Women Who Fear A Woman President -- Yes, You Are Out There

Yesterday I posted something on Facebook about why a country as old and civilized as the United States has yet to elect a woman President. England, Pakistan, India, Israel and other nations -- allegedly more "backward" than the U.S. did so eons ago. Why not the US?

Imagine my surprise at the relative lack of enthusiasm for my FB statement, especially from women I consider friends. Frankly, their arguments were based a great deal around Hillary Clinton, a strong and controversial woman with admirers and detractors alike. Not a soul mentioned Carly Fiorina, but that's another story.

The biggest surprise, however, were the arguments put forth against Ms. Clinton. One of them was that she was after power -- as if any male who runs for that office isn't after the same thing? But there's the rub -- women are not supposed to want power, are we?

Supposedly a desire to be at the top of the political or business heap is unfeminine. Power is a man thing, I suppose, not something we silly women need concern our pretty little heads about. It's okay to work, okay to shine, as long as we don't go too crazy. We are supposed to be the cheerleaders, not the players.

Yes, ladies, let us subscribe to the standard feminine "wiles." Let us knock down any woman who is trying to knock down walls because new ways are frightening and safe is better than sorry.

Let us be passive aggressive and not tell anyone what we are really thinking or want, but instead give a person the cold shoulder until hell freezes over. Let us never initiate a confrontation because it's not feminine to be argumentative, to go after what we want, to point blank refuse to take crap from anyone.

Let us be doormats, pretty doormats with cute designs on them. Let us continue to bash any woman who dares to be presumably equal to a man. Let us do that because when someone finally does become President of the United States, and that someone is a woman, the yardstick will have grown immensely. And the rest of us are going to have to do more and be more to measure up.

Centuries ago, Abigail Adams wrote the following to her husband John, who was busy scribbling a document called the Declaration of Independence. "I long to hear that you have declared an independency," she wrote. "And by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation."

Something tells me that if Abigail was around, she'd have a thing or two to say about this. Amen, and pass the sewing basket, please.