No matter how politically minded or supportive of democratic processes one may be, many would say that the increasing political debates before the election were getting very stale. For better or for worse, many were simply glad for elections to be over with, and endless partisan arguments to cease. Divisiveness breeds too quickly in the heat of presidential elections.
However, “Lessons from the Election,” was a successful attempt to get back to a positive manner of political discussion, one that was consolidating and constructively reflective.
Tuesday at Storrs, a panel of speakers gathered to discuss lessons to be learned from the 2008 elections. Present from UNCC were professors Dr. Ted Arrington, Dr. John Szmer, Dr. Martha Kropf, and Political Science Chairperson Dr. Robert Kravchuk. They were joined by Harvey Gantt, mayor of Charlotte from 1983 to 1987, and Dr. Kathleen Dolan, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The panel was first introduced by Dr. Kravchuk, who then gave the floor to Harvey Gantt. Focusing on the non-partisan success of having elected an African-American president, Mr. Gantt remarked that when he first was elected to City Council in 1975 (later to be the first African-American mayor of Charlotte), he “Would have been crazy to suggest a black man could be president within 35 years.”
Mr. Gantt addressed the fact that Obama’s success came from many strengths, none of which had to do with skin color. His enumerated the strengths, which were campaign organization; a critically astute grasp of the nomination process with special respect to the caucuses; and oratory skills, one of which is a cool patient confidence that speaks for itself.
Mayor Gantt was particularly impressed with the number of people who gave small donations (those under $200), referencing an old political adage that a hundred $1 contributions is better than a single $100 contribution.
Wrapping up his lecture, which doubled his self-alotted timeframe (consistent with Obama and McCain’s treatment of timed responses during the debates), Mr. Gantt stated that McCain may have simply been running at the wrong time, and that he was never loved by the Republican core.
Dr. Kathleen Dolan, author of “Voting for Women,” was the second speaker, and she raised the question “Did sex and gender matter in the elections?” A simple preview of the response would be that sex and gender mattered, but were not deterministic. Dr. Dolan stressed that Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton had to deal with “gendered conditions” that their male adversaries did not have to, saying, “sexism persists.” One example regards negative reactions to Palin’s shopping spree and constant wardrobe change, which was necessitated by advice claiming that the same outfit ought only be worn once or twice during the campaign. Dr. Dolan pointed out that we would all be hard pressed to notice differences in the shades of blue suits that the male candidates cycled through, highlighting the sexist double standard.
She also shed light on the fact that while 18 million votes approving of Clinton for president was a huge victory, elsewhere in governmental elections, progress for women was only incremental. Statistically, women are still far behind men in elected offices, though statistics also show that women are represented in office to the degree they are represented in the candidate pool.
This shows that women aren’t running enough. It proves that women are elected as often as men are when they run, which points possibly to societal stereotypes that contribute to women devaluing themselves and consequently not attempting to run for office.
Closing up the discussion, panel members moved away from reflections and analyses, agreeing that Obama’s handling of the economic situation will be pivotal. When asked after the event had finished, Dr. Kravchuk expressed interest in holding another similar panel in the future, agreeing that it was good to see students, and some faculty, gathering to hear information from within their own community.
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