Is the U.S. ready for the first woman president?

[angus]

I personally know a woman who was in the first class admitted to an Ivy League school. 

Harvard didn't admit Catholics or Jews till the very early 20th Century, but you won't find that on their website.  Women were admitted even, in 1920.  That was less than a hundred years ago, but such things change fast.  I do think that people lie to pollsters--The Vorlon constantly reminds us of that anyway--but I also think that the fact of a woman doesn't make a difference to most voters.  It takes time to percolate.  As you point out, it hasn't been so very long since women were admitted to the aristocratic circles which, after a few generations, breed to sort of influence and assure the right circles that get people pushed into positions in which they might be mentioned for candidacy. 

That long acculturalization is part of why no woman has been elected.  I'm not sure that means society wasn't ready for a female commander at least half a century ago.  I use the word commander because I think that's the sticking point, if there is one.  Females have been in executive positions in the private sector as well as in state governments for a very long time, but the Presidency has a special function of commanding a military as well.  The fact that there's a selective service thread fairly alive at the moment, and that no one has yet mentioned that only males are mandated to register, suggest that there's a hesitancy in the military service aspect when it comes to treatment of women.  I don't think Clinton is weak in the area of being willing to march US troops into harms way--if anything, I think she is too power-projectionist. Society will automatically think that any particular woman would make a good president even if it has no qualms with females in command generally, and if a woman running for president is not elected, it will not necessarily mean that society is not ready for a woman.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

I personally know a woman who was in the first class admitted to an Ivy League school. 

Harvard didn't admit Catholics or Jews till the very early 20th Century, but you won't find that on their website.  Women were admitted even, in 1920.

You are quoting the most generous of generous characterizations of Harvard's less than stellar track record concerning women.  It is true that Ivy League schools did admit some women to graduate programs earlier but they strictly prohibited undergraduate female enrollment until shockingly recently.  And yes there were Ivy League schools that banned undergraduate women in the 50s and much of the 60s.  I don't think Harvard went full coed until the 70s.  Officially I think it was 1977.

[Ogre Mage]

The Republican Party and U.S. conservatives clearly are NOT READY as no woman has come anywhere close to making a credible run in their presidential primary.  But I think the country as a whole is ready and has been for about a decade now, it just took some time for the stars to align correctly.

The GOP has long been ready for such a thing.  Gender isn't the issue surrounding Hillary Clinton.  Trustworthiness and integrity are.  

Elizabeth Dole ran for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2000 but ended up withdrawing, lack of funds.

Had she won the nomination and the election, not only would she have become the first female President, but she would have made a fine President as well.

She would have been an excellent first woman President, respected and trusted, not like Hillary Clinton, who is mistrusted by most of the public.

Again, if the Republican Party is so ready for a woman president, why has every woman who has run in the Republican Presidential Primary in the past half-century gone nowhere?

Perhaps that will change now that Hillary Clinton has made history.

Dole had to contend with W, who wasn't going to be beaten by anyone in his primary. Carly Fiorina was a total fraud. Just a mixture of bad luck and a dearth of qualified candidates.

You forgot Michele Bachmann in 2012, lol.

But yes, that is correct.  The GOP has a dearth of qualified female candidates.  I won't get into the reasons for that right now.

[Ogre Mage]

Again, if the Republican Party is so ready for a woman president, why has every woman who has run in the Republican Presidential Primary in the past half-century gone nowhere?

Oh, you mean like Shirley Chisholm in 1972, Elvena Lloyd-Duffie in 1996, Carol Moseley-Braun in 2004.

Hillary Clinton appreciates that Chisholm et al. past efforts in Democratic Presidential Primaries helped pave the way for her historic nomination.

You didn't answer the question, perhaps because you realize the answer makes your party look bad.  Especially since in 2016 your party has now nominated an ignorant, misogynistic turd on a plate.  Have fun eating that $hit.

[Lincoln Republican]

You really are afraid to admit that up until Hillary that every woman who  has run in the Democrat Presidential Primary in the past half-century has gone nowhere, aren't you.

And must I remind you that it was the Republican Party that was the first major party to place in nomination a woman for the Presidential nomination, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.

[Badger]

Yes, I am ready for Jill Stein.

You'll have a long wait.

[Hermit For Peace]

You really are afraid to admit that up until Hillary that every woman who  has run in the Democrat Presidential Primary in the past half-century has gone nowhere, aren't you.

And must I remind you that it was the Republican Party that was the first major party to place in nomination a woman for the Presidential nomination, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.

She had a notable career, however, the party who nominated her is nothing like what you see today.

And it's today that really matters, IMO.

[Badger]

You really are afraid to admit that up until Hillary that every woman who  has run in the Democrat Presidential Primary in the past half-century has gone nowhere, aren't you.

And must I remind you that it was the Republican Party that was the first major party to place in nomination a woman for the Presidential nomination, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.

how well has any republican woman ever done, Winfield.

Oh, and the fact Smith got like 6 votes at the 52 convention is not exactly establishing feminist bona fides.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

You really are afraid to admit that up until Hillary that every woman who  has run in the Democrat Presidential Primary in the past half-century has gone nowhere, aren't you.

And must I remind you that it was the Republican Party that was the first major party to place in nomination a woman for the Presidential nomination, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.

how well has any republican woman ever done, Winfield.

Oh, and the fact Smith got like 6 votes at the 52 convention is not exactly establishing feminist bona fides.

Yes, let's be honest: until Hillary no woman actually had an actual shot at the Presidency, much less the nomination. It's not a partisan issue, it's just a sad fact.

At least Democrats nominated a woman for VP twenty four years before your party did.

[Lincoln Republican]

You really are afraid to admit that up until Hillary that every woman who  has run in the Democrat Presidential Primary in the past half-century has gone nowhere, aren't you.

And must I remind you that it was the Republican Party that was the first major party to place in nomination a woman for the Presidential nomination, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.

how well has any republican woman ever done, Winfield.

Oh, and the fact Smith got like 6 votes at the 52 convention is not exactly establishing feminist bona fides.

1964 convention.

[Lincoln Republican]

You really are afraid to admit that up until Hillary that every woman who  has run in the Democrat Presidential Primary in the past half-century has gone nowhere, aren't you.

And must I remind you that it was the Republican Party that was the first major party to place in nomination a woman for the Presidential nomination, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.

how well has any republican woman ever done, Winfield.

Oh, and the fact Smith got like 6 votes at the 52 convention is not exactly establishing feminist bona fides.

Yes, let's be honest: until Hillary no woman actually had an actual shot at the Presidency, much less the nomination. It's not a partisan issue, it's just a sad fact.

At least Democrats nominated a woman for VP twenty four years before your party did.

Elizabeth Dole was taken seriously in 2000, although of course had to withdraw due to lack of funding, although I do agree with the noble Earl that Hillary was the first woman to mount a serious and well funded campaign for the nomination of a major party. 

And congratulations to the Democrats for picking a woman for VP in 1984, even though it was clearly a token pick by Mondale, knowing he was headed for a historic defeat, and wanted to make a statement.