He Runs, She Runs: Why Gender Stereotypes Do Not Harm Women Candidates by Deborah Jordan Brooks

Author:Deborah Jordan Brooks [Brooks, Deborah Jordan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Women in Politics, Campaigns & Elections, Social Science, Political Science, Political Process, Women's Studies, General
ISBN: 9781400846191
Google: WRxvqCAX1rkC
Goodreads: 17121831
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2013-06-23T00:00:00+00:00

Reconsidering Hillary Clinton’s Emotional Moment in New Hampshire

At first glance, the results regarding crying might appear at odds with Hillary Clinton’s emotional moment during the New Hampshire presidential primary.51 While I do not find a gender interaction in my study, I do find that candidates overall are hurt by crying, especially on assessments of likely effectiveness as president. And yet many have posited that Clinton was actually helped in the New Hampshire primary by her emotional display, perhaps more so because she is a woman; some even speculated that she won because of her tears.52 It is impossible to prove or disprove that assertion on the basis of available polling data; however, we can look at my results to see if we can discern any basis for how Clinton might have been helped rather than hurt by her emotional display.

The scene of the incident was a New Hampshire coffee shop, the day before the New Hampshire primary. In her book, Big Girls Don’t Cry: The Election That Changed Everything for American Women, Rebecca Traister paints a thorough picture of the incident.53

During a question-and-answer session with undecided voters in Ports-mouth on the day before the New Hampshire primary, sixty-four-year-old Marianne Pernold Young asked Clinton, “As a woman, I know it’s hard to get out of the house and get ready. My question is very personal. How do you do it? How do you keep upbeat and so wonderful? And who does your hair?”

Clinton paused before replying, acknowledging the final query by noting, “Luckily on special days I do have help…. If you look on some of the websites and listen to some of the commentators they always find me on the day that I didn’t have help.” Then she paused again, returning to the more serious question. “It’s not easy,” she said. “And I couldn’t do it if I just didn’t passionately believe it was the right thing to do.” She hesitated again, stammered briefly, and said in a voice that sounded unusually reflective, “You know, I have so many opportunities from this country.” Then came the sound of her voice breaking. “I just don’t want to see us fall backwards. You know, this is very personal for me. It’s not just political. It’s not just public. I see what’s happening, and we have to reverse it. And some people think elections are a game. They think it’s like ‘who’s up,’ or ‘who’s down.’ It’s about our country, it’s about our kids’ futures, it’s really about all of us together.” … The spell broke, and Clinton returned to politicking as usual, noting that some of us (she) were ready to lead and others (Obama) weren’t.

According to Karen Breslau, a journalist from Newsweek, “the 16 undecided voters—14 of them women—nodded sympathetically, some with their own eyes watering,” as Clinton spoke.54

When reporters asked Pernold about her reaction to Clinton’s answer to her question, she reported that only one thing ran through her mind while Clinton was speaking: “I thought ‘holy s—. She’s showing she’s a human being.

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