Being a woman is not a qualification for becoming president

In case you’ve forgotten, Hillary Clinton is a woman. Of course, the chances of you forgetting this fact are comparable to the chances of seeing Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster at the same time. The omnipresent “I’m With Her” has been the rallying cry of Clinton’s campaign, and good luck getting away from it. Unfortunately, the emphasis has never been on the solidarity of being “with” someone. It has been about “Her.”

Make no mistake, there is definitely something exhilarating about getting a chance to make history, as long as it’s history worth making. Installing Hillary in the Oval Office simply because she’s a woman is not enough to cheer about. When voters are urged to vote for Hillary simply because they share her sex organs, it insults all women.

{mosads}If it were that clear of an obligation, then hypothetically, any woman on the ticket would be preferable to any man. You could have Paula Deen, the female cashier at your grocery store, or Gwyneth Paltrow (who might be just as un-liked as Hillz), and your obligation would be the same — if you were the sort of voter who felt it was your duty to vote for a woman at all costs.

Casting a vote based on the XX chromosomes of the candidate assumes that women don’t care about the same issues that men do. Hillary has spent her whole campaign stating that she will tackle the same issues that all other presidents have. So where does she get off telling women that they should vote for her because of “women’s issues?” The economy affects women. So does foreign policy, welfare reform, crime rates, unemployment, and so on and so on.

When “women’s issues” come up, it generally means abortion, and abortion is far from the only issue that women are interested in.

Women need to think about the results they want from their vote. No matter who they vote for, they owe it to themselves to consider which candidate will benefit them the most. For instance, all people should be concerned about safer communities for their families. Homicides are up significantly in cities across the nation. The job market needs to become more robust. The economy isn’t the worst it’s ever been, but the rebound from recession has been glacial.

What about the freedom to defend our families from intruders, and all of the legislation that must come about to prosecute crimes against women with all due haste and aggression? What about better schools, and the rights of parents to choose which schools their children will attend?

Look at that list of items. They are not women’s issues. They are American issues, male, female, and any gender in between. Every little girl out there should take heart and feel inspired that America is finally ready for a female president. They should, however, also be aware that in order to deserve a job, you must be qualified for that job. Yes, believe in your dreams, if you can believe it you can achieve it, insert the peppy sound bite of your choice, but no little girl should think she deserves to be President just because she’s female.

Neither should Hillary. Neither should her supporters who will vote for her just because she’s not a man. Furthermore, if a voter isn’t willing to cast a ballot on the merits of a candidate’s plans and policies, then they have no business voting in the first place! They might as well flip a coin if they’re not going to put any thought into it besides “I’m With Her.”

Women are not a special interest group who must be pandered to based on this brave new world in which a candidate finally happens to share their anatomical composition. Female voters have the same duty as male voters: to weigh the facts, and think carefully about the long term consequences of any and all candidates who might reach the White House.  

Maybe it will be a woman. Maybe not.

The one thing that is certain is that the incoming president must always be the candidate who is best qualified for the job. Being a woman is not a qualification. Otherwise, you’d be able to put it on a resume as a bullet point in your list of achievements.

Hillary can’t take credit for being a woman. It’s how she was born. She shouldn’t be rewarded simply for her anatomy. She should earn her spot, just like any other candidate. Women have fought long and hard for equality. Suggesting they are some sort of special needs group is insulting — and it’s even worse when it’s a woman committing that offense.