Jessica Valenti
‘I’ll Vote for a Woman, Just Not That Woman’
Most male voters still have a sexism problem
As much as I’d like to be optimistic going into the new year, Elizabeth Warren’s announcement that she’s running for president reminded me of an immovable fact about America: There is no woman who will ever be seen as good enough, smart enough, or qualified enough for most men in this country.
As we did with Hillary Clinton in 2016, we will hear different iterations of the same tired, sexist refrain about Warren (and any other woman who throws her hat in the ring): I’d totally vote for a woman, just not THIS woman.
Before the “not all men” crowd arrives to explain to me that they’d happily support a female candidate, let me be clear: I’m glad that there are individual men who will support Warren, or some other woman who runs for president. Kudos to you for the brave, progressive stance of supporting the candidacy of a capable, smart leader. You’re in the minority, though. American men largely do not have faith in women as leaders. In fact, only 45 percent of American men say they are comfortable with the idea a female president.
And that’s just the idea of a woman as commander in chief. There are plenty of people who support female politicians only in theory — finding…
