1st Edition

Madam President, Revised Edition Women Blazing the Leadership Trail

By Eleanor Clift, Tom Brazaitis Copyright 2003

    The first Madam President will be sworn in sooner than most people think. But the gender gap in politics is still shockingly broad, say two of America's most readable political commentators in this timely look at the nation's sputtering efforts to envision a woman in America's top job.(The Boston Globe ). Charting the transformation of women's power in American politics from the first female presidential candidate (Victoria Woodhull in 1872) to the shattered presidential hopes of Shirley Chisholm and Elizabeth Dole, Madam President presents tales of passion, determination, set-backs, and triumph from nearly all national women politicians and most leading state politicians in the pipeline. With insight garnered from years on the Washington political scene and candid interviews with leading politicians like Christine Todd Whitman and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Clift and Brazaitis explain why the barriers to women are still formidable: There are only 3 female governors (one of the best routes to the White House) and at the current rate it will take 250 years before there are as many women Senators and Representatives as men. A forward-looking, savvy analysis of women in politics, Madam President gives the first inside look at how America's female politicians got there, stayed there, and what it will take for them to make it to the presidency.

    Introduction: Why Not a Woman? 1.Getting Organized 2.Women Raising Money for Women: The Creation of Emily's List 3.The Anita Hill Hearings: A Call to Arms /or: Women Running and Winning: The Post Ferraro Babies 4.Competing to Win Elective Office: The Obstacles Women Face 5.The 2000 Election: No Women Wanted 6.Senator Clinton 7.Go West, Young Woman 8.The Governor Gap 9.The Un-Kennedy 10.Governor Swift: A Cautionary Tale 11.Careful and Cautious 12.Women in the House and Senate 13.Hurrying History 14.Coda A How-to for Women Source Notes Index

    Biography

    Eleanor Clift is a contributing editor at Newsweek and a weekly panelist on "The McLaughlin Group." Brill's Content has called her one of the most accurate predictors among the pundits on the political talk shows. Tom Brazaitis, is Washington bureau chief for The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) and president of the Washington Press Club.

    "A most comprehensive job...Looks at just about every woman in contemporary American politics." -- New York Times Book Review
    "A highly readable narrative chronicling the political trajectories of female candidate...A handy reference work, charting the progress of feminine power." -- The Washington Post
    "A valuable compendium of facts and solid reporting for those interested in this subject. It's best when the women politicians speak for themselves. The litany of sexist assaults they've had to endure is a drum beat far more effective than moralizing." -- Washington Monthly
    "A timely look at the nation's sputtering efforts to envision a woman in America's top job. An invaluable primer for any woman who is considering a run for office at any level." -- Boston Globe
    "The value of this book is its exploration of why American public opinion seems stunted when it comes to trusting only men in the highest positions of power...Also included are well-written profiles of the women from both parties most likely to come within striking distance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the next 20 years." -- Christian Science Monitor
    "Madam President has been a very successful addition to the reading list for my seminar on 'Women as Voters, Candidates as Leaders'." -- Political Science Quarterly