WP: Clinton's Real Victory
By Marie Wilson
Saturday, June 7, 2008; Page A15
"I am here because of Hillary Clinton."
Over the past few months, that phrase has been repeated to me by hundreds of women you've never met but whose names you may one day recognize. They are this country's next generation of female leaders -- women of all ages and persuasions who have been searching for the means and encouragement to step into positions of leadership in their communities; women of all political affiliations who thank Hillary Clinton for making the impossible finally appear possible.
As someone who trains women across the country to lead across all sectors, it has been easy for me to see, firsthand, the impact of Clinton's candidacy. I have watched over the past year as women in the mining towns of Minnesota's Iron Range and urban centers such as Atlanta and Denver have stepped forward as never before to lead. It's a mistake to suggest that women's political leadership will be crippled by Clinton's loss in the Democratic presidential nomination race. In fact, I believe that the end of her candidacy will eventually rank as a modest disappointment when measured against her larger wins -- which include what has been revealed to us about the often invisible political aspirations of women and how we can leverage their talent and passion to bring about change at all levels of government.
Already, the political pipeline promises a bevy of "women to watch" -- governors (Arizona's Janet Napolitano, Kansas's Kathleen Sebelius and Alaska's Sarah Palin) U.S. senators (Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota) and other elected officials who are seen as next in line....
But it's not just the women already near the top who demonstrate the impact of Clinton's historic run. The real and long-term effect of her candidacy can be seen in the burgeoning movement of women at the grass-roots level who are working to alter our political landscape. They are the retiring teachers who want to amplify their good works in the community; the recent college graduates determined to transform the world around them; the seasoned factory workers who want their voices to finally be heard. These women may not be on our national radar, but they are changing the face and voice of American leadership as surely as Hillary Clinton has. She has shifted cultural perceptions of what a leader looks like....
***
Clinton's candidacy has brought unprecedented visibility to women's leadership. We may at times have disagreed with her campaign tactics, her voting record or her political maneuverings. And her candidacy did highlight certain fissures between women of different racial, generational and political backgrounds. But whether we liked Clinton the person or Clinton the candidate pales in comparison with this unassailable truth: Her candidacy has helped change the political game forever....
(The writer is founder and president of the White House Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that aims to advance women's leadership.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/06/AR2008060603150.html?nav=most_emailed
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