Hillary: to vote or not to vote

Posted on 10 March 2008 by Cass Sharpe-Taylor

Hillary ClintonI seem to be having the same conversation with people about Hillary and her candidacy for president. It usually goes something like this:

 “So what you’re saying is that all women are the same,” I retorted.

“No that’s not what I’m saying at all,” she or he says as they divert their eyes from mine.  They begin feverishly looking around the restaurant or office or apartment, eyes darting from corner to corner, attempting to find the nearest exit or at least a bathroom.

“Then what do you mean when you said, ‘I wouldn’t vote for Hillary or any woman because they’re too emotional?’”  

“What I mean to say is that, well, women are emotional and men, well….aren’t.”

“Ok. I get it,” I begin to nod, giving a bit of a smile. “What you mean to say is that the problem is not women being emotional. It’s that politicians should not be emotional at all?”

“Ahheh,” she or he sighs, “I give up.”

It seems that being emotional is seen by quite a few people as a negative this presidential election year.  I just have to disagree with this assertion mostly because of the failure in logic.

To begin, having too much emotion seems like a silly reason not to vote for someone. I want a president who is not afraid to show their humanity. The ability to feel things and elect responses to injustice and inhumane treatment of others is something that I personally value. The issue with emotions in politics is not simply about the expression of them. The question that should be at the forefront of our thoughts as we elect the next leader of our nation is: what does the potential president do with these emotions?  Call me crazy, but good citizens and the leaders they elect are not ruled simply by the emotions generated by the events of the world. They use their logic in conjunction with emotional response to solve the problems that face us in this global society.  

I guess the question is: when did it become expected that public figures shield us from their emotions?  It’s almost as if we are afraid of them showing that they are human. They make mistakes as most people do. But what sets them apart from us, what makes them qualified to lead, is their ability to admit mistakes and move past them with dignified honesty. To me it does not matter that a presidential candidate cried on television in front of millions. I would rather them display an honest emotional moment rather than lie about the choices they make as my president.

I hope that we all keep our eyes on the ball and realize that there are bigger issues than gender and its perceived connection to emotional capacity this election. I mean hell, there is a war going on, American’s without health insurance, most of us are under paid and over worked, and too afraid to think into our future because we are seeing the economy crumbling before our eyes. Gas prices are at an all time high and there’s not telling when or if they will be reduced. These are issues that I want my president to be emotional about because they affect me everyday and sometimes make me want to cry.

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4 Comments For This Post

  1. Ashleigh Says:
    March 10th, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    I’d rather some real emotion be exhibited than the fake smile that she had plastered on her face during her interview with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show last Monday, March 3rd. And that’s just one particular instance of which I can make note. There are plenty of other times that they all have a pompous, butter-wouldn’t-melt persona.

    I say bring on the emotion and the passion. I’d rather have someone who gives a damn about being my president and making a change instead of just being philosophical during campaign time and then pandering through the next 4 to 8 years.

  2. Michael Callaway Says:
    March 11th, 2008 at 3:41 am

    The issue should not be about race or sex, it should be about who will make the best President. Of course, everyone has a different view of what “the best” means. While I have been a Republican all my life and will be voting for John McCain in the fall, I feel like Mrs. Clinton will make a fine President if she elected. Her being a woman should not be an issue, what should be an issue is do you agree with her on the war in Iraq, health care and taxes? Second, do you feel like she could do that better then Barak Obama? Those should be the only issues, not what sex, race or even religion you may have.

  3. Daniel Says:
    March 11th, 2008 at 5:46 am

    Honestly, I think Hillary is the one candidate that everyone has a problem believing. She’s not genuine, and she flip flops in her style. One month she tries to be warm and motherly because that’s what the polls say she lacks. The next month she’s tough and willing to kick some ass, because she’s not being taken seriously enough.

    I don’t care that she’s a woman. Let me take that back. I can’t tell if I care that she’s a woman because I’m too busy not trusting her for other reasons. I care 1) that she “forgave” her husband’s infidelity as a political gesture, 2) that I believe she is one of the meanest people to run for president in the past 20 years, and 3) that her attitude and presentation will flip flop based on the latest public polls.

    I’m not excited about this election any longer. I liked Obama a lot until I started noticing all these inconsistencies with him as well. The problem there is that the media is in love with him, so they will forgive almost anything.

    McCain is a creepy old man. I don’t want him running my business, my country, or getting anywhere near the women in my family. He has “untrustworthy” plastered in bold across his eyeballs. Which leaves me with the question: which is the least of three evils?

  4. Cass Says:
    March 11th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

    I think that you all bring up great points.

    Ashley: yes! I agree, bring on the emotion and the candor and keep it going through out the presidency. The only issue is that we won’t know until we elect a person if that emotion will sustain through out their tenure in office. In the mean time, what criteria are you basing your vote on?

    Michael: I would have to disagree with you. I think that race, gender and class are always an issue within any political arena. We live in a culture where these things are the criteria by which we are judged as well as judge others. To say that race and gender should not be an issue is great in theory, however it is not the reality of this country as a whole or this campaign in particular. So the race of the candidates does not matter to you as an individual, however I would beg to know how you see your race, gender and class impacting not only your vote but the choices you make daily, weekly, monthly and through out your life time.

    Daniel: I would argue that ALL the candidates have their contradictions. I mean, they’re human right? And in this day and age of constant media scrutiny there is now way that any of them can present the same way all the time. Moreover, as your comment alludes to, the media interprets their actions for the public. The information we receive is skewed even before it hits the airwaves. I guess the challenge is not picking the littlest of all three evils but voting for the individual who will best represent what is important to you domestically and internationally.

    I would also like to add that my post is not meant to be an endorsement of Hillary or any candidate b/c they are all problematic in their own ways, however I think it is important to listen to the reasons why folks are or are not going to vote. In my opinion we are all being duped into not asking the hard questions of the candidates’ b/c this race has been full of fluff and is lacking on hard substantive debate.

    I myself look forward to the convention to see who comes out on top and who us dems attempt to rally behind.

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