Originally published in the Valley News on December 2, 2007
Clinton Walks a Fine Line
'It's Definitely Historic'
Like every good politician, Hillary Clinton can play well to a crowd of admirers and mince no words when asked difficult questions by reporters. But unlike the rest of the field of Democrats and Republicans seeking the nation's highest office, Clinton is running as the first woman who has a solid shot at the presidency. To some — political analysts, educators and average New Hampshire voters — that matters.
"It's definitely historic," said Annelise Orleck, a history professor at Dartmouth College whose expertise includes women in politics.
Madeleine Kunin, who 23 years ago was elected Vermont's first woman governor, supports Clinton and said she is "going where no woman has ever been seriously going before."
"The bar is very high for her."
Clinton's challenge as a woman running for president, said Kunin in an interview with the Valley News, is to show both her strong side and her womanliness.
"Women have a very narrow space between being tough on one side and feminine and liked on the other," said Kunin, who lives part-time in Hanover. "Women do face this double bind. If they're too tough, they're not likeable."
Kunin, who has done some campaigning for Clinton — knocking on doors in Claremont this fall — said that, so far, Clinton has walked that fine line.
"She's done the toughness thing to be commander-in-chief and that's the biggest hurdle that a woman has to face," said Kunin. And Clinton is "feminine enough, she's likeable enough. When people meet her, they're surprised."
And while it is new to have a woman contending for the presidency, there is not much new to learn about Clinton, say political experts. She's been a fixture on the national stage since her husband announced in 1991 that he would run for the presidency.
"Hillary's a known commodity. Everyone in America knows her. Everyone has an opinion about her," said Dante Scala, a presidential primary expert and associate professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire.
Running for president in wartime presents another layer of challenge for a woman, said Dean Spiliotes, a former Dartmouth professor and presidential campaign analyst. "It always comes down to the commander-in-chef aspect, which typically has masculine traits associated with it," he said. But, Spiliotes said, Clinton "has the skills you need to hold that office."
"Saying you can compete on the toughness issue is an important factor and I do think she can do that," said presidential historian Shirley Anne Warshaw of Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. "Her demeanor throughout this is very calm, cool and collected. It's not just what they say but how they say it," Warshaw said of presidential candidates. Clinton has been better at assuming the commander-in-chief bearing than some of her competition, said Warshaw. She said "Richardson ... gets all teary-eyed" and Biden is too strident.
"I'm cheering Hillary Clinton on for being able to break the glass ceiling of the all-men's club," Warshaw said.