News & Commentary
The Sarah Palin Effect: Shattering America's Political Glass Ceiling
by Michelle D. Bernard
November 10, 2008
America's political glass ceiling was shattered yesterday. True, Sarah Palin wasn't elected vice president, but her presence on the Republican ticket in this historic campaign is further evidence that the final barrier will soon be overcome, whether by her, Sen. Hillary Clinton, or someone else.
There are no other political limits facing women. Nancy Pelosi serves as Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Condoleezza Rice serves (as did Madeleine Albright before her) as the US Secretary of State. Women routinely serve as Senators, governors (like Sarah Palin), and cabinet officers. There are no positions that women cannot fill.
Those eager for a woman in the White House should also find comfort in Senator Obama's victory. He has demonstrated that all Americans, regardless of the discrimination suffered by their ancestors, now can grasp our nation's bountiful opportunities as their own.
This wasn't an easy campaign. Even before she joined Senator McCain in this presidential campaign, Governor Palin had demonstrated that she was an accomplished politician: she defeated the incumbent governor in her state's primary and a former governor in the general election. Her knowledge of international affairs might be limited, but she beat Alaska's political establishment, learned the intricacies of the state's dominant energy industry, and put her stamp on state government-all the while caring for a husband and five children.
Her evident tenacity served her well. Before the election, she acknowledged to Good Morning America's Elizabeth Vargas that "the constant barrage, a kind of spin on my record or my positions" could "change someone's perceptions" and was the likely reason her support among women fell about 40 percent.
There were bountiful substantive issues dividing the candidates, all of which warranted a thorough and even tough debate. But some of the attacks on Governor Palin were blatantly sexist cheap shots-questions about how she could be both mother and vice president, for instance. Some of her angriest critics were vicious and vulgar, substituting profanity for argument. Many of these attacks came from many so-called feminists.
This isn't the first time that American democracy fell short of the ideal. Nevertheless, the level of vitriol was disheartening. Frankly, all Americans should be celebrating the unprecedented diversity exhibited in the 2008 election. A white woman and black man battling for the nomination of one party; a war hero and oldest presidential candidate ever winning the other party's contest. A woman chosen as one of the vice presidential nominees.
Thankfully, Palin refused to fold under pressure, explaining to Vargas that she would not "give up and wave a white flag of surrender against some of the political shots that we've taken." Even though her team didn't win, Sarah Palin is a symbol of women's progress. America's daughters, as well as sons, now truly can aspire to hold the highest office in the land.
In the process, Gov. Palin has dramatically busted another stereotype: the presumption that a feminist and career-oriented woman must be a political liberal. Indeed, much of the venom spewed at candidate Palin reflected liberal frustration that this woman running for vice president was-gasp!-a conservative, free market feminist.
Senator Clinton is an intelligent and accomplished woman, but she came to prominence and won her first election to the Senate based on her husband's coattails. Her service in the Senate has left no doubt about her qualifications to sit in the Oval Office, but she had advantages before her first political race that Governor Palin could only dream of.
However, Senator Clinton's more important credential--at least from the standpoint of big government feminists and left-wing political activists--was that she was a liberal. Almost by definition that was seen as qualifying her to hold high political office. Feminism and liberalism were considered to be two sides of a single coin.
Governor Palin has wrecked this convenient assumption on the left. Women, no less than men, vary in their political opinions. Many women view both family and career as important. Many women believe in a free society which protects individual liberty, limits government, and rewards enterprise. Many women consider abortion to be an affront to the sacredness of innocent life which society-including women-is called upon to defend. It's fine to disagree with some or all of these opinions. But there is no "right" position for women.
We should all wish Sarah Palin well. Whether or not we voted for her, we all benefit from her presence in this hard fought campaign.
American women, whether liberal or conservative, should be proud. No one knows what her political future will be - if she will one day run herself for the White House - but there is something we do know: having a woman in the White House is only a matter of time.
Michelle D. Bernard, author of Women's Progress, How Women are Wealthier, Healthier, and More Independent Than Ever Before, is the president and CEO of the Independent Women's Forum and Independent Women's Voice and is an MSNBC Political Analyst.
21 Comments
Julene | November 10, 2008, 5:46pm | #
I agree. While I did not vote for Governor Palin, I wish her well. I am sure I would understand Palin more outside her campaign with John McCain. The negative rhetoric did not win me over. Matter of fact, I respected McCain a great deal prior to all the negative attacks and it did not allow the American people to discover the human side of Governor Palin. I think it had hurt the administration and it was hurtful towards her. I look forward to seeing her more. I wish Governor Palin the best.
Christine Charles | November 10, 2008, 6:11pm | #
We should all celebrate what Governor Palin accomplished. She proudly, and rightly, introduced herself first as a woman, then as a caring mother and ultimately her party’s nominee for vice president. Her priorities seem properly balanced.
Her experiences during the campaign should help her become an even better governor and more formidable politician. More importantly her words will be her own. She may not be center stage right now. However, others will surely listen when she speaks. She has the perfect opportunity to let us all get to know the real Sarah Palin; expressing her positions on the “bountiful substantive issues dividing the nation, all of which warranted a thorough and even tough debate.” I hope we all have an opportunity to listen……
Governor Palin can begin reshaping the other side of the coin. Hopefully, reshaping it with dignity and respect. If her critics remain frustrated, it can be with her position on issues and her accomplishments, not with the trivial issues many seemed so preoccupied with during the campaign.
Dusty | November 13, 2008, 7:36pm | #
Ms. Palin might be an accomplished politician but if I had to choose between her and Hillary Clinton..its a no brainer.
Palin couldn't answer simple questions..like what news papers she reads. I found her to be an embarrassment more than an uplifting figure for woman.
Her attacks on Obama with regard to Ayers were some of the smarmiest political attacks I have seen in decades on a national level.
Just because she has a vagina, it does not make her a viable candidate for national office. Sorry ladies, but it doesn't.
Emily | November 14, 2008, 4:00pm | #
African Americans won the right to vote in 1868. Women's suffrage was not passed until over fifty years later, 1920. Let's not wait fifty years to elect a woman president.I hope Palin considers a run for a national office in 2012.Palin is a fast learner, and a great communicator. She doesn't seem like she gets up every morning and decides to put on the "pantsuit" of feminism. Palin is a "natural feminist." Alaskans may be happy to have her serve as their governor for a few more years.
Seneca | November 24, 2008, 12:06pm | #
I agree with Dusty.. a chromosome does not qualify an individual for office.
As for shattering the glass ceiling, well,we need to shatter it the right way- a way in which it is useful to the rest of society...
It was not useful, nor beneficial, to over 50% of the American population to elect another Republican for office during these tough economic times... not to mention, well over half of us want to get out of Iraq. This is why Sarah Palin's party was not elected; not because she was woman..which, when you think about it, that's great for women's
progress. Finally, a meritocracy based on policy preferences, without gender discrimination.
shocked | November 25, 2008, 1:04pm | #
"... but she came to prominence and won her first election to the Senate based on her husband's coattails. "
wow, I can't believe I am reading this here on this website. How dissappointing. Godd way to belittle a woman's accomplishments.
Almost all men who came into office had other men pushing him up, like Obama. Unfortunately women did not and still don't have that luxury.
shocked | November 25, 2008, 1:04pm | #
Godd = Good
wish I could type.
Rockerbabe | November 29, 2008, 1:07am | #
I don't think Governor Palin shattered any glass ceilings. She did not earn her place on the ticket; she was appointed. She has never "played" on the national stage in politics and she was very unprepared and uninformed about so many of the issues of the day. This was very apparent in her interviews with prominent journalists.
If Senator Hillary Clinton had performed that badly, she would have been booed off the stage; a male with Governor Palin's lack of credenials would have been sent packing.
Governor Palin was a disappointment, not only in her politics, but her performance. She did little to advance the cause of women or to make a way for other women of substance. I do wish her well however; maybe, if there is another national position for her, she will be better prepared, do the campaigning needed to garner votes [in her own right] and make herself very presentable to the American public at large. Until then, she will remain an oddity in Alaska.
shocked | November 29, 2008, 5:39pm | #
"a male with Governor Palin's lack of credenials would have been sent packing."
I disagree. Obama has no more accomplishements than Palin.
Mathew.V | November 29, 2008, 9:52pm | #
While I agree with your article for the most part, it is also disheartening to see you say that Senator Clinton followed the coattails of her husband. The feminists may be the ones that put down Governor Plain however it is by comments made such as the one about Senator Clinton which really impacts the public view. I strongly agree with the stance that Governor Palin, President-Elect Obama, and Senator Clinton are all great representatives of our country's freedom and openness to change and if we can somehow take all the thoughtless negative views against each other and shut it down, I believe that our country could further itself even more. Nonetheless, this is a great story for a historic election!
Jay | November 30, 2008, 3:01pm | #
Senator Clinton may be a very smart woman but that alone did not get her the seat in the senate. I agree with the writer that Bill Clinton had a significant amount influence, it definitely made her more popular. I think that gave her a good advantage when she ran for senator. Palin on the other hand was probably less known when she ran for governor. Most people like myself probably only came to know Palin after she was actually chosen as the vice presidential candidate.
Philip bu | November 30, 2008, 4:12pm | #
I do agree with Jay in that Bill Clinton has had a huge influence on Hillary's political career as im sure the majority of the us feel the same way. Same can be said about McCain being an influence on Sarah Palin. If it wasnt for him selecting Palin we wouldn't know who she is.
I admit that I did have great respect for Palin at the Republican National Convention when she came out with ice in her veins. But after seeing her fumble around during the interviews and constantly attacking Obama it was starting to get sad. In the end it did end up being more embarrassing for women and for McCains campaign than a step forward.
Randy | November 30, 2008, 11:55pm | #
To see a woman run for vice president was definitely a change that this country needed. But whether Palin was the woman to bring that change, well I don’t now. I can see how Palin is an accomplished woman, being Alaska’s governor, a mother of 5, and running for Vice President. But from watching the debates, I don’t know if Palin would work well under pressure.
One of the most disheartening thing to watch in this debate was when women would support McCain simply because he had Palin or in the case of the Democrats, people picked Obama simply because he was African American. It is nice to see our country become more involved in politics, but come on, at least make a decision based on more than gender or race.
As some have already stated, in which you say “Senator Clinton.... won her first election to the Senate based on her husband's coattails”, this is hard to accept. Often it is the people you know that get you the job. You can’t criticize a person for who they know. So with that, you cannot underestimate Clinton’s credentials.
A | December 1, 2008, 12:47am | #
Hilary Clinton shattered the glass ceiling long before Gov. Palin did. She knew what she wanted and she fought her way to get there. She wasn't going to settle to be appointed as someone's vice president, she wanted to go all the way to the top. Palin was only selected by McCain to attract female voters, an attempt that obviously failed.
There is definitely a place for women in politics and it should make this country proud to see a woman ready, willing and able to hold this country's highest or second highest office. The issue is finding the right woman for that position. Sarah Palin is not that woman. She is simply not experienced enough. She is a great governor and has served her state well, but she is just not ready to be the vice president of the United States. Her selection was McCain's attempt to sway American women and it is an insult to their intelligence.
If anything his candidate selection did a disservice to women in politics, because Palin served as a representative of these women and she was not ready or qualified to serve in this role. Her actions made other women look bad and that is truly a shame.
If McCain had chosen a more qualified women, who had more experience on a national level and was familiar with local and foreign affairs or a woman without Palin's ultraconservative right-wing views than not only would he have had a better chance at winning, but he would have given a woman the opportunity to break the glass ceiling that Sarah Palin could not.
Bill | December 1, 2008, 9:06am | #
The majority of those who support a political candidate simply on the basis of gender or race are looking at the world through the window of the icecream castle in which they were reared. Seven decades of unparalleled, perception-suppressing luxury have come home to roost.
The primary reason Sarah is being intensely exposed to the sting of contemptuous twit is because of her straightforward proclamation that Jesus
Christ is her Savior and Lord, and this fact is stinging to many who were unfortunately reared from childhood to believe that they are god.
Ultimately, this postnatal tragedy
suffered by some Liberals puts them in competition with the God of the universe and the person of Sarah serves as a stinging reminder that they are of secondary importance and will have to answer to Someone who is greater than them. That is a truth that liberals, who have faith in themselves only, are unable to grasp.
Mary Ok | January 7, 2009, 7:13pm | #
I am tired of people saying that Hillary Clinton rode her husbands coattails. Neither she nor Bill had influential parents. They are a political couple and they always made that clear. There are so many men with famous fathers in power - too numerous to count really. Clinton had name recognition to be sure, but everyone should be aware that she made the national news before anyone ever heard of her husband. Look at someone like Valerie Jarrett. Barack Obama met her because she hired his wife. Valerie is a lifelong political contact for both of them.
Bill and Hillary made it clear from the beginning that both of them were committed and ambitious. She benefited by her famous name after years of being a working mother and putting aside her ambitions for her husbands. If she was not extremely talented and hardeworking, she would not be able to take advantage of her name. We'll see if Caroline Kennedy, with a pot load of more advantages from the beginning, can do as well.
Ad for Palin, no matter what you say about her, she put herself out there and has been elected to various offices. In that respect, she has earned everything she has received. She will have to prove that she can go further and if actually being a policy wonk matters.
Bill B | January 28, 2009, 6:13pm | #
I understand what was meant as Bill's coat tails. If Hillary had not been the wife of the president, what qualifications would she have brought to be a senator. However, Hillary has proven herself so far, as has Sarah. Although I am a conservative,I am proud of both women.
Julia Lucas | February 10, 2009, 2:56pm | #
First off, to Bill B., during Bill Clinton's presidency Hilary Clinton spent her time rallying around the world for women's rights; she also in the past has fought for health care for all US citizens. It is sexist to say just because her husband was president she couldn't stand on her own--which she has always done and continues to do so. In fact, if I recall, Hillary Clinton suffered extreme sexism throughout her husband's term in office because she was a working mother, including demeaning phrases on car bumper stickers.--yet with Sarah Palin people suddenly people care.
Furthermore, Sarah Palin is not a feminist. She is not even pro-women. She has charged women for rape-kits,despite claims to the contrary, yet is evident in budget documents signed by Sarah Palin to shift the cost to the victims. I know from experience in the rape/domestic violence prevention sphere that rape is a traumatic enough event without forcing the woman to go into medical debt as she deals with the horror of rape. This may turn some women away from evidence kits, making it harder to convict rapist. And remember that Alaska has one of the highest rates of domestic violence and rape in the country. Furthermore, her belief in denying the choice of abortion to women, especially rape and incest victims, is anti-women. Rape and incest are traumatic events forced upon a women, and by denying them choice she is once again forcing a woman to undergo an evnt/ pregnancy she may not want, thus resulting in another forced act upon a woman's body. Furthermore, she believes in abstinence-only educaiton, which has been proven not to work (her own daughter got pregnant). What she does not seem to be aware of is the fact that young women, particularly of color, are now the population most likely to get HIV and that when a teen gets pregnant she is less likely to graduate from high school, let alone attend college, and if so has many obstacles in her path. Presently I am working in education and witness these facts daily. Abstinence-based comprehensive sexuality education can help rectify these issues that strike young women particularly hard.
In conclusion, just because a woman has power does not mean she is a feminist, or even pro-woman. Just look at Patricia Shaefer's view on marital rape.
Sometimes women can be just as sexist and patriarchal as men, no matter what their station in life.
Swift B. Oates | February 10, 2009, 4:28pm | #
This is a great article. Thanks for putting the lie to the myth that Sarah Palin isn't a real feminist.
I get this kind of unwarranted criticism in my own life. People always tell me that I'm not really a vegetarian and animal rights activist just because I slaughter deer with my assault rifle and then eat the carcasses over a campfire.
Sarah Palin is a REAL feminist, unlike all of those men haters in NOW. Thanks for proving to everyone that just because you deprive women of the right to control their own reproductive organs and charge them for rape kits doesn't mean you're not a feminist. You just have common sense, because after all, everyone knows those rape "victims" are usually just making everything up.
Keaton | March 16, 2010, 1:33pm | #
Bill Clinton is the only reason Hilary Clinton at where she is at now, if it wasnt because of him she wouldnt be anywhere near where she is at now. Nobody knew who she was till Bill Clinton won the election, she became popular because of his spot in office. She didnt make it there on her on like Bill Clinton. She is a smart woman but she did learn somethings from Bill Clinton, i dont think she'll ever get enough votes to run in office. She is still not very popular even though Bill helped her.
Keaton | March 16, 2010, 1:40pm | #
Swift is very right by the way.