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Is Hillary 2016 all about electing a

woman?

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By Jennifer L. Lawless
Updated 4:52 PM ET, Sun April 12, 2015

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/12/opinions/lawlesshillaryclintonelectingwomen/

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Alternatives to Hillary Clinton 2016 10 photos

Alternatives to Hi

Jim Webb: "I look forward to listening and talking with more people in the coming months as I decide
whether or not to run."

Joe Biden: "That's a fam

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Story highlights
Jennifer Lawless: There's a strong temptation
to view Hillary Clinton's candidacy as all about
cracking the glass ceiling for women
She says the reality is that most people will
vote not on gender but on the economy and
partisanship

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Editor's Note: Jennifer L. Lawless is professor of government at American University, where

she is also the director of the Women & Politics Institute. She is the lead author of "Running
from Office: Why Young Americans Are Turned Off to Politics" (Oxford University Press
2015) and "It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office" (Cambridge
University Press 2010). The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers.

(CNN)Hillary Clinton finally answered the question we've all been asking for
years: Will she run for president in 2016? With official news of her candidacy just
hours old, one thing is already crystal clear: For the next year and a half, Clinton
will be the barometer by which we assess gender equality in the United States.
Win or lose, this creates a burden for her that no male candidate will ever have

to shoulder.
Just consider the two potential outcomes.
A win would mean a woman in the White House, which is a vital step in the march toward women's full political inclusion. But
it's possible that the march will end right there. We'll break our arms patting ourselves on the back for how far we've come.
We'll raise the "Mission Accomplished" banner over the women's movement. And we'll call it a day.
Granted, 80% of elected officials throughout the country will still be men. Women will continue to be less likely than men even
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to consider running for office. And pay inequities, sexual assault and human
trafficking will persist as challenges that no one person can solve, no matter how
hard Clinton might try. "But we've elected a woman as president," we'll say. Let
her take care of it.
A loss would be even more difficult.

Jennifer Lawless

Clinton will be blamed for running a subpar campaign regardless of how brilliant
her strategy is. More generally, her loss would perpetuate the myth that women
cannot win big elections, that the electoral environment is rife with bias and
discrimination, and that women must be twice as good to get half as far.

"If Hillary Clinton can't win an election," potential female candidates will ask, "How can I?"

Flaw in the reasoning

Extrapolating from one female candidate's experiences to women in politics more broadly is always suspect. But in the case
of Clinton, it is particularly flawed for at least two fundamental reasons.
First, Clinton is no ordinary female presidential candidate, if there is such a thing.
She began the 2008 race with levels of name recognition that many candidates never achieve, and she is even more wellknown today. But that means that she also enters the electoral arena with 23 years of public accomplishments and 23 years
of well-publicized baggage. Voters, donors, journalists and pundits all hold clear impressions of Clinton before she ever eats
a corn dog in Iowa, steps onto a debate stage in New Hampshire or takes a shot of bourbon in Kentucky.
Too often, we treat Clinton's loss to Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary as a referendum on how citizens feel
about electing women to positions of political power. In reality, what people knew about Hillary Clinton likely shaped their
views of Hillary Clinton. Widespread sexism and misogyny likely did not.
After all, for decades, women who have run for office have performed just as well as men. They win elections at equal rates
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and routinely raise comparable amounts of money.

Do some voters still question women's suitability as leaders? Of course they do. But these attitudes, which have become
increasingly rare, do not translate into systematic biases against female candidates.
Second, presidential politics is, first and foremost, a partisan affair. The D or R in front of the candidates' names -- not the X
or Y chromosomes in their DNA -- tells us about how more than 90% of the population will vote. Party polarization has
essentially rendered the importance of sex on the campaign trail far less relevant than might otherwise be the case.

'Iron my shirt"'?
Now, I'll be the first to predict that by the middle of the week, we will be able to assemble a reel of sexist comments uttered
by pundits, and we will be one mouse click away from a steady stream of misogynistic memes, photos and captions that
have taken hold on social media. The Clinton campaign will once again have to determine which incidents to address, which
to ignore and how to preempt future episodes.
I don't want to diminish the problems associated with this type of behavior or the fact that it is inappropriate, disrespectful
and appalling. And incorporating these concerns into a broad campaign strategy is likely something that male candidates
won't need to consider.
But men yelling "Iron my shirt" at a campaign rally, cable news pundits associating Clinton with their ex-wives outside of
probate court and manufacturers producing Hillary Clinton nutcrackers do not change the fact that when it comes to
presidential elections, partisanship and the state of the economy tell us almost everything we need to know.
If Clinton wins the race, it will be because it was a good year for Democrats. And if she loses, it will be because the GOP
developed a winning message.
But how much does any of this really matter? Sure, voters are amenable to electing women. Any Democratic nominee would
face the same electoral landscape.
The problems confronting women in society are just as grave regardless of who occupies the White House. And inferring too
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much from Hillary Clinton's experiences is a risky endeavor.

Yet the minute Clinton announced her candidacy, she became the official litmus test for true gender equality in the United
States. That's a label that no female candidate should have to wear. Let the burden begin.
Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.
Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.
Read CNNOpinion's Flipboard magazine.

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623comments
Signin

Newest|Oldest
WHMOWDOY

10daysago

HadthisargumentwiththewifeshewillvoteforHillarysimplybecausesheisafemale,mywifeselfadmits
knowingabsolutelyzeroaboutpoliticsbutthinksitstimeforawomeninofficeSMH.
Flag Share

kushalkumar

Like

Apr16,2015

Astrologicallyspeaking,anyappealforchunkofvotershavinguniversalcolorcouldbeofadvantagetoHillary
Clinton.Womenasaclasstoobutnotatthecostofannoyingoroffendingmenasaclass.Morelater.
Flag Share

TomManasota

Like

Apr15,2015

Yes,forHillaryatleast,2016isallaboutelectingawoman.
Fortherestofus,itwillbeaboutelectingadecenthumanbeing.
Flag Share

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ImFromEarth

Apr15,2015

WhenReaganran,Democratssaidhewastoooldforoffice,andhedidsufferfromDementia,beforetheendof
histerm.
IfClintonwinstheelectionin2016,atage69,shewouldbejustmonthsyoungerthanouroldestpresident,
RonaldReagan,whenhewaselectedin1980.Onlyoneothercandidatein225years(WilliamHenryHarrison)
movedintotheWhiteHousepastage65,andhishealthprovedsofragilethathecontractedpneumoniaon
inaugurationdayin1841anddiedamonthlater.
Don'tworrythough,Hillaryprobablyhasthefootballhelmetherstaffgaveher,whenshehadherheadinjuryas
SecofState.ShealsoinheritedHarryReid'sexerciseequipment.
Flag Share

ImFromEarth

Like

Apr15,2015

Hillary'sunopposedcandidacyshowsthatDemocratswerejustblowingsmokeabouttheIraqwarthatHillaryand
Bushfavored.
Flag Share

ImFromEarth

Like

Apr15,2015

AmericatrustsHillaryClinton,liketheytrustusedcarsalesmen.
Flag Share

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LlamaSalaam1

Apr15,2015

BasingmyopiniononthecommentsfromtheFoxNewscrowdI'dsaythatthelevelofconservativebut+hurtmay
reachrecordproportionswhenshewinsin11/2016.Ihopetherecomesatimeintheirliveswhentheylookback
onallofthetimeandenergywastedontypinghatefulcomments,thatshewillneverread,ontheinternet,and
havesomeregrets,butIwontholdmybreath.Hateonhaters,Hillary/Castro2016!Statisticallyunbeatable!
Flag Share

Like

ImFromEarth

Apr15,2015

@LlamaSalaam1
Whythatisn'tpartisanatall!Whatacompellingcaseforacandidate,totallyunfocusedonhercharacter
orqualifications,'Neener,neener,halfthecountryhatesher,soGoTeamBlue!'.
Iguessthat'sallyouhave...buttheCastrosweren'tbornhere,soevenifObamatakesthemoffthe
Terrorismlist,theycan'tbeyourVPcandidate.WhowouldbeyournextmostqualifiedVP,Satan?
Flag Share

biaspress

Like

Apr15,2015

ThreeyearsagetheHouseOversightCommitteesentHillaryandtheStateDepartmentaletteraskingifthe
SecretaryoranyotherhighrankingStateDepartmentOfficialhaseverusedapersonalemailaddresstoperform
officialduties....andtheydidnotanswertherequest...theyjustsentoverastatementoutliningtheState
Departmentrulebook.....neveransweringthequestionasked....italldependsonwhatthedefinitionofis...is...
Flag Share

JamesSowders

1 Like

Apr14,2015

Notice,thatinthesectionofcodeshehaswillfullyandknowinglyviolated,itsaysthatsheisdisqualifiedfrom
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/12/opinions/lawlesshillaryclintonelectingwomen/

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holdingANYofficeundertheUnitedStates.
Iamawarethatsheclaims,howeverludicrously,thatshedidn'tknowitwasillegal.Please.Sheisalawyerwho
servedwith(andwasdismissedinshamefrom)thelawfirmthatprosecutedPresidentnixon.Alawyerwho
servedasfirstladywhilstcommittingthesamecrimeofconcealingdocumentsINtheWhiteHouse.Alawyerwho
wentontoserveasaSenator(illegally).AlawyerwhowasappointedtobetheSecretaryofState(alsoillegally).a
LAWYERwhoisnowclaimingthatshedidn'tknowitwasillegalforhertohaveherownprivate,insecureserver
forgovernmentalcorrespondence,whichshehassincedestroyed.AndIamtheEasterBunny
Flag Share

2 Like

elrocketcat

Apr14,2015

@JamesSowderslawyersdon'tknoweverythingthat'slegalornot.That'swhytheyhaveallthosebooks.
That'salsowhytheyareconstantlytakinglawclasses.Seriously,ifyou'reinthebaryouhavetotakeso
manyhourseveryyearofverifiablestudyinyourfield.Thisisn'tsomethingyouhavetodoifyouarenota
practicingattorney.Mostpeoplewithlawdegreesarenotpracticingattorneys,andshouldn'tbeexpected
toknowthevastmajorityoflaws,especiallylawsfromoutsidethey'respecialty.Bearinmind,just
becauseyouworkforalawfirmthat,say,"prosecutedNixon",doesn'tmeanyouaretrainedtopractice
thatparticularkindoflaw,orwouldbeawareoflawsenactedtocoverthingsthatdidn'texistatthetime,
likeemail
Flag Share

Like

DevonBaker

Apr15,2015

@elrocketcat@JamesSowdersWell,Hillarydidfailthebarexam.Shecanjustadmitshe's
notaverygoodlawyer.
Flag Share

Picturamadoj

1 Like

Apr15,2015

@DevonBaker@elrocketcat@JamesSowdersMostlawyersfailthebarexamthefirsttime.
Flag Share

timetostand

Like

Apr14,2015

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TheCintonFoundationtookmillionsfromtheSaudiswhichtreattheirwomenlikesecondclasscitizens.Somuch
forleadingwomenrights.ButMSNBCisn'tnottalkingaboutit.
Flag Share

3 Like

elrocketcat

Apr14,2015

@timetostandyeah,butyoualsosupportedtheSaudisbyhavingademandforoil
Flag Share

Like

DevonBaker

Apr15,2015

@elrocketcat@timetostandAndthisadministrationissupportingthesaudisbyusingtheEPA
toattacktheoilcompanies.
Flag Share

ImFromEarth

Like
Apr15,2015

@elrocketcat@timetostand
Soyou'resayingthatHillary'spoorjudgementandobviousconflictofinterestisn'tanissue,
becausepeoplebuygastogettowork?
Howcompellingandunbiased!
So,bythesamelogic,isBushoffthehookfortheIraqwar,becauseHillarycalledforthatwar
too?
Flag Share

DevonBaker

Like

Apr14,2015

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/12/opinions/lawlesshillaryclintonelectingwomen/

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Hillaryisachameleonpolitician.Shedoesn'tcareaboutanythingbutbecomingpresident.Nooneknowswhere
shestandsonmostissues.Shewon'ttouchmostoftheseissuesforfearoflosingtheelections.Shewilljustplay
offthepopularopinionuntilelectionday.Thenshe'llshowhertrueface.andunfortunatelywiththeoilcompanies
andothercorporationsbuyingheroffwewillhaveanotherBushinthewhitehouse.
Flag Share

Orion1973

2 Like

Apr14,2015

"Andifsheloses,itwillbebecausetheGOPdevelopedawinningmessage."
Onethatprovesonceandforallthatsheisdeceitfulandnottrustworthy.
Flag Share

DainW

3 Like

Apr14,2015

@Orion1973Youknow,thesadthingisatthispoint,Idon'tthinkthereareanypoliticiansleftthataren't
deceitfulanduntrustworthy.Unfortunatelythatjustseemstobetheprerequisiteforgettingthatfarin
Americanpoliticsthesedays.Thatbeingsaid,SOMEBODYhastobePresidentandatthispointinthe
game,IthinkmostAmericansfindHillary,inspiteofallherbaggage,tobelessdeceitfuland
untrustworthythananyoftheGOPcandidates.
Flag Share

Like

Picturamadoj

Apr14,2015

@DainW@Orion1973Hillary'ssmarterthantheGOPcandidates.SheknowsWashingtonas
aninsiderandanoutsider.She'srespectedathomeandabroad.She'sbeenextremely
successfulinherprofessions.She'dbeanexcellentpresident.
GoodnessknowsnooneontheGOPsideareworthlookingat.
Flag Share

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Like

14/17

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TheMoses

Apr14,2015

@Picturamadoj@DainW@Orion1973Extremelysuccessfulinherprofessions?Please
elaborate.
Flag Share

Like

LlamaSalaam1

Apr14,2015

@TheMoses@Picturamadoj@DainW@Orion19738yearsasSenatorfollowedby4asSec
State.ShehasmoreforeignpolicyexperiencethananypotentialGOPcandidateandthatisa
veryimportantaspectoftheJob.
Flag Share

Like

JamesSowders

Apr14,2015

@LlamaSalaam1@TheMoses@Picturamadoj@DainW@Orion1973I'mthinking
AmbassadorChristopherStevenswouldhaveaslightlydifferentpointofview.Imeanifhe
werenotlefttofendforhimselfafteraskingforsecurityandlefttobemurderedbyHillary
Flag Share

elrocketcat

Like
Apr14,2015

@JamesSowders@LlamaSalaam1@TheMoses@Picturamadoj@DainW@Orion1973I'm
notsurethat'swhathappened,but,tobefair,iamgoingbytheofficialreportandnottheangry
voicesinyourbrain
Flag Share

Like

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