Thursday, February 26, 2015
Hillary Clinton and the Gender Card
For the upcoming presidential elections next year, Hillary Clinton is one of the biggest names on the democratic ballot. Recently, she's been "on tour", if you will, speaking about her beliefs and getting a feel for her potential voting base. But, recently she's also come under some fire for the tactics that she's using to attract voters. Some think that she's playing the "gender card" too much and that her being a woman will be harped on too much to get votes. My question is, do you think that Clinton playing up her gender is okay? As in, do you think that her gender should be a side note to her policy ideas and beliefs or do you think that using her gender is a key way to relate to voters that is necessary in any presidential election?
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It is nothing but a fact that Hillary Clinton is indeed a woman. As stated in the article she friendly talks about gender pay equality and paid family leave which many label as her utilizing "gender play." Just because she often talks of controversial topics where women are at a disadvantage doesn't mean she is playing the gender card. The topic she brings up that are central around women are topics that all presidential candidates should address. It's not like Clinton is only addressing abortion because she is a woman, all of the others contemplating running for office will address the same issues. I think it all boils down to the label of having a woman president. It's something new to America, just as a black president, there will always be a label to it. Although Clinton is not actually playing the gender card, everyone will still assume she is just because she is a woman, if a man brought up the same topics, it would just be them addressing controversial issues.
ReplyDeleteThough I think that Clinton should refrain from using her gender as her main campaigning point, this will probably be very difficult to achieve because others will focus on it so much. Even if Clinton herself does not focus on her being a woman, other candidates, the public, and the press will talk about it to no end, forcing Clinton to also talk about it. Hilary Clinton has the chance to be the first woman president, and because of that, her gender will be talked about throughout her whole campaign. There is no way for her to avoid it, so she might as well use it to her advantage.
ReplyDeleteI do think that Hilary Clinton is playing the gender card. However, I think that the points that she brings up are very valid. I think it will be very hard for Clinton to refrain from using the gender card because it does bring a lot of publicity to her campaign. I believe that it is okay for Clinton to play the gender card because not all her points only affect women. Like Haley said, abortion affects men as well. I agree with Raman. Because Clinton has to potential to become the first female president, people will talk about her gender and there is nothing we can do to stop that.
ReplyDeleteI think that when people vote, the should vote solely based on policy and be completely gender blind. I don't want a girl to get in office and then people be able to say that she only won cause she's a girl. I think that would almost be a step back for the feminist cause. I want to a women to be able to say that she won the presidency because she was better than all the other candidates, not because of her gender.
ReplyDeleteI think that there alot of things to be considered when voting, but gender and a few other points should not be issues. The policy and knowledge are two things that I would pay attention to when electing the president. However, Hilary may be playing the gender card but if voters look past that to policy, I think that the elections would turn out to the most favorable candidate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the previous comments that say candidates should be judged based on their qualifications, not demographics. However, since the utilization of gender- and identity-politics have become such a central tactic of the left in recent campaigns, I expect Clinton's gender to be overemphasized in her 2016 presidential bid. Democrats won in 2012 by hyping the faux "War on Women" meme against Republicans, and their candidate wasn't even a woman, as it probably will be in 2016. Drawing attention to her gender has historically been one of Hillary Clinton's most effective political strategies, so there's no reason to suspect that she will downplay it in her upcoming campaign. If her opponents are able to shift the campaign's focus from her gender to more substantive issues, such as her poor records as Senator and Secretary of State, voters will begin to realize that while we are certainly ready to elect our first female president, Hillary doesn't fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteClinton is playing the "gender card" in the same way that all presidential candidates play up certain features and policy issues in front of certain crowds. Because she is in front of women, Clinton has been talking about issues pertinent to them. As long as she is strong in other policy areas, I see no problem with this. However, I do find it a bit concerning that, as the article says, Clinton joked about her weight; this seems like a way to lighten up the mood of a speech, but I think it just contributes to the idea that women are weak and catty. Also, I see a lot of the other comments saying that people should vote for a president "gender blind." Im going to be honest and say that Clinton being a female is a significant factor for me to vote for her. Men and women are different, no matter how you want to say it, and I think having a female in office would be refreshing and good for the nation.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that a candidate's gender should take a backseat to their policy plans. So far, I haven't heard anything from Hilary Clinton that makes me especially want to support her, but I would love to see us have a woman president. If I had to choose between a man with good policies and a woman with good policies, I'd be more inclined to vote for the woman. However, I do believe policy overshadows gender as a factor.
ReplyDeleteI think that no matter what Hillary Clinton says about her gender the American people are still going to take her gender into consideration when at the polls. I don't think gender should have any influence on how people vote, but it does. I would really like a woman in the White House, and I'm sure many other Americans would sympathize with that, but if she isn't right for the job then she isn't right for the job.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it should be frowned upon that Hillary Clinton is using her gender to relate to voters. It allows her to connect with women who have been constantly underrepresented in government. Yet, I believe that neither Clinton nor her potential voters see her gender as primary a reason to voter for her. Her history in government, ideology, and potential policies will speak for themselves if she decides to run.
ReplyDeleteI agree that when it comes time to vote, policy should take precedence over gender. I would like to see a female president, but, as Becky pointed out, if she isn't right for the job, she isn't right for the job. Although I would like to see a woman in office, when it comes time to vote, I will vote for whichever candidate I feel is better for the job, male or female.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I couldnt care less what gender she is. I think that if we want to make legitimate progression in this country people need to stop harping on irrelevant facts. The best person for the job is the best person for the job. That being said unfortunately not every one thinks that way. I think that her being a women will give her a leg up with lots of women voters. She also has a good shot because of name recognition.
ReplyDeleteOhh I did this blog post twice. I thought I had read that before. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteGender and race and other demographic issues should not be a talking point for any candidate. Candidates should be elected purely from the skill and knowledge they possess to lead the country in the best manner possible. However, I certainly think that even if Clinton downplays her gender, the media and voters will still have that on their minds.
ReplyDeleteGender should not have anything to do with policy. However, with Clinton the gender card is unavoidable. It's a big deal for a woman to possibly become president and no matter what people will have this on their minds. Although it's unavoidable I hope people vote based on policy and not gender.
ReplyDelete