On Women, Race and Politics

Three weeks to Election Day. What a ride this campaign season has been!
It has written a piece of history as mesmerizing as any other in the past. An Afro-American bidding for the presidential nomination against a powerful – and super savvy – white former First Lady. And now, the Afro-American with a vision of the future against the candidate of the military establishment and the old school politics in the person of – a white Navy POW hero!

And to top it all off, in steps a woman known in her state of Alaska as a militant conservative who is an ardent hunter and lifetime member of the NRA, with the looks of a beauty queen and the pep of a cheerleader.

What is it all about? Are there lessons to be learned in this pairing off of characters – with their unique personal circumstances – never before coexisting this closely in national politics? Does it announce new times for the U.S. and the world, or is it the parody of a nation on the brink of the future but willing to stand back and refrain from taking the leap of faith?

In 2004 we thought that swift-boating a candidate who was a war hero was as low as it got. Little did we know that the country in 2008, just into the 21th century, would rummage through the details of the upbringing of an African-American man born in Hawaii (is this really a state?), who moved to Indonesia, was orphaned and brought up by a white grandmother in Kansas, educated in Ivy League universities, and all for the sake of underscoring that the man is maybe a Muslim and potentially a terrorist. His Afro-American roots are not openly mentioned when he is attacked on many fronts, but the big elephant (moose?) in the room is the color of the skin of a charming, soft-spoken, incisive man of 48 who was bold enough – or imprudent enough, whichever applies – to challenge the establishment by running for the highest office in the nation. “How dare he” many may be thinking but few are saying out loud. But the elephant is there, and it is yet to be seen if it is daring enough to charge openly into the crowd and send the pack spinning.

And what can you say about women who also dare tread the road of seeking high-profile political positions? Are all women inclined to feel that they are represented by any woman who throws her hat into the race? Is being a woman clout enough to bring into the fold the majority of female voters? The easy answer is: apparently not. And rightfully so. Among us there are women, and there are women.

There are women who, like Hillary Clinton, are authentic trailblazers. A seasoned politician in her own right, Sen. Clinton has traveled the gamut of political and professional experiences that groom a cultured and intelligent candidate for the highest office.
There are others, Gov. Sarah Palin comes to mind, who are in it for the sport. Not because she seems genuinely athletic and extremely political in demeanor, but because she seems to enjoy climbing the ladder of political office without any pause for acquiring the necessary “gravitas” that would sustain her ambition. She may be acclaimed and trusted in Alaska based on her political merit. However, on the national scene she is a newcomer inserting into the race a folksy brand of low-grade political culture that may seem amusing to some, refreshing and energizing to apparently many others. Palin is consistently the standard-bearer of her party, designated to instill, mostly among independent would-be voters, the idea – without any credible evidence – that Obama is guilty by association or by race or by whatever is necessary to discredit him; and therefore is unworthy of a red-blooded American’s vote.

Regardless of ethnicity or gender, Americans are faced this election year with choices that are clear-cut but challenging, surrounded by a spectacle that is at once serious and entertaining. Let’s not be fooled, however, into thinking that this magnificent pageant of a presidential race is not arguably the most crucial decision that Americans will have made in a lifetime.

The world is watching to see if the most powerful nation in the world decides to take a chance on the future and a new brand of leadership, or if it stubbornly hangs on to the past.