Like many women before her, is Hillary’s obstacle her sex?

Like many women before her, is Hillary’s obstacle her sex?

By Judi Panasik
The Weekly Recorder
April 11, 2008

Last weekend I took a trip to the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and ironically was subjected to a weekend filled with feminism. It was on this trip that I gained more respect for the obstacles faced by Senator Hillary Clinton as a woman. And although Hillary never brings up the gender that plagues her, the reality of it is in America, women still remain the overlooked majority.

In other countries around the world women have been elected to equal positions for decades. Margaret Thatcher in England, Imelda Marcos in the Philippines, and in India where women have less standing then men Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1964. Over the last 200 years, England has been mainly ruled by Queens. Why then is America, the land of opportunity and equality, not ready for a woman?

Hillary would not have been my first choice for the first female presidential or democratic candidate. The truth be told, I swore to my friends I would never vote for her. Like most people that I talk to, as a feminist I’ve held a grudge over her commitment to her husband after endless sexual scandals. I was bothered by the fact that she would be the first woman to represent women. Over the last week, while researching an artist whose exhibit I was going to view, I saw striking similarities between the two women. That, along with my recent encounters with Hillary, has changed my view of the woman that she is.

While viewing the movie Frida, about the late Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who also had a famous husband, Diego Rivera, that was unfaithful through their entire marriage. She knew when she married him, by his own admission, that he could never be faithful. But their love was about their relationship. Their mutual respect for one another. They became friends through their art and their political beliefs.

I think back to the day when I heard President Clinton speak. He told the story of when Hillary and he were dating and how she became emotional over children that were being abused. And when I hear her talk about him you get that same feeling of respect.

What has happened in their private lives is their business, as long as it is not something that will affect the American people. And had the Republicans not wanted to destroy Clinton, we would have never been the wiser. It is a well-known fact that many of our presidents have had affairs while serving. Truth be told we don’t hold grudges against the men that do it, so why do we hold them against the women that stay with them?

The Frida exhibit was not the only exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art that showcased a successful woman. An exhibit on the Art of Lee Miller, photojournalist and model, took you through the development of another woman during the same period as Kahlo. Miller chose to come from in front of the lens and make art from the other side of the camera. She not only took pictures of objects in unique settings and angles but also covered WWII on the front lines as a photojournalist. Her stories and pictures were dramatic, honest and compelling. But how many of us have heard of her?

We remember Edward R. Murrow the CBS war correspondent. Miller also did an article on him. Miller wasn’t the one I was taught about in my college communications classes, it was Murrow.

The biggest disappointment over the weekend came from the Constitution Center. I toured the “Baseball as America” exhibit. Being a big fan of the movie “A League of their Own,” I was hoping to learn more about the women’s’ baseball league that replaced men’s baseball during WWII. However the exhibit only had one case showcasing information on women in baseball. Minimal artifacts and very little history were on display. There were endless cases on how marketing affected baseball and the segregation of the sport, but very little on women. I found it interesting that there were woman’s teams in the 1800’s that were for hire if you needed an attraction. There was also a plaque that stated baseball has been a sport in which women have been unable to make gains.

As a women who has seen first hand how there is still discrimination in the workplace, and in life in general, I have to respect what Hillary is doing. Yet her campaign is not based on the fact that she is a woman or could become the first female President.
During her husbands time in office she was scrutinized for everything from her fashion sense to what was characterized as her aggressive behavior regarding her involvement with his administration.
Maybe that’s another thing the public is holding against her. The well-known fact that Hillary has always wanted to be President. On a trip to England in 2000, British citizens were discussing the fact that she would run in 2008. Unlike Obama, her run for the office is in no way a surprise. By that same reasoning she is also more prepared for it.

Over the last month Hillary has been canvassing across the Keystone State. As one of her staff stated, “The road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue runs through Pennsylvania,” and Hillary is not taking that for granted. Unlike Obama, she and her family have given speeches and answered questions at numerous events in Western Pennsylvania. What I’ve been most impressed with is that she actually has answers, not just statement.

During this campaign Hillary has not received the support from women that Obama has from the African American community. Women are not coming out by the droves viewing Hillary as a step toward equality.

As Hillary marches on, who will follow?