MY TURN

Being ambitious isn’t a flaw for a candidate


BY SUE SOMMER SPECIAL TO THE KENOSHA NEWS

Acouple of campaigns ago, I called Ross Perot a Chihuahua. In the spirit of good political fun, we’ve all used our favorite metaphors — animal, vegetable or otherwise. So why do I take such personal offense at the pot shots directed toward Hillary Clinton? It’s not as if she has suddenly become a target; Hillary jokes are almost as old as … John McCain.

And Hillary is no victim. Every description, no matter how denigrating, includes the word power. Even her enemies (especially her enemies) wield this term as a cautionary tale — give her an inch and look at the powerful mile she took. That power is a result of ambition, cunning; perhaps subterfuge, but mostly ambition.

No one can discuss Hillary without a strong opinion. My question is, why is this subject so personal? Even the most apathetic, uninvolved individuals come out swinging against Hillary. As research for this column, I polled friends and neighbors for a few days and aroused these responses: I don’t want a president with fat thighs. I could never forgive her for not leaving Bill. She’s too ambitious — she’s had this plan for years She could never win — too many enemies Of the many reasons cited, only the last reason is not personal. On second thought, that one is also personal — a version of the most common mantra about Hillary: She’s just unlikable. Well, that’s fair enough. In politics, charisma matters. Everyone knows the who-would-yourather-have-a-beer-with litmus test for potential candidates. So if Hillary can’t make it past that hurdle, all the power, money and connections in the world won’t help her. So we all watch as she repackages herself as a softer (less intelligent), friendlier (less direct), more naïve (less political) candidate.

But I don’t get it. I don’t understand how being ambitious is a negative. I don’t understand how being politically savvy is considered wrong. (Of course the utopians among us would view politics like sausage-making — don’t tell us how it really happens.) Even her enemies will grant that she is incredibly hard working. I guess this is not considered important in a potential president.

The rhetoric surrounding each candidate has its own theme. The criticism of Hillary sounds like a broken record. People don’t like her husband, her abrasive manner, her … well they just don’t like her. I don’t know if I want a beer with Hillary, either. But here’s what I would propose: If we are going to look at all of the candidates, then let’s look at them the same way. Either we examine their resumes or we do not. We compare their voting records (or lack thereof) or not. We look at their potential for forming alliances and getting things done, or we don’t. We have a substantive debate or we call each other Chihuahuas and move on.

So let’s get personal. I didn’t vote for Bill Clinton. I don’t know who I’ll vote for this time around. I have always been ambitious. Most of the time, this quality has not worked in my personal favor, as a likeability factor. Women who single-mindedly pursue their own agendas still bear the burden of proving their personal integrity in a way that men do not. Until now, I hadn’t really thought about this — too busy hammering away at my own goals, I guess. But if you look closely, you’ll see the sexist overtones in the criticism against Hillary. So that’s personal, and that’s just me.

Interested in becoming a My Turn columnist? We’re recruiting a group of volunteers who will each write a column every 13 weeks for a year. To apply, send a sample column about 700 words long, along with some biographical information, to Editorial Page Editor, Kenosha News, 5800 Seventh Ave., Kenosha, WI 53141 or send it via e-mail to myturn@kenoshanews.com.

Sue Sommer operates a kennel and a dog grooming business. She lives in Brighton.