In Politics, Does Race Trump Gender?

Politico: Caroline Kennedy Faces Stiff Criticism While Roland Burris Is Largely Unscathed

(The Politico)  This story was written by Roger Simon

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How come Roland Burris has had such an easy time getting to the U.S. Senate while Caroline Kennedy has had such a hard time?

Could it be that the race card trumps the gender card in U.S. politics?

Well, yes. It could be.

Once supporters of Roland Burris made his appointment to the Senate all about race, the deal was done, though it took a few days for Senate leaders to wake up to the fact.

At a news conference in Chicago, Rep. Bobby Rush, who represents a district on the South Side of Chicago, said that the mere criticizing of Burris was akin to lynching.

Rush then went on to say: “I don’t think that anyone, any U.S. senator who is sitting right now, would want to go on record to deny one African-American from being seated in the U.S. Senate. I don’t think they want to go on record doing that.”

After Burris was turned away from the Senate when he tried to get seated last week, Rush went on “Hardball” and told Chris Matthews, “It reminded me of the dogs being sicced on children in Birmingham, Ala. That’s what it reminded me of.”

And that was that.

Those Democrats who had once opposed Burris for accepting a job from a governor who has been arrested for trying to sell the job caved. They were not going to try to stand up to the race card. Even Barack Obama caved, deciding that the whole brouhaha was something he did not need on the eve of his historic inauguration.

But if the appointment of Roland Burris proves anything, it proves that the election of Obama does not usher in an era of “post-racial” politics in America. Race is very much alive as an issue.

What about gender, however? Supporters of Hillary Clinton observed repeatedly during her presidential campaign that black men in America were legally given the vote before women were. Their point was that women were also an oppressed class and that the gender card was legitimate.

Though it hasn’t seemed to help Caroline Kennedy much. Here is a woman who is a lawyer and an author and who has a fine record of public service and is not tainted in the least. (We know she is not tainted because if any Kennedy gets tainted, we hear about it immediately.)

I am not saying Caroline Kennedy has lived a tough life. Quite the opposite. She has lived a privileged life. (Though having your father and uncle assassinated is not exactly an easy thing to live with or overcome.)

But one thing has always struck me about the Kennedy family: The women don’t get in trouble, but they also don’t get elected to higher office.

Caroline Kennedy’s cousin, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, was elected as lieutenant governor of Maryland but failed in her attempt to win the governorship in an overwhelmingly Democratic state.

Caroline Kennedy announced weeks ago that she would like to be appointed to fill Hillary Clinton’s seat. But unlike the racial arguments being made on behalf of Burris, the airwaves were not filled with anyone saying that a Senate seat held by one woman had to be filled by another woman.

True, the Senate already has women. In fact, women make up 17 percent of the Senate. But women make up 51 percent of the country and so you could argue that they are still seriously underrepresented in that body.

Sarah Palin recently complained that Caroline Kennedy was getting much easier treatment by the press than Palin had gotten, but in reality Kennedy has gotten a pretty vigorous going-over by reporters.

A better comparison for Palin to make would have been the patty-cake treatment Roland Burris has gotten from the press.

Where does Roland Burris stand on the fighting in Gaza?

Where does he stand on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?

How does he feel about Obama’s financial bailout plan?

In fact, where does Burris stand on any major issue?

Who knows? Let’s just seat the guy and get it over with!

Caroline Kennedy got asked serious questions about serious issues, and some thought her answers were vague and inarticulate. Fair enough.

But how come she got asked them and Roland Burris did not?

In the end, Caroline Kennedy may get appointed to the Senate. But if she is, it won’t be because her supporters played the gender card.

And that’s because there is no such card to play.

[enviro_wacko]

Also, she evidently isn''''''''t a stupid moron like Bush. That''''''''s a plus these days.

She might just be but since she has never been in public life we wouldn''''t know, would we? I do know that she said "you know" 32 times in a 3 minute interview - that doesn''''t sound too bright to me.

Posted by jimmyc1955 at 08:52 PM : Jan 14, 2009

We might at least suppose she''s average but we know that Chimpy is, shall we say, well below average.

[kansas1946]

Could it be that the race card trumps the gender card in U.S. politics?
**********************************

Please. Could we quit with this stuff. The situations with Burris and Kennedy are apples and oranges. Totally different situations, so lets not be screaming sexism whe it doesn''t exist. I am a woman and I recognize sexism when I see it and this ain''t it.

[flsunjnky]

I have to wonder if the question should be whether gender trumps race.

[jimmyc1955]

Isn''t it rather ironic that the party who paints itself as the "diverse" party is working so very hard to make Dr. Kings dream fail.

The party doesn''t want to judge just by the character and actions of a man or woman but by their race, gender and sexual orientation. These conditions trump the character and actions of a person.

My great hope for the Obama administration (and I have many high hopes and fervent prayers for our President Elect) is we are finally at the begining of the end of choosing a man by the color of his skin and soon moving into the accomplishments, skills, actions, asperations and dreams.

[jimmyc1955]

Also, she evidently isn''''t a stupid moron like Bush. That''''s a plus these days.

She might just be but since she has never been in public life we wouldn''t know, would we? I do know that she said "you know" 32 times in a 3 minute interview - that doesn''t sound too bright to me.

[jimmyc1955]

We are so immersed in race gender issues we see everything through those distorted lenses.

Like Burres or not - he was selected by the sitting Governor of Illinios in a completely legal act. Distasteful and reeking of corruption maybe - but legal.

The US Senate had no choice but to seat him. It is not their choice who represents a state. As long has he meets the eligibility requirements of a US Senator - he had to be seated. The only other option is ignore the US Constitution - which happens fairly routinely now.

But we would RATHER argue about this in terms of something that had no bearing - other than possibly Blago''s way of thumbing his nose at the Senate. Picking a black for the seat ensured that the race card would come out and ensured that he would get his way. Because so many are so thoroughly indoctrinated into racial politics they, by training, responded affirmatively - though reluctantly.

As to Kennedy and Burris - Burris has held public office and been elected a number of times. Ms Kennedy (not her full last name by the way) has had absolutely no experience and has actually lived a very isolated, privileged life in the upper East side of Manhattan and has no practical understanding of politics.

Kennedy is not unworthy because she is a women - she is unworthy because she is unqualified.

Neither of these issues is race or gender it is simplified are they legal and qualified.

[rushlimpdrug]

"In Politics, Does Race Trump Gender?"

uhhh, yes?

If you have to ask the question,
you know the answer.

[enviro_wacko]

Kennedy is getting harsh criticism because her main qualification seems to be that she is a Kennedy. Surely there is a congress man or women from New York who is more Qualified than Kennedy.

Posted by cbscrash072 at 07:14 PM : Jan 14, 2009

Also, she evidently isn''t a stupid moron like Bush. That''s a plus these days.

[cbscrash072]

Kennedy is getting harsh criticism because her main qualification seems to be that she is a Kennedy. Surely there is a congress man or women from New York who is more Qualified than Kennedy.

[silverstar06]

Seems that women are posed against a two sided obstacle that prevents them from obtaining leadership and/or key positions, namely that first, women do not see or regard women as effective leaders, and men do not see or regard women as effective leaders. Both have plenty of personal experince to come to this conclusion, though it is not drawn from actual proof. It is drawn from the fact that men have established themselves already as the leaders.