Women in the Political World

Oh my god—wrinkles!

From female syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman; “If you’re seen as an authority figure, you aren’t seen as womanly; if you’re seen as womanly, you aren’t seen as an authority figure. By the time you tack through that narrow channel, you have—ohmigod—wrinkles!”

I have seen female politicians try to navigate those channels here in New Mexico way to often and I have a great deal of respect for women like Diane Denish. Just today I was watching Eye on New Mexico and saw a prime example of what women have to face in the public eye in New Mexico. Put a reporter and a republican together and the result is a B horror film from the 1950s. How sad can it get in a one hour program? Dennis should learn to show a little more respect to the woman sitting on his other side after all she is a reporter evening if she is younger then him. Nothing wrong with a little forward green though. I hear it is called being a progressive.

All women in the political arena have to deal with the idea that they have to walk a fine line between being a woman and being a politician, political activist, supporter or a woman voter. If we express our views from a woman’s point of view then we are being too soft: if we express a harder point of view than we are being too masculine. It is not just men who treat women badly in the area of politics. Some women feel that any woman who is a friend or supporter to a male politician or a friend to a male voter is somehow doing something wrong. God forbid that two people could work together and just be friends in the year 2007. They either have to be one of the guys (masculine) or they are one of those type of women (feminine). You know the kind: those that have affairs with married men.

I can honestly say that I am a woman. Yes, that means that I have feminine reactions to some political issues. I am not masculine or lesbian. I do have male married friends that I don’t have affairs with now or ever! I like female politicians as friends because they have learned to navigate difficult channels in the political world. I have a few favorite wives of politicians who treat me like a friend and someone who can help their husbands. Jill Cooper and Ann Kaufman are just two fine married women who come to mind. Yes, I do like men and would be happy to date one of them that is if the right one ever asked me out. That could be a whole other story. So, the next time you see a female working in politics try to think kind and gentle thoughts about her. They have more than their fair share of hard narrow channels to navigate without anyone adding more. Also try to remember that Democrats both men and woman are fair minded people who see that women can do any job that they put their mind to in this world that means even a political one. As democrats, we don’t tell our daughters that they can never be president not like some republicans I know…