women, rather than "strong and decisive" women. Just my opinion, of course. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.
There have been some strong woman leaders. Queen Elizabeth I was probably England's most effective ruler since the middle ages. Then there's Maggie Thatcher and Golda Meier.
The problem seems to be that too many woman politicians these days are feminists with large chips on their shoulders, and also that people seem to feel obliged to elect an occasional woman just for the sake of electing a woman, rather than choosing the best candidate.
In any case, the number of good state governors of either sex is pretty small, I would guess.
Well "strong and decisive" is not inconsistent with feminine at all. There are many women out there with all those qualities. I suppose if I was insecure with my manhood, I might desire a dainty, helpless, "damsel-in-distress" type woman that I could dominate and lord over. But I guess I'm just not that type of guy. Just my opinion, of course.
lol Of course. Men that prefer women that act like women are obviously insecure about their manhood. Sure sure sure.
There is some question whether the Governor of Arizona qualifies as a woman.
It's more like a screw and a nut.
China wmay well be on its way to being the next real competitor to the US and China will be ruled by Men for the next couple of generations. The one child policy, even if totally abandoned right now, will see to that. A Man's nation with a huge population and a strong economy will have a strong military and will be itchy to solve its problems with that military. Can a womanly US survive that? Europe is already a feminine civilization and will succumb to Islam in a few decades. And the US is moving that direction.
Margaret Thatcher is the exception. The MTs of the world are not the ones who make up the vast majority of feminine politicians, male or female.
So what is a "strong and decisive" women? How about one that can handle adversity without falling apart at the seams? Or one that doesn't get easily flustered and can make rational, sound decisions in a crisis situation?
I've got two examples of women in my family that are not "strong and decisive" and they make me happy that I married a woman who is.
One of those women has been stuck in a dreadful marriage for 20 years. Her husband cheats on her, hoards the money and abuses her verbally and probably physically as well. She's a weak woman who can't stand up for herself and she just takes whatever her husband dishes out to her because her only other alternative is to go on welfare because she does not have the ability to fend for herself.
The other woman has the virtues that others on this thread seem to value so highly. She is delicate, feminine and is totally submissive to her husband. Now you think the husband would be very pleased by this situation. But he's not and he's thinking of divorcing her. Why? Because she brings nothing substantive to the relationship. She won't discipline her kids and depends on her husband to deal with that. She breaks down and cries whenever things don't go her way. She drives her husband crazy because she is constantly calling him at work with every little crisis. If the kids won't behave, she calls him at work. If anything goes wrong at the house, she panics. For example, I remember once when a frozen pipe burst and started flooding the cellar while he was on a business trip. She was absolutely hysterical. He tried to talk her through shutting off the water supply but she couldn't function. She ran around the house turning this thing and that with absolutely no idea what she was doing and she wouldn't listen to what her husband was trying to say on the phone. So I had to run down there and deal with the situation.
I don't know, maybe men like high-maintenance women like that, but I certainly don't. My wife knows where the shutoff valve is and I don't have to sweat such things. My wife and I are on the same page on just about everything. Like I said earlier, if I get hit by a truck tomorrow, I can be secure that my wife will continue raising our kids as we both decided they would be raised. She can earn a paycheck to pay the bills and does not have to go running off to find a man to support her (as many women do and as a result, they often end up in bad and abusive marriages).
There are exceptions (Margaret Thatcher comes to mind), but in general, I think you're right. I don't think women ever will, or ever should, hold a proportional portion of elective offices, particularly in executive roles.
Therefore, I see it as being a hindrance to our country and a slap in the face of God to pursue putting women into higher political positions in this country.
You have nailed what is wrong with the way we have handled equal rights. We SHOULD NOT PURSUE PUTTING women into any position (except in the privacy of home).
Note: These two particular women mentioned are described as highly competitive. Driven, my friend. They are driven. Many men are, for many different reasons.
Their destiny is not yours or mine to select. They must compete equally with men for the job. If they win, they have the office.
Women weren't designed to be leaders. Men were.
Well, I won't pretend to know exactly how and what God designed us for. That is usually between you and God, and no one else.
Women have taken the lead all throughout history. In all kinds of arenas.
Denying a human the right to be successful, to compete with all other humans without interference, never works.
You have no idea how much power the words "YOU CAN'T" evoke in a human being.
No one limits the potential of a human but God.
Those perspectives are not "missing" from the political world by the "absence" of women in office. Most male politians I know of are married and listen to their wives, mothers, and daughters. They get plenty of female perspective.
Furthermore, in a Democracy, everyone is free to contact their representatives and offer their (male or female) perspectives whenever they feel like it.
Actually, women's natural abilities are being smarter than you and shaping your decisions to her satisfaction without you having a clue it's happening.
SO9
SO9
You only wish. Mid and upper management in companies and the government are ossified by males who cannot make a decision to save their lives. The legal profession, attornies and judges are even worse. I cannot believe the number of weak whiney women mascarading in suits and ties I have to deal with every day.
**Women weren't designed to be leaders. Men were. FLAME AWAY!**
I just turned 60 this month and I agree with you. Women are stronger than men. For proof: Pregnancy. Men are stronger than women. For proof: Carrying a woman across the threshold. Women know that there are jobs that produce stress, so why would a woman want added stress in her life? Give those jobs to the men and make the men think that they are better suited to those jobs.
Of course there's a bit of jesting in there.
Personally (in-coming flames) I think the men should do ALL the jobs outside the home. From teaching PreSchool to Secretaries to CEOs to Presidents. I also think that marriages should last until one or the other spouse dies. NONE of this will occur again (pre WWI mentality that I have), so I am learning to live with reality. But I can dream, can't I?
Taken the lead. Lead throughout history.
Yes. Those women were the exception.
And the men that were true leaders, also, were the exception.
Very few male politicians are leaders.
Now,........
Mary
Mother Teresa
Lady Bird Johnson
Jeanne' de Arc (sp?)
Queen of England
Queen Noor of Jordan
Rosa Parks.
We should know now that many of our MALE politicians are crooks, spineless jerks, or power-hungry psychotics, and only be considered leaders on a swift path to hell.
Women listen to "how" you are saying things, and not what you are saying.
I agree that in an ideal household, the man should be responsible for most matters originating outside of the home, i.e. breadwinning, running a business, politics, buying a car, etc. And women are by far best suited to managing affairs inside a home, i.e. raising kids, maintaining peace/discipline inside the home, social affairs within and outside of the family, etc. This arrangement utilizes the partners' natural abilities and talents.
Deborah
Women won't be equal in America until we quit seeing patronizing articles like this published by AP, Reuters, NYT, etc.
I'm oldschool in my views on gender roles.......
They are taking over and ruining the legal profession. More women in law school than men these days. Say hello to the nanny state made possible by female judges, female litigators and female legislators....
Yeah, Im sure there are plenty of girly men out there. However, I still think red-blooded American men are still the norm, generally speaking.
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