What Will It Take to Make A Woman President?: Conversations About Women, Leadership and Power (63 page)
Authors: Marianne Schnall
MS
: What types of leaders do you think the world needs now, whether men or women? What qualities do you look for in our leaders?
JW
: You know, those who choose to run for political office, even if they represent points of view, I really think politicians have to compromise. And clearly, Washington does not compromise mostly anymore. Something has happened to our political system, but that’s a whole different discussion. I mean I could go on for hours about what I think needs to be done in this so-called democracy. But I think there is a responsibility to the common good and finding ways to . . . you know, maybe you were elected by a majority in your state, but there are 350 million other people in this
country and you just can’t make decisions for the ones that elected you, I don’t think. Maybe in the House, not in the Senate.
MS
: It does seem so dysfunctional right now, it’s so hard to entice the people that you want there, so it’s sort of this catch-22. It is almost surreal to realize that women didn’t even have the right to vote until recently. You have a perspective on the United States but also around the world, where obviously there are horrendous atrocities that are happening to women and girls. What is your overall picture in terms of the status of women here in the U.S. and around the world? Where are we?
JW
: Still desperate in many areas. At the same time, I do feel like, and lots of people keep saying this, that we’re on the cusp of some significant change. I wish it would happen faster, but change, even when we want to change, it is hard. So seven billion people trying to manage change, and thinking about that, which makes me have a headache, it’s not easy. But so many things are shifting in the world that I just feel like there’s going to be a bigger shift. I mean, I think education is fundamental, and in countries where women are not allowed real education, I think it’s obvious to me that it’s going to take a lot more time in those situations. But I think the more change happens in all places, the more change will happen, if that makes sense.
MS
: Sometimes I feel really hopeful, because, yes, women are rising in so many ways, but simultaneous to that you hear about this regressive stuff on reproductive rights and really disturbing stories of rapes here in the United States and globally, although there does seem to be increased vocalizations and uprisings against that. I kind of alternate between feeling hopeful and discouraged.
JW
: Yes, absolutely.
MS
: But you do say you see positive trends.
JW
: Yes, I do. Well, that it’s even at this point of discussion. And I don’t mean just the rapes, stop-rape issues and violence. You know, even though sometimes the “women hold up half the sky” book irritates me, it still is part of the shifting recognition that you can’t oppress and hold down more than half of the population and receive full benefits for everybody.
MS
: If you could issue a call to action for women, what would it be?
JW
: I don’t know that it would be all that different from what I say to people, in general. That you are a possibly magnificent agent for change, for everybody. My message really is that your work needs to be for everybody. When I work against violence against women, or this new campaign we’re launching in London to stop killer robots, I want to stop them for everybody. I think women should rise up, not just because our rights are being violated, but because when our rights are recognized and supported and upheld, everybody’s are.
MS
: If you were either the leader of the world or you had the ears of leaders, what would you most want to say?
JW
: De-militarization—shift that money over to real security of human beings, not the security of the state. You know, I saw a chart on Facebook, $711 billion dollars on military, the U.S. alone. The rest of the world combined, including our supposed enemies China, Russia, India, Pakistan, blah, blah, blah—less than $700 billion. What can we say about that? That needs to shift. Article 26 of the UN Charter called upon the Security Council at its founding, to begin to look at ways to shift resources away from war and weapons to meeting the needs of people. It’s never been
done. To me that is fundamental. If we could make people understand that real security is meeting the needs of people, not the structure holding up the structure of the state and the state power, and put that money into education, healthcare—all of the things that people need to live dignified lives and not want to kill everybody around them because they’re disgruntled . . . think of what the world would be like.
MS
: Are you optimistic?
JW
: If I weren’t, I wouldn’t do what I do. I’m an optimistic pessimist.
MS
: You were talking earlier about all the Nobel Women Laureates, that you all will just speak your mind regardless of what people think. For girls, especially—and I have two young daughters—girls are raised to please and be liked. What advice or words of wisdom would you have for young girls today?
JW
: Well, I’m part of a group called Peace Jam. I don’t know if you know it, it’s thirteen Laureates that work helping young people understand that change isn’t magic and there are many ways to contribute to peace, through the work of the different Laureates. It’s not a glorification of individuals. My message really is in making the choices you want to make in your life—they really have to be yours. You have to feel them in your own spirit. And if you’re always trying to please everybody around you, all you end up being is a pretzel, twisted into the shape of a pretzel, because today I’m with Sally Sue and I have to be this way, so she likes me. And tomorrow I have to be another way because I’m going to be with this group of people. If you do that enough, you’ll end up not even knowing who you really are. So have the courage to be who you really are, no matter where you are.
“I think that as more women are running for office and running successfully, that we’re seeing others do it, and that is a great motivator and is a great example and it challenges others to consider doing it. . . . So I think as they’re seeing more women run, and run successfully, that other women are saying, ‘You know what, maybe I could do that,’ and all of that is going to lead to women reaching new heights and ultimately someone running for the presidency and winning.”
R
EPRESENTATIVE
C
ATHY
M
C
M
ORRIS
Rodgers is Eastern Washington’s chief advocate in Congress and one of the rising stars in American politics. Since first being elected to the House in 2004, she has earned the trust of her constituents and praise on Capitol Hill for her hard work, conservative principles, bipartisan outreach, and leadership. She is currently serving as the chair of the House Republican Conference, where she is the only woman and the youngest member of the elected House Republican leadership. She was formally the vice chair of the House Republican Conference from 2009–2012.
McMorris Rodgers was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1994, representing the 7th Legislative District. She was reelected four times. From 2002–2003, she served as House Minority Leader, the top leadership post for House Republicans. She was the first
woman to lead a House caucus, and the youngest since World War II. In 2004, McMorris Rodgers was elected to the U.S. House.
In 2008, McMorris Rodgers was elected to serve in the House Republican Leadership, where she held the office of vice chair of the conference for the next four years. In that role, she spearheaded several important projects—expanding and improving the conference’s use of new media, leading the conference’s women’s outreach, increasing government transparency, and publicizing and fighting against government waste. In November 2012, McMorris Rodgers was elected to serve as chairman of the conference, the fourth-highest ranking position among House Republicans which also makes her the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress. She also serves on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.
MARIANNE SCHNALL
: Why do you think we’ve not yet had a woman president? What do you think it will take to make that happen?
CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS
: Great question. I think part of it is that women are reaching new heights, and that’s exciting. And I think of my generation versus my mom’s generation and when I was growing up, I didn’t know that there was any limitation on me as a girl versus a boy. You could be anything you wanted to be—if you wanted to be president of the United States, you could be president of the United States. Not that that was my dream, at all. I feel like the opportunities that I’ve been given have been much greater—in every generation women are reaching new heights. And it’s really exciting to see in every field, yet in my own experience of getting involved in politics it still was someone else that tapped me on the shoulder and suggested that I even run for that first appointment
to fill a state House seat. And when I ran for Congress in 2004, it was the predecessor, George Nethercutt, who tapped me on the shoulder and said, “You know, Cathy, I think you would do a great job.” And I think women still, especially in the political realm, and in other fields, there’s a hesitancy to step out until someone else suggests it or taps them on the shoulder and says “I think you’ll do a great job,” and that gives them the confidence. But quite often we have a tendency to be more critical of ourselves, maybe, of what we have to offer versus the men that just seem to have this approach that they’re just going to go for it, no matter what.
MS
: Where is that coming from in women, and what can we do to change that?
CMR
: I think there’s just kind of a difference in approach among men and women. I think that as more women are running for office and running successfully, that we’re seeing others do it, and that is a great motivator and is a great example and it challenges others to consider doing it. In recent years, as you talk to women that are elected, several of them just decided to do it on their own, whereas it wasn’t that long ago that for the majority of us, it was someone else that encouraged us to run for Congress, just among the women, Republican and Democrat on Capitol Hill. So I think as they’re seeing more women run, and run successfully, that other women are saying, “You know what, maybe I could do that,” and all of that is going to lead to women reaching new heights and ultimately someone running for the presidency and winning.
MS
: Do you think our consciousness is ready to have a woman as president? There are all these stereotypes and questions about whether a woman can be “tough” enough to deal with some of the issues that a woman might have to deal with in that position. Do you think we are ready?
CMR
: I do. I really think we are, as Americans, and we’re seeing other women in the top leadership position in other countries. We heard from Julia Gillard, the prime minister of Australia a couple of years ago, we have Angela Merkel in Germany, we’ve seen Thatcher in Great Britain. I think we’re seeing women in those positions around the world and I think that all prepares Americans for this day. And I think that there have been women on the ticket, which is the first step, and there are women that have run for the presidency—they’re all laying the foundation from which someone will ultimately be able to run and be successful. I do think that we’re ready as a country. You just see where women . . . we are the largest voting bloc in this country. And I think America’s ready for it. It is going to take a unique person that can provide the leadership, be strong, be able to handle all the pressure, but I do think we’re ready as a country.
MS
: Part of that is also being first, or one of a few, and you’ve had the distinction of being one of the highest ranking women Republicans and chairing the Republican conference, so what is that experience like? Certainly the more women who do that, the better. Do you always have a sense as you’re doing these things that you are breaking through barriers? I interviewed Nancy Pelosi who always calls it the “marble ceiling,” not the glass ceiling, in Washington. What is your perspective on some of the important strides that you’ve made?
CMR
: In my mind, it is an exciting time to
be
a woman, and being the first in some of these positions—it somewhat surprised me—but yet I’ve thought, I’m going to give it my best shot and just go for it when the time comes and believe that I do have something to offer. I want to see what
I
can do in these positions. And boy, along the way, I’ve had a few that have been vocally skeptical, and I remember even when I first was running for state representative, one of the county commissioners that was going
to make the decision said, “It will be a cold day in hell before that woman is ever state representative!” You come across those folks along the way [
laughs]
. Like my dad said after I’d won, “You’d better buy him a coat.” And I feel like I have been the benefit of those who have gone before me and then I’m here blazing a trail hopefully for those that will come after me, and we’ll continue to build upon what we’ve started.
