Kyrsten Sinema is running for Jeff Flake's seat here in AZ. Her ads have her discussing a homeless period as a child, she has identified as bi-sexual for a while AND she's a Democrat.
She also has a very good chance of winning.
Vote in November!
24
Perhaps the true "trickle down' effect of the Trump presidency lies not in the economy, but in the perception of "electability." Political correctness has been superseded by political "inappropriateness' as the context of what defines acceptable public decorum has been largely upended. If the putative populism of a billionaire president can inspire victory, why not the veritable experiences of the everyman or woman? If the commander in chief can conduct foreign policy in profanity laced tweets, why cannot i reveal my tattoo? And why must I vote for the ivy league educated, donor funded, establishment candidate instead of the individual that looks like, thinks, and feels like myself? The wave of change is not red or blue, it it is the redefinition of the acceptable norms and values determining our political landscape. The power of government must return to the people as provided by an inclusive electorate, representative of wishes and ideals of ordinary Americans. Our challenge will be to not glibly change our value structure based on impulse, algorithm driven news feeds confusing the real with the clickable, or a compelling desire to be part of something new, but through an honest evaluation of what matters most to us, how it can be implemented, and who can make it reality.
16
A tattoo is a bad sign. Yes, they are fashionable and increasingly ubiquitous on the young, but as older people many will be embarrassed by them and in some cases have them removed--very painful. It will create work for tattoo removers, but pales beside the work the skateboarders are creating for orthopedists of the future, that will be a good field to go into. Unless the doctors are all replaced by robots.
5
While having more women in office will undoubtedly change a lot of perspectives for a number of years, historically it has proven to be absolutely true that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. As time goes on and any one group of office holders gets too used to being in the catbird seat, they stop representing the people and start representing themselves. What we need is term limits. We did it for the presidency because people who didn't like Franklin Roosevelt were afraid we were headed for a monarchy. They had a point, and I think it's time that we stopped letting the same people, male or female, remain in power for years on end.
8
The article does mention Martha McSally and Kay Ivey. And interviews Christine Matthews, a "Republican-turned-independent consultant." Yes, there are many more women who are Republicans or independents but this is just one article. The NY Times is generally a center-left paper. If you read across a broad ideological spectrum, there is a deeper perspective.
I applaud the fact that more and more women are seeking elected office, and I hope they're successful. But, I find this article to be just one more in a long line of overly exuberant articles about 'changes' that may help defeat Trump.
As a Democrat, now more than ever, all I care about is can they win? I'm not interested in supporting a party that seems to value being a part of a social experiment more than winning elections.
In both this article and others I've read in the NYT or WaPo, there's NO mention about their standing in the polls against their opponents.
18
It’s about the economy and the overall insecurity of families. Who would want to have children under these circumstances. Women, as traditional cafe givers, are in the frontline of family wellbeing. We need to bring back our attention to families and working families- blue and white collar. Neither is doing so well.
What the Democratic leadership misses: I.e. Sen. Chuck Schumer, is that although job creation has grown, the types of jobs are 1) transient: part-time jobs, consulting jobs - there’s zero security 2) don’t provide benefits. Workers have to pay for their own medical insurance/ coverage, don’t include vacation or paid time off, 3) pay is very low. Schumer is not the right face for Democrats. He represents the status quo, as would Bloomberg - btw, should he really think he can get elected. As for the GOP, last week’s FBI hearings speak for themselves (Jordan/ Meadows, Gohmert - enough said)
7
An ad showing a candidate breastfeeding is supposed to inspire confidence? Really? That just screams "vote for me because I'm a woman!"
I hope the advertisement actually included her experience and positions.
8
No, I don't want to see the candidate put on mascara, or change shoes. I don't wear mascara and it's irrelevant to me whether the candidate does or doesn't wear mascara. As for heels, I don't wear them either, and don't think that matters an iota regarding her qualifications. I'd love to see the female candidate nurturing her child/children/husband, another child, making the family dinner, helping with homework, and doing her own work. That makes her real to me. Putting on mascara is any woman's prerogative, be she celebrity or Jane Doe. Nurturing, defending, closeness with family, and standing for humanistic values will get my vote.
Changing heels and putting on mascara doesn't mean a thing to me.
10
The needs of ordinary people are often ignored in elections. These woman appear to highlight just that - Hillary Clinton did not. A right leaning SCOTUS would do the same - Ignore the ordinary.
Hopefully we will elect a congress that cares for the little guy and gal.
Some of the people I respect most wear tattoos. Tattoos don't bother me one bit. But people who wear no tattoos but wear their views, loud and clear, bother me more. Such as Trump.
4
Let's hope the DNC has learned something after their clear bias for Clinton over Sanders. The establishment needs to help all these newcomers and lay a foundation for new leadership that will work for all Americans. It would make sense for Pelosi not to disappear suddenly but instead to step aside while helping new leadership.
4
How could it not be personal for women, when once elected, they may be casting votes for their own freedoms, along with yours ? (such as complete dominion over their own bodies as well as your freedom over yours)
How could it not be personal, when every single aspect of freedom (from religion, from government overstepping the law, from radical right extremism) being held in the balance.
It does not matter how they wear their hair, makeup or clothes, but who and what they stand for and if they are dedicated and competent.
As soon as women partake in all levels/sectors of society as well as lead, corresponding to their numbers of the population, then the world will be a better and in particular, safer place
I really believe that.
14
In the world of professional symphonic music - the first two rounds of auditions for a position in a symphony orchestra are held behind a screen --
The only information the audition committee has at first is the person's name and a copy of their resumé -- they know nothing else about the candidate and the rest is left up to the quality of their playing --
If they play well enough, they advance to the next round - while the screen remains in place, only to be removed during the finals - when the winner is selected and offered the job --
Tattoos, student debt, juggling three kids at home, divorce, etc --- that may be all well and good -- but can you get through an entire movement of the concerto without missing any notes, with a beautiful sound and an impeccable sense of musical phrasing --?
In other words -- Are you the best qualified candidate for the job -?
5
Candidates being authentic, as opposed to merely trying to act authentic. The polar opposite of Trump and today’s entire GOP. Refreshing beyond words.
8
How could it not be personal for women, when once elected, they may be casting votes for their own freedoms, along with yours ? (such as complete dominion over their own bodies as well as your freedom over yours)
How could it not be personal, when every single aspect of freedom (from religion, from government overstepping the law, from radical right extremism) being held in the balance.
It does not matter how they wear their hair, makeup or clothes, but who and what they stand for and if they are dedicated and competent.
As soon as women partake in all levels/sectors of society as well as lead, corresponding to their numbers of the population, then the world will be a better and in particular, safer place.
I really believe that.
3
Is there a reason why all the women candidates featured in this article are Democrats? There are plenty of Republican women candidates.
1
There were two Republican women candidates. Perhaps there were more Democrats because of the focus of the article.
6
“It was very specific, saying, ‘I come from this background where we didn’t have much, and I’m trying to fix that for you.’” he said. “That appeals to me, she can relate.”
THIS, a thousand times THIS.
Before running for office and continuing to re-run became the career, actually DOING something while in office for those back at home was the job.
Our country is made up of more women than men. Candidates should represent the people that elect them. While it may seem like a "fad", an anti-Trump knee-jerk reaction, I think it's about time.
Most women run their lives like the old joke about why Ginger Rogers was really a better dancer than Fred Astaire....she did everything he did, but did it backwards in high heels and a dress. (For those too young for that analogy, find a youtube video of Fred and Ginger).
7
The commentary and the responses have little to do with either the art, or the requirements, for governing. Governing is not about assembling all-manner of individuals--young/old; male/female; rich/poor; healthy/ill; guns/no guns; tattoo/no tattoo; abortion/no abortion; immunization/no immunization; socialist/capitalist and ones from all manner of sects--on the Capitol's public stage espousing all-manner of private views and say: "Go at it." It may work at a temperamental town hall meeting, but it won't yield trust, or authority, for an ordered society. The formal black cloak for a judge has meaning. The policeman's formal uniform has meaning. A judge evidently sporting a tattoo, piercings and pistol as gavel, may be a decent human, but not a respected arbiter.
Confusing 'advocacy' as qualification for 'law maker' is taking us from an art of governing premised on producing policy for a society or a population to a form of governing ignoring disrespect and lack of suitable qualification from its selected Solons.
1
Ms. Finkenauer, Congressional candidate for Iowa’s First Congressional District, will not be burdened by the “hurdles of gerrymandering”. That was terrible editorial commentary. Iowa is one of the least gerrymandered states in the nation and congressional districts largely follow county boundaries.
The effective congressional districts map for the state of Iowa can be found here:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/DOCS/Resources/Redist/2011/2011-03-31/Congres...
3
" ... voters are more willing to accept female candidates as qualified." Well, isn't that special. Females "just might" be qualified!
4
So Stacey Abrams wants to talk about mental illness. I remember the wife of another Georgia governor made this her issue: Roslyn Carter.
4
I find it interesting that these comments by readers of this article truly demonstrate the sexist, uneducated, narrow, stereotypical views of voters that female candidates will have to fight against as they campaign. I was excited to read this article, and then devastated to read all these comments.
Talking about one’s struggles as a woman in this culture, whether it is with student debt or working a job while raising a family, doesn’t mean that one is unintelligent or cannot understand and make good financial choices. Showing that one has a tattoo doesn’t mean that one is lazy or promiscuous or immoral. You all are revealing far more about yourselves than these women. And it is pathetic and you clearly don’t get it.
Sexism in this culture runs deep. And even many NY Times readers are part of the problem.
15
Some newspaper articles surprise me. Women have been beaten, denied education and raped as part of job requirement. This has been common knowledge in churches, synagogues, mosques, universities, hospitals, every level of representative government and entertainment. Didnt we expect a response that even the most primitive of male troglodytes would understand? A loss of power, image and self perceived rights. Hopefully some males will lose their freedom. Any woman without a racist, anti education, healthcare denying misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic platform has my support regardless of Party affiliation. Parties are patina-like. The GOP is naked.
9
Will it ever be appropriate for female political candidates to talk about their abortions?
7
May the best candidate win, regardless of their sex.
2
I find some of these comments truly fascinating and unsettling. A woman with a tattoo can not be voted for because you consider that poor judgement. Your bias towards tattoos extends to men too, right? So I assume you'll be asking for proof that those male candidates are not tattooed somewhere? Not even in solidarity to their fellow servicemen (if they've served), we can't have any "cartoons on skin" regardless of if they have meaning. She can not be voted for because she has debt (student or otherwise). Because your male candidates have none? Have paid off their houses entirely, cars too? You personally have none? Finally, speaking as someone who lost her job because of the mishandling of HP, If Carly Fiorina is your example of good leadership? I don't have to wonder at all at your being critical over something trivial and using that to judge instead of the bigger picture. As the article states, a candidate who didn't present how her story correlated to the issues at hand lost. Being willing to share our stories and how we are all human is so crucial to bridging the divide in our nation right now. Expecting the people who govern us, pass laws for us and represent us to somehow be perfect is how we end up with scandals after the fact. We have no idea who these people really are of what they are capable of doing because we elected a facade and are left dealing with the fallout. Oh! One other thing, you can't condemn Hillary for staying and yet also say divorce is a bad look.
32
I love this, but it makes me awfully nervous. There are college-educated women in my extended family who are so messed up on evangelical Christianity that they voted for Trump because their reading of the bible tells them that a woman cannot hold power over a man.
19
It seems you do not include yourself as part of the family "messed up on evangelical Christianity." You feel strongly enough about this to write a response to the NYT article. Is it perhaps your clear vision and feelings that can bring about a change in the bible-hipped relatives?
1
Just because they're college educated doesn't mean they can't be ignorant.
4
Hey, just the other day, I was saying to my wife, I would feel more comfortable voting for a woman if she had a tat. Wow! Just what we need to bring down the Tea Party and Trump.
5
Wonderful to see these young women be heard.
9
Before "changing politics forever," our (apparently) suit-less, tattooed heroines have to actually win an election or three. And we're not talking about The Bronx. I know, a technicality for the impassioned. But true, nonetheless.
4
Perversely, Trump may be the catalyst that delivers a women majority to elected office, by 2025. Times up guys.
12
So they're going for the "vote for pitiful me"?
Thanks, no.
It's better to see good judgement and show a grasp of public management that extends beyond some of the "paid-for daycare" planks. They have to understand that money has to come from somewhere - and it better not involve increasing my tax burden.
Part of this is responsibly managing your own debt. The female Democrat candidate for Georgia governor has a huge amount of student loan debt, years after graduation
and, considering the amount of financial mismanagement evident in Atlanta and areas nearby, she won't be getting my vote.
You don't get a pass from be just because your parents couldn't put a silver spoon in your mouth.
4
"..."just beccause your parents couldn't put a silver spoon in your mouth," doesn't get you a pass with Margo, but wait a minute, Margo. Not having that silver spoon meant you were mortgaging your future away. Don't people have 30-year mortgages? My friends' children are merely paying off the interest on the loan. When I graduated college, I came out with a 4% interest loan, which didn't start until I got a job. These kids have interest start the minute they take out the loan. Something is so wrong. Sure, if this candidate has college loans, I totally understand...and sympathize.
It has nothing to do with good financial management, but the avarice of loan companies and the government's hand in stealing from our youth.
8
Some of these comments on here are mind-boggling; and judgements through the roof.
13
Right now, right here in print, we are seeing the authentic, tell-it-like-it-is, truthful candidates we are starving for.
Power to the Women!!!
15
vignarajah's campaign in maryland featured her as an in-your-face ultra-feminist -- "this is who i am, you better like it, and if you don't, it says more about you than about me" -- sort of forgot the "oh, and i'd really like your vote" -- she tanked herself
4
This article adeptly covers many of the women we are avidly following (and rooting for) today. And your choice of Ms Finkenauer is intriguing. However I could not find WHERE she is running in the text, going down 15-20 paragraphs onto the inside page. Why would Ms. Zernike not lead with that? It’s of interest especially considering the folksy local context.
6
Abby Finkenauer is running for the 1st congressional district in Iowa and she has a very very good chance of winning.
2
Tattoos and personal stories may be cute and expose the woman's person, but this world is not only too complex and dangerous for those superficialities to get my vote. We have one of those for president right now! Do you love him, just because most (not even all) of his warts are showing? He is rapidly accelerating America's destruction.
Hillary lost, because the more she play-acted and lied about who she really was, the more her real self was shown to be just that - a bad actress who was neither prepared nor fit to run the world. So we got the reality showman's reality.
America is in the throes of a dying democracy. To save it, if it's still possible, will require Competence and Experience from either sex. It will require a Statesman or Stateswoman who can deal intelligently with those who lead the rest of the world instead of being the hated Ugly American.
Forget sax players and sex players. We need real minds - if there are any left - that are still willing to run the crushing exposure of our so-called media.
7
Who comes up with these headlines? Why are they focused on what women are wearing vs. what women are doing? Do better NYT!
14
“better then anybody does”
2
If you're looking for a job at my place and you were dumb enough to get a clearly visible tattoo, if I'm in charge, like George Steinbrenner, you wouldn't work for me.
4
After no drama Obama I was ready for the no drama mama.
1
Having independent women such as these fighting to add their voices, history, and insights to our "old boy" Congress is a relief to see and a needed new voice in Congress. Consider the options carefully and elect the best for the nation.
10
If revealing personal matters is an effective way for candidates to appeal to voters, those from poor families can have chances to become senators or representatives. Their opinions will reflect the serious problems of low-salary people. The Senate and the House of Representatives would get more various kinds of opinions than now.
35
Hilary's problem was not that she was a woman, it was that she stayed married to Bill Clinton.
23
I'd say it was her lousy ideas, horrible presentation, and appearance fair or not of corruption.
6
On a radio interview where she took questions I asked her about not leaving her husband - I was the only man to get thru to ask and the only person to ask a person “relevant” question that went unanswered.
1
Women are complex?
Whoa, let me soak that in a bit.
23
As a longstanding feminist who is very angry right now, I'll believe it when I see it. At this point I do not accept that there will be a wave of women coming into office, or that if such a wave comes that it will last. 2016 was as much proof as I need that this is an astonishingly sexist society in which women - to no small degree because of themselves - by and large can only be second to men. If you disagree, then don't take it out on me. Prove your point at the voting booth, for once and for all. Then I'll start listening to you again. Should women vote for qualified women just because they are women? Of course they should, or women will never advance. Should women candidates be themselves rather than trying to follow rules in a system set up to keep them behind? It goes without saying. Should we vote for a qualified woman who shows her tattoo, or changes shoes on the subway platform? Yes, indeed, because most of us can relate to those sorts of things and because we should be seeking down-to-earth people like us to represent us, not some sort of political royalty that lives by other rules and therefore can't relate to us. But women: until and unless YOU make that wave happen, I will sit on the sidelines. I cannot tell you how fed up I am at this point with standing up for people who refuse to stand up for themselves.
34
Have you actually run for any office personally? I see a lot of blame tossed around in your post but also a message that might resonate in the proper hands.
2
Men have long enjoyed the labor and support of women. Women help make male lives, careers and ambitions possible. If we are to shift the paradigm toward equality, then we need hundreds of years of men supporting women in the same way. We don’t need men saying “I’ll sit this fight out until you ladies look like you’re already winning.” We need men as allies and support systems along the whole journey towards equality. We need men to recognize that they have been the beneficiaries of unappreciated, unpaid or underpaid women’s work. We need men to start repaying the favor. We need men’s help, just as men have always and still need women’s help. We need to be a united front.
8
Those of us who do stand up for ourselves can’t win without the support of feminist men (and, of course, without the support of more women). Don’t take out your frustration with the women who don’t stand up for themselves on those of us who do!
9
Tattoos and credit card debt. What's next?
" I failed algebra II twice because I have an IQ of 79. Vote for me!"
Lose your dignity and you lose everything.
32
What next? We have it already! What about 6 bankruptcies, stiifing contractors, defrauding students having to pay back 25M, and caught in a tape glorifying sexual assault, among many many other disgusting behaviors? Give me a halfway competent woman with tattoos who takes her responsibilities seriously, anytime over the traitor who is defiling the Oval Office now.
12
What do you mean “next?” There are candidates right now who run on how uneducated they are and how that makes them “normal people.”
2
Vbering, I almost had to laugh! Have you forgotten the campaign of Donald Trump - his business failings; his disgusting, demeaning and vulgar views about women; and the list goes on. Credit card debt and tattoos seem quaint - and they certainly are normal and relatable, unlike the current man at the top.
3
“President Trump has routinely singled out women leaders as “wacky,” promiscuous and ‘low I.Q.’”
His communication style now reliably translates into the attacking adjectives as describing himself.
Each provokingly negative assertion most invariably indicates really what he is. A most recent example was President I-Know-You-Are-But-What-Am-I? saying this week that Chancellor Merkel is tied/indebted to Russia. The audacity is only in the reversal, a very “low creativity” of tactic as some might simply label it.
21
I am so inspired by these female candidates.
They are honest, articulate, refreshing, and so down to earth. They've walked many different paths in their journey to this point of their lives. These are women who are determined to break through the paralysis of this male dominated, partisan, old-boy network in Congress.
42
They also offer hope that it IS possible for people who are not wealthy, powerful and well connected - but who have ideas for change and passion - to run for office.
47
This “shift” is a real deal great American theme, even if not yet a widespread revolution of representation internationally. But it might be understood more deeply as a natural expression of a greater variety of personality types at liberty to express themselves authentically. Personality types were first fully expressed by a mother-daughter team around the 1940s when integration of women at every level was again necessary for liberty’s continued success.
6
I have way too many skeletons in my closet to run for office, but I often think about how I could easily outperform the typical candidate. I created a kind of civics website called the Brutal Civics Lesson. My approach would be to teach.
You read that right: Teach. And I wouldn't bore anyone. In town hall meetings, I would explain the damage Trump is doing, and why and how it eventually affects everyone. I would demonstrate that the GOP and many Democrats don't care about their constituents and illustrate how the wealthy, and the likes of the NRA, have bought America.
Then I would explain what needs to be done in general, and what I would do specifically legislatively to pull this country back from the brink. Then I would make crystal clear the obligations of the voter.
I could make it work, but my appeals to Democratic leaders went unanswered. What they need is a hard kick in the teeth with heavy boots. There is a clear and present danger to the republic and solving this problem requires a very different approach from politics as usual.
What I ought to do is open a campaign consulting business or sign on with one. Fortunately, women like those in this article, are figuring it out. You rock, ladies. Let it rip and good luck!
14
To hell with what's in the closet, you should reconsider!
3
What are these female candidates accomplishing by exposing their tattoos, , putting on mascara and changing shoes on a subway platform, or sharing the intimate details of their divorces and debt?
" I can't get my act together. Vote for me ." ?!
These women are doing a disservice to themselves, and to women in general, by presenting women this way.
This strategy is not going to get my vote. As a woman. I don't appreciate that they are presenting women this way.
36
What are you talking about? These ARE women, doing things plenty of women do. And you should vote for the message and what they stand for, not shoes, tattoos nor suits.
55
But for me they are presenting truths about their lives that their audiences can relate to. I’ve not gotten the feeling that they are “presenting women “ After all, women are about 50% of the population. In my view presenting women can be done by describing anatomy, not by individual actions.
7
I hate this because I agree with you. I have young kids too and I struggle to pay for daycare. I donate to a campaign and the money goes to her childcare? I’m a mom and a professional. But if I’m running for office I’m not going to present “mom” first. I have kids big deal. This doesn’t make me anymore talented and my perspective isn’t any more “unique” then anyone who doesn’t have kids.
1
I think people of all genders should dress and speak more personally when campaigning- whatever that may look like. I do not trust overly-polished people; at the same time, I hate when candidates try to play the Iamoneofyou Card in areas where it is clearly untrue. Cortez, for instance, while obviously more like her constituents than the incumbent, tried to call him out for not having gone to "our" (Bronx) schools. Nevermind that she didn't, either; she was privileged enough to go to school in Westchester.
3
I think people of all genders should dress and speak more personally when campaigning- whatever that may look like. I do not trust overly-polished people; at the same time, I hate when candidates try to play the Iamoneofyou Card in areas where it is clearly untrue. Cortez, for instance, while obviously more like her constituents than the incumbent, tried to call him out for not having gone to "our" (Bronx) schools. Nevermind that she didn't, either; she was privileged enough to go to school in Westchester. That doesn't make her a bad choice, but it does damage her perceived level of integrity just a bit (her statement, not the fact of her schooling itself).
13
This sounds like a pitch to vote for women because they are women.
I always thought the idea was to vote for the best qualified person.
Whatever a candidate's gender, I am not so sure that showing a tattoo, or discussing personal debt/divorce/health issues, is what most voters want to see or hear.
I for one want to hear about candidates' positions on the major issues of the day, and what the candidates propose to do about them.
I will be interested in reading the NYT's follow-up article on how all of these women's campaigns turned out. May the best...um...person win.
39
It is not.
Women have seen that - as a woman - if you are going to be attacked anyway -- it might as well be for who you are and what you actually represent.
Woman have seen that they can be qualified, and yet they are judged - in the US - on whether or not they are perceived as warm and cuddly, or whether they have an attractive hairstyle, or what color suit they are wearing. If they can't escape being labeled the woman candidate; they might as well stop pretending that they are men in disguise.
53
It is interesting that many men and women readers continue to put an extra layer of judgment on women in presenting themselves personally. For years male candidates have talked about their families, their golf games, their religious views, their hunting habits and their humble beginnings to connect with voters. What is the difference, except that young women of a different generation have a different life experience?
16
It is interesting that many men and women readers continue to put an extra layer of judgment on women in presenting themselves personally. For years male candidates have talked about their families, their golf games, their religious views, their hunting habits and their humble beginnings to connect with voters. What is the difference, except that young women may have a varying life experience?
1
Women do themselves no favors aligning - and allowing the media to align them - with the intersectional left. It connects them to an incoherent platform of unpopular and often contradictory policy goals - some of which are hostile to female agency. Ms. Finkenauer has the right idea talking about her fathers gun. And she's a Democrat. Good sign.
14
Honesty wins!
10
The election of Donald Trump nullifies this statement.
3
Cmon! we gotta fix this system! go girls!
14
Beginning in 2016, my wife and I decided that until legislative bodies sat at least 50% women, no less than 90% of our political contributions would go to female candidates and incumbents. Since then, we’ve committed tens of thousands of dollars to Iowa women running for office, including this cycle Ms. Finkenauer, even though she represents the district next to ours. In our own district (Iowa’s Third CD, including Des Moines), we have maxed out our federal contributions to Cindy Axne, a woman who, like Finkenauer, is not reluctant to make her campaign “personal” by linking her own story to the concerns of her prospective constituents—in her case, having had to sell much of her personal possessions on eBay just several years ago in order to pay her family's bills due to a medical crisis. This is campaigning not at 30,000 feet but with both feet on the ground. That’s where people live, and that’s where they vote. These women “get” that—and that’s why they’ll get those votes.
82
The key aspect is representative. As in are you going to represent my interests. This actually trumps relatability in my view. Trump is the primary example of that. People elected him inspite of all his flaws because he parroted their interests.
Also, unlike in the case of the President or a Governer's candidates for that matter, congressmen/women are elected to be our representatives. Not necessarily leaders.
So if your constituents like coal, you better like it too.
In the case of these female candidates, I welcome the trend enthusiastically. They might win if they dont swing the other way either, which is to go ultra-feminist. Bashing patriarchy, family rights/women's rights beyond the reasonable where they are prone to clash against the existent cultural ethos of a particular constituency.
You play the woman card too much, you will end up like Hillary Clinton.
8
Hillary Clinton did not play the "woman card" but was clearly a candidate who should have been elected on her merits alone. I voted for her knowing that as a senator from New York and Secretary of State she understood the workings of government intricately and could successfully lead this country during times of trouble. Lead it very well. Instead we got a man whose only experience is in real estate, golf courses and reality TV. Now, looking at her resume, and looking at his, I would choose her to lead the United States hands down. In other words, I would have hired her. And I firmly believe, that given her extensive experience had she been a man up against Trump we would now have a competent president instead of an imbecile. She was judged by a rule of measure narrower than Trump was (he didn't seem to get judged at all) and therein lays the evidence that women are still subject to an insidious double standard. And frankly, as many women hold others of their sex to this double standard as men do. I've noticed that although Democrats bash Trump, they make an equal effort to distance themselves from Hillary Clinton. I don't have this trouble. I would vote for her again and again and again and when you compare her track record to a fool like Trump, the decision to vote and elect her should have been obvious.
8
This brings me joy in a time where there seems to be so little. Please say something rather that "allowed" though.
12
This is a really interesting and important article. I hope it signals the beginning of a new era. That women have had to pretend to be men in order to get a foothold in fields formerly dominated by men is not only sad, but exhausting. The world desperately needs an equal balance of men and women to run it. Let's hope people can finally see women's enormous talent and value they add - when they aren't masquerading as men.
23
This is another article making it clear why women struggle to advance in our society. Women are not rewriting the playbook, candidates are. Their is nothing inherently female about a candidate being honest with the voters. Campaign consultants have been steering candidates (male and female) wrong forever. As long as we lable these candidates "female" candidates they will always be at a disadvantage. These women should be praised for their effective strategies without reference to gender.
26
Yes, but as long as the unquestioned norm is “male” (how many female presidents has the USA had until today?), women who run for high office stand out as such and are a deviation from the norm.
3
The sex and/or gender of a candidate is less relevant than his or her shoe size or blood type, which is to say irrelevant. We we all know it in our hearts. The typical NYT reader would rather vote for old white guy leftists over any right-wing female, even if it made the Congress 100% white and male. The typical Fox TV viewer would rather vote for African-American female conservatives (Mia Love, anyone?) over any white leftist, even if it made the Congress 100% African-American and female. There will always be outliers, but does anyone dispute the fundamental truth of this?
14
Actually, if you hang out at places like FOX or Breitbart (and I do to see what they are up to) then you will see that the right has a complete hatred of Michelle Obama. I truly believe they would vote for Bernie before Michelle.
9
This must terrify the Make America White Again un-American Trumpublicans as much as having a black man serve as POTUS for two terms.
From their white male POV, women have their place, and the position of "tradwife" does not entail making decisions on public policy.
Which is so typically hypocritical since they're the ones who use Islamaphobia to cow and motivate voters with the absurdity that Democrats want to allow Sharia Law to take over America.
If you love America, vote Democrat as a safeguard from letting the Cult of Trump do much more damage.
39
This is good news indeed. But the fact of the matter is we women ARE individuals. We have minds of our own, and, to evangelicals and misogynists, we have bodies of our own, just like you, not to be controlled by any one person, church, or government.
There is a wave now, and we need to take advantage of it. It is long past due. We are not "psycho-bitches"...we are strong, most capable of leading, and in more cases than not we are light years ahead in all things just, ethical, compassionate, and empathetic.
Our government and unfortunately Christian churches (I say this as a Catholic) are reflections of a patriarchal society. This is not the 20th Century anymore when the "little woman" was demanded to know her place. No more. Our male leadership has been nothing short of catastrophic this past year and a half. And by gosh, that must change.
59
Love this article! Yes, women can and do get the job done as women, not "wanna be men". Both women, men and our society greatly benefit when women can be themselves. We are revitalized by the honestly, intelligence, and courage of these wonderful candidates. Thank you.
21
Interesting!
Refreshing too as these women are presenting problems and challenges long ignored -- decades-long ignored by the Corporate Statist Pols!
16
This is fantastic
Real people, with real stories.
Hopefully they can turn the hard core majority of white women who voted for Trump to vote differently.
21
All I can say is, “You go, girl!”
17
While I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment, please stop infantilising your own kind.
They are women, not girls.
3
I think we see wbat happens when we elect candidates staged by the major parties. We need to find candidates and ultimately politicians who are not so far removed from the lives and concerns we have in our average lives.
15
I’m heartened to see women, tired of the patriarchy, step into the void that was once occupied by leadership, an art lost decades ago. I hope that a matriarchy can restore a balance between governance and raw male ambition. Democracy has a dozy aspect to it: because we expect political individuals to act democratically within its structure, we, the people, are frequently asleep at the helm of the ship of state. As a result, bloody minded, ruthless, and wholly unsuited people have led democracy to the edge of the abyss because we elected them in our reverie, trusting them to do the right thing, a nuance often far from their intentions.
Donald Trump is a product of an industrialised radical right, a toxic industry that sprang unexpectedly from the wings of democratic free speech. He’s not alone: Boris Johnson is a British example. They, and their ilk, found a receptive audience hiding in plain sight amid populations who paid scant attention to the administration of democracy, believing it, by and large, safe from external assault, not comprehending the threat from within. Now, here’s the cautionary bit for our ladies in waiting to govern. This radicalism was initiated to no small degree by a woman: it was Margaret Thatcher, mutually aided and abetted by Ronald Reagan, who unleashed these rabid dogs of conservatism that now gnash at our hallowed democracies. She was admired then, but the legacy of the Iron Lady rusts into ruin. Women, do the right thing.
27
Very interesting and encouraging story. I can connect more easily with a candidate (or anyone who is willing to share some of his or her more painful experiences. Why? Because we all go through these things, and most important, our reaction teaches us and leads us to grow - if we so choose.
Male candidates and elected officials could probably learn a lesson from how these women are running their campaigns. That requires courage, a very desirable quality in a leader.
20
Thanks to all the courageous, smart, qualified Socially Conscious Women who are stepping up to take one-half the power in OUR United States of America and the world.
The Con Don is the perfect example of the preposterous male model of hate-anger-fear-Lies,Lies,Lies- WAR-death-destruction-rape-pillage-plunder that has ruled the world for centuries. This model suppresses women.
Education is a marvelous thing. It has taught women that the male model is ridiculous and simply a way for the supposed "powerful" to keep the rest of us in chaos and destroy OUR lives through constant warfare while they rob us blind.
Time's UP, boys and girls who support them.
Socially Conscious Women sharing power will bring OUR world back into balance, social/economic justice and relative peace.
There will always be the 1% inherited/stolen wealth lazy, insatiably greedy, socially unconscious minority who will try to destroy anything that stands in the way of their free ride on the backs of average people.
Democracy is not a spectator sport and every single American who values true democracy must fight like hell to preserve the one thing they value most.
NOW is the time. Now may be the only time for centuries.
89
I don't even think "double standard" is strong enough to cover the expectations gap between men and women candidates.
Hillary Clinton was perhaps the most qualified person for the Presidency, and despite Republicans trying to depict her as some kind of leftist radical, she was the most moderate person in the entire campaign spectrum of 2016.
"But I just don't like her," so many, many voters actually SAID, and still say, and use as a justification for not voting for her.
So instead, we have the worst qualified person for the Presidency actually IN the job, appointing equally unqualified people to his cabinet, and fulfilling a campaign promises to the religious right to let someone else pick his Supreme Court nominees. He is a bull, a rabid bull, in the china shop of our international relationships, insulting our allies to their faces while equating flattery of his person with what's good for the United States of America.
In short, attitudes towards one particular qualified woman's personality (not warm a fuzzy enough) have resulted in a disastrous man winning. And we all knew his disastrous personality when we voted.
This is the horrible reality we live in, and I can only hope we can turn it around.
155
To my surprise, I actually got tears in my eyes as I read about these accomplished, courageous, caring and committed women who have decided to put themselves out there to run for office and oust the career politicians who have long forgotten what public service is all about. I'm a Democrat, but I admire the Republican women, too. The stodgy entrenched GOP needs new thinking and new ideas--and not just in the tear-'em-down-and-go-it-alone Trump way, but in the build-'em-up-so-everyone-can-succeed way, too. Young and energetic representatives with a different, female viewpoint are just what's needed throughout government, at every level. I wish them all luck.
104
I wish we didn't have to address the misogyny factor in these races, but let's face it. It is a factor. As with racial minorities. women must do twice as much to achieve half as much success. And then they still have to counter accusations that they are "shrill" or worse. Maxine Waters is one-tenth as assertive as Trump, and she faces death threats. Elizabeth Warren is regularly called the b-word.
I for one am ashamed and sick at this. I realize that unless women continue to step up, there will be no progress, but why do our fellow citizens have to be so utterly cretinous, and also hypocritical.
Blaming Hillary Clinton for Bill Clinton's sexual misadventures was a low point in our modern history, but it is guaranteed that we will see worse in the upcoming Congressional elections.
77
Frankly the only reason it still happens is because there are plenty of men who are oblivious to how awful they are and their wives, mothers and daughters don’t set strong boundaries.
For example, if a major American company ended up under a cloud because of boorish male behavior, I would personally like to see every female in the place raise holy hell and force a reckoning, and let all the male culprits get their desks packed within the week.
If a politician or public figure acts like that, his wife and daughter need to put him out like a cat PUBLICLY and make him grovel for forgiveness. Nothing will really change until people at long last stand up for themselves and hobble the guys who depend on them.
1
> William
We don't blame Hillary for Bill's sexual indiscretions but for the attacks on those who came forward with the allegations. Hillary's position on those indiscretions underscores how difficult it is for victims to speak of the wrongs done against them and why they often choose to remain silent, rather than face humiliation.
1
This is so heartening!!! Right before reading this article I read the long one about a day in the life of a migrant child in custody. It is HORRIFYING. Just unbelievably horrifying. I can’t wait for the heartless people in this administration and the heartless republican members of Congress to get knocked on their butts in November. By women. By compassionate voters. By the youngest of the advocates of school shootings. By any American who has a heart. And it WILL happen.
136
Voters want real people - female and male - in office who will listen and respond to them and their concerns. We are sick of rich businessmen in suits running the country and the world by proxy, purchasing lobbyists and congressmen to legislate for them, and only them. The status quo must be changed and the super rich are going to have to get in line like everyone else if they want favors from their legislators. The day Congress outlaws the campaign finance practices instituted by Citizens United will be a great day for democracy. The day Congress sets time and money limits for all political campaigns will be another great day. Ordinary, smart Americans who will do their best to represent all of their constituents - not just the rich and powerful ones - should be able to run for office and win.
As the new versions of the old Rosie the Riveter posters remind us: Roll up your sleeves and get to work. We can do this!
79
Amen. A woman myself, I don't care about the gender of the people running. I just want someone not beholden to hedge fund managers, tech cartels, energy industry magnates, Fox news and Big Medicine. Please, anyone at all, for the little guy.
34
Any candidate who shows me a tattoo will lose my vote regardless of sex, race, faith, party or policy. I consider it a red flag marker for poor judgement to pay someone to draw cartoons on your skin.
Yes I am serious.
61
what else pushes your buttons?
1
I'm no fan of tattoos myself - I just don't get spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to permanently mark one's body - especially since most of the ink I see is far from artistic and mostly ugly and disfiguring.
But - it seems the majority of people under age 45 or so have at least one tattoo these days. Some people I know - including younger family members and colleagues - have several. And these are people I consider to be highly competent, who have good judgment in matters that count, and act with integrity in their work and personal lives.
Do we really want to dismiss a huge segment of young adults?
As far as we know, Trump has no tattoos - does that make him a person of good judgment?
2
I'm more concerned about what is inked into the hearts and minds of people, rather than what I can see on the outside of them. In fact I've read somewhere about judging outward appearances. (Matthew 23:25-28)
1