Backwards, and in High Heels : Step in the Ring

Backwards, and in High Heels

In response to Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama

In the beginning of the race for the Democratic nomination, it seemed most likely that either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama would win. And I feared that whichever one prevailed would pick the other as a running mate. Not because I think that’s a bad idea for the country, I don’t, but because I thought there was no way they could win the election. I believed it would be difficult enough for a woman or a black man to win even if he or she had a white, male Protestant as a running mate. But a woman AND a black man—I really thought any white man running for the opposite party would win easily.

I’m not so sure now, as the race goes on. It seems there’s a theory that the democratic vote is being split between them in such a way that it’s tearing the fabric of the party. Since Super Tuesday, the talk is that the close race is taking what has always been viewed as the party that unites, regardless of gender or race, and turning it into a party divided right down those same lines.

Maybe if the winner chooses the other as the Vice Presidential candidate, the Democrats will up their chances of a win in November. Though I suppose that might be enough to pull angry voters out of the woodwork, many who haven’t voted since they chose the blue M&M, just to make sure they don’t get elected.

Maybe I’m too cynical. Maybe racism and misogyny aren’t as rampant as I believe. But I can see a number of voters choosing Hillary because “at least she’s white,” and I can see a chunk of the voters choosing Obama because “well, at least he’s a man.” (If I do seem to have a grim view, it’s only because I know people who’ve expressed this sentiment to me.)

I have no problems voting for a woman or a black man, or both. In fact, when I did vote on Super Tuesday, it was the first time I felt any kind of excitement going to the polls. This is history in the making. We’re actually going to have either a woman or a black man running for president in November. Even if the Republicans win, it’s still an amazing thing to be part of, it’s groundbreaking, and I’ll admit, something I thought was unlikely to happen in my lifetime.

The choice between Clinton and Obama is not an easy one. On sheer experience, both in the Congress and, of course, as First Lady, Hillary has the advantage. But that’s a disadvantage at the same time because those who were unhappy with Bill’s reign aren’t going to vote him back in, not even as First Gentleman. Clinton’s and Obama’s voting records are similar, with Obama missing more votes in the current session than Hillary, but with her voting against the party more often.

I’ve gotten some criticism about my attitude that either will do, but I still feel that way. In the debate of Clinton vs Obama, I can see no clear winner. In fact, I think the marked difference between them is how the country will view them, should either of them actually win the Presidency.

Photograph by Brett Weinstein. Some rights reserved.

No matter which of them wins, there must be change, and it must be fast and dramatic. The first woman or black president will have to work three times as hard as any white man holding office. They’ll be held to a higher standard immediately, more pressure will be on them than any president before. They’ll set the precedent for all women and people of color who choose to run in the future.

If the first woman president or the first black president does not make things happen immediately, things that the majority of Americans feels is good for this country, before they’ve even finished unpacking their knick-knacks on Pennsylvania Avenue the media will already be spinning a tale of doom. They’ll feature special reports about the floundering administration, complete with a patriotic music montage to introduce the segment each time. In record time the pundits will have made up their minds that this presidency is a failure, and the press will eat them alive.

It’s not fair, it’s a horrible double standard, but that’s the way it will be. And that’s why I think either Hillary or Obama would truly step up and make the changes this country needs. If for no other reason, they don’t have a choice. They must succeed or go down in history as a national experiment that turned out to be a mistake, and make it that much more difficult for another minority to ever hold the highest office in the nation.

But to compare Hillary and Obama, while I have no strong preference for one or the other, I think the nation as a whole most definitely will. I have no doubt that the public and media pressure will be highest on Hillary if she’s elected, as they wait for her to prove that a woman really can do a job that’s only ever been done by men. Or more likely, as they wait for her to fail, because after all, that’s a more interesting story. As the famous quote says, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels. It’ll be harder than that for Hillary if she’s elected. After all, Ginger Rogers didn’t have a portion of the country just waiting for her trip and fall to affirm their belief that a woman should have never tried those moves in the first place.

Shelley Ontis lives in Illinois, surrounded by corn, cows and pick-up trucks. She claims it’s not nearly as exciting as it sounds.