What Will It Take to Make A Woman President?
Conversations About Women, Leadership and Power
by Marianne Schnall


(Click for Amazon book review)

OnTheIssues.org BOOK REVIEW:

This book, on the surface, addresses the structural and societal barriers to overcome for a woman to get elected president. But that's a pretty thin surface for the real underlying discussion, which is about Hillary Clinton getting elected president. Every other topic is secondary, although both the author and the numerous interviewees explore every other topic gamely. The author includes in the book numerous discussions of Hillary, since she comes up when the interviewees answer just about any question on this topic, such as:

The book does address topics other than Hillary. We only excerpt politicians' views, but there are plenty of celebrities other than politicians. Mostly women, but a few men. There are some interesting tidbits for even the pundits, like the fact that there is a regular Washington dinner meeting of women from Congress and the Supreme Court (p. 141). But overall, this book feels like a fan club: an outsider talking to other outsiders, discussing rumors and long-term intentions, with no new insight. Hillary fans would be better served reading one of the numerous other biographies. And readers other than Hillary fans will just be annoyed by all of the Hillary-oriented inferences.

-- Jesse Gordon, OnTheIssues editor-in-chief, January 2014

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Barbara Lee: "War on women": systematic attacks on rights in Congress.     Eleanor Holmes Norton: Women have been politically attacked on reproductive health.

Civil Rights     Barbara Lee: Women have fought to reduce systemic barriers.     Cathy McMorris-Rodgers: More women running for office is great motivator for others.     Debbie Wasserman Schultz: 296 women have served in Congress; vs. more than 12,000 men.     Eleanor Holmes Norton: Why did it take 150 years for women's right to vote?     Eleanor Holmes Norton: Women's paycheck equality is simple update, not very radical.     Hillary Clinton: Women in Public Service Project: 50% of officials by 2050.     Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: Demographics of Congress doesn't reflect women or minorities.     Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: Better nation when our representatives are like us.     Kay Bailey Hutchison: Everyone assumes all women will be weak and liberal.     Kirsten Gillibrand: Off the Sidelines Project: engage more women in politics.     Kirsten Gillibrand: Raise awareness of impediments for working women.     Madeleine Albright: It is hard to be the only woman in the room.     Marsha Blackburn: Women push boundaries for those coming behind them.     Nancy Pelosi: Marble ceiling: Congress is very male-oriented society.     Sandra Day O`Connor: Dismantling minority structural barriers is matter of time.

Crime     Claire McCaskill: 1980s: Specialized in prosecuting arson & sex crimes.     Kay Bailey Hutchison: Passed state law for fair treatment of rape victims.

Drugs     Claire McCaskill: Early advocate of drug courts.

Education     Barbara Lee: When I started school, public schools were segregated.

Families & Children     Kirsten Gillibrand: Affordable daycare is impediment for women working.

Government Reform     Barbara Lee: Public campaign finance levels the playing field.     Kirsten Gillibrand: Illegal for members of Congress to profit from insider info.     Nancy Pelosi: Campaign finance reform to reduce role of money in politics.

Homeland Security     Olympia Snowe: Women's voices important on sexual assault in military.

Jobs     Eleanor Holmes Norton: First woman to chair Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.     Mary Fallin: Allow citizens to vote no Right-to-Work.     Olympia Snowe: Women still don't earn what men earn.

Principles & Values     Claire McCaskill: Won as state rep by knocking on 11,432 doors.     Kay Bailey Hutchison: First Republican woman in Texas Legislature.     Olympia Snowe: First woman to serve in both houses of two legislatures.

Social Security     Kay Bailey Hutchison: Homemaker IRA: let women at home set aside retirement money.

Tax Reform     Mary Fallin: Tax cut gives people back some of their money.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Barbara Lee Democrat U.S. Rep California-13 Cathy McMorris-Rodgers Republican U.S. Rep Washington-5 Claire McCaskill Democratic Sr Senator; previously state Auditor Missouri Debbie Wasserman Schultz Democrat U.S. Rep Florida-23 Eleanor Holmes Norton Democrat U.S. Rep District of Columbia-Delegate Hillary Clinton Democratic Presidential candidate Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Republican U.S. Rep Florida-27 Kay Bailey Hutchison Republican Sr Senator (Retiring) Texas Kirsten Gillibrand Democratic Jr Senator New York Madeleine Albright Marsha Blackburn Republican Challenger for TN Senator Tennessee Mary Fallin Oklahoma Republican Governor Nancy Pelosi Democrat U.S. Rep California-12 Olympia Snowe Republican Sr Senator Maine Sandra Day O`Connor Republican Appointee to Supreme Court (retired 2005)