Our First Female President

Once upon a time America decided that the best way to solve its race problem was to elect an African-American to the office of the presidency. He did not need to be especially qualified for the office, because his mere presence would show the world that America was not a nation of bigots. Or, should I say, his mere identity would suffice.

Now, America seems to be veering toward the idea that the best way to solve its sexism problem will be to elect a female president. For those who believed in such beliefs the candidacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton was going to rid America of the last smidgeon of sexism. The fact that Hillary was a no-account grifter, an incompetent fraud who had built up an impressive resume on the basis of her husband’s achievements did not bother anyone. She was a female. It was all that mattered.

So what if she was the nation’s leading enabler of sexual harassment. So what if her jobs were a reward for covering up for the nation’s sexual harrasser and rapist in chief. So what if she accomplished nothing beyond throwing a tantrum at the suggestion that anyone could hold her responsible for the murder of an ambassador in Benghazi. The fact that the Secretary of State is responsible for the security of ambassadors did not seem to register in her pea brain.

Heck, if she had not married Bill Clinton-- a political arrangement if ever there was one-- she’d still be trying to pass the Washington, D. C. bar exam.

And yet, Hillary is running around the country proclaiming that she ran the world’s best campaign and that Donald Trump stole the election. But, if you cannot beat Donald Trump you ought to reconsider how great your campaign was.

And yes, I recognize that Barack Obama called her the most qualified presidential candidate in American history. Of course, it was a joke. Don’t you recognize irony when you see it?

Anyway, Hillary’s loss unleashed the feminist furies. They lashed out mercilessly at men, labeling them toxic and appalling and awful chauvinist pigs. Women showed how much they hated man, because they did not just blame men for Hillary’s loss. They blamed men for everything bad that had ever happened to women.

Anyway, a retrograde male might be forgiven for asking whether Hillary Clinton was even the most accomplished female candidate. If Hillary was the best that women could offer, what does that tell us about women candidates?

So, this year we have a bevy of beauteous and not so beauteous female candidates. One thing you can say, most of them are better looking than Hillary. And most of them are far more likable than Hillary-- not much of a challenge, but credit where credit is due. And, not a one of them is gaining any political traction. The party of identity politics is offering up a couple of septuagenarian  white men… Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. It shows how desperate they are to beat Donald Trump.

And yet, desperate people do desperate things... it's not the best attitude to ensure success.

Somehow or other not one of the multitude of female candidates has not managed to capture the public attention. Do you think that the problem with American governance, more and more becoming a joke, is that there are not enough women involved. One might point out that more and more women are serving in Congress. Has Congress thereby become more or less functional? Hmmm. Think about it.

Kathleen Parker does not find the group very encouraging. Elizabeth Warren lied about being Native American. Amy Klobuchar was said to be the boss from hell. Kirsten Gillibrand worked for a law firm that defended Harvey Weinstein. Besides, do you think that America is ready to elect a peroxide blond?

Parker continues:

Another candidate cursed with controversy is Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), who two years ago met with Syrian genocidal dictator Bashar al-Assad and called the U.S.-backed opposition “terrorists.” Marianne Williamson is a New Age self-help specialist beloved by Hollywood. Say no more. Kamala D. Harris, a former California attorney general and now U.S. senator, is perhaps best known for her prosecutorial zeal during Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination hearings. Great for the primary, disastrous in the general.

Marianne Williamson… are you kidding?

It would be nice if they were more theatrical, but you cannot have everything.

Parker concludes by pointing out that if we are going to have a first female president in the near future-- that would be in 2024-- the most likely candidate is former UN Ambassador and governor of South Carolina: Nikki Haley.

Be not dismayed, for a female president is coming soon, likely in 2024. She’ll be a woman of color, a real Indian (with parents from Punjab), a Christian, a Republican, a wife and mother with Southern manners, statewide governing experience and an international profile. Wouldn’t that beat all?