Kevin Drum links to a post on the reaction to Hillary Clinton's ambition to be president, a post that suggests that it's damaging to women to look ambitious but not for men to look that way, and that the Clinton campaign is suffering as a result.
Now there may certainly be instances and situations where a woman appearing ambitious is bad for her career. But that's not what strikes me as the problem with Clinton's apparent ambition. It's taken as a given (or should be) that anyone running for the presidency is hugely ambitious. But what I personally find offensive (or at least unappealing) in her ambition is that it's so clearly all about her. Clinton's language, presentation and argument all argue that she is uniquely ready to take power and she should be entrusted with high office to do what's right for the country. Obama's language, on the other hand, is all about building a movement, bringing people together, listening, respectfully considering the opinions of others. It's not "Barack Obama is the greatest, worship him" or "only Barack Obama is qualified". I don't think it's Clinton's ambition that turns people off as much as it's her self-centered ambition. But hey, I could be wrong.
Posted by armand at January 13, 2008 12:04 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Politics