May 30, 2008
Old school politics ~ I’m voting for Hillary because I’m a woman
When I was a fifth grader, I voted for the boy who was running for the President of the Student Council rather than the girl, because “boys make better leaders.” My vote choice was particularly ironic because I myself was running for Vice President of the Student Council. I lost by one vote.
I regret my reason for my vote, not the vote itself. Had I voted for the girl because she was a girl, I wouldn’t feel any prouder of my decision.
My interests and view of the world are influenced by my gender. My ideal candidates might well be female more often than male. And, all things being equal, I probably would be inclined to vote for my own gender. But gender alone is a dangerous reason for making a candidate selection, as is race or other personal demographics.
That’s why I was concerned when a woman I’ve known for years said,
- I’m voting for Hillary because I’m a woman.
When I hesitated, Kim went into more detail about policy, but I suspect her first comment was more reflective of her reasoning.
I would feel the same concern had someone said,
- I’m voting for Obama because I’m black.
or:
- I’m voting for McCain because I’m a white male.
Wouldn’t it be great if they had taught us how to vote issues in our Student Council elections? Wouldn’t it be great if they had required us to give policy reasons for our votes?
In the meantime, I am glad that my friend figured our she needed a better reason for her preference than gender identification.
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