Palin lacks requisite perseverance

Nichola D. Gutgold

When Sarah Palin surprised the press and public by stepping down as Alaska’s governor, she said, “I’m not a quitter, I’m a fighter.”

In my study of women and the American presidency, two factors that significantly increase the chance of a woman becoming president are perseverance and being governor. By stepping down mid-stream and losing the title of governor, Palin is unlikely to become president.

Perseverance is one of the reasons Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid is so important to the trajectory of women and the American presidency. She was not a symbolic candidate and she persevered in the face of horrible ridicule and terrible odds.

That she didn’t drop out of the race when the going got tough won her respect from even the staunchest Hillary Clinton detractors. When she spoke at the Democratic National Convention she quoted anti-slave activist Harriet Tubman, who risked her own life to save others.

She said, “If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If they’re shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”

No doubt it was at least partly her tenacity that made President Obama think Clinton would excel as secretary of state.

Secondly, the governorship is an important title, especially for an aspiring politician who is a woman. It was that very title that distinguished Palin as a vice-presidential candidate. It was a position that none of the three men in the top-ticket positions could claim. And it is governors who are most likely to become presidents — especially true for women because they need more credentials, not less to break through the glass ceiling.

Barbara Lee, president of the Barbara Lee Foundation, even created a guide, “Keys to the Governor’s Office” to help women running for governor. At first her interest was focused on women and the presidency, but she noted that “as I understood more about the paths to power, it was clear that electing a woman president would become a reality only after we unraveled voters’ complex reactions to a woman seeking full executive authority.”

Brenda DeVore Marshall and Molly A. Mayhead, editors of “Navigating the Boundaries: The Rhetoric of Women Governors,” note, “The increasing importance of the state governor throughout the history of the country, coupled with women steadily expanding the role in that office, demonstrates that the face of the governorship has changed.”

Research on female political leaders has revealed that examining women who are governors in America is a good place to start when identifying women most likely to make successful bids for the presidency.

By quitting the most viable launching pad she had, Palin has taken herself off the path to the United States presidency.

Nichola D. Gutgold is associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Penn State Lehigh Valley and author of the forthcoming book “Almost Madam President: Why Hillary Clinton ‘won’ in 2008.” She is also author of “Paving the Way for Madam President.”