Women and Politics

This post was submitted by Sophie Shulman, WCF Communications Fellow

Far too often, female politicians and candidates are criticized for their appearance, whether because they are “cute,” or considered unfeminine. These attacks are particularly detrimental because they distract voters from the real issues and weaken female candidates on a front that is rarely a problem for men.

Unfortunately, First Lady Michelle Obama is not immune to this brand of sexism. Michelle has, since the beginning of her husband’s political career, been an example of an intelligent, empathetic, and active woman in politics—regardless of the fact that she does not currently serve in elected office. However, this has not stopped the conservative media for attacking her based on her wardrobe and lifestyle choices. Several right-wing bloggers have recently started referring Obama as a “modern-day Marie Antoinette,” “socialite.” Glenn Beck ranted on his radio show about how she must have spent “almost a million dollars a year for hair and makeup”—without actually confirming the number.

But the most frustrating element of these criticisms is that the mass media would certainly jump on the First Lady should she appear in public without immaculate makeup, hair, and outfit choices. I’ve never heard Beck discuss the price of President Obama’s—or any other male politician’s—suits; many of which must cost thousands of dollars. This double standard is unfairly—and far too frequently—leveled only at women in the political sphere.

These attacks are particularly absurd when aimed at Michelle Obama. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Michelle has made a name for herself as a talented, passionate woman leader. Educated in Chicago’s Public Schools, she dedicated her career to public service, working in planning and development in Chicago’s City Hall, helping to found the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, and working in community affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

While being critiqued by the media for her fashion choices, the First Lady’s work in the White House has been focused on improving the health of the next generation of American children. Her Let’s Move! campaign addresses childhood obesity and provides nutritious meals for students (often for under the $2.65 per student reimbursement rate). These ambitious goals have occupied her time, as well as visiting the Gulf Coast and assisting President Obama in his role as of head of state.

But to Glenn Beck and others, Michelle’s visit to the Gulf wasn’t about her concern for the American people or our environment—it was about her outfit. Beck slammed Michelle for her choice to wear a white shirt with a black pattern, because it reminded him of an oil spill. Commentary such as this is ludicrous because, as usual, it completely ignores the substance behind what a woman is doing—and attempts to refocus the conversation on her physical appearance.

This type of media portrayal is what discourages so many women from running for office, and, here at WCF, we’re committed to pointing it out—and changing the discussion. Next time, let’s talk about what matters, and not refer to a highly educated, committed public servant as a “material girl.”

This post was submitted by Sophie Shulman, WCF Communications Fellow

Yesterday marked the beginning of Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s confirmation process to become the next Justice of the Supreme Court. Despite her high office in the U.S. government and extensive legal experience, the fact that Kagan is a progressive woman has attracted a great deal of controversy—leading social conservatives to criticize her lack of judicial experience, appearance, and position on women’s reproductive rights.

Sound familiar? The eminently qualified Sonia Sotomayor was questioned about her experience as well. But in fact, many of the most famous and well-respected Justices were not judges before being appointed to the Court. Senator Dianne Feinstein defended Kagan by reminding the Senate Judiciary Committee that:

“The Roberts court is the first to be comprised entirely of former federal Court of Appeals judges.”

On Monday, through thinly veiled compliments about her academic expertise, social conservatives on the Committee hinted at the type of issues they will try to use to block her nomination. One of the major criticisms leveled at Kagan involved her history of involvement with political issues—AKA, Judicial Activism.

But let’s remember how social conservatives approved countless politically-minded judges while President Bush was in charge of the nominations—but now that progressives have an opportunity to simply maintain the balance of the Court—activism is considered a major issue. As Senator Chuck Schumer eloquently put it:

“Judicial activism now has a new guise—activism to pull our country to the right.”

And one of the issues that the right is most ardently concerned with is that of a woman’s right to make her own health choices. In fact, there were anti-choice protesters outside of Kagan’s hearings yesterday—and conservative Senators frequently alluded to their fear that Kagan would uphold Roe v. Wade.

But despite their supposed fear of judicial activism, these anti-choice politicians would most likely celebrate the active upheaval of the 30 years of jurisprudence that is a woman’s right to choose.

That is precisely why it’s so important that we have another woman on the Court. As Kagan said yesterday:

“I owe a debt of gratitude to two other living Justices. Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg paved the way for me and so many other women in my generation. Their pioneering lives have created boundless possibilities for women in the law.”

Their careers have also created opportunities for all American women. By standing up for the values that allow women to freely pursue careers and achieve equality, Justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg have significantly affected countless women’s lives. Cases such as Ledbetter have proven that having women on the Court does matter, because their experiences and perspectives are different from the six male Justices.

With any luck, Kagan will soon be approved as the next woman who will fight for women’s equality and inspire others to follow in her path. Senator John Kerry described Kagan’s bipartisanship and equanimity, saying that Kagan is:

“The type of judge you would want if you weren’t sure what side you wanted to win.”

As we saw with Sotomayor, the hearings only heat up as we go along. But yesterday, Sen. Sessions called for more candor in the confirmation process—here at WCF, we agree. While Kagan herself has shown her commitment to thorough and open hearings, let’s hope that the Senators will do the same—these hearings should be about Kagan’s qualifications—and nothing else.

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

I have been wanting to write a blog post about Michelle Obama for a very, very long time. Sure, we all know her as the First Lady, but she also has a resume that (until recently), many say out shined her husband’s. I could hardly wait to write about her.

But when I sat down to begin my research, I realized that I was learning a lot about Michelle Obama’s toned arms, her dresses and her hair styles, but not very much about her policy initiatives. I was distraught. Was this remarkably gifted and accomplished woman taking a back seat in the White House?

As it turns out, she isn’t. Not at all. Although the media may be more interested in Mrs. Obama’s designer running shoes than her commitment to alleviating poverty in the DC area, she has actually committed to tackling a lofty and challenging array of issues since taking residence on Pennsylvania Avenue.

To be sure, Michelle Obama has enough experience from her pre-Washington work to spearhead just about any initiative she sees fit. In brief, she was raised on a tough neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, but quickly headed east, attending Princeton University and then Harvard Law School.

Mrs. Obama returned to Chicago to work for one of the oldest law firms in the world, but quickly turned to more political pursuits, working for Mayor Daley and eventually administering the University of Chicago Medical Center, and served as an associate Dean in the University. Oh, and she is also mother to Malia and Sasha, and campaigned tirelessly for her husband, culminating in the keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

But that’s all in the past, and Michelle Obama is all about moving forward.  Today, the First Lady is focusing on a few important issues where she can have maximum impact.  The First Lady was vocal in explaining how the recent stimulus bill would impact urban laborers and government workers.  Her nationwide volunteer initiative, launched in May, brings her past success to the White House (she oversaw a 500% increase in volunteers while at the University of Chicago Medical Center).

Since being hired in March, the First Lady’s Chief of Staff, Susan Sherr, has set the East Wing ablaze with new ideas and a more vocal approach to policy. Sherr, along with the First Lady and Desiree Rogers, have aimed for a “seamless” relationship with the West Wing.  Mrs. Obama has utilized her close ties with Valerie Jarrett to ensure that her husband’s message is in line with her own.  Mrs. Obama has also made an effort to popularize organic gardening, which she says is a viable alternative for healthy food without paying exorbiant prices.

Most recently, the First Lady has entered the health care debate, weighing in on the difficult choices facing lawmakers.  She has taken a refreshing approach, candidly admitting that no option will be easy or without its shortcomings, but expressing the imperative of fixing our current system nonetheless.  I hope to hear more from Michelle Obama in the months and years to come- as her varied life experiences, extensive career accomplishments, and unique position of power inform her perspective on politics.

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

On Friday, Vice President Joe Biden announced that Lynn Rosenthal has been appointed to advise the president on domestic violence.  In her newly-created position, Rosenthal will advise President Barack Obama and work with government agencies to ensure that violence against women is made a major policy priority and the perpetrators are held accountable.

Rosenthal previously served as the executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.  She also previously worked as director of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence and managed a domestic violence shelter.

According to the Family Violence Prevention Fund, Rosenthal has extensive experience with the issue:

Rosenthal’s expertise includes housing, state and local coordinated community response, federal policy on violence against women, and survivor-centered advocacy. She most recently served as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and was Executive Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence from 2000 to 2006. She partnered with The Allstate Foundation to develop a highly successful national initiative to promote economic empowerment for survivors of violence.

Biden called the work Rosenthal will do in this new position “incredibly consequential.”  Biden said there are 48 million reported cases of violence done by an intimate partner and said that while there’s no count on how many are unreported, more women are coming out of the shadows.

Furthermore, the White House said that domestic violence would be placed higher on the policy agenda than it has been in recent years.  President Obama has assembled a team, including Rosenthal and Valerie Jarrett, which will fulfill his campaign pledge to make domestic violence a priority.

WCF applauds President Obama’s effort to include more women in his administration.  We hope that the White House will continue to make issues affecting women policy priorities.

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

As the confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor draw nearer, women from across the political spectrum have spoken out in favor of the prospective justice.  Kirstin Gillibrand recently wrote a column for the Huffington Post supporting her fellow New Yorker:

In Judge Sotomayor, we have a jurist whose life experience allows her to understand, respect, and connect with the people whose lives will be affected by the Court… Through discipline and hard work, Judge Sotomayor went on to graduate with honors from Princeton University and get her law degree from Yale Law School.

Gillibrand’s piece shows how Sotomayor brings diversity to the Supreme Court that extends beyond her gender or race. Her cumulative life experiences, from her humble beginnings, Ivy League education and rise through the legal community will bring a new perspective to the bench.

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed the Supreme Court, applauded Sotomayor’s nomination, and pointed out discrepancies between women’s preeminence in the legal field and their sparse representation on the nation’s highest bench:

Our nearest neighbor Canada also has a court of nine members and in Canada there’s a woman chief justice and there are four women all told… About half of all law graduates today are women, and we have a tremendous number of qualified women in the country who are serving as lawyers and they ought to be represented on the Court.

Moreover, O’Connor noted that she was disappointed when she stepped down from the bench and was not replaced by another woman.

Justice Ginsburg commented to CNN that she is “glad to no longer be the lone woman on the court.” She pointed specifically to the recent case of a 13 year old girl being stripped searched for ibuprofen as an example of an area where she felt her male colleagues could benefit from a female perspective.

Ginsburg made clear her belief that more women were needed on the court in the weeks leading up to Souter’s retirement. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made,” she said. “It could be 60 percent men, 40 percent women, or the other way around. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”

Michelle Obama also came out in favor of her husband’s nominee, citing the parallels between their experiences as women of color educated in the Ivy League system:

[Sotomayor] said she never raised her hand her first year because she ‘was too embarrassed and too intimidated to ask questions’…despite all of her professional accomplishments, Judge Sotomayor says she still looks over her shoulder and wonders if she measures up.

However, the First Lady was hardly the only woman in the White House to welcome Sotomayor. Valerie Jarrett, in a recent interview with the Washington Post, defended Sotomayor against charges that she expressed superiority over white, male judges because of her life experiences:

“The spirit of her comment was one about diversity of perspective and enrichment of comment…And I think what the opponents are doing, they’re trying to find that one little kernel they find that they can criticize.”

These remarkable women, who have already established themselves as leaders in our political system, have praised Sotomayor and defended relentless attacks of her credentials. WCF hopes that this outpouring of support for Sotomayor continues through the confirmation process!

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

The National Journal reports this week that the Obama Administration has a larger proportion of women in top positions than any of its predecessors.  Currently, President Obama’s team is 34% female, compared to 26% of President George Bush’s administration in 2001.

The new administration also brings unprecedented racial diversity to the White House.  Only nine of the 22 officials designated by Obama as having Cabinet rank are white men.

Here are a few outstanding women working in the Obama Administration:

• Melody Barnes: She serves as the President’s Domestic Policy advisor and Director of the Domestic Policy Council.  Barnes has been charged with issues relating to health care reform, civil rights and women’s health.
• Cassandra Butts:  As Deputy White House Council, Butts performs a central role in White House Legal Affairs.
• Hillary Clinton: Obama’s former challenger is currently serving as the Secretary of State, the third woman in U.S. history to hold that position.
• Lisa Jackson: As administrator of the EPA, Jackson leads a nationwide staff of just over 18,000 civil servants.  She is the first African American to hold that position.
• Katie Johnson: Just 27 years old, Johnson serves as the president’s personal secretary.  However, what Johnson lacks in age she makes up for in experience, having previously worked for Rahm Emmanuel, Hillary Clinton and Parris Glendening.
• Valerie Jarrett:  She is a Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration.  Jarrett was also pivotal in the Obama-Biden Transition team.
• Janet Napolitano:  The former Arizona governor serves as the third Secretary of Homeland Security.
• Susan Rice: The US representative to the United Nations was confirmed unanimously by the Senate in the first days of the Obama Administration.
• Desirée Rogers: A former Chicago business tycoon, Rogers has taken on the East Wing.
• Mona Sutphen: The White House Deputy Chief of Staff is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Despite the Obama Administration’s commitment to gender equality, women have still not reached parity in the White House.  At the current rate of increase, it will take almost 100 years until women reach gender parity in politics.  At WCF, we can’t wait that long.  Can you?

Sometimes I’m surprised at the thoughts that spring into my head when I’m not expecting them, especially the political ones.

Last weekend brought some much needed R&R from parenting as one of my stepdaughters took over the reigns, bringing down my mental anxiety a notch on a variety of fronts.

As I was pondering why there is still so much coverage of the so-called reluctance of “older” Hillary Clinton supporters to become enthusiastic about Barack Obama, I had one of those light-bulb, Oprah AHA! moments.

When some women look at what Obama has achieved, they see the younger, sometimes not-quite-as-qualified, man in their office who was promoted before them.

The one who got a raise that they should have gotten. The one who got the corner office with the window while they still sat in the cubicle.

They remember how that felt and how, if they wanted to keep their jobs and benefits, they couldn’t really raise a stink about it, even though it was unfair.

They remember what happened to them when they did raise it and were shot down.

There are plenty of us who have been in that work situation. I have.

As a young news reporter just starting out in television in the 1980s, I was told up front that I would not be getting paid as much as some of the guys. There are always plenty of “reasons” — they’re married and have kids to support, you’re married and have a husband who’s contributing, you’re married and have another income and the single guys don’t.

And that was always just the start. I saw men who were younger and less qualified get promoted over me at a large government agency because they knew what I liked to call the “secret handshake” — that intangible ‘guy’ thing that often seems to help push them up the ladder a bit ahead of their female counterparts, even when we were working harder and longer hours (and weren’t working on separate business ventures on government time).

While this is clearly not the perfect analogy for comparing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and how their supporters feel, I suspect that there is a subliminal lingering sense of resentment of that all-too-common workplace phenomenon that has something to do with the reported numbers of Hillary supporters who claim they will not vote for Obama.

My experiences of not always being treated fairly or equally in the workplace are not going to prevent me from voting for Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate. But I have to wonder whether the persistent sense of experienced women coming up short in the workplace and having to take the helper’s role to the younger man in the office is something that will unconsciously tip more than a few mid-life women into the John McCain or ‘other’ column.

For better or worse, the sum of our life experiences color and inform our election decisions and judgments. If Barack Obama wants to start wooing back some of the women who claim they are leaning toward McCain, he needs to find some empathy about their life experiences. It won’t be enough to send Michelle out to the speaker’s platform to do that.

(Cross-posted from PunditMom. )