In 2018, during a private meeting with Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren claims that he remarked that a woman could not win the presidency. The claim was the culmination of a simmering feud between both of the progressive liberal presidential candidates as the presidential race has become more heated. The two candidates have very similar policy goals, which led to them fighting over the same voters in the polls. The clash was on full display following the recent Iowa debate, in which Warren refused to shake Sanders's hand. The clash between the two candidates will have severe implications, as whoever comes on top will likely compete with frontrunner Joe Biden for the nomination.
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump in 2016, electability has become a bigger concern for democratic voters. Though Sanders has denied the accusations himself, the question of whether a woman can win the presidency should not be completely dismissed.
1. How will this rift between the progressive candidates set the tone for the rest of the race?
2. How much should democratic voters weigh electability when voting in the primaries?
3. Is today's America willing to elect a female president?
I don't think this rift between candidates will necessarily set the tone for the rest of the race. It may have an effect on how the candidates view each other (mostly between men and women), at least between Sanders and Warren; however, nothing that will significantly impact the race. Also, as far as how much democratic voters should weigh electability when voting in primaries, to me it seems relatively important. If this aspect is not weighed during the primaries, then could potentially impact the elections positively or negatively. The primaries are what point to the outcome in the general election, so it is important to take things like like this into account. Finally, I don't think the gender of the individual has anything to do with winning the election or not, as proven by the 2016 election. Trump and Clinton were very closer in number through the popular vote; however the thing that tipped the scale was the electoral vote. In the future, I definitely think there is potential for a female president, depending on the promises they make and the amount of work they are willing to take on.
ReplyDeleteEven though Sanders denies his comment about women unable to win a presidential election, this just emphasizes the feud between the democratic progressive leaders. It will set the tone for the rest of the race. Since they are both high in the polls while also attracting the same kind of voters, I think it is necessary for them to distinguish each other from one another. After studying history since its beginning, obviously, America is much more progressive than in the past -- women are more respected now in the 21st century (compared to how they were treated in the 18th, 19th, and even the 20th century) (I’m also not saying that this country has completely placated all gender discrimination issues - just that it has improved when compared to the past). I don’t think most voters will dismiss a candidate because of their gender and it is very possible for a female president to win (of course after considering their policy ideas and stance on everything).
ReplyDeleteAs Areen said, this clash between two progressive candidates probably will not set the tone on the rest of the race. Although this issue does touch on a sensitive topic for the race, I do believe it is more of a personal matter than a political one. This means that likely whoever comes out on top will still support the other, and their voters will generally do the same.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to electability, I do think that for some cases, such as Pete Buttigeg, one's identity will have a significant impact on electability, but beyond that, I do not believe that electability should be the main concern for likely voters. Looking back at the 2016 election, I do not believe that "electability" was something that Trump's supporters were accounting for while voting for him. Despite this, Trump still managed to win the election. More than that, I believe that a democratic nominee must be able to motivate and inspire people in order to defeat Trump.
With regards to a female president, I do believe that America still has reservations about a female presidents given a large amount of the arguments by trump supporters. However, I highly doubt any voters voted for trump based on the premise of gender. Thus, America will overall be quite ready for a female president should Warren win the nomination.
I think this feud was just part of the process, and that it hopefully won’t have too big of an impact on the rest of the race because there are other more important things that should be the main topics for discussion. However, because their policies are pretty similar, they need to figure out a way to distinguish themselves from the other if they want a higher chance of winning. Because of this, bringing up the topic of having a female as president does distinguish Warren from Sanders, and hopefully help her out in the race because a lot of America is becoming more progressive, making it easier for a woman to become president. That being said, I do think it is important that the candidate’s policies have more of an impact than gender on who wins the primaries, because the policies are the things that could directly affect us.
ReplyDeleteThere are arguments that a female president cannot be elected due to the polarization of the country. People say a female candidate would be too far from the status quo. Electability is a big issue, and that's why a candidate like Joe Biden is so appealing to many people. I think Democratic voters should just pick whoever they want to win in the primaries. Electability is important, but I'm willing to bet that most Democrats would pick anyone over our current president. I think America is ready for a female president, we just want to see the right one in office. Hillary Clinton, who many people deemed untrustworthy, shifty, and cold, won over Donald Trump. Perhaps an even better candidate can be put into office, elected both by the people and the electoral college.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was important to have that discussion on the debate stage. As for the rest of the race, I think it is too early to tell if it will have some major effect on its course. After the Iowa caucus, we will have a better idea of which candidate made the greatest impact of Iowa voters and if that rift between Warren and Sanders had any effect. Given that the 2020 election is important for the future of the US and that the incumbent in the White House is not a typical presidential opponent, I think that electability will have more weight in this election because Democrats will be asking themselves, "who can beat Trump?" Today's America is definitely ready to elect a female president. In fact, the 2016 popular vote demonstrates that America has been ready for a long time.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't think that this feud between the candidates will set the tone for the rest of the race, I do think that it will affect the relationship between Warren and Sanders. Up to this point, their relation has shown to be a steady and somewhat a respectable one, but now, it seems as if their relationship is doing downhill. This feud will likely evolve into something bigger later on. Now, the next question... "Is today's America willing to elect a female president?"... Yes, definitely. Although Warren's poll numbers are not as high as Sander's/Biden's, her numbers prove that Americans are open to the idea of a female president. Warren has proven from time to time that she's a strong leader with nice ideas and a great way of getting back to big companies, so I don't see why not.
ReplyDeleteIt cannot be denied that people will agree or disagree with what Sanders is being accused of saying. I believe these accusations will have an affect on the whole presidential race because there will be people who try even harder to get a woman to fill the presidential office, and sadly, there will inevitably be people trying to prevent that from happening.I believe that voters should take these accusations with a grain of salt because you can never know for sure what is true with these "she said, he said" situations. I do believe that America today is willing to elect a female for president, but in my opinion, I do not believe gender should play a large factor in voting for the president. If a person knew all the values and political agenda of each candidate without knowing race or gender, which person would they choose? I believe this is the question people should be asking themselves when they vote.
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate that there is so much infighting within the party. This debacle is just another example of the issues caused when people get into feuds despite largely believing the same thing. If there is any chance that Trump is elected to another term of office, Democrats need to put aside their minor differences, (Warren and Sanders' differences in policy being almost negligible) in order to prevent this from happening.
ReplyDeleteI think this rift just follows the tone that the race seems to have because Warren and Sanders both advertise themselves as the progressive candidates. Since a female president would be such a progressive move, Warren is showing voters that because Sanders would say something like that, she is a more progressive candidate than him. I think voters should weigh in electability because I don't think the democrats can handle another four years with Trump as the president and are desperate to win the election. I definitely think that today's America is willing to elect a female president. I think people disliked Hillary Clinton slightly because she was a women, but more because she was a Clinton, and even then she still won the popular vote.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the first question, I do not think that this issue will set the tone for the race, although it definitely will affect the relationship between the two. Specifically, there are many other factors and larger global issues that are in debate that the candidates are addressing and worrying about. I do believe that the United States is definitely willing to elect a woman as the next president, however I also don’t believe that it’s smart for the people of the US to simply vote for Warren just for the sake of her being the first woman president. However, this is the part where electabilty comes in and the public has to decide whether or not she will be the right president to help lead us in a direction of success and prosperity.
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