The topic of gender and rhetoric is a fascinating one, especially when it comes to how people judge confident female speakers. Kamala Harris, for example. Her breadth and depth of professional experience helps her stand up for herself; she expects to be treated like a full-fledged professional. We saw it when Vice President Mike Pence tried to interrupt her during the 2020 presidential debates and she rebuked him. “I’m speaking,” she said. Her forceful questioning of Brett Kavanaugh was called “appalling” and “nasty” by Donald Trump. During a Senate hearing with Attorney General Bill Barr, where he was evasive and challenged her, Harris reminded him, “I’m the one asking the questions here.”
I’ve written about the “likability problem” Hillary Clinton faced and the abuse women in politics can receive when they’re described by their marital status, sexuality, appearance, and even the tone of their voice when they act assertively. Harris would never be seen as a policy expert or academic like Clinton, but rather conveys her skills as a prosecutor who can take on the most aggressive person, including a bully in the White House. She tells Trump in no uncertain terms, “If you have a problem with me, tell me to my face.”
Like Clinton and other women seeking power, Harris walks a fine line between being perceived as too tough and too soft. She certainly doesn’t downplay her toughness when she’s disrespected and when it’s necessary to achieve justice for the people. But anyone who saw her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention would have noticed a change in her style. She wanted us to identify with her story of respect for her mother and devotion to her family of origin and her blended family. “You and I are alike,” she seems to be saying.
Let’s look at the context of this race. First, consider how much the political landscape has changed since 2016. Brandeis President Jill Greenlee said:
“Hillary Clinton’s presidential candidacy (and her subsequent loss to Donald Trump) inspired a wave of women to run for office. This means that since Clinton’s 2016 campaign, Americans have had more opportunities to see women as candidates, to vote for women, and to see women in public office.”
Second, there is the power of the #METOO movement, which in 2002 brought public attention to the extent of sexual harassment in the workplace. Women and men of different backgrounds became politicized and insisted on workplace protections for themselves and others. Issues of class, race and gender came together, giving rise to new coalitions with a unique lens on the sensibilities of political candidates. Kamala Harris has a proven track record when it comes to women’s issues.
Third, people have realized the power the presidency has when it comes to determining women’s rights. Just think of what the Trump presidency did to women’s rights with his three appointments to the US Supreme Court. They led to the stunning Dobbs v. Jackson Health Supreme Court decision that was overturned Roe v. Wade and ended women’s legal right to abortion for 50 years. Until Dobbswomen were guaranteed the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy if an abnormality in the development of the fetus was detected, the woman’s life was in danger or for personal reasons. No wonder that the Dobbs The decision was a wake-up call for women of childbearing age who suddenly realised how much politics can affect their private lives. Many of them therefore became involved in electoral politics for the first time.
When the Supreme Court tried to give the states power to decide access to abortion, Kansas lawmakers proposed a constitutional amendment that would make abortion illegal for any reason. But activism by younger women led voters to reject it. And voters in six other states — California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio and Vermont — have sided with abortion rights advocates in ballots. New groups of young Americans are rising up to fight back against ultra-conservative policies. Also as a result of the Dobbs decision, there was a significant increase in the number of women registered as voters.
Fourth, and as a result of this dynamic, many women ran for office for the first time. In 2024, according to the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP), the 118th Congress has a record number of women. A record number of women have been elected to state legislatures, and now a third of legislators are women (everywhere except in the Southeast), which is the highest percentage of women legislators in the country’s history. Beyond political support from elected women, Zoom technology is being used to organize hour-long meetings with ordinary citizens who are voters. This is how various groups have raised millions for their campaign.
Fifth, if Harris were elected, she would have international society on the world stage. In 2024, 18 countries will have a woman at the head of their state and 15 countries will have a woman at the head of their government. Research by Nobel Prize winner in economics Esther Duflo on female leadership confirms: “Time and again, female leaders have shown that they are not only more sensitive to the needs of women and children, but also more effective,” Nicholas Kristoff said in the New York Times on July 13, 2024. Harris will find more support locally than Clinton did in her presidential bid.
Many older feminists have been waiting for this day to come again. Still, one has to wonder whether enough Americans have changed their sexist and racist attitudes to elect Harris. Will you support Kamala Harris in her bid for the U.S. presidency? If you do, you will help her break through what Hillary Clinton called “the toughest glass ceiling of all.”
