It appears as if
Australia wasn’t
ready for Gillard
Ousted Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Click image to enlarge.
THE TREATMENT OF Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard during her three-year administration, was misogynistic at best.
Driven from office in an internal party struggle a couple of weeks ago, she was denigrated like no other Australian prime minister – for being a woman! She was the first woman head of state in the country.
The lurid details were published in “In Australia, Misogyny lives on” in The New York Times on July 6.
With Hillary Clinton widely expected to be nominated for the United States presidency in 2016, one can only wonder if America would treat its first female head of state the same way.
ACCORDING TO JULIA BAIRD, whose account of events ran on the Op-Ed page of The New York Times, “The sexism was visceral and often grotesque.
“There were placards crying “Ditch the Witch,” toys designed for dogs that encouraged them to chew on the fleshier parts of her anatomy, and, most recently, a menu offering “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail — small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box,” Baird wrote.
While Gillard was not without flaws, she certainly didn’t deserve this kind of treatment. Are Australian men such boors?
Perhaps.
But American men can also be.
A Clinton campaign rally from 2008.
It’s not as if the concept of a female-head of state is new. Going back to Golda Meir who became prime minister of Israel in 1969 at age 71, there have been many in the modern era.
Margaret Thatcher of the U.K., fondly remembered as the Iron Lady by some (though by no means all.)
Angela Merkel, current leader of Germany, up for re-election this fall.
But in United States, every single one of our presidents has so far been a man.
FORMER FIRST LADY, United States Senator and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is one of the most accomplished women in America today. She is widely respected, but also frequently derided – especially by those shills on Fox News.
In less then a month that she has had a Twitter account, she has almost 600,000 followers.
Hillary Clinton’s Twitter page showing almost 600,000 followers. It’s about a month old.
In 2008, Clinton fought valiantly against Barack Obama for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency, and was a graceful loser, bowing out, ironically, to make way for America’s first African-American president.
Her life story reads as if she has been preparing her resume the entire time to be the first female POTUS.
Armed with a law degree from Yale University (where she met future spouse Bill Clinton) Hillary Rodham attended political “bootcamp” by being a driving force behind Bill Clinton’s political career. (See an image of the couple at Yale here)
He became governor of Arkansas, then served two terms in the White House.
With honor but less dignity, they both survived the Monica Lewinsky scandal and impeachment.
In view of what has happened recently in Australia with Julia Gillard, and the near certainty that Hillary Clinton Will be nominated in 2016, it is not an odd question to ask if America is ready for her yet.
Presidential campaigns are necessarily rough. Hillary survived 2008 intact. (One can’t say the same about Sarah Palin, can one?)
Hillary’s political moves since then have been flawless.
Her stars are all aligned.
What do you think? Is America ready for President Hillary Clinton? Speak your mind in the comments below.
FEEDBACK: Contact site admin directly
Email Administrator
