Say you’re a woman. Say you’ve resisted the temptation to have multiple adulterous affairs. Say you want to be president of the United States.
Don’t inhale, but now would be an excellent time to run.
In fact, the timing has never been better for women interested in political office. Seventy-five percent of voters say they would like to vote for a woman president, according to one recent poll. From the makers of Take Our Daughters to Work Day comes The White House Project. The goal? A woman president by 2008.
The Ms. Foundation and a board of people from various backgrounds have created a portfolio of 20 high-level, high-achieving women who they deem qualified to run for high office, including the highest.
The list of names is under wraps for now, embargoed until Sept. 27 when they’ll be released in Parade magazine. Even those selected don’t know who they are. Board members focused on accomplished women in business, government, education, advocacy and the military. Some of the women are prominent, others unknown, said Devitt, who was unflappably discreet despite my entreaties for inside information.
“Hillary?” I asked finally.
“What can I say?” said Devitt. I say, one down, 19 to go.
Once the list of 20 is announced, Americans will get a chance to help winnow the list. On Nov. 3, voters in 12 key states (California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio and Washington) will be asked at polling stations which of the women they’d like to see run for president.
Others may vote through Nov. 15, using ballots in several national magazines, including People, Essence, Glamour, Jane and Latina. Or you may vote through the projects’ Web site (www.thewhitehouseproject.org) or by calling 900-288-6881. The board then will reduce the slate to five candidates.
The project’s aim isn’t to endorse any single candidate, says Devitt, but to create an environment in which female candidates are considered a natural part of the political conversation rather than the anomaly they’ve always been.
Even though women comprise 52 percent of the population, only 1 percent of all U.S. senators and 2 percent of all U.S. representatives have been women. Currently, only nine out of 100 U.S. Senators are women, as are 53 of 435 U.S. representatives. Only three states have women governors and, of course, no woman has ever been president.
In other words, says Devitt, “Any woman running is a good candidate.”
Maybe, maybe not. Isn’t that the same as saying any African-American candidate is a good candidate just because he’s African-American? And, by extension, why assume that women will vote for a woman just because she’s female?
The bigger question is, will the Ms. Foundation board select women as diverse as the real population of women, or will they choose only those whose politics and values mirror the feminist foundation’s?
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For the truth is, the first woman to serve as president of the United States will have to be more than just a woman. She’ll have to be what we’ve always expected presidential men to be–honest, strong, loyal, forthright, trustworthy and of high moral standing.
Say you’re chuckling right now. Say you’re a woman. You might want to consider running for president. Timing, they say, is everything.
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