Tackling the Ultimate Tree House

FINAL VERSION

With one hand on the Bible, she recites the Oath of Office and it is now time to address the people as the nation’s first female president. In her first speech to the Joint Congress, she speaks right to the people - humbled by the greatness, the history, the responsibilities, and the idea that she is the first woman to hold this office as the nation’s leader. While this could be the reality for hopeful presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton, these are the words of Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis) of ABC's television series "Commander in Chief," who steps in to serve as the leader of the United States.

Taking the premise of the popular TV series “The West Wing” one step further, “Commander” is built on the differing opinions regarding a woman’s ability to lead a powerful nation, especially in times of criseis. Moreover, this show attempts to break the conception that women cannot be front-runners in the political realm. In its pilot episode airing in September of 2005, former First Lady Grace Bridges (Mary Paige Keller) approaches Allen and tells her that “if Moses had been a woman, leading the Jews out of Egypt, she'd have stopped to ask for directions. They would've found Israel within a week.” However, such favor is not found with a majority of her predominantly male staff who only encourage her resignation and criticize her every move and motive.

Going against the wishes of an incapacitated and dying president, and of her entire party, Allen takes over the nation's highest office and becomes the first female commander-in-chief. In the process, she finds herself endlessly at odds with her skeptical, largely male White House staff, and is forever sparring with Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton, played by a wonderfully reptilian Donald Sutherland.

It is not until the middle of the series that Allen begins to earn the respect of her staff in her efforts to deal with a crisis of international proportions and her leadership is put to the test as the country faces the threat of a possible nuclear war. But her careful and strategic planning earn her respect and even the Speaker of the House looks upon her with admiration.

Davis' Mackenzie Allen was able to gain the respect of the speaker of the house through her decisive leadership skills. In other parts of the world some women have already accomplished this feat and "Commander in Chief" was intended to reveal the level of acceptance of a female leader here in the States.

At the forefront of the 2008 Presidential Elections is former First Lady and current Senator of New York, Hillary Clinton, campaigning to be the first female Democratic presidential candidate as well as the first female commander in chief. Although potentially a historic event, the truth is that women before Clinton have challenged the status quo and were met, unfortunately, with little success.

As Glasgow’s “The Herald” writer Alison Rowat comments in her May 2006 critical piece, the first challenge to the “electoral equivalent of Everest” took place in 1872, when Victoria Chaflin Woodhull, a stockbroker and publisher, ran for the United States presidency in order to publicize the cause of equal rights. Since her, the closest any woman has come to the top job were Shirley Chisholm, 1972’s bid for presidency, and Geraldine Ferraro in her 1984 bid for the vice-presidency.

In terms of the reality of having a woman as the commander in chief, the closest the public has seen has been on television with the presidential administration in the control of Mackenzie Allen. Geena Davis’ physical demeanor, standing at 6 feet tall with high cheek bones, creates a commanding presence fit for the leader of the United States, and even the most powerful leader of the world. Such a presence earned her several award nominations; and she won the Golden Globe award for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Drama Series” in 2006.

Davis is in complete control of her position - she commands it - but unfortunately, the rest of the show does not fall in line with her throughout the season. After only one 18 episode-season, the series was canceled officially on May 13, 2006 due to various reasons - including low viewer ratings.

Initially, “Commander” sustained high ratings among the viewing audience and according to a Roper Public Affairs poll, in September of 2005 nearly 80 percent of Americans were ready for a female commander in chief. As the public’s perception of women in non-traditional roles shifts, this new mark of acceptance probably owes a great deal to the visible female national security leaders of the Clinton and Bush administrations, with both Madeline Albright and Condoleezza Rice serving as secretaries of state.

In similar support, president and co-founder of The White House Project - a foundation adamant in the electing of a female candidate to office - Marie Wilson writes that “female heads of state are not a 21st-century invention. For years, we have seen some women - Margaret Thatcher in England, Indira Gandhi in India, Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan and Angela Merkel in Germany - ascend through political dynasties, monarchies or the parliamentary system.” These women have broken barriers and often have been inspirational leaders, but they are among an extremely small and elite group. Only 11 of the 193 nations have a woman in the top position and the glaring omission from this list is the United States, indisputably the world's leading democracy.

Even though the American public may be ready for a female leader, it has not yet become a reality and based on the low viewer ratings and the consequential cancellation of “Commander,” this acceptance was also not high enough to prolong a second presidential term for Allen.

As Gloria Steinem wrote in her editorial “Women are never front-runners” in January of 2008, “gender is probably the most restricting force in American life, whether the question is who must be in the kitchen or who could be in the White House.” She argues that this country “polarizes gender roles more than the average democracy.” In a USA Today interview, former Colorado congresswoman Pat Schroeder calls the White House “the ultimate tree house with a ‘No Girls Allowed’ sign on it.” There is an obvious gender disparity in the political field and women are not elected to political offices as much as men, despite having similar credentials. In the midst of the current presidential race for the Democratic candidate, it is a clear battle between a woman and a black man – is America ready for either candidate?

Unfortunately for Hillary Clinton, initial curiosity does not make for sustainability and such will be her struggle if she is to be considered a viable candidate for the upcoming elections. Based on the results of "Commander in Chief" and its short runtime, Barrack Obama has a leg up on the competition.

The Reality of High School

Response to Ginia Bellafante’s Television Review of “High School Confidential” –

“Their So-Called Lives: Documenting High School Years”

Published Monday, March 10, 2008 in the New York Times

LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/arts/television/10bela.html?_r=1&ref=television&oref=slogin

The setting is a public high school and the characters are 12 teenage girls but this is no high school musical. In actuality, WE’s “High School Confidential” is a true life documentary that follows these 12 girls through the four grueling years of high school. More than just gossip and shopping, “Confidential” is teenage pregnancy, illness, death, self-mutilation, and even marriage all before graduation. Unlike recent films such as “Juno” and “Knocked Up,” “High School Confidential” is hard-hitting and heavy, dealing with the harsh reality of the different events that happen to these girls during their 4 years.

In her review of this TV documentary, Ginia Bellafante mentions the “good fortune” that “Confidential” has in premiering after “Juno” but at the same time, it brings another level of dimension to teenage pregnancies. None of the young women who become pregnant in “High School Confidential” have the same humor that “Juno’s” Ellen Page presents to the topic but this portrays the grave the reality of the situation – a situation that could not necessarily have been prevented with protection and Planned Parenthood as believed by Bellafante.

Although she mentions the flaws of the show (like choppy editing and little action), she highlights the distinguishing feature of this documentary – the lack of exceptionalism. In her words, “it does us a service” as these are real girls suffering and growing on their own. They are not geniuses, future presidents, Olympians, or music prodigies – they have few expectations with some of the girls hoping to just get into the local college for school.

After catching a few previews for this show and reading this review, I am interested in seeing how the documentary develops. It is definitely not “The Hills” and that is refreshing to see but at the same time, with very heavy material such as self-mutilation and a life-threatening illness, I have to wonder about how much reality is too much?

Tackling the Ultimate Tree House - DRAFT

Back in the day, some people thought that women playing baseball, a classic men-only sport, was unorthodox and unimaginable. However, 1992’s film “A League of Their Own,” starring Geena Davis, is a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), a league created to help disassemble the gender boundaries created by American society. So if women taking part in a man’s sport is now attainable, what is the reality of a woman being elected to a typical male’s office - the office of the President of the United States?

This reality is brought to the forefront in the 2008 Presidential Elections as former First Lady and Senator of New York, Hillary Clinton, is campaigning to be the first female Democratic presidential candidate as well as potentially the first female commander in chief. Although having Clinton run as the first female candidate is being spoken of as a historic event, the truth is that women before Clinton have challenged the status quo and were met, unfortunately, with little success.

As “The Herald” writer Alison Rowat comments in her May 2006 piece, the first challenge to the “electoral equivalent of Everest” took place in 1872, when Victoria Chaflin Woodhull, a stockbroker and publisher, ran in order to publicize the cause of equal rights. Since her, the closest anyone has come to the top job is Geraldine Ferraro and her 1984 bid for the vice-presidency.

Unfortunately, the closest we have come to a female commander in chief was on television. With its pilot episode airing in September of 2005, ABC’s television series “Commander in Chief” attempted to break the conception that women could not be front-runners in the political realm. The solution was a presidential administration in the control of Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis), the first female President of the United States. However, after only one season of 18 episodes, the show was canceled officially on May 13, 2006 due to various reasons, including low viewer ratings.

Taking the premise of the popular TV series “The West Wing” one step farther, “Commander” is built on the differing opinions as to the ability of a woman to lead a powerful nation, especially in times of crisis. “If Moses had been a woman, leading the Jews out of Egypt, she'd have stopped to ask for directions. They would've found Israel within a week” is the response of former First Lady Grace Bridges to Allen’s acceptance of the presidency but such favor is not found with a majority of her predominantly male staff who only encourage her resignation.

Geena Davis’ physical demeanor, standing at 6 feet tall with high cheek bones, creates a commanding presence fit for the leader of the United States, and even the most powerful leader of the world. Such a presence earned her several award nominations, including winning the Golden Globe award for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Drama Series” in 2006.

Going against the wishes of an incapacitated and dying president, and of her entire party, Allen takes over the nation's highest office and becomes the first female commander-in-chief. In the process, she finds herself endlessly at odds with her skeptical, largely male White House staff, and is forever sparring with Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton, played by a wonderfully reptilian Donald Sutherland. It is not until towards the middle of the series that Allen begins to earn the respect of her staff in her efforts to deal with a crisis of international proportions and her leadership is put to the test as the country faces the threat of a possible nuclear war. But her careful and strategic planning earn her respect and even the Speaker of the House looks upon her with admiration, though now worried as she poses a competition for him in the next election.

President and co-founder of The White House Project (a foundation adamant in the electing of a female candidate to office), Marie Wilson writes that “female heads of state are not a 21st-century invention. For years, we have seen some women - Margaret Thatcher in England, Indira Gandhi in India, Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan and Angela Merkel in Germany - ascend through political dynasties, monarchies or the parliamentary system.” These women have broken barriers and often have been inspirational leaders, but they are among an extremely small and elite group. Only 11 of the 193 nations have a woman in the top position and the glaring omission from this list is the United States, indisputably the world's leading democracy.

Davis' Mackenzie Allen was able to gain the respect of the speaker of the house through her decisive leadership skills. In other parts of the world, as mentioned above, some women have already accomplished this feat and "Commander in Chief" was intended to reveal the level of acceptance of a female leader here in the States.

Interestingly, according to a Roper Public Affairs poll in September of 2005, nearly 80 percent of Americans were ready for a female commander in chief. As the public’s perception of women in non-traditional roles shifts, this new mark of acceptance probably owes a great deal to the visible female national security leaders of the Clinton and Bush administrations, with both Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright serving as secretaries of state. However, based on the low viewer ratings and the consequential cancellation of “Commander,” this acceptance was not high enough to sustain a second presidential term for Allen.

As Gloria Steinem wrote in her article “Women are never front-runners” in January of 2008, “gender is probably the most restricting force in American life, whether the question is who must be in the kitchen or who could be in the White House.” She goes on to quote results from one study by saying that this country “polarizes gender roles more than the average democracy.” In a USA Today interview, former Colorado congresswoman Pat Schroeder calls the White House “the ultimate tree house with a ‘No Girls Allowed’ sign on it.” There is an obvious gender disparity in the political field and women are not elected to political offices as much as men, despite having similar credentials. In the midst of the current presidential race for the Democratic candidate, it is a clear battle between a woman and a black man – is America ready for either candidate?

Hollywood loves to play with the big "what ifs" of American life, including the "what if" of a female president. There is an interest in the idea of a woman leading the United States, as indicated by the initial high response of “Commander,” but this interest cannot be sustained and the attention dies out. America's president is not just a head of state but a symbol of national identity. This is why the possibility of the commander in-chief being female is such a challenge to Americans.

But the people are still fascinated with the idea because the position of such a leader has been pretty much an eight-year monarchy with men as the only candidates. Having a female take the lead would require a new self-image for the American people, one that embodies defining 21^st-century leadership and the true meaning of a democratic nation.

“TV does a favor for female politicians”

Critical Review of Op-Ed Piece by Ellen Goodman

Published in “The Boston Globe” – June 9, 2006

LINK:

http://0-www.lexisnexis.com.ariadne.kzoo.edu/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3200929293&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T3200929296&cisb=22_T3200929295&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8110&docNo=5

Ellen Goodman’s Boston Globe Op-Ed article, “TV does a favor for female politicians,” begins with a rhetorical question, directing the reader to focus on the disparity between the genders specifically in the work force. This disparity and the scrutiny that women face in the top careers, like that of the Commander in Chief, is her main focus as she discusses the possible reasons for the downfall of ABC’s “Commander in Chief” TV series.

She writes of the potential that the TV series possessed, some believing that it could “hurry up history” and for others, it could “hurry Hilary.” For Americans, there is almost a need to “see it in order to believe it” attitude and she mentions this as there was the hope that "Commander in Chief" could do for women in the Oval Office what "Will and Grace" did for gays in the workforce – the idea being that “see her on TV, see her in real life.”

Her words are direct and poignant and it is her descriptions of the reasons why the TV series failed to get a “second term” that are particularly engaging. As she describes, “if there's a woman behind every great man, the men behind this great woman were her undoing.” From not being able to get the shows done on time to not deciding whether this show was about the First Female leader of the First Mom, this show managed to be jerked around by the network heads until approval ratings “sank to the level of George W. Bush’s.”

Despite the closing of this show, the author is still optimistic that the first female president may no longer have to be too good to be true but if she has any hope of winning, she “just has to be better than the guys running against her.” This seems to be a pretty self-explanatory and simple concept, one leading right into her kicker – reducing what could be a very historical election season down to the premise of a reality TV show – just beat your opponent.

With this idea in mind, especially as the current 2008 elections continue to unfold, it may seem as if it could turn into a reality TV show only the prize that they are fighting for is to be the leader of the United States of America.