CE Week #7: “Faces of change are female” Oct. 15th
by Kathleen Parker
The Spokesman-Review
As the Republican Party continues its pilgrimage through the desert, its leaders may be missing the oasis for the vale of tears.
The answer to the party’s woes isn’t a revamped Web site (GOP.com) offering – wowser! – really cool social networking platforms.
The answer won’t be found in the sudden realization that 83 percent of people 18 to 24 have an online profile – or other late-breaking revelations that merely reinforce the perception of the GOP as woefully behind the curve.
The answer is … drumroll, please … women.
If the GOP is really serious about expanding the party, it’s time for the men to hush and let the pros take over. As the saying goes: If you need something done, hire a busy woman. Or, as the White House Project puts it: “Add women, change everything.”
In the past few months, several conservative women have emerged as candidates and critics to challenge the notion that the GOP is the party of men. They’re also putting to rest any thought that Sarah Palin is the female face of the party.
The McCain campaign had the right idea; it just picked the wrong woman.
Among the newer comers are two mega-businesswomen and two famous daughters, representing younger generations with divergent ideas. Although these aren’t the only Republican women rising, they offer a glimpse at what could become a surge of hormonal correction on the conservative side.
First up in this new league of their own are two celebrity entrepreneurs. Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay, is running for governor of California. And Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard CEO, plans to challenge California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. Neither woman has any political experience beyond advising and stumping for Sen. John McCain during his last presidential run, but that would seem a bonus to an incumbent-weary nation.
Fiorina, the first woman to run a Fortune 20 company, has lost some of her early luster with Republican voters, according to a recent Field Poll. And Democrats have criticized her as “one of the 20 worst CEOs in the country,” a bold charge from the party that propelled a community organizer with zero executive experience to the White House.
Fiorina’s lower numbers are likely a reflection of her reduced visibility recently while undergoing breast cancer treatments. By contrast, her Republican opponent has been stumping to the tune of more than 160 political events since last November. A close adviser says Fiorina, who is “definitely running,” is on the mend and expects to be locked and loaded in a couple of weeks.
Billionaire Whitman is running a tight race against two opponents for the Republican nomination, spending much of her own money along the way. If she wins – and then defeats Democrat Jerry Brown (big ifs) – she would become one of only four Republican women governors.
This deficit in high office is both a taint on the GOP and a reflection of the broader assumption that Republicans are monolithically against women’s rights. Specifically, the party’s pro-life platform alienates pro-choice women, as well as moderates, who otherwise might find common cause with conservative principles.
Women such as pro-choice Whitman and “personally” pro-life Fiorina could help change that impression, while also raising other issues women care about. Fiorina caused a slight ripple in the Republican zeitgeist during McCain’s campaign when she criticized insurance companies for covering Viagra and not birth control.
Meanwhile, another Meg (McCain) and Liz Cheney, daughter of the former vice president, have emerged as strong voices in a party with too few sopranos.
It isn’t quite fair to group McCain with Cheney, given their respective resumes – one a 24-year-old celebrity blogger whose fame is (thus far) inherited and the other, Cheney, 43, a former deputy assistant secretary of state. But both are relatively fresh voices with instant name recognition. And each appeals to a different, perhaps untapped, demographic.
Cheney, recently dubbed a “red-state rock star,” just launched a new Web site, KeepAmericaSafe.com, where she and others plan to critique foreign policy issues. And the socially liberal McCain, though she may not please the party elders, appeals to younger voters who otherwise wouldn’t consider lifting the flap on the old man’s tent.
Four women: a pro-life hawk; a pro-choice, pro-gay rights libertarian; two entrepreneurs, one pro-choice and one pro-life. This doesn’t sound like your daddy’s Republican Party, but it could be your daughter’s – if the men wise up.
Kathleen Parker is a columnist for the Washington Post Writers Group. Her e-mail address is kathleenparker@ washpost.com.
A. Until now I had never heard of any of the women in this article, except for Sarah Palin. Neither had I known that Meg Whitman was running in the California gubernatorial campaign or that Carly Fiorina was running to be a California senator. Also, I did not know that McCain’s and Cheney’s daughters were heavily involved in politics.
B. It’s good that women are rising to prominence within the Republican Party. It increases the party’s diversity and might help it reach demographic groups that might not vote Republican, namely women. It was interesting how much of an impact Sarah Palin had on reviving the GOP. I was never a fan of hers, but she did cause a stir when McCain announced her as his running mate last year. As for a 2012 bid for the presidency, I hope she doesn’t get nominated, but that’s just me. Also, I like that fact that McCain’s daughter is a socially conservative Republican, a political stance that you don’t see very often. As for Liz Cheney, I wouldn’t be surprised if she eventually runs for president.
C. How many current women senators, representatives, and governors are there? And of that number, how many are Republicans? Also, does Liz Cheney currently hold any public office?
D. Both Whitman and Fiorina were CEOs for companies that had Political Action Committees. The eBay Inc. PAC had $270,917 in individual contributions during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Most of the contributions went to support people running for the House of Representatives or the Senate on the Democratic ticket. The Hewlett-Packard PAC had $366,121 in individual contributions during the 2007-2008 fiscal year which supported both Republican and Democratic candidates for Congress.
What I Learned:
I learned a lot about businesswomen coming into power in the Republican Party. I had never heard of Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, and Liz Cheney. I did not know that any of these women were trying to run for political office or even held a political office. I had briefly heard of Meg McCain and her celebrity blog, but I did not know how she was less conservative then her family. I also did not know that Republican Party lacked many women who have held a governors office. It was interesting learning about Liz Cheney, and based on her new website, she sounds a lot like her father. I was surprised to learn that both former CEO’s had different views on abortion.
What I Thought:
I think it is a good think that more women are rising to power in politics. With more women in the party, it seems that a more diverse group of people who normally didn’t vote for the Republican Party. Ever since Sarah Palin ran for vice president, I have always been a little apprehensive on what to think of other Republican women in office, but it seems to me that the four women mentioned in this article are different from Palin, and that could be a good thing for the party.
What I Would Like to Know More About:
How long has Liz Cheney been involved in politics?
Connection:
I think the best thing you can connect this to is the gender gap. With more women in the party, the gender gap could slowly start to close.
A.I did not know about any of these women and their upcoming role in the Republican Party. I’m excited to see how they influence the Republican ideology if they do succeed in their elections.
B.Until reading this article, I had not realized that the so few women followed the Republican Party. I think it would be great if these women mentioned in the article could have an influential role with the Republicans yet still be the voice for American women. Women should not have to choose between a party just because or their gender or because they are pro-choice. I agree with Parker that these women could change the impression “that Republicans are monolithically against women’s rights.” The idea that all women are democrats is wrong. You could be a woman who believes in all the ideals of the Republican Party yet maybe you voted democrat because of your race or gender. I fully believe both parties can meet the goals of women and men alike. Though the gender gap and cross pressure will continue to influence the votes of women for many years, perhaps this known fact will slowly begin to change as more women rise to fight in the political arena.
C.It would be interesting to learn a little bit more about the candidates discussed in this chapter.
Connection: During Unit I we learned that women are more likely to vote for a Democrat nominee due to the gender gap. Democrats more fully represent what women want in politics than Republicans do. When I read this article about women playing a larger role in the Republican Party I thought of Condalisa Rice and her role in the Bush administration. In class we discussed how an African American woman such as herself would feel cross pressure between the two parties. This article was another example of women representing the other party while still promoting their genders’ ideals.
A. I didn’t know there were so many female republicans rising up in congress. I also didn’t realize that two of them are daughters of former Republican vice presidents. I found that very interesting. Knowing that Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina were previous CEOs was also an enlightening bit of information.
B. First off, I don’t see why Sarah Palin was such a bad candidate for Vice President under McCain. I see a lot of pros – She’s a woman, she’s from Alaska so not well known which was kind of nice because she wasn’t from Washington D.C.. I also liked the fact that she had a disabled child so she could better relate to people going through the same thing. I guess the biggest con was that her daughter was pregnant at a rather early age, but is it really our right to judge Palin like that especially when so many people through out America are going through the same thing. Something else that bothered me was the fact that they called most of these women conservative, when a majority of them are pro-choice, and pro-gay rights. Kind of an interesting twist to the conservative side.
C. We talked about women’s suffrage and women’s rights at the beginning of the school year. Its amazing how much the role of the woman, specifically in government, has changed.
D. What is a Fortune 20 company?
A. It was interesting to learn about all the Republican women rising in the political world. I knew McCain’s daughter was involved in politics but I didn’t know about the others. I learned that Meg Whitman is running for governor of California and Carly Fiorina plans to run for Senate.
B. I think it’s great that more women are becoming involved with the male dominated republican party. I agree with the author when she says that republican women would offer a greater demographic to the party. The gender gap proves that women tend to vote more democratic but this article shows that the gap may be closing. This past election only a couple of female politicians were well-known across the country: Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin. I thought it was a smart move by McCain to pick a woman as his Vice President. Whether or not it should have been Palin is a different issue. Obama even chose Clinton as his Secretary of State. Clearly, women are becoming more prominent in national politics and maybe we’ll even have a female president some day.
C. I know that being a senator or a representative is a stepping stone to the presidency. So I was wondering what percentage of the Senators and House of Representatives are women?
D. Connection: The article discussed a lot about how some of the women were pro-choice (Whitman) which is contrary to conservative beliefs. This reminded me of the party plank where members of a party propose an alternative plan to the part of the party’s platform. There is a picture of a woman in a truck with pro-choice posters for the Republican party.
I learned from this article that multiple women are running for office or are voicing their opinions on politics. Before this article the main women I thought of were Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. They are the main faces of political parties and I have heard little about McCain’s daughter. She was on Larry King once, I believe for a book interview or something of that sort.
I do feel it’s important that women start to get more involved in politics with higher positions. However, I don’t feel that they need to do this to raise the social quo of a woman but rather get involved because it shows the involvement of more people into politics. I understand that McCain’s choice for vice president could have given a bad reputation for republicans today, but when he choose Palin I don’t get how she was a bad candidate. She was a governor of Alaska and had a big family that allowed her to connect with more people in America.
I would like to know who McCain’s vice president candidates were prior to his selection of Sarah Palin. Also they said that Meg Whitman is running for governor or California, does that mean Arnold, ‘The Terminator” is not running for reelection?
Connection: In class a couple days ago we were talking about how few women senators there are. Washington state’s senators are both female which is surprising because there are so few.
What I learned: In this article I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the Republican party have some “big-named” faces representing them besides Sarah Palin. Putting some positive faces on the Republican ticket for the upcoming elections of senator and governor is a good thing. Especially since Palin put a negative image out there for conservative women in the last election.
What I thought: I was surprised that more women would vote Republican since their demographic is typically voting for Democrats and that the Republican party doesn’t pay much attention to women’s rights. I’m glad that Dick Cheney and John McCain’s daughters are involved with the conservatives because I agree that the Republicans chose the wrong woman for VP in the last election. Hopefully both politicians’ daughters will bring some interesting views to the table and open up some doors in the future.
What I would like to know: Who are the other four women governors in the U.S.? Who is Jerry Brown and how is he important to California besides running against Whitman for governor?
Connections/Extensions: I remember discussing in class today how million or billionaires will fund their own campaign and how, in the end, it will ultimately backfire on them. In this article, Kathleen Parker discusses how “Billionaire Whitman is running a tight race against two opponents for the Republican nomination, spending much of her own money along the way.” Let’s hope she doesn’t lose.
In response to Katie Preston:
It’s totally the site that everyone goes to for any kind of answer, but it’s what I came across over a short period of time. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cheney). Through attending law school, she worked for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development between 1989 and 1993, and she was born in 1966. She, therefore, became involved in politics when she was about 23 years old.
A. Meg Whitman is the former CEO of ebay and is running for governor in California. Look out Arnold. Carly Fiorina is the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and is challenging California Democratic Senator Boxer (incumbent). Liz Cheney has a website called keepamericasafe.com. Meg McCain is young and appeals to young voters.
B. First off we own two Hewlett-Packard printers and they work nicely so I’m all for Carly Fiorina. Secondly, I’m glad visible progress has been made in incorporating women into the Republican Party, though I do wonder how being a woman will affect them in their political careers. Being a woman is already different enough, but a pro gay rights republican woman could be so far out there that her career could suffer from it. This is unfortunate but regardless if this it will be beneficial to have some fresh faces in the GOP. Women should be able to be influential in whatever party they choose to represent. I’m glad the GOP is making room.
C. Why was Fiorina criticized as one of the top 20 worst CEOs? Who is the “community organizer with zero executive experience” that the Democrats propelled into the White House?
D. Extension: Female Governors (5 Democrat and 3 Republican)
M. Jodie Rell—Connecticut Rep.
Sarah Palin- Alaska Rep.
Linda Lingle—Hawaii Rep.
Kathleen Sebelius–Kansas
Christine Gregoire–Washington
Janet Napolitano–Arizona
Jennifer Granholm–Michigan
Ruth Ann Minner—Delaware
http://www.democraticunderground.com
What I Learned:
To tell you the truth, when it comes to names of politicians other than presidential nominees, I am barely a novice. I never heard of these rising female politicians in the Republican Party. I also learned that the Republican party is almost distancing themselves from Sarah Palin, in terms of her ending the image of her being the “female face of the party.”
What I Think:
I think that a re-vamp of the Republican Party is essential to the success of the Party. The male Republican stereotype is something that should be defeated. I think that the diversity of social standings amongst these women is also very good. I think that this new change in political perception could definitely attract young voters. I just hope that we will be able to focus on her political standings, rather than the inconsequential (i.e. Governor Palin being a beauty queen). I also thought that the ripple to Fiorina caused, criticizing the insurance companies for covering V i a g r a*, but not birth control, should hardly be considered a ripple. How could you not see the defect in that policy?
* Sorry for the involuntary emphasis- there was posting restrictions.
My Question to All of You:
Who was the first female politician in the United States? Are there any countries which are more gender-progressive than the United States? If so, what is there history?
Connection:
Let me take you all back to one of our previous readings, remember the discussion of political affiliations? There was even a convenient little chart, which check-marked a party’s stance on certain topics (i.e. military spending, death penalty). My connection to this article was when the textbook explained how women are more likely to be Democrats, which is why a female Republican politician would be such an energizer for her party.
In response to Adam Ropp:
Q: How many current women senators, representatives, and governors are there?
A: Currently, there are 19 senates, 11 representatives, and 5 governors. Out of all of them the total number of republicans are 8.
Shout out to Kaylie Madsen:
You asked, “what is the percentage of female senators and house of representatives in our current political system?” To answer your question, there are currently 14 women senators. Their names are as follows: Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California), Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), Patty Murray (D-Washington), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina) Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Dianne Feinstein (D-California). They make up 14% of U.S. Senators. As far as female percentage in the House of Representatives goes, 17% are women. Hope that answers your question!
Sources: Feinstein.senate.gov/faqs and wikipedia
Carley Ross-
You said the male Republican stereotype is something that needs to be defeated but I ask at what cost? These four women are very diverse and are in positions to make strides in the defeat. I think that’s all well and good. But discretion should be used. In the haste to open the GOP to both genders, don’t open it to idiots who are female, just because they are female.
Who was the first female politician in the United States?
Jeanette Rankin was the first women to be elected into the House, making her the first female member of congress. She is sometimes referred to as Lady of the House.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannette_Rankin
In response to Devon:
Q: Who are the other four women governors in the U.S.? Who is Jerry Brown and how is he important to California besides running against Whitman for governor?
A: The current women governors in the U.S. are as follows: Linda Lingle (R, Hawaii), Jennifer Granholm (D, Michigan), Beverly Perdue (D, North Carolina), Christine Gregoire (D, Washington), Jan Brewer (R, Arizona), M. Jodi Rell (R, Connecticut). Whitman would join Lingle, Brewer and Rell to make four total Republican women governors.
Jerry Brown is currently Attorney General of the State of California and was governor of California after Ronald Reagan from 1975-1983. He has an impressive political career in California with many roles including California Secretary of State, Mayor of Oakland and chair of the California Democratic Party. According to this author, it would be pretty wild for her to win against a someone with such a political legacy. Depending on whether or not the people of California are ready for a change a Democratic governor could rise to power in the near future.
Adam Ropp:
Heres a list of woman senators, their state, and which party they belong to:
Lisa Murkowski – Alaska – Republican
Blanche Lincoln – Arkansas – Democrat
Diane Feinstein – California – Democrat
Mary Landrieu – Lousiana – Democrat
Olympia Snowe – Maine – Republican
Susan Collins – Maine – Republican
Barabara Mukilsi – Maryland – Democrat
Debbie Stabenow – Michigan – Democrat
Amy Klobuchar – Minnesota – Democrat/ Farm Laborer
Claire McCaskill – Missouri – Democrat
Jeanne Shabeen – New Hampshire – Democrat
Kirsten Gillbrandt – New York- Democrat
Kay Hagan – North Carolina – Democrat
Kay Bailey Hutchson – Texas – Republican
Patty Murray – Washington – Democrat
Maria Cantwell – Washington – Democrat
Thats a lot of women in the senate. I didn’t realize there was that many. Only 4 of which are republican.