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.