Senator Clinton gets a free pass on Gender
by Judson L. Jeffries, Professor of African American and African Studies The Ohio State UniversityOver the past several weeks Senator Hillary Clinton has spoken eloquently of the historical significance of her possible election as president of the United States. Perhaps the most memorable comment occurred on the night of the Pennsylvania primary when she told of recent interactions with women who were born prior to the passage of the 19th amendment that finally won women the franchise. Referring to these ninety year old women Clinton declared “wouldn't it be wonderful if these women were able to see the election of the first woman president.” On the surface her comments seem innocent enough; and indeed if Clinton were elected president it would be a night on which many women of all ages would be extremely proud. Since that time Clinton has made other remarks of the same ilk. Most would agree that her comments have been met with no discernible fanfare. No one of note has criticized her for playing the gender card or pointing out the obvious import of her possible election. Moreover, no one has claimed that if she is elected she is likely to cater to women or push some sort of feminist agenda.
What would the response have been had Senator Barack Obama shared that he had recently met with African Americans who were raised in the south during a time when Blacks were not allowed to vote? That although the fifteenth amendment had supposedly secured Blacks the franchise, measures such as the poll tax, literacy test and grandfather clause successfully kept the majority of southern blacks disenfranchised; that is until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Imagine Obama exclaiming how wonderful it would be if those African Americans who lived through Jim Crow could witness the election of the first Black president. The reaction from certain sectors of America would have been overwhelming. Obama would have been criticized for injecting race into the campaign. He would have been accused of only being concerned with Black peoples' well-being. Indeed, had Obama alluded to the historical significance of his election he would have violated what many Black politicians consider to be one of the most important cardinal rules—never mention anything about being the first Black elected to this or that as it raises latent racial sentiments among some white voters that are better left dormant. In a conversation with Governor L. Douglas Wilder years ago, Wilder offered that it never entered his mind to mention that his election would mark the first elected Black governor in U.S. history. To do so would have been foolish . . . everyone knows that as a Black candidate you don't do that.
No doubt, had Obama done what Clinton did his comments would have been emblazoned across every major conservative newspaper in the country, and the topic of many conservative talks shows.
Although Clinton's remarks were anything but innocuous, had Obama couched his presidency in similar terms he would have been vilified. In politics, gender simply isn't the political lighting rod that race is, especially when the race under consideration is Black.
Judson L. Jeffries is a professor of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University. His research and published work reflect his knowledge of American and World Politics, Homeland Security, Race and Politics, Public Policy and Media and Politics. Judson's most recent book, Black Power in the Belly of the Beast, was nominated for the 2007 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the only American book award designated specifically to recognized works addressing issues of racism and diversity.
