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Damned If She Does

Between the election and doing revisions to the Canadian Women's Politics book, I'm rocking the blog this month. This is a departure from my election commentary and is a synopsis of the Atlantic Monthly article I tweeted out earlier this week which I am using as the basis for a call-out box in the chapter on women's representative politics. BTW: Thanks Mum for bringing the article to my attention!

Damned If She Does 

In April 2018, Atlantic Magazine ran an article clearly illustrating the problems of being an effective and ambitious woman with considerable political power. Democratic congressional minority leader Nancy Pelosi, the article argues, is “the most effective congressional leader of modern times” However, the Democratic Party’s most effect member is now considered the party’s biggest liability.

The problem is she is the most vilified politician in the United States. This vilification started in 2003, when a “twisted” version of her face was used in a Republican advertising against a Democratic congressional candidate in Louisiana. Since this, negative reference to Pelosi have dominated Republican advertising compared to her male colleagues and even President Obama. For example, in the 2016 Georgia special congressional election, Jon Ossoff, a strong Democratic contender was characterized in Republican ads as Pelosi puppet and with the statement, “Say No to Pelosi’s Man.”

That she is vilified more than her male colleague or even a male President comes down to her gender. “[P]elosi has made her ambition visible. She has gained the power to tell her male colleagues what to do. She has put herself… in control.” Such ambition is not in keeping with commonly held views as to how women are meant to behave. It’s alright for a man, but down-right transgressive for a woman. Therefore, “the more successful Pelosi is – the more she outmaneuvers and dominates her male adversaries – the more threatening she become.” Thus, it is Pelosi’s political success which is ultimately her failure, just because she happens to be a woman.

Source: Peter Beinart. 2018. The Nancy Pelosi Problem. Atlantic Magazine. April 2018. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/the-nancy-pelosi-problem/554048/?utm_source=eb.

See also:

Jennifer Lawless. 2012. Becoming a Candidate: political ambition and the desire to run for office. N.Y.: Cambridge University Press.

Victoria Brescoll & Tyler G. Okimoto. 2010. The Price of Power Seeking and Backlash Against Female Politicians. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Vol. 36, No. 7, July 2010 pp. 923-936.

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