LeftOut
by Daryl Moore

America’s Problem With Uppity Women

Why must Hillary take a bashing while Mel Carnahan’s widow wins without running?

To the chagrin of many, come January, Hillary Clinton will take her place in the United States Senate. After a bloody battle that cost $30 million, lasted 14 months, involved two opponents, traveled through 67 counties, and wore out five black pantsuits, Hillary Clinton has finally done it. She has won a seat in one of the most male-dominated clubs in U.S. political history.

To the consternation of few, Jean Carnahan will take her place in the United States Senate the same day Hillary does. Mrs. Carnahan will not have campaigned for the seat in a single county, she will defeat an incumbent without having run, and her political wardrobe will have consisted solely of the black dress she wore to her husband’s funeral.

Americans are conflicted about Hillary’s transition from First Lady to U.S. Senator. Everyone has an opinion. No one is lukewarm when the subject of "Hillary" comes up.

The far right is rabid. In Hillary, they see a feminist who mocked traditional wives when she declared she was not just some "stand-by-my-man woman who will stay at home and bake cookies." They see an unabashed liberal, a supporter of abortion rights who tried to nationalize healthcare. They see a woman who acted as a "co-president" for eight years. A woman who exercised power over everyone, but who was accountable to no one. Put simply, they hate Hillary.

Many feminists on the left have a problem with Hillary, too. They see a woman who stood by the man who publicly shamed her. They see a woman who could have been powerful in her own right, but instead chose to derive her power from her husband. Put simply, they think Hillary sold out and they resent it.

Together, this spectrum of Hillary haters accounted for 40 percent of all voters in the New York Senate race. In exit polls, these voters stated that they did not vote for Rick Lazio, they voted against Hillary. They hated Hillary enough –they said–that they would have voted for anyone who ran against her, no matter who it was. While these feminists and far righters might not agree about much, they agreed on one thing: that Hillary did not deserve to be in the U.S. Senate.

On the contrary, most Americans are not conflicted about Senator-Elect Jean Carnahan, the widow of Mel Carnahan, governor of Missouri and candidate for the U.S. Senate until he died in a plane crash while campaigning.

Mrs. Carnahan is by all accounts a lovely woman. She spent much of her adult life being the good political wife, supporting her husband in all of his political endeavors. Unlike Hillary, Mrs. Carnahan never publicly expressed her political opinions. Instead, she deferred to her husband and wrote books about nonpolitical matters, like how to entertain at Christmas.

But when Mel Carnahan died after the deadline had passed for the Democratic Party to name a replacement candidate to run against Senator John Ashcroft, there was an immediate public outcry for Jean Carnahan to agree to accept an appointment to the U.S. Senate should her dead husband garner the most votes.

After some contemplation, Mrs. Carnahan agreed. She held a press conference and stated that while she would not campaign, she would accept an appointment to the U.S. Senate to keep the "flame of her husband’s memory alive." And while Mrs. Carnahan was contemplating about whether to accept one of the most powerful positions in America, there was no backlash.

Even though Mrs. Carnahan is pro-choice, there was no rally from the right to defeat her. Even though she derived all of her power from her husband, feminists were not offended. And while feminists and far righters might not agree about much, they agreed that it was okay to appoint Mrs. Carnahan to a U.S. Senate seat if her husband won it posthumously.

Why do so many Americans have a problem with Hillary but not Jean Carnahan? How can the same people who argue that Hillary does not deserve a Senate seat argue that Jean Carnahan somehow does?

I think the answer is simple. Many Americans have a problem with uppity women. Uppity women like Hillary Clinton who don’t know their place, who voice their opinions, and who challenge traditional gender stereotypes.

I also think the U.S. Senate will be a better place with a few more women in it– whether the women are uppity like Hillary, or traditional like Jean. For as different as Hillary Clinton and Jean Carnahan are, I don’t think either of them will take kindly to another Clarence Thomas being appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court while an all-white, all-male Judiciary Committee interrogates a black woman about why she waited so long to come forward with charges of sexual harassment. And, I don’t think either of them will sit quietly by while a bunch of men debate whether it should be illegal for a woman to get a late-term abortion even when her life is in danger.

I think Hillary and Jean deserve what they got. I think men like Trent Lott will ultimately get what they deserve. And I think America will get used to a few more women in the U.S. Senate.