November 14, 2007

OWU’s ‘Dean’ of Presidential Politics

Joan McLean

At the time, McLean was a staff member of the House Committee on Banking. She and the others had told Ferraro only that they wanted to discuss the New York Democrat’s political future.

As the group began to enjoy fortune cookies after their meal, Ferraro quickly realized that this was no ordinary get-together. The politician writes about the meeting in her 1986 book, Ferraro: My Story

“You will win big in ’84,” read the prophecy inside my fortune cookie that night over our order-in Chinese meal in an apartment on Connecticut Avenue. The other fortune cookies were just as loaded. … What had been going on behind my back?

A lot, it turned out. While I had been going about my own business, this group of five politically active women had meticulously been going through the records and backgrounds of every possible woman vice-presidential candidate and decided I was the surest shot. “Team A,” as they called themselves, probably had as much to do with my nomination as any single group. And I never knew the half of it. …

The Democratic ticket of Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro ultimately lost to Republican incumbents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush by an 18-point margin. But Ferraro’s selection as the nation’s first female vice-presidential candidate for one of the two major political parties helped to open doors for women and eyes for voters.

Since that time, the nation has seen its first female attorney general, Janet Reno; its first female speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi; and two female secretaries of state, Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice.

And in 2008, the nation could see U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton become the first woman chosen by a major political party as its candidate for president of the United States.

“Over the past 24 years, the nation as a whole has been able to see women in executive positions,” says McLean, who joined OWU’s politics and government faculty in 1990. “This makes the leap to president not as great.

“Of course, there are people who are against Hillary—not because she is a woman, but because they don’t believe she is the right person at the right time,” continues McLean, who also serves as the University’s associate dean for first-year students. “This is a healthy debate. It means disagreements are focused on issues, not gender.”

McLean says it’s clear that Clinton is a viable candidate. “The real issue,” she says, “is under what dynamic can she be elected?”

McLean compared Clinton’s potential campaign tactics to a football game: “She can play a wide-open game or preventive defense,” McLean says. “It’s a strategic decision. So far, she has been fairly moderate.”

Given Clinton’s experiences as a lawyer, former first lady, and New York senator, she’s well-seasoned, McLean says. “Hillary sees both sides of issues, and she tries to present those shadings without being wishy-washy.

“There’s a difference between running for office and actually governing,” McLean continues. “Hillary’s strength is in governing. Her challenge as she campaigns will be to make clear-cut statements. Hillary still is working out how to win the party nomination, win the election, and be ready to govern.”

Mistakes in this arena can be costly, McLean says. As an example, she cites former President Bush’s infamous “Read my lips: no new taxes” comment, made at the 1988 Republican National Convention.

“He knew the implications,” McLean says. “He didn’t want to say it, but [speechwriter Peggy] Noonan convinced him.”

Voter turnout also will be an important issue for Clinton if she gets the Democratic Party’s presidential nod, McLean says. One poll shows Clinton receiving a vital 57 percent of the female vote. But the demographics of the women polled may be far different from those who actually vote, McLean notes.

“Traditionally, older women are not as likely to support women candidates,” McLean says. “If the polls are based on younger voters, the support base may not be as dramatic. Younger women are less likely to go vote.”

As for the Bill factor, McLean says, Clinton needs to be careful there, too.

“Bill Clinton is a draw for mainstream Democrats, African Americans, and other voters based on specific issues,” McLean says. “He can energize the voting base. But he is more emotive than she is. His personality is more warm—even hot—while Hillary’s is more cool. They are good together, but you don’t want a personality comparison to be made. For that reason, they likely will do much of their campaigning separately.”

Because of her experience as a first lady and a senator, however, Clinton is a known entity, McLean says. Her background and experience have been grist for the media wheel through multiple political campaigns.

“There are no surprises here,” McLean says. “So in Hillary’s case, who she chooses as a running mate may be more critical than for other candidates.”

Another unknown in the Clinton campaign is the volatile state of the world itself, McLean says. “Manmade and natural disasters put leaders on the spot,” she explains, “and in times of crisis, people want something familiar and reassuring. In the event of a terrorist attack, pandemic flu, or other disaster, the rules change. Gender and race may become more of a factor at the polls. That’s the real wild card for both Hillary and Barack Obama.”

But no matter what happens in 2008 presidential race, women will continue to be a political force. As Geraldine Ferraro remarked in her concession speech: “American women will never be second-class citizens again.”

– Cole Hatcher