I’m over the US election, I will say that.  After all the hoohar for their preselection (or what ever they call the process) and now the actual campaign, I’m kind of sick of hearing about it.  And it’s not so much the campaign we hear about here, it’s just Obama and it’s mostly just pictures of him with adoring crowds.  I consider myself lucky to have picked up on the fact that he wants to increase tax and McCain is trying to distance himself from Bush.

One message I seem to hear time and time again is from people who don’t like Sarah Palin, although what they seem to say is, “she scares me.”  WFT?  What kind of political argument is that?  It’s emotive, unjustified nonsense.  Public speaking scares most people but it doesn’t mean we’re about to eradicate it from the political process.  The Greens scare me, but I’m not ever going to propose or interfere with people’s right to vote for the loonies.  I know she’s made a few gaffes, but there doesn’t seem to be anything outside the realm of normal human fallibility (politicians are human as well btw, not robots and not lower-simian type beings).  There is a lot I don’t know about her, our media seems to have a very left-wing filter when it comes to the US, but the question I’ve been asking is when will it be okay for a woman to be in the top job in the US?  And when will it be okay in Australia?  I think that this election is showing that Americans are actually more discriminating towards women than they are people’s race.

This problem was first highlighted by Hillary Clinton’s preselection campaign.  No one seemed to like her.  Why?  Hillary is a bitch.  That was pretty much it.  No problems with her ideology or policies, it was just a personal complaint.  And whilst it was always touch and go as to who would win the right to run for the Democrats, Clinton was never that far ahead when she was ahead.  I think Palin is a victim of the same mindset.  She is at the opposite end of the spectrum to Clinton as far personalities go – she’s more homey and ditzy than a hardened career woman – and yet they get the same treatment, they seem to be hated an maligned.  Other than discrimination it seems hard to come to terms with why this is.  And it also begs the question as to what ‘type’ of woman would actually make it in the top job?

England, which I perceive as much more conservative, has had a woman in the top job and for the conservative party.  China, Germany, France, the Philippines, India and  Canada have all had women elected to the top job in politics or as their head of state.  If New Zealand reelects Helen Clarke, she will be Prime Minister for 10 years next year.  (I will also note that NZ has an upcoming election that has had almost no coverage here in Australia and they are much closer to home for us than the US).  Many of these countries are not as modern, progressive and intent on appearing to treat women as equals as the US and Australia.

I have to say Australia has made progress somewhat with both out Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Opposition Leader being women.  However neither receive the outstanding publicity that their male counterparts do.  The thought of Julia Gillard being Prime Minister scares me, but I wouldn’t use that in an attempt to persuade people to vote Liberal-National.  I’m sure Julie Bishop scares socialists (at least I hope she does) although I have to say occasionally – not very often – she falls into the category of politicians that are annoying because they can’t go outside their brief.  But it does beg the question, what woman would we be comfortable with as Prime Minister?

This is actually an important issue for us to think about as I have read recently that there are now less women on company boards than there was 5 or 10 years ago.  It seems like Western society is becoming liberal in terms of racial inclusiveness, but taking leaps and bounds backwards in terms of the liberation of women.