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Megan Sheils is
a federal reference librarian. She received her Masters Degree
in Library Science from the University of Maryland, College
Park, and was selected as an American Library Association Emerging
Leader for 2008. She lives in Washington, DC, where she is helping
to organize Girls Rock! DC, a rock and roll camp for girls.
myspace.com/girlsrockdc
 There
is no doubt that the 2008 campaign will be a momentous milestone.
The current candidates are all strong and iconic figures.
The Democratic ticket will hold either an African-American
or a female, and one of these could become our next President.
This campaign realizes a dream long held dear by feminists
and others—the distinct possibility of a women in the
Oval Office.
Now that the dream is within reach, what is the practical
reality? Will supporters of the feminist cause vote for Hillary
Clinton because she is a woman or will they select another
candidate if they prefer their politics? The phenomenon of
a woman finally working her way up to the race for Commander
in Chief is a complex one.
In the days leading up to Super Tuesday, we asked two dozen
women from across the country what they thought about Clinton’s
rise to power, the conundrum of how to vote and the chances
that a woman could become the next Democratic presidential
candidate.
Many of the women interviewed believe that the key to voting
is to stick with the issues rather than vote based on gender
alone. Among the Clinton supporters, most stated that they
support her primarily as a representative of her party, citing
her gender as an added bonus. While most of the women, regardless
of political affiliation, were glad to see a woman rise to
presidential candidacy, several non-supporters stated that
no amount of sisterhood could make up for values that they
disagree with.
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“We should not support just any woman…if
her issues are not what we support. However, assisting
the right females into positions of power is the right
thing to do.”
~Nikki N., horse trainer
“To vote for someone simply because of their race
or gender is not the correct way to implement democracy...While
I am happy that a woman is running, I am not happy that
this woman is running.”
~Annemarie P., electrical engineer
“As a professor of American Women Writers, I lecture
on our responsibility to join the males each November…This
does not mean we vote for Hillary because of her chromosomes.
I vote for her because I think that she is the best
candidate.”
~Colleen W., college professor
“Many other countries have had female leaders
and it’s a shame that America hasn’t gotten
there yet. Her gender should not matter-she is representing
the Democratic party, period.”
~Michelle Lee S., chef
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Among those interviewed, many supporters of Clinton respect
what they believe to be compromises necessary to getting ahead
as a woman and agree with her stand on key issues. Other women
that we spoke with expressed dismay for the media’s focus
on Clinton’s gender while failing to adequately address
her politics.
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“To me, Hillary Clinton represents how far we’ve
come, and how far we have yet to go... A woman can’t
stand up in front of America with a populist, heal-the-world
message; if she did, she’d be laughed out of the
race. Clinton is a centrist…and she has to be.
I know that Hillary Clinton had to work harder, be smarter
and more cautious than any other public official in
the country to get where she is today.”
~Jessica K., web coordinator
“I have been so extremely disappointed in watching
not only the ’objective’ journalists and pundits
persistently denigrate Hillary and her campaign, but
the democratic women of power who have been actually
’snarky’ towards her. Historically, women
have failed to support each other...Why aren’t
we concerned about her policies and not what she wears?”
~Shanda O., social worker/therapist
“I cannot help but think that a lot of Hillary-hatred
came from her active role in the Clinton administration...because
she was not a fluffy wife type. A man with confidence
and guts is considered strong. A woman that way is vilified
and considered a bit*h.”
~Mary B., social worker/therapist and musician
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The truth is, most of the women that we spoke with are still
thinking about this. Hard. They shared thoughts with us about
the complexity of the decision and the difficulty in making
a choice this election season. There was no doubt that Clinton’s
femaleness was a factor-but it appeared to be one of many
considerations, and rarely one that overshadowed issues key
to any election in American women’s history.
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“To me, Hillary Clinton represents how far we’ve
come, and how far we have yet to go... A woman can’t
stand up in front of America with a populist, heal-the-world
message; if she did, she’d be laughed out of the
race. Clinton is a centrist…and she has to be.
I know that Hillary Clinton had to work harder, be smarter
and more cautious than any other public official in
the country to get where she is today.”
~Jessica K., web coordinator
“I have been so extremely disappointed in watching
not only the ’objective’ journalists and pundits
persistently denigrate Hillary and her campaign, but
the democratic women of power who have been actually
’snarky’ towards her. Historically, women
have failed to support each other...Why aren’t
we concerned about her policies and not what she wears?”
~Shanda O., social worker/therapist
“I cannot help but think that a lot of Hillary-hatred
came from her active role in the Clinton administration...because
she was not a fluffy wife type. A man with confidence
and guts is considered strong. A woman that way is vilified
and considered a bit*h.”
~Mary B., social worker/therapist and musician
“The truth is, most of the women that we spoke
with are still thinking about this. Hard. They shared
thoughts with us about the complexity of the decision
and the difficulty in making a choice this election
season. There was no doubt that Clinton’s femaleness
was a factor-but it appeared to be one of many considerations,
and rarely one that overshadowed issues key to any election
in American women’s history.
“I want to vote for her, out of feminist responsibility.
I wonder if my hand will automatically reach for her
name…but I am currently undecided due to her stance
on several issues that are very important to me.”
~Natalie I., poet and federal employee
“Obama may also be sympathetic to the feminists
because he knows what it means to be discriminated against…I
think if she were running against only white males,
she’d have a better chance of getting elected.”
~Katherine S., media specialist
“I really did not think that we would ever see
a female president in our lifetime…I don’t
know if I will vote for Clinton or not. But I do know
that even if I don’t and she does win the nomination,
the feminist in me will still be happy.”
~Lauren C., librarian
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One thing most of us can agree on: No matter the outcome,
this historic race sure has us captivated.
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WINNER
- Website of the Year 
