Beyond the obstacles that are inherent to running for president, there is one hurdle that will linger long after the election: the misogyny that infiltrates politics.
For the world’s most powerful nation to be led by a woman – specifically a woman of color – there is intense scrutiny over Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to lead.
Throughout her campaign, critics questioned her qualifications, disregarding three decades of public service, which include two terms as the San Francisco district attorney, two terms as attorney general of California, four years as a United States senator and four years as vice president.
As though her male opponent’s resume didn’t warrant a more careful review.
“I see an extremely capable woman running for office,” Cyndie Romer, a Delaware state representative, said. “She is being judged with a microscope that just does not exist for men, and definitely does not exist for Trump.”
In a recent rally hosted by former President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, businessman Grant Cardone diminished Harris with a term used to describe a prostitute. At the same rally, Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson questioned her IQ after misidentifying her race.
“There are clichés that exist that are categorically false,” Romer said. “The strongest people I know are typically women. They’re running households while simultaneously running departments at work and really wearing multiple hats.”
But the misogynistic comments echoed amongst Trump’s supporters don’t illegitimize the strength of Harris’ campaign.
She was an exceptional candidate who has held national office and has a noteworthy legal background. With strong professional networks and a campaign war chest, her capabilities exceed the confines of femininity she is juxtaposed against.
Harris’ past service on the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs emphasize her ability to collaborate with international executives and governments – a clear advantage over Trump.
Her foreign policy plan encouraged relationships with large governance bodies through multilateral and traditional means. However, in a more unilateral approach, Trump’s “America First” policy withdrew the United States from multinational agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris Agreement and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Treaty.
Rather than putting America first, his first term offered chaotic foreign policymaking.
Furthermore, Romer debunked a common misconception that some of Harris’ voters are explicitly voting for her because she is a Black and South Asian woman.
Today’s polarization means that most women won’t cross party lines and favor Harris for the sake of identity politics. And the same identities that may have won her votes, may also have lost them.
“There are going to be some people who [voted] for her because she’s a woman or because she’s a person of color, but I think that really gets netted out with the people who won’t vote for her because she’s a woman or because she’s a woman of color,” Romer said.
Many people also presumed that former President Barack Obama’s candidacy would lead to a post-racial society. However, false claims about Harris’ citizenship prove otherwise.
There are expectations that who we elect is going to cause a massive shift because of their identity, but who we elect is still working under the limitations established by constitutional governments.
While people are not necessarily willing to cross party lines to elect representatives who share their identities, that does not undermine the importance of Harris’ representation in politics.
Romer acknowledged that unconscious biases will always try to subjugate women, yet her experience working beside powerful women in Delaware politics has shown her how successful women emerge as leaders, and has seen the same potential in Harris.
“I think that Harris’ campaign will probably be studied in years to come,” Romer said. “There’s an idea that when they go low, we go high. Not stooping to the level of hate, but also calling it out and I think that her campaign has done a genius job in doing that.”
Jessica Bassion is a staff reporter at The Review. Her opinions are her own and do not represent the majority opinion of The Review staff. She may be reached at [email protected].
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