Jessica
Valenti wrote a piece for The
Nation on why she will be voting for Hillary Clinton in the next
presidential election, provided of course Hillary receives the nomination; 2016
is a long way away people. As many people know, I’m not a huge fan of Valenti.
I prefer her articles over books, but I recognize her as an activist and
scholar for the feminist movement, and she acts as a great entry point/author
for white people and men who aren’t familiar with feminism.
However,
this article is compelling, not because I think Hillary is great, because I have
a lot of problems with her politics, and not because women should vote for
other women just because they are women, but because I’m angry and frustrated
and tired. At the end of the day, I and thousands of other women, people of
color, and poor people are going to get screwed so let it be a woman this time.
Maybe just maybe, women’s health (including reproductive health) won’t be front
and center on the chopping block or used to play easy politics and worst case it remains there. That is
where I am right now; women can’t lose any more ground unless we start moving
toward an Atwood like dystopia straight up outlawing abortion and preventing
women from having access to money and property…no one tell the Republicans; they'll think that is a great idea.
Valenti argues,
“Next time around, though, I’m voting for a woman. Not because I believe that
the female Democratic candidate (and I think we all have a good idea who that will be) is guaranteed to be the
most feminist, but because I’m just too fed up to do anything else. I’ve made a
full transition from youthful idealism to jaded orneriness, and my vote will be
just as angry as I am.”
Preach. Valenti
continues to talk about EMILY’s List and their new campaign aimed at putting a
woman (a specific woman) in the White House. She notes that more women are
running for office, winning, and that the US is ready for a woman president.
EMILY’s List has some polling data that shows 86% of people believe the US is
ready to elect a female president. Some of this might come from the frustration
with the all-male show we’ve had in a lot of places not just the presidency. Valenti
asserts, “women aren’t just ready to see more of their gender in power—they’re
champing at the bit.”
I can’t
say I agree or disagree with this comment. For me, power, the concept is less
important, than the ability to do something anything that is different from the
status quo at this point. Valenti argues that breaking through the political
glass ceiling isn’t enough of a reason to vote for a woman just because she is
a woman. Women politicians aren’t inherently more friendly to women’s policy
concerns see leader of crazy town Bachman as an example. Additionally, when
putting gender first, white women usually take the lead, and when in politics
this means wealthy white women.
But
Valenti is tired and so am I. This is the part of the article where she lists
her frustrations about campus rapists being “punished” by researchers and not
prison, the sexual misconduct by the people in charge of sexual misconduct in
the military, war over reproductive rights, the leading cause of death for pregnant
women is their partner, President Obama is playing politics over Plan B because
some people in this country are idiots.
None of
these things are going to change just because a woman is at the helm, in fact I
know that the president doesn’t have that much power, more so every year it
feels, but they aren’t omnipotent. But Valenti is right, a woman president
could act as a reminder that we have made some progress…not equal
representation in Congress or on the Supreme Court, but some.
Valenti
also posits that maybe a woman president will help feminists stop playing
defense all the time. It obviously won’t end sexism, but the argument can be
made that it will change the conversation. Of course, we’ll hear from the same
people who think racism is over now that we’ve had a black president, but they
can be ignored. I’m with Valenti on her point about politicians being
disappointing, and if they are going to be disappointing then why not let a woman disappoint us? Equal
representation in disappointment.
Valenti
concludes by noting that after Hillary was appointed Secretary of State, a
record number of countries appointed female ambassadors to the US. So there is
something to be said for figureheads. Valenti finishes her article with this, “I
don’t know that my course of action is the one I’d recommend for others—in many
ways, it’s a marker of my dying idealism. But I do know that seeing a woman
hold the nation’s highest office would bring me great joy, and that if there’s
anything American women need right now, it’s a win.”
I know
this isn’t going to sit well with a few people who read this blog; on the other hand some of you are going to love this. But first,
while I’m not H-Rod’s biggest fan, I would remind everyone to check their privilege
and note my cynicism. I’m just tired. I’m tired of “women’s issues” being over
looked and undervalued because they disproportionally impact women when they
should be considered human rights issues. For example, take this article on RH
Reality Check entitled, “Anti-Abortion Laws are Crimes Against Women.”
No, they are crimes against humanity because women are people and human!
Surprise. Now, yes, I’m arguing about language, but this is how we silence
people we relegate them to a subgroup and ignore them or write them off. It is
a tried and true practice. I’m tried of women being told to wait our turn while
the world is moving forward on other important issues. Now, I’m all for
solidarity, but why not advance progressive causes across the board or at least
hold our ground while the Planned Parenthood faces defunding and anti-choice
legislation is popping up all over the country, and by the way solidarity works
both ways, and it is time the mens (gay, straight, bi, and trans) get on our
team too. I read an article this week about men my age not being opposed to
women in leadership roles, but also not advancing the cause because they
believe this is a zero sum game. Fuck you buddy.
But in the
end, I am tired, and I probably will vote for Hillary or the Green Party
because of where I live and none of it matters anyway. But if I’m back in the
Cleveland by 2016, you can bet on me voting for Hillary if nothing else out of
exhaustion.
