Notes from the Cracked Ceiling
Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and What It Will Take for a Woman to Win
Anne E. Kornblut
- In
- the
- presidential
- election
- of
- 2008
- America
- seemed
- ready
- to
- elevate
- a
- woman
- to
- the
- presidency
- or
- vice
- presidency
- and—with
- Hillary
- Clinton
- and
- Sarah
- Palin—was
- on
- the
- verge
- of
- actually
- doing
- so.
- Words
- like
- inevitable
- and
- phenomenon
- were
- in
- the
- air
- and
- the
- political
- and
- cultural
- stars
- seemed
- to
- be
- aligned.Why
- didn’t
- it
- happen?
- What
- will
- it
- take
- to
- make
- it
- happen
- soon?In
- a
- probing
- analysis
- sure
- to
- ignite
- controversy,
- acclaimed
- White
- House
- correspondent
- Anne
- Kornblut
- argues
- that
- the
- optimists
- are
- blind
- to
- formidable
- obstacles
- that
- still
- stand
- in
- the
- way
- of
- any
- woman
- who
- aims
- for
- America’s
- highest
- political
- offices.
- And
- she
- makes
- clear
- exactly
- which
- strategies
- and
- common
- assumptions
- will
- need
- to
- change
- if
- a
- woman
- intends
- to
- break
- through
- the
- “highest,
- hardest
- glass
- ceiling”
- of
- all.
- Delving
- deep
- inside
- the
- Clinton
- and
- Palin
- campaigns,
- Kornblut
- reveals:•
- the
- strategists’
- mishandling
- of
- their
- candidates
- as
- women
- by
- failing
- to
- strike
- the
- right
- balance
- between
- femininity
- and
- toughness•
- Clinton’s
- weathering
- of
- a
- series
- of
- stinging
- gender-based
- attacks,
- until
- accusations
- of
- “pimping
- out”
- her
- daughter,
- Chelsea,
- finally
- brought
- her
- to
- tears•
- that
- Barack
- Obama
- was
- celebrated
- for
- his
- “historic”win
- in
- Iowa,
- even
- though
- it
- was
- not
- the
- first
- time
- an
- African
- American
- had
- won
- a
- caucus,
- but
- few
- noticed
- when
- Clinton
- became
- the
- first
- woman
- to
- win
- a
- primary
- in
- New
- Hampshire•
- that
- Palin
- was
- chosen
- solely
- by
- men,
- none
- of
- whom
- had
- experience
- in
- running
- women
- for
- officeDrawing
- from
- exclusive
- interviews
- with
- prominent
- women
- in
- both
- parties,
- Kornblut
- pinpoints
- where
- politically
- ambitious
- American
- women
- have
- gone
- wrong
- and
- what
- it
- will
- take
- to
- put
- them
- on
- track
- to
- the
- ultimate
- prize:
- the
- presidency.
- Former
- secretary
- of
- state
- Condoleezza
- Rice
- asserts:
- “We
- crossed
- the
- bar
- on
- African
- Americans
- some
- time
- ago.
- I’m
- not
- quite
- sure
- we’ve
- crossed
- it
- on
- women.”
- House
- Speaker
- Nancy
- Pelosi
- remarks
- on
- the
- “suit
- of
- armor”
- women
- must
- don
- to
- survive
- the
- sexism
- and
- viciousness
- of
- politics.
- Homeland
- Security
- Director
- Janet
- Napolitano
- confronts
- the
- false
- rumors
- that
- she
- is
- a
- lesbian
- and
- reveals
- what
- an
- invigorating
- “kick
- in
- the
- pants”
- it
- is
- to
- be
- in
- politics.
- And
- California
- gubernatorial
- candidate
- Meg
- Whitman,
- the
- former
- head
- of
- eBay,
- compares
- politics
- to
- business:
- “It
- feels
- to
- me,
- thus
- far,
- as
- less
- of
- a
- meritocracy
- and
- more
- of
- a
- popularity
- contest.
- More
- of
- a
- little
- bit
- of
- an
- old
- boys’
- club.”Kornblut
- identifies
- the
- surprising
- realities
- of
- gender
- politics,
- such
- as
- the
- harsh
- treatment
- female
- candidates
- often
- receive
- from
- women
- voters,
- the
- gap
- between
- the
- United
- States
- and
- other
- countries
- when
- it
- comes
- to
- the
- electability
- of
- women,
- the
- “mommy
- penalty”
- that
- handicaps
- women
- candidates
- with
- young
- children,
- and
- the
- special
- appeal
- that
- women
- with
- law
- enforcement
- backgrounds
- have
- with
- voters.Notes
- from
- the
- Cracked
- Ceiling
- reveals
- that
- the
- highly
- touted
- new
- era
- of
- gender-equal
- politics
- never
- got
- as
- far
- as
- was
- commonly
- perceived
- and
- is
- now
- in
- full
- retreat.
- It
- is
- essential
- reading
- for
- anyone
- who
- cares
- about
- politics
- and
- the
- limits
- for
- women
- that persist.
