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1999 A comparative case study on why women run for public office :i H llary Rodham Clinton & Elizabeth Hanford Dole Ashley Elizabeth Lorenz

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Recommended Citation Lorenz, Ashley Elizabeth, "A comparative case study on why women run for public office : Hillary Rodham Clinton & Elizabeth Hanford Dole" (1999). Honors Theses. 1199. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1199

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Comparative Case Study on Why Women Run for Public Office: Hillary Rodham Clinton & Elizabeth Hanford Dole:

By

Ashley Elizabeth Lorenz

Senior Project

Jepson School of Leadership Studies

University of Richmond

Richmond, Virginia

May,1999 A ComparativeCase Study on Why Women Run forPublic Office: HillaryRodham Clinton & ElizabethHanford Dole:

AshleyElizabeth Lorenz Leadership Studies SeniorProject April 14, 1999 Dr. FredricJablin. Advisor Table or Contents

I. Prologue pp. 1-2 n. Introduction &Review of Literature 3-15 ill. Methodology 16-21

IV. Case Study: HillaryRodham Clinton 22-36

V. Case Study:Elizabeth Hanford Dole 37-50

VI. Analysis 51-62

VII. Conclusions 63-65 "Politicalleadership is a complexphenomenon in which are linked the capacities, skills, and ambitions of the leader and the wants, needs, andlor fears of the followers. Dominance is one determinant of leadershipcapabilities, but ambitionand skills are also important determinants1 of influence. Power, it is sometimes said. goes to those who seek it -providedthat they havethe skillsneeded to translatethe personalpredisposition into an interpersonalreality. " In whatways do women leaders in politics fitthe generic parameters of political leadership expressed in the above passage? As women are still vecymuch theminority in the national politicalarena, it may be surmisedthat most women would not fit into such a description. Leadership scholarBarbara Kellennan talks aboutleadership in the political contextbeing contingent upon dominance and deference. Traditionally, the men dominate and

2 the women defer. Thus. from a leadership scholar's perspective, anobvious point of interest wouldbe to studywhether or not women political leaders exhibit specificleadership styles and behaviorsthat enable them to participate in a male-dominated realm. Leadership in the political contextis verymuch based uponthe artof persuasion. A politician's ability to persuade others to follow in his or her direction is a key componentof theirsuccess. So do women political leadersrealJy defer to theirmale coUeagues? Frommy own exploration into thissubject, and my analysis of twowomen political leadersin particular,I cannot find a word more misrepresentative of their leadership stylesthan that of deference. In fact, throughout the course of the following study, women politicalleaders have provento be strong-willed, aggressive, competitive. ambitious and disciplined - a11 of thosetraits so often attributed to theirmale colleagues. Throughout the course of their lifetimesthese women have developed strong political leadershipcapabi1ities as a result of their socialization andexperiences from childhood

1 Kirkpatrick.Jeane. TheNew Presidential Elite . NewYork: RussellSage FOlllldation and The Twentieth CenturyFund. 1976. 2 Duerst-Lahti,Georgia & RM. Kelly. GenderPower, Leadership, and Governance. AnnArbor: The Universityof MichiganPr ess. 1995. 2 onward. Thereforewe will walkwith them through their journeys, andin the end we will find thatthese women exhibitall of theleadership facets listed inthe abovequote - dominance, competitiveness, influence, ambitionandpower. Now, whetheror not thesequalities mean that these women will be goodpoliticians is the subjectof an entirely differentstudy. Thepurpose of this study, however, is to show thatthe leadershipof thesewomen is breaking down traditional leadershipstereotypes of the past. We lookat the presenceof womenleaders in the political realmas anomalies, whereaswe shouldview their presenceas necessaryand imperative to carryour government into the21st Century. Introduction/LiteraJureReview

As our political history evolves, slowly but surelymore and more womenare running for public office. What are the things that propel women to run for local, state, or federal leadership

positions? Arethere certain factorst hat are contingent upon their embarkment into the political arena? The answersto these questions all contributeto the "creation," if you will, of a political

woman. In order to better understandthese factors and their effects, willI examinecase studies of two women,Hillary Clinton and ElizabethDole, through the lenses of four such factors

including the timing as it relatesto theirlives and possibleentry into politics, the national political climate, and each individual's leadershipdevelopment. Lastly, I will examine the

leadership behaviors and styles of these women in relation to leadership in the political context.

Both Clinton and Dole are wives of politicians whose careers appearto be on the wane, and,

recently, both women havebeen touted as possible Senate, vice-presidential, and even presidential nominees forthe year 2000 elections. Is there a pattern that wecan discern and

uncoverabout a woman's decision to run for public office that we can thenuse as a template or model for women of a younger generation? Through the followingcase studiesand analysis, I

will attemptto answer this question. Timing of Candidates

So asto provide an analyticbasis for this study, it is important to knowthat the

theoretical framework I will utilize in this study is of my own creation, based on a number of

ideas from various other sources and studies that I found throughout my research process. This paper is an exploration ofmy ownmodel, based on the fourlenses discussed above, as it relates to my quest to understandwhy women run for office. For the purposes of this study, timing is 4 easily defined. I will look at why neither Clintonnor Dole ran foroffice 10, 15, or even 20 years ago versustheir careful consideration of runningin nextyear's upcomingelections. I will examine whethertiming-wise in theirpersonal lives the year2000 is betterto run thanthe previous decade. This analysis will be conductedthrough a thorough examinationof their biographiesas welt as othersources of informationavailable on thesetwo women. For example. for women whomarried are and have familieswith youngchildren, this will oftenbe a considerationbefore opting to run forpublic office. Dole and her husband, Robert, do not have any children. Clinton,however, has daughtera Chelsea, who is currentlya sophomore in college. Therefore theissue of having familiesand timing a run for office wiU mostdirectly correlateto Clinton. Inher book R11gningas.a.W91111u authorLinda Witt writes, '"Motherhood may be revered within thefamily, but it has not been consideredan experienceor credential for

holding political office. Overthe years, many women have dealt withthis particular •strategic burden' bywaiting until theirchildren were adultsbefore runningfor a high-visibilityoffice or

one faraway from home base."3 In Clinton'scase, Chelsea hasreach ed adulthoodand is going to school farfrom Washington,D.C. As such. perhaps Clinton feels as if she can move on with

herlife and acton her politicalambitions.

Timing canalso be thought inof tennsof thenumber of opportunitiesthat now exist for women in the political realm. Dole herselflikes to call theseexpanded opportunities a quiet revolution. In her memoirs jointly written withRobert she writes, ••By 1970, 23 million

Americanwomen wereemployed fulltime. Eight million more held downpart-time jobs. Forty percent of the female workforcewas married. Whatall this added up to was nothingless than a

3witt, Linda& K. Padget & G. Matthews. Rynnipg Ma Womap. New York: The FreePress. 1995. p9 ri es 4 quiet revolution. " Dole inthis contextwas referring to her abilityto attend law school when it was still unheardof forwomen to do so, all the way upto her two Presidential Cabinetpositions.

Day-by-day women are working tobreak through the "glass ceiling." In termsof holding political office, Sue Thomas talks about the importance of there beingopen seats in elections.

She believes it is much harder for a woman to beat an incumbent candidate than it is forthem to campaign andwin an openseat. She writes,"Because open seats are so much more easilywo, the chanceto run in such a race can be considered a relatively rare opportunity. Women who seek election forthe first time must eitherchallenge an incumbent or run in an open seatcontest.

ChallengeJS winless than l 0% of the time, while open-seatcandidates win slightlymore tha n

5 half thetime." As ofnow, Clinton and Dole are saidto be consideringdifferent offices. There have been reportsthat have so fargone unconfirmedby theFirst Lady herself, that Clinton is

6 consideringa runfor the Senate. Dole,on the other band is said to be consideringa possible

7 bid forthe WhiteHouse. either asvice-president or possibly even president. lt remains to be seen how many openseats there will be in the Senate, or what state Clinton may chooseto run from. Theroad tothe WhiteHouse, however, is pavedwith the retreatingfootsteps of a two­ term president.

In reference to timing it is also importantto knowwhether or not these women are really

'nole. Bob & Eli7.abe1h. UnlimitedPartne rs· OurAm s;ricapStory. New York: Simon& Schuster. 1996 pl45.

5Thomas,Sue & C. Wilcox. Women EJectiyeand Offig;· Past, Present, andFuture. New Yon:: Oxford UniversityPress. 1998. p18.

6Marton,Kati. "'The Once andFuture Hillary." Time. 18 January, 1999. p36. 7 Ponnuru, Ramesh. "The otherDole campaign: who is ElizabethDole?" NationalRevie'H'. 9 February, 1998. p24. 6 newcomers to the political process. In the case Clintonof and Dole. neither woman is a newcomer to politics. Both women have held public office - Dole has heldtwocabinet positions and Clinton was appointedthe by President to chair a committee on health care reform.

The distinction to be made here is thatthe possible campaigns of these womenwould be of much higher profilethan their past posts. In her book entitled, In theRunning: t he New Woman

Candidate, Ruth Mandel writes.

It is importantto stress, however, that today's typical female candidates are not newcomers to the political process. While most are first-time office seekers and thus maybe newcomersto candidacy itself, many are veteran political people who have build a record of participation in some phase of politics. What occurredhas in the briefspan of a

decade is that many women who were already politically 8 active now want to take the leading role - that of acandidate.

It will become clear in the case studies that both of these women have been activelyengaged in politics since they were adolescents, with their scope of participation growing more and more as they progress in age. Whether this involvement was being active insomeone'scampaign for office,or running studentfor government positions in college, or helping their husbands in their campaigns for higher office, both Clinton andDolehave had a vigorous interest in politics and the political process from young adulthood. Political Climate

In addition to timing, another lens through which I will examine each woman's path to candidacy is political climate. ln many ways, political c1imate direct1y relates to the issue of timing as timing will undoubtedlydictate when wouldbe a goodtime to run for office. Since

'Mandel, Ruth. In theRunning: The NewWoman Candjdate Boston: BeaconPress. 1981. p27. --7 the l 980's, a small yet substantial dent has been madein women·s representation in higher office. In theCongress 90th (1967-1968), there were 11 women in9 Congress, whereasin the l 05th Congress ( 1997-1998),there were 52 women officeholders. Perhaps this growing trend alludesto a greater willingness to support women candidatesmale-dominated ina realm.

Beginningin the early l 980's, several groupsaffiliated from with majorboth parties not onlyfor beganto exert moreenergy in soliciting campaign funds women, but also to raise money women candidates. There areorgani2.ations now that focus solely on generating money, support, and votes for women seeking inoffice Congress as well as state and local races. Chief among these organizations is EMILY'10 s List (Early Money Is Like Yeast), a Democratic group, and WishList, its Republican counterpart. Such organiz.ationsh ave helpedto open up moreopportunities for women to run for office because they are able to help generate the resourceskinds of these women need to run a campaign. The impact of these new supportnetworks of is well illustrated by the following story:

Three thousandpeople, a majoritywomen, filedout of SanFrancisco's Davies Symphony Hall on the evening of October 19, 1992. They had each paid $100 to support Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer jn their bids to represent California in the 1U.S.1 Senate. Theability of women candidates to raise $300,000 in one evening did notexist twenty, ten, or even six yearsa go.

Congresswomen Diane Feinstein's and Barbara Boxer's stories tells us a great dealabout the growingreception of women candidates for public office. the In past year alone, a numberof 9Center for the American Woman and Politics. "Womenin Elective Office: 1996." Fact Sheet. 1996.

10conway, Margaret, Steuemagel, D. Ahem. Women Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc. 1997.p&l. M. G. & Political Participation. 11Witt, Linda & K. Padget & G. Matthews. Rwming as aWoman New York: The Free Press. I 995. p 125. 8 articles and listshave surfaced surrounding the most likely women candidates for high office.

Both Clinton and Dolehave made the top of such listson a regular basis. So, it appears that if theyhave the necessary networks to raise the money and supportneeded for a political campaign. now would be an opportune time for them topursueoffice.

Another key element in the political climate todaythe is public's perception of women running for the highestU.S. offices. Year after year this possibility is greeted with much less skepticism and more excitement. This idea of runningas a woman,used to be very much frowned upon. The� in the 1992 elections thisnormtook a positive tum. Running asawoman was actually utilized asacampaign tool. For example, whereas in 1990, Dianne Feinstein's

12 campaign slogan read "Tough and Caring," in 1992. it read, "Two Percent Isn't Enough." The two percenthere refers to women only making up twopercent of the Senate prior to the 1992 elections. Clinton herself used to struggle agreatdeal with her public image duringPresident

Clinton's first term inoffice. Overthe .past eightyears, more so in the last four, thepublic responseto the First Lady has taken a major tum. In fact, in light of the scandal that has most recently rocked the WhiteHouse, her popularityhas gone up dramatically. LeadershipDevelopment

The thirdlens through which I will examinethe possible candidaciesthese of two women wi11 be theirleadership development. For women in politics,their heritage and socializ.ation environment serve asthe basis fortheir leadership development. Theattitudes and beliefs generated inlarge part by those socialization environments have directly affected the present and future paths of these women. From the outset of their lives, parents' perceptions

12 lbid. pl4 9 about theroles their children will play as they growolder affects their leadership development.

A greatnumber of women who become political leaders, including Clinton andDole, come from households wheretheir parents repeatedlymad e it clearthat there was nothing theirdaught ers could not do. Cantor writes,

Clearly, being female did not present an obstacleto these' women. Theirmothers and fathers treatedthem as if they were competentand could achieve their goals. Not only did these empoweringmessages enhance the development their competent self, it enabled them to establish of 13 reachable goals andto persevere until they reached them.

The women Cantor andBemay refer to in the above passage include former Texas Governor

AnnRichards. CongresswomanPatricia Schroeder, CongresswomanDianne Feinstein, and

CongresswomanBarbara Boxer. In reference to Clinton andDole, their parents were advocates of theirdaughters' ambitions, political and otherwise. "Consistent among the instigators

[women leaders] thewas sense that parents and families modeled, encouraged,or, at the very least. allowed them to develop as independent women infused with strongbeliefs in social justice and the work ethic."14 Asthe personal histories of these two women unfold, it wilt become cJearthat their consideration of runningfor politica1 office today is in part a direct manifestation of the encouragementand supportthey received as children and young adults.

Without the open-mindedness of boththe father and mother, manychildren growup never seriously consideringrunning public for office. For Clinton and Dole, as well as others, a supportivetype of socializ.ation environmentwas a key factor in their leadership development.

13Thid.

14 Astin, Helen & C. Leland. Women ofInfluence Women ofVj5ipn San Francisco: Jossey-BassPublishers. 1991. p42. • 10 As a direct consequence of their parent's encouragement, a woman can beginto perceive herselfas a leader. A look into each woman's activities during their childh� high school, co11ege, and beyond presents a clear picture of how the self-perceptions of these two women led them to the leadership positions they have held as adults. As Dorothy Cantor and Toni Bemay observed, .. The women we interviewedrecalled ... alwaysleading their friends and classmates as

15 they grew up, so that leadership felt natural. " Oftentimes the activities these women engage in at a young age serve as the foundation for their leadership development. So is there a typical profile that fits women who run for political office? The answerto thisquestion remains unknown.her In book, PoliticalWoman, Jeane Kirkpatrick writes,

The relationshipbetween high school social participation, personality, and politics is significant and intriguing. The record of these women in school extracurricularactivity suggests that by late adolescence and early adulthood they had already developed a sense of competence and 16 self-confidence necessary to participation and 1eadership.

Clinton and Dole were very active in all sorts ofactivities, political and otherwise, throughout this developmentalperiod in their lives. As such, it would seem thatthose experiences helped shape the leadership development of these two women. This proposition will be explored in furtherdetail in the case studies themselves

In addition,another integral part of each woman's leadership development is what is at the very heart of her motivation to involvedbe in politics. By "at the veryheart," I mean that issue or those issues about which thesewomen feel so fervently, that they will exercise the most

15 Cantor. Dorothy & T. Demay. Women in Power:Leadership. TheSecretsof New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1992. 1 6Kirkpatrick, Jeane. Political Woman. New York: Basic Books,Inc., Publishers. 1974. p37. IP 11 efficient means possibleto bring theissue to the forefront of people's minds. Many women who run foroffice, including Clinton andDole, have been veryactive in theircommunities since a veryyoung age and thatactivism has not dissipated with time. Throughoutthis evolutionary process. theyhave realizedthat the political medium is a goodvenue formaking their voices heard and theirviews known. In a time when women's presence in politics grows a little stronger everyday, a platform has been built upon which these women can rallythe support they need to further awareness and activism on issues that are important to them and their communities. AsKirkpatrick notes in the Political Woman,.

For most,the motives which led them to run forthe legislature werethe same as the motivesthat made them community volunteers: an awareness of public problems needingattention and a feelingof personal responsibility forthose problems. Most made the switch from community volunteerto legislativecandidate out of the conviction that by workingthrough politicsthey

could more effectively17 achieve the public goals to which they were committed.

Both Clinton andDole have issues thatare veryclose to their hearts and can serveas vehicles to make themselves and issues known to the public. As l develop these cases studies, those issues will become apparent through the activities and leadership positions that each of these women has held. In other words, for Clinton, Dole, andother women, invo]vement in politics maybe seen asa forum in which they pursue policy goals andtheir implementation in communities.

Men's involvementin politics is no doubt spurred by the same motivation, although one could argue that power is more of a contributingfactor for men. However, both men and women look to politics as a means to achieve specific policy ends. It is, quite simply, the nature and purpose

17Ibid. p62 a 1.12 of the political medium to implement policy goals within the communities that the legislators and executives are electedto represent. LeadershipStyle

The fourth and final lens through which I wilt be looking at the lives and political careers of these two women is how their leadership development has led to their exercise ofleadership in the political context. In a leadership context that hastraditionally been defined in masculine tenns - competition, aggression, and power- what are the styles and leadershipbehaviors that comprise the leadershipstyles of these women and how effective are these styles in achieving policy ends? Therefore thisfor lens, leadership style is easily defined. Leadership style for the purposesof this study ismade up of thebehaviors andcharacteristics of these women as leaders.

In addition, leadership style also refersto how these women interact with andlead others within theirorganizations. Finally, how hasthe masculine nature theof political institutions inwhich these women exercise leadership affected their growth and development as leaders?

The political world of men that 'has passed as a humanistically impartial vocabularypower, of reason, morality, interest, autonomy, justice, history, theory, progress, and enlightenment is actua11y imbued with genderedmasculine meanings and values. As a result ofmasculinism, males benefit from considerably more social power than females, and in thesexual division of labor men have been assignedmost of the "powerduties" in society generally

and in politics more specifically.18 Yet most ofus experience male political leadershipas normal.

Thus, I will examine not onlywhat are the leadership styles of these two women, but also how successful they are in the political context. Before I conduct such an analysis, however, itis

1 8nuerst•Lahti, Georgia & R.M. Kelly. Gender Powet Leadership, andGovernance. Arm Arbor:The Universityof MichiganPress. 1995. p26. 13 importantto go over in general termsboth the behavioral and trait aspectsof women political

leaders thatcharacterize their leadershipstyles, as well ashow such stylesare receivedwithin the political institution itself.

Inmost gender-focused leadership-studies,there has traditionallybeen a line drawn betweenmasculine characteristics and femininecharacteristics ofleadership. For example,

some masculine characteristics include aggression, confidence, domination, discipline, task­ orientation and power. contrast,In feminine characteristicsinclude nurturing. relationship

19 orientation, guiding and teamwork. However,this fallsin contrast to a studyof women politicalleaders in state legislaturesconducted by Cindy Simon Rosenthal in 1998. Rosenthal's

studyfou nd that, "amongthose traitsthat show significantdifferences. the women on average

see themselves as characteristicallyproc ess oriented,task oriented, managerial, assertive,

attractive, affectionate, risktaking. skilled at interpersonal dealings, frankand direct, and team

oriented." 20 If one wasto examinethe traditional associationswith masculine and feminine

behavioral patterns withthe above statement, theywould be able to see elements of both containedtherein. Rosenthal calls thisthe integrative style of leadership, a style based on

androgynous traits, ratherthan being based solely on either masculineor feminine

characteristics. Whilethis may be the typical leadership styleof women political leaders,the

next question surroundswhether or not such a stylewould be successful in a male-dominated realm.

1 9Northouse. Peter. Le,dm,hip· Themy & Practice ThousandOaks: SagePublications. 1997. p218 2 °Rosenthal, Cindy S. When Women LeadershiI,,ead· Jntegrative p in StateLegislatures. New York: Oxford UniversityPress. 1998. p62-63. 14

It is arguedby many scholarsthat to be successful in politics, women have to take on a moremasculine typeof1eadership behavior. Whetherthis is true ornot I will explore in my analysis of Clinton andDole. butthe implications of sucha belief system are very great for womenwho are hoping to pursuea careerin public office.

In a sense, bureaucratic organizationsrequire fonns ofcompulsory behaviorin all of itsparticipants, particularly if one chooses to rise beyond the support positions of the lower levels and into the

instrumental positions of powerat the upper levels. Masculinity21 is one fonn of compulsorybehavior required by bureaucracies.

Thus, as I lookto analyzethe lives and careers of these two wome� it willbe especially importantto see how they have adaptedtheir leadershipstyles and behaviorsto betterfit the masculine nature of bureaucratic organizations. Given the career paths of both of these wome� it willbecome evidenthow effectivetheir own leadershipstyles and behaviors have been in shaping and runningthe organizationsthat they have led during the course of theircareers.

In sum,it wi11become clearafter readingthrough the case studies ofHillary Clinton and

ElizabethDole that both women wereleaders among their friends, peers, andco-workers from the earliestpoints in their lives. This, coupled by their long-standing interest in issues of public interest and government functions, serve to makethem excellent candidates forelected office.

In addition,their leadership styleshave broughtthem a great deal of success withintheir respective organizations. It may appearto some thatboth of these women are now considering political officebased on timing alone. As their husbandspolitic al careers have moved beyond their respective peaks, it would naturallybe agood time forthem to put their names on a ballot.

21 Duerst�Lahti,Georgia & R.M. Kelly. Gender Power, Leadership, and Governance. Ann Arbor:The Universityof MichiganPress. 1995. p88. z 15

Whilethis is certainlya contributingfactor, however, from the followingcase studies it appears that timing, politicalclimate, leadershipdevelopment, and leadership style areall key motivationsthat serve as the impetus fortheir current, and serious consideration of running for public office. Are these women distinctfrom otherwomen politicians? Or, is there a common threadthat runs through the lives of women who choose to run forpublic office? Given all of the aboveinformation, I propose that the paths leadingupto bothClinton's and Dole's possible run foroffice arenot unique,but rathershare commonalities with not only otherwomen, but men as well. a 16

Methodoloi:y

In order to analyze propositionsthe above, I conducted casestudies on HillaryClinton andElizabeth Dole. Essentially, Iconducted comparativecase studies of thesetwo women. My analysisrests on available historicaland psychological data and perspectives related to each woman. The very definitionof case studies is to answerthe question"Why?" As such.case studies werethe idealresearch methodfor this project. In addition,since my researchwas of a historical and psychological nature, a case studydid not requireme to have any control over behavioralevents. In his book, Case Stuqy Research; Design and Methods,Robert author Yin givesthe technical definitionof a case study. To him,a casestudy is "anempirical inquiry that: investigatesa contemporary phenomenonwithin its real life context; whenthe boundaries betweenphenomenon 22 andcontext are notclearly evident; and in whichmultiple sources of evidence are used." In respectto my researchand as evident in the recentmedia focus on my chosen subjects,the research approach23 I choseis consistentwith the tendency of case studies to focuson contemporaryevents. Unlikemany case studiesthat involve directobservation and interviewing. due to limited resources,my case studies were mainly based on journal, newspaper, andmagazine articles, books,well as asthe published interviewsand speeches these women have given.

For their personalhistorical and psychological profiles,I used as myprimary sources of information autobiographieswritten about Clinton and Dole. I also utilizedjournal, magazine, andnewspaper articles, andany published profilesor shortstories written about these women. 22Yin, RobertK. CaseStudy Research: andDesign Methods. BeverlyHills· Sage Productions, Inc. 1984.

2"Ibid. p 7.I 17

Whereappropriate and useful, I utilizedcongressional records aswe ll. For example, Cabinet confirmationhearings forDole areo n filein thecongressional records. Theserecords offered good insighton her careerand her leadership capabilities, as theyrecorde d commentsmade not justby theconfinnee herself, but by'�character" witnesses as well. I alsoemployed any interviewsconducted with either Clinton or Dole in developing thesecase studiesas they were a strongsource of informationthat came directly from the subjects themselves. Gatheringthis dataallowed me to conduct my analysisof thesewomen based on my fouranalytic criteria timing,political climate, leadershipdevelopment, and leadership style.

In orderto explore the extentto whichClinton's and Dole's considerationof nmningfor officerepresent the result of evolutionaryprocesses, I dividedtheir lives into fivestages: childhood; adolescence, earlyadulthood, adulthood, andmiddle age. I thenframed each period withinthe historicalcontext in which it occurred. In otherwords, for each stagein theirlife development.1 explored their environments, key individuals,key positionsofleadership, as well asmajor tu.mingpoints in their lives, asidentified by the women themselves.all againstthe backdrop of theappropriate historical contextof each period. I analyzedthis material through the fourlenses discussed in the Introduction- timin& political climate, leadershipdevelopment, andleadership style. Therefore,l used a comparativestructure for my cases andtook a chronologicalapproach to thedevelopment of the womenas individualsand leaders, withthe intent that eventuallythe questionsand issues raised in the Introductionwould be fullyanswered and analyzed.

Thereare a numberof issues thatI neededto take into considerationusing the case study methodology. First of all, I needed to make surethat I did not takewhat was said in any of the & ts

was documentsthat I usedin my research as ..the truth." It importantfor me to remember that theseprimary and secondarysources of infonnationwere written foraudiences whose main concernis gettingthe .. facts"as theyare known, and not forthe analysisof those facts.

In fact, it is important in reviewingany otherdocument than to understandthat it waswritten for some specific purposeand some specificaudience those of the case studybeing done. Inthis sense, the case studyinvestigator is a vicarious observer, andthe documentaryevidence 24 reflects a communication among other partiesattempting to achieve some other o�jectives.

Exceptin caseswhere the informationI wasable to gathercame directly from the subjects themselves, I neededto becareful ofmy interpretation of the informationcontained therein. I neededto take into careful consideration the reliabilityof thesources that I usedin orderto eitheravoid bias, or be able to appropriatelyseparate the bias from theinformation in the article, book,or interview. Inaddition to thebias inherent inthe sources I used, I also neededto be privyto my ownbiases and opinions. As Yin observes.the keyto conducting an effectwe case studyis thatthe researcherbe a "vicariousobserver." Inother words, I neededto maintainthe highestlevel of objectivitypossible in compilingand analyzingthe data within these case studies.

In addition.in orderto maximizethe reliabilityof these case studies, I neededto pay particularattention to maintaining a comprehensivecatalog of all the data collected and the notes I tookon this data. As such, when thereader desiresto go back and assessthe reliability or validityof the informationpresented in the case studies.he or she will be able to do so. «The

�id. p81 19 main point here is that every case study project should strive to develop a formal, retrievable data base, so that in principle, other investigators can review evidencethe directly. In this

25 manner, the data base will increase markedly the reliability of the entirestudy." case

Therefore I maintained a comprehensive bibliographic list of sources usedtocreate the profiles on each woman, as we11 as maintained a collection of any notes I have takenon those various sources duringmy data collection process.

In his book, Yin also outlines five steps toward creating an exemplary case study. They are: the case study must besignificant; it must be complete; it must consider alternative perspectives� it must display sufficient evidence; andit must be composed in an engaging

26 manner. In order for these case studies tobeconsidered significant, I have repeatedly explored and analyzed my initial propositions, as well as constantly developednew perspectives and propositionsto consider. As far caseas the studies being complete, it is not the quantity of materials and sources I used that necessarily matters, althoughmultip]e sources are best. Rather, the quality of those multiple sources are very relevant tothe reliability andvalidity of my study.

In addition, I tried to pay particular attention to making sure alternate perspectives were articulated in my analyses.

It was my intent at the outset of this project to establish reliability for my case studies by having the subjects themselves, Clinton and Dole, review my research and findings. I had the addresses and phone numbers for each of their offices. Knowing that it was unlikelythat

Clinton or Dole themselves would read the information lpresented, I thought perhapsone of

21bid. p93.

26rbid. pl40. 20 their aides would. ..Theprocedure is to have the draft report reviewed, not just by peers but also

27 bythe participants and infonnants in thecase. " According to Yin, were I to do this it would have served as an important validating procedure as l worked to finalizemy case study report andanalysis. Therefore I attemptedto send these individuals my draft paper, have them look it over, and request comments and feedback on its contents. As of thetime of my writingthis document,however, I have not received responses from my subjects.

1n conducting a case study, especially one based more so on historical and psychological information, it was critical forme to maintaina standard of ethics. Any misrepresentation of eitherClinton or Dole was avoided through a processof careful observance and objective reporting methods. I tried to pay close attentionto the details of their personal profilesfor accuracy and correctness. This was achievedin one or two ways. The firstwas to makethe effort, where at all possible, to findthe information in one of my sources to be corroboratedin another. This allowed me to check forinconsistencies in dates, descriptions and the like. The other method was forthese cases to be reviewed by eitherthe subjects themselves, which would havebeen the ideal, or by aides close enough to them to corroboratemy information. Due to the difficulty of the latter, at this time my main focushas been to findmultiple sources that corroboratedone another's facts and descriptions.

I chose the case study methodology because I felt in answering the question "why women run for office," it was of critical importanceto know about those women who are running, or in these cases, who could run forpublic office. As with any research method, the limitations and possible pitfalls of such an approach were avoided by carefullyand thoughtfully analyzing the

27 lbid. p.137 21 informationI was able to gather and as objectively as possiblepresenting that informationto the reader. Since case studiesespecially lend themselves to interpretation, I did my bestto avoid problematicinterpretations of the infonnation therein. My literature and methodologyhaving thus been outlined, I will now present theprofiles of both HillaryClinton andElizabeth Dole.

Intheir personal profiles, I will referto each womanby theirfirst names, so as to avoid any confusionregarding maiden names, marriednames and the like. From thispoint until the

Analysis section, Dole wi11 be referredto as Elizabethand Clinton will be referredto as Hi11ary. 22 Case Study; Hillary Clinton Childhood

HillaryRodham was born on October 26, 1947 in Chicago's North Side and wouldj oin the worldas a member of the so-called Baby Boomersg eneration. When she was ythree ears old she moved with her family to Park Ridge, Illinois. Her father, Hugh Rodham owned a textile businessin theci ty, while her mother, Dorothy HoweU-Rodham, chose to stay home to be a full time mother.28 Park Ridge was a Republican stronghold.u pper-middle-class Chicago suburb.29

Clinton's childhood came abouttime ata of tremendoustension in American history. The Cold

War was becoming "colder" day byda y. President HarryTruman created the "Truman

Doctrine," George Kennan wrotethe famous "Policyof Containment"p aper, and Winston

Churchill declaredthat an iron curtain had descended in Eastern Europe. In 1949, the North

AtlanticTrea ty Organization( NATO) cameinto being as a move to co11ective1y secure Western

Europefrom the Soviet Union. In 1950, the Korean War broke out, once againp itting thetwo superpowers and Chinag a ainst one another. In the United States, all of this tension resulted in a heavycultural em phasis on conformity, and white, middle-class values and stereotypes. The television shows of the time "LeaveJike it to Beaver," were created for thepurpo se of promulgating such ideals. 30 In an interview given with Donnie Radcliffe, Clinton's biographer,

HiJlary describes what it was like growing up during this time period.

2 8Radcliffe, Donnie.Clinton· Hillary A First Ladyfor Our Time. New York: Warner Books,993. Inc.J p30.

29Ibid. p.25. 3 °Toe HistoryChannel Online. "1950's." www.historychannel.com 23

When Hillary was growing up, Park Ridge wasanupper-rniddle­ class, strongly Republican suburb justnorthwestof Chicago where people built bomb shelters in their basements, warned their children against the menace of Communism and never let them forget theirduty to God, country and family. 'We would always be engaged in a struggle with Communism - that woulddetermine our entire lives,' Hillary remembered her ninth-grade social studies teacher telling the class. 'That was pounded into us. That was the 31 world view we were given.'

Hillary, therefore, grew up in a strongly conservative household.community and Her father,

Hugh, was a staunch Republican. Hillary's mother, on the other hand, was a Democrat, though she never told anyone in the community her political affiliation because it was frowneduponin

32 certain circles. Nevertheless, in Hillary's biography, Radcliffe summarizes the environment in which Hillary was raised. 'The Rodhams didn't belong to the country club nearbybutnear)� everything else about their lifestylehave could been lifted straight out of anOzzie and Harriet

33 TV sitcom." A very crucial part of Hillary's development, however, lay in how her parents viewed her development and her access to the opportunities available atthetime.

Hillary was highly encouraged and supported bybothherfatherand her mother from a very young age. Her father, Hugh was always a veryforce strong in her life. He placed

34 education among the highest priorities for all of his children, of whom Hillary wastheoldest.

Thus,he set high expectations for eachof his children; Hillary was no different. He was anxious that his children have the maximal opportunities availableto them. Hughpurposely moved to a

31 Radcliffe, Donnie. Hil!UYLady Clinton:Afirst for Time.Our New York: Warner Books, Inc. t993. p25. 32Ibid. p25

33Toid. p.32

l4-ibid. p3 I. 24 goodschool districtwhen Hillarywas young and would also make sure in thefuture thatshe attendedone of thefinest women's colleges in theUnited States. Dorothy, her mother, also played a keyrole in Hillary's social development. Her mother purposelyplayed downgender rolesand encouragedHillary to do whateverit wasshe wantedto do. Ina timewhen women were socializedto becomehousewives and mothers,Dorothy wanted her daughterto follow whateverdream she so desired. "I neversaw any difference in gender,as far as capabilities or aspirationswere concerned. Justbecause (Hillary] was a girl didn't mean she should belimited.

I don't knowwhether you couldsay that was unusual atthe time. I guessit wasmore of an acceptedrole tostay within your scope," Hillary's mom said in aninterview with The

WashingtonPost. 35 This is thepolitical, social,and economicenvironment in whichHillary enjoyedher childhood. Whilethe l 9501s may have had less of animpact on her political developmentthan her adolescentand young adult years, Hillary was socialized from a veryearly age intothe political scene, thoughnot in a uniqueway for the time. Thedecade of the l 950's was a major decadein our ownhistory, and those events can not help buthave animpact on the childrenwho grew up duringthat time.

Adolescence Hillary's adolescentyears saw a numberof shifts in American societyand the political system. The I 9601s brought the pinnacleof the Civil RightsMovement, the inspiringoratories of Dr. MartinLuther King, Junior, and the heightenedactivity of organizations such asthe

NationalAssociation for the Advancementof Colored People (NAACP)and the StudentNon­

Violent Coordinating Committee(SNCC). Thisdecade also brought the assassinationsof

31bid. p3S. 25

PresidentJohn F. Kennedy and MartinLuther King. Jr, two events that would transform the

36 American political landscape. It was also the decade of Woodstock, tie-dye, and peace rallies.

These events andexperiences all combinedto make the 1960's a decade of tremendous change and shift inthe values andnorms that were so idealizedthe decade prior.

Hillary attendedMaine South High School in Park Ridge. She is describedby friends and peers as very single-minded, a greatdebater, sociable, and very intelligent. She works very hard at maintaining relationships once theyhave been established. According to Radcliffe, she

still keeps in contactwith a numberof people from not only college and beyond, but withhigh

37 school friendsas wel1. Fromthe above description it would appearthat from her youth,Hi11ary

mastered the networking skills she would needto haveas a successful politician. Although at this point in her life, she had yet to consider a life in public office. Her leadership capacities and

motivations reallybegan to develop duringthis stage in her life. Radcliffe writes, "She was the one who tried to keep everybody on track in group efforts, and when she wasn't successful

wouldbe visibly frustrated. 'Don'tyou want to be good?' she might plead in a rehearsal when

38 everybodywas horsing around." Her high school yearbooklisted CJ ass Council,junior vice

president, newspaper, Girls AthleticAssociation, Speech Activities and Debate, Student

Council, springmusical, Organizations Committee, and she was in the top 5% of her class in

39 academic standing. This is quitean impressive list of accomplishments and gives the reader

36.rheHisto ryChannel Online. "l9S0's." www.historychannel.com 37 Radcliffe,Donnie. HillaryClinton· a FirstLady ior Ow Time. New York: Warner Books,Inc. 1993. p36. 3 8ibid. p39 • 26 ofthis biography the impression that Hillary's leadershipskills and desire to organize, motivate, and lead her peers beganfrom a very earlyage.

When she was 17 years old, she took part in a mock election, in which she was askedto play the part ofLyndon B. Johnson. Initially, Hillary barkedthe at ideaof having to portray a democrat whenset she came from such a strong republicantradition. Nevertheless, she tookup the challenge, and off againstone of her girlfriends who portrayed Barry Goldwater, inamock presidential debate. Her 40teachers insisted that shereallytry tolook at issues from all sides, not merelythe Republican angle. Whilethis experience may not have sparkedan interest in pursuingelective office as herfuture career goal, it didbegin her ideological transition from one side of the political spectrumother. tothe While she still espoused being a Republican, shetold a group of Maine South students on a homecomingin visit 1992 that experiencessuch as that debate and the influenceteachers of that challenged her to stretch her mind as a young girl led to a different take on Republican ideology. She told them that she was, "sti11 a Republican41 butwith a different sort of inquiry about what it was evolvedI believed. my own political bet iefs ... "

Jn high school, she even workedGoldwater's onBarry presidential campaign.

It is always importantacknowledge to the major turning points in an individual's life that have had a large impact on their growth as a person. For Hillary, she identifies the"absolute turning point" in her life to be the day President John F.assassinated. Kennedywas That fateful

November day in 1963 rocked theentire nation outof their micro�realities and propelledthem to confront the tremendous social and political issues of the day, aswell as a sign of thetroubles 4°Ibid. p24.

41lbid. p28. 27 ahead. including the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.42 Her gradual "breaking in" to the real world would continue after Kennedy's death.

Hillary was, and continues to be. a very active member of the Methodist Church. When she was in high school she participated in Park Ridge's Methodist Church youth group.

Knowing thatthe young kids in the groupall came from middle--class. white, and sheltered neighborhoods, one of theyouth ministers at her church took a special interest inshowingthe kids in his programother the side of life. Reverend Don Jones had a significant impact on her development as a youth. Jones would take the kidsinto the ghettos and have them interact with the inner city youthof Chicago. He would also give them the opportunity to interact withalot of the migrant farm workers of HispanicAfrican-American and descent.4 3 He called this program theUniversity of Life, and on onein day particular, their outing was to leave a lasting impression on young Hillary. He took the group to see a speech by Dr. King inanOrchestra

Hall in Chicago. Radcliffe describes the impactthe of event on Hi11ary's life.

The speech galvanized his listeners,them among young Hillary Rodham. Jones had made arrangements for his group to meet King, and after the speech wasover Hillary and theothers inched their way through the crowd to where he was waitingshake to their hands. The meeting was only too brief but Hillary never forgotit and would tel1 Jones later that it was a seminal event in her ]ife.44

Theseevents would serve as the cornerstones of Hillary's adolescent years. They would provide a means for her to explore the social and political issues and upheavals of the day, as

42 lbid. p42.

43-n- LOid . p43-47.

47bid. p49_ 28 well as spark her interest in public service. Al1 ofthese people and events would mean that her idyllic and sheltered upbringing would be rocked, and she would become very aware of the real world. As she looked to the future and to her years ahead in college, Hillatylooked forward energized and excited about the chanceto make her own impact on the world

Youn& Adulthood

Hillary chose to attend Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts in the fa]I of 1965.

Her focus of study was political science, a subject whose complexities would intrigue herfor years to come. Radcliffe writes, "But it was much more than just the mechanics of politicsor governmentthat interestedHillary. Even in her early years at Wellesley, government seemed to

5 be a means for accomplishingbigger ends."" Her primary interests, spurred by her experiences in high school in Reverend Jone's University of Life, werepublic policy and law. When she arrived at Wellesley, she joinedRepublican the Club on a strongly Democratic campus. While she still called herself a Republica� she engaged in all sorts of activities on campus. really testing her beliefs and trying to learn asmuchshe could about the social and political issues of that time.

Hillary saw her role at collegetrying as to improve the system, a recurringpattern of what she would later explain was a friend's 'Bloom where you'replanted' philosophy. So she took on committee chores, workingto eliminate irrelevant courses, increaseblack enrollment and faculty and relax parietal

restrictions. Displaying an instinctive46 maturity for her age, she became known as a coalition builder.

45 Ibid. p60.

46Jbid. p64. & 29

She chose to focuson student politics as a means for implementing change on her campus.

Those changes being course issues, limited black enrollment issues, as wellasthe parietal restrictions spoke of before. Later that year, she spent the summer in Washington, D.C. as an intern forthe House Republican Conference. She spent thesummerengaging many of the politicians in D.C. in spirited debates overrevenue sharing and the Vietnam War. Incidentally, she was also ableto intern forIllinois CongressmenHarold Collier, whosedistrict included

Hillary'shometown of Park Ridge. Inaddition that summer Hillary attended the Democratic

National Convention in Chicago. which was to be a major turning pointinher life as well. Since this electionwas to be her first. Hillary wanted to makesure she had both candidates firmly understoodin order to make her decision. Hillary madeaspecial effortto really study each of the candidates, though her newly found "liberal" tendenciespropel would her away from the

Republican Party.47

She waselected to be StudentBody President her senior year at Wellesley. herAs of election as President of her class, there was one Black studentenrol1ed at Wellesley. a young woman Hillary wouldbecome allies with inthe year ahead as they fought to get more Black women admittedWellesley to for the start of next year's fall term. Aclass mate of hers, Ruth

Adams, in an interview withThe Boston Globe,told the paper that Hillary's main interest was of effecting changefrom within the system. She may have had liberal leanings, but she was in no way "radical" as some of her peers were at thetime.48 This desire to effect changeher within ovvn university community was merely the beginning ofbecome whatwould a careerof

47 Ibid. p70-74 4 'Toid p75. • 30 effecting change at all levels from local to national. Her years at Wellesley allowed her to break out of thePark Ridgeenvironment and reallyembrace anddevelop her leadership capacities, as well as theopportunity to explore and find the areas of interest thatwould later define the course of her future career. Adulthood

After hergraduation from Wellesley, Hillary chose to attend YaleLaw School. She was one of only30 womenentering Yale Law in 1972. She became a sought-after speaker and activist on Yale's campusfor both her presence as an orator as well as her insight. The 1970's broughtthe Vietnam War, theKent Stateincident andthe risingpower of student-led social

49 change movements and organizations, such as Students fora Democratic Society. In New

Haven itself, home of Yale, there was a huge controversysurrounding the arrest and trial of eight

Black Panthers, allegedly forthe murder of anotherPanther. The main defendant wasBlack

PantherBobby Seale, as well as seven others. Students all over the country were outraged and called forthe immediate end to thetrial. Theatmosphere was so tense inHaven New that the

Nationa1 Guardhad to be called in. Hillary and her classmates,as a meansto help the American

Civil Liberties Union get the Panthers acquitted, organized surveillance watches duringthe entiretrial. Not one minute of the trial wentby without a student or twothere to monitor the

50 goings-on. Throughthis whole experience, Hillary's leadershipwas to be noticed by her peers and professors alike.

4 9nteHistory Channel Online. "I970's." www.historychannel.com

.soRadcliffe, Donnie. Hillary Clinton:Our aFirstLadyfor Time. New York: W amer Books,Inc. 1993. p90-93. •• 31

Thenext two years were to be very important in Hillary's development. The Kent State

Incident of 1970 brought Hillary and many of her peers to Washington, D.C. demandingfor

PresidentRichard Nixon's resignation. It was at thistime that Hi11ary met who would become a mentorfor her in her life and career. Marion Wright Edelman. Hillary was asked tospeakata

League of Women Voters' National Convention banquet as a result of the notoriety shegained afterher commencementspeech atWellesley. Thebanquet's keynote speaker for the night was

Edelman. Edelmancame then to Yale's campus to speak, and Hillarymade it a point to be introduced. She also asked Edelman if she could work for her over the summer. Hillaryshared

Edelman's concern forchildren. and she also looked to Edelman as an ideal example of a civil rights attorney. Edelman agreed to take Hillary on for the summer,on the condition, though, that she would not be paid. "lt was all the encouragementneeded. Hillary 'Meeting somebody like Marian, who hada passion about helping children and had athe Jotof same values that I

51 had, was a turning point life;in my she said.n Edelman put Hi11ary to work on Senator Walter

Mondale's subcommittee studying migrant labor. For Hillary, this experienceto wouldsteerher focuson children and civil rights. "I came back to law school with a growing commitment

52 toward childre°' and particularly poorand children disadvantagedones. " This growingpassion forchildren would laterdetermine the focusof Hi1lary' post-Yales careeras a vocal children's rights activist. It was also at this time that she met Bill Clinto� in 1971, at the law library.

Hillary got her JurisDoctor from YaleLaw in 1973. After that, she stayed in New Haven to keep studyingchildren's issues at various New Haven hospitals. helping them to create

51lbid. p96.

52Ibid. p97 32 policiesfor victims of child abuse; at this time she was also taking children's psychology 53 courses. In 1974, Hillary worked as counsel on the JudiciaryCommittee's Impeachment

Inquiry Staff. She was one ofthreewomen hand-picked by the head ofthis staff, Wisconsin

Republican John Doar. In addition, from 1973-74 she served asanattorney for the Children's

Defense Fund, the organization Edelman had founded. She served as Legal Counsel to the 54 Carnegie CowtSel on Childrenthat same year. Hillary would laterdescribe her experiences with the Impeachment InquiryStaff as "one of the great professionally and political1y that I've everhad, to be involved with lawyers of that caliber and that level of commitment to the

5 country_"s She would then work day and night with the rest of the staff in preparationfor sending a report to Congress on whether or not PresidentNixon should be impeached. To be right in the midstone of of the most important and difficult moments in United States politica1 historycannot help but leave an indentation on a person's life, asitdid for Hillary.

In the meantime, however, Bill had movedback to Arkansas and both of them were grappling with their futures, whether they be together or apart. Onceagainatacrossroads in her life, Hillary had to choose between Washingtonand Little Rock, and her decision was definitely not made lightly. Nevertheless, in 1975, she wed Bill, andproceeded to become Associate 56 Professor ofLaw and theDirector of the Legal Aid Clinic at the University of Arkansas. She is described oby c lleagues as hard-driving, imposing, andfocused. The drive and energy she had

53lbid. pl 15-116.

�·s Who in America? "Hillaiy Rodham Clinton." New Providence: MarquisWho'sWho.1997.p8l6. 5 5Radcliffe,Donnie. Clinton:Hjllary a First LadyOur for Tjme. New York: Warner Books. Inc. 1993. pl20.

�o's Who in America? "Hillary Rodharn Clinton." New Providence: Marquis Who'sWho,1997.p816. !33 exhibitedthroughout her years at both Wellesley and Yale were immediately put into action when she began teachingat the Universityof Arkansas. Her most ardent issues with the school were their policies towards women and minorities. She wanted to make sure women were a strongpresence on the faculty and thatminorities did not sufferany discrimination while

57 attending school there.

WhenBill Clinton won his firstelection to Arkansas Attorney-General in 1977, Hillary joined the Rose LawFirm, in LittleRock, where she would stayon as an Attorney, and

58 eventuallyPartner, until her husbandbecame President in 1992. While her decision to maintain her own career separatefrom that of her husband's political career made many people in Arkansascritical of her, she never wavered. She helped to found the Arkansas Advocates for

Children and Families in 1977. 59 The AACF was an organization set upto provide legal assistanceto families and children whose rights had been violated. She was very active in her law flnn, tryingto establish a record forherself. Anotherturning point in her life was the birth of their daughter, Chelsea Victoria, in 1980. While she took an initial few months offfrom the firm, Hillarywas very soon back on with the finn on a full time basis. In the interim. Bm had taken two years offfrom politics, and in 1982, decided to run forGovernor of Arkansas. In a move that would shock her friendsyet somehow appease traditionalist Arkansasvoters, she changed her name fromher maiden nameRodham, to Clinton, thereby sealing their partnership

57 Radcliffe, Donnie. Hillary Clinton: a First Lady for Our Time. NewYorkWarnerBooks,Inc.1993 pl38-139. 5 8who·s Who in America? "Hillary Rodham Clinton." New Providence: Marquis Who'sWho.1997.p8l6 59 Ibid. p816. 34 in Bill's political career.61) She continuedto work at theRose firmthroughout BiH's governorshipin Arkansas, rightto up his decision in 1991 to runfor the Presidency in 1992.

Anothermajor experience in her life and careerwas as Chairof the Arkansas StateNew

EducationStandards Committee. WhenGovernor Clinton namedher as Chairof the

Committee, many of the samefeelings of skepticismwere arousedin thepublic, almosta mirror imageof thescrutiny 61 she wouldendure as Chair ofthe Health Care task force during Bill's first term aspresident. Nevertheless, she maintainedthroughout this timeher own career withthe prestigiousRose firm,while simultaneouslytrying to raisea daughterand get used to the rigors of publiclife. Thisjourney throughlife was totake an even moreinteresting tum when Bill decided to runfor the presidencyin 1992. Thus,during this time, Hillary was able to make a namefor herself as an attorney, famiJyand and childrens' rightsadvocate, while at thesame timegetting used to the rigorsof beingArkansas First Lady. It was experiencean that would prepareMiddleAaeher wen for the White House.

In 1992, Hillaryleft hercareer and life in LittleRock to move to Washington,D.C. In thiscase, what wasto be anothermajor turningpoint in her life, she wasabout to take on the roleof FirstLady, not of thestate this time, butof the nation. Thepublic scrutinyshe lived throughin Arkansaswould bemagnified tenfold when BiU waselected president.was Hillary'srole in her husband'spresidential campaigncame underheavy fire. asthe nation not usedto

�liffe.Donnie. Lady New Yark: Warner Inc. 1993. p192-194. Hjllpry Cljptgp· afirst for Oyr Time. Books. 61Ibid p202. J 135 having a po1entia1 First Lady with a life, a career, anagenda, and views of her own.

What fueled uneasiness about Hillarythroughout the campaign had been The Clintons, plural, their two-for-the-price-of-one co­ presidency. Even amongthose supportiveof women playing a bigger role in policy making. Hillary wouldbe a discomforting

presence as she put herself forward to spe� admittedly62 authoritatively, on issues like health care and children.

In 1993, President Clinton named her as Chair of the Presidential Task Force on National Health 63 Care Reform. Although the goals and idealsthis of task force were we11-intended, her work was not well-received, and unfortunately, her efforts essentially failed. However, throughout the entire process, Hillary learned from andher mistakes misfortunes. Though her tenure as Chair was a stormy one, amid a swarmcriticism of from all sides, Hillaryremained vigilant in her advocacy of children's and families' rights.

She has definitely redefinedthe traditional role of the nation's First Lady and madeher it

64 own. In thewake of recent scandal surrounding her husband and withhis affair the now infamous Monica Lewinsky, she appearsto be distancingherself from all of the talk. and remaining focused on her day to day activities as First Lady. ln 1995, she began to write a weekly syndicated newspaper columnentitled, 'Talking it over." In 1996, she authored the book entitled, "It Takes a Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us," which called for greater awareness of not only parental impact. but also national impact on the lives of American

621bid. p228.

�o's Who in America? "Hillary Rodham Clinton." New Providence: Marquis Who's Who.1997.p816. 64 O'Brien, Patricia "Reality Bites." June 1994. p40.

Working Woman. 65 ·-36 children. Herbiographer, Radcliffe, describes Hi11ary's on-going commitment to the issues she so stronglyadvocated throughout her professional careerbefore the White House: "Hillary's passion to make a difference in reshaping publicpolicies and attitudes about children's and familyissues, not66 the least of which was health care, had not lessened in the twenty years since she was at Yale. "

To date, Clinton has received67 honorary 16 degrees and continues to be named one of the most influential women of our time. As her husbands second and final tenn as president draws to a close, rumors have been spreading that Clintonherself may consider running for a

Congressional seat in the next election. those While rumors remain unconfinned, theyremain undenied, a sign that as her husband'scareer in public office is on the wane, itmight be her time68 to run foroffice and continue toadvocate the causes she has fought for since her days at Yale.

65 "The First Lady's Biography: The First Lady oftheUnitedStates." www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/First_Lady/hnnl/HILLARY _Bio.html

Donnie. Hillary a Lady Inc. 993. p229.

67�cliffe. Clinton: First forOur Time. New York: Warner Books, l Who's Who in America? "Hillary Rodham Clinton." New Providence: Marquis Who's 1997. p816

6 8Marton, Kati. Once Time. Janwuy, Who. "The and Future Hillaiy." 18 1999. p36. 37 Case Study; ElizabethHanford Dole

69 Mary Elizabeth Hanford wason born July 29, 1936 in Salisbury, NorthCarolina.

Salisburytypified small town American life. The 1930's and early 40's brought with hostthem a of world events and historical milestones that would changethe face of worldhistory for the yearsto come. When Elizabeth was born, she was born inthe midst ofthe Great Depression.

While the Depression affectedeveryone, almost the Hanford family floral business wasenough of a success for them to live through that periodrelative in comfort. In additionto the Great

Depression, Elizabeth lived her childhood years feeling the effects of aWorldWaranocean away. Her older brother, Johnny, was one of the GI's who served in World War II. While she was too young to know the gravity of the war itself,watched she the impact her brother's being gonehad on her family, most especially her mother. She writesin her auto-biography,

"However ignorant I wasof the war's larger implications, I found it a continuing lesson in sensitivity to the feelingsothers. of It was one thing, forexample, to adjust to three gallons of gasoline per week; it wassomethingelse entirelyto go to bed eachuncertain night whether your

7 son was alive." ° For Eliz.abeth, this wasundoubted]y an event that would he1p to ground her childhood dreams into a harsher reality.

Nevertheless, Elizabeth was anactive and engaged youngster. In fact, her desire to organize groups and lead them began from a very young age.Whenshe was in the third grade she organized a Bird Club, and was elected president by its members. Not long after that, she

69Mulford, Carolyn.Dole: Elizabeth Public Servant. Hillside: Enslow 992.Publishers. I p 12. 7 °oole,Bob and Elizabeth. UnlimitedPartners: Boband Elizabeth Dole. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1996. p.50-51. a 38 declaredherself president of the junior-high book club shefounded. In addition, duringthe war, although she was unaware of wherethe war was actually taking place, she still becamean activistin thevarious war efforts going on at thetime. She writes,

As ringleaderof neighborhood children,I was a precocious organizer. This [lackunderstanding of of the war] didn't keep me from joining forces with Miss FannyFunderburke of the Girl Scouts in supervising whatthe Salisbury Postcalled the town's youngest defense group. We collected used postage stamps, tinfoil, wastepaper.71

At the time of this ··organization"hers, of Elizabeth was only 6yearsold 72 Although she surely had plenty of help from herparents being so young, these experiences are testament to her drive and initiative,two attributes thathave continued tohave a stronginfluence overher dayto day actions and activitiesto this veryday. On theday of her eighth grade graduation, Elizabeth received the CitizenshipCup, as well as another for an essay she had written73 forclass. Her drive and desire for high achievementthus propelled her from a very early age. She enjoyed being active and involved with whateverorganiz.ations she could find, but she also loved to be in chargeof them.

Elizabeth's parents,teachers and siblings had a strong influence on her when shewas growing up in Salisbury. While much of Elizabethheadstrong •·s and driven ways were shocking to her parents (her mother in particular), they never stood in theof way her ambitions. Her father was an extremely hardworking and driven man. In fact, Elizabeth's work ethic from a

71Ibid. p5I. 72 Mulford, Carolyn. Elizabeth Dole· Public Servant.Publishers. Hillside:Enslow 1992. p 16. 73n,id. p.27. C 39 young agemirrors that of her father. He is described in her biography as very disciplined but at

74 the same time verysupportive. Her motherpoured all of her energy into raisingElizabeth and her brotherand made sureboth children were active throughouttheir childhoodin whatever activitiesmost suited them. Perhaps one of the most important influencesin her life was her brother,John. John, fifteenyears hersenior, was a high achiever throughouthis childhood and adolescence, and was thusmajor a motivatorin Elizabeth•s life. She wantedto be as involved

75 and popular as her big brother since she was a little girl Elizabeth was able to grow up in a verysupportive yet demanding environment. Thus, from a veryage, young Eliz.a.beth's role models werehard-working, ambitiousand very driven. These are all characteristics thatwould later come to define Elmibeth in bothacademic her life, as well as her career. Adolescence

Duringher lateadolescent years, Elizabeth foundherselfliving through a verysocial ly and politically tumultuous timethe in history of the United States. The Cold War was gaining in intensity, President Harry S. Truman had laid down the Trwnan Doctrine astheforeignpolicyto guide the United States through the Cold War,andtheNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization

(NATO) was established for the collective securityand benefit of the Western nations. Senator

Joseph McCarthy, now infamousfor the "McCarthyism" ideology that he promulgated while in office, was fuelinga drive forcultural homogeneity and conformityUnited inthe States. The

Korean Waronce more broughtthe nation's armed servicesint o conflict, and television shows

7'1bid. p15.

75 Dole, Bob and Elizabeth. UnlimitedPartners· Bob andElizabeth Dole. New York: Simon& SchUS1er. J 996. p.46. 40 like Ozzieand Harriet andLeave it to Beaver,tried to convince theAmerican viewing audience that all was well in their containedsoc iety. 76 With all of this going on all around her, what type of impact did these events have on her life during those years? As she writes in her autobiography, these events only impacted herin a very limited way. Being that Salisburywas such a small town, its people were fairly well insulated from the full effect of national and

international events. She writes,

Postwar turbulencedid little to disturb the peace of Rowan County. The Cold War found its way into the Salisbury Post. So did Chambers, and Hiss, Korea, Joe McCarthy and the first, tentative stirrings of the civil-rights revolution. Buttowns people generally went abouttheir business as usual. The daily pattern of small town lifega ve most people the reassurancethe y were denied in the headlines.n

Eli:zabeth was veryactive in her high school years in a numberdifferent of activities.

She was a partthe of Student Government, the National Honor Society, the drama club, as well

as the studentnews paper. In addition, she was one of thep to students in her class. Insenior her year, she ranfor pr esident of the StudentGovernment. Prior to thiselection, she had been

presidentof her church's youthgr oup, president of her class, as well as president of the local

Sa1isbury chapter of the Childrenof the AmericanRevolution. 78 While she had a campaign

committee and rytheve ing to help her run her bid for Student Government office, she

76The HistoryChannel Online. "1950's." www.historychannel.com.

77:Dole, Bob and Elizabeth. UnJjmited Partners: Boban d ElizabethDoJ e. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1996. p.52.

�ulford,Carolyn. ElµabethDole· Public Servant. Hillside: Enslow Publishers. 1992. p27•29. k 41 unfortunately lost the election in the end.79 Even in the face of defeat, however, Elizabeth stil1 graduated from Boyden High School receivingboth state and national citations for her effortsas the Junior Chainnan of the Children oftheAmerican Revolution radio and television committee.

She was elected by her peers to be Secretary of the North Carolina Student Council Congress,

80 and she was voted by her classmates as Boyden's "most likely to succeed" woman. All of these experiences were more steps on her path to future successes in her college years and beyond.

Youn1 Adulthood

In the fall of 1956, Elizabeth stepped onto the DukeUniversity campus. Contrmy toher parents' expectations for her to major in home economics, EJizabeth chose instead as her course

81 of study political science and international affairs. In the 950'sl it was expected that women who attended college study home economics and get married.82 Hence, a11 of those things we typically associate with the 50's - the values and ideals of the middle class - were forces that

Elizabeth and her classmates had to contend with when they graduated from high school. Her activities list during her years at Duke, however, read even more impressive than her accomplishments in high school She instantly found herself attracted to Student Government, and, after a failed attempt to win a Class Representative seat her freshman year, ran the

79 Dole. Bob and Elizabeth. UnljmitedPartn ers· Bob andEJizabMb QoJe. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1996. p.52.

�ulford., Carolyn. Elizabeth Dole: Public Servant. Hillside: Enslow Publishers.992. l p3 l 11 1Ibid. p34. 82 Dole, Bob and Elizabeth. UnlimitedP artners: Boban d Elizabeth Dole. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1996. p.54. 42

83 followingyear and won her class presidency. ln an interviewwith her biographer, Carolyn

Mulford, she told Mulfordwhat drewher to study government

..Although I didn'thave a blueprint of where I wanted to go or what I wantedto do, it was justnatural a love of government, of workingwith people, of selling an idea. I love that part of trying to convince people of an idea. I used to thinkthat I would make a good salespersonbecause I like to get in there and talk about what

I believe in. It was a natural thing to major in political science84 and run forstudent office. That ledto Washingtoneventua11y.

Since high schoolEliz.a.beth hadbeen veryactive in student government and found many valuable lessons in all of her experiences. While she was uncertain of future plans atthe time, her extracurricularexperiences in college provided thetraining groundshe needed to hone her public speaking and leadership skills.

In additionto these activities, she joined several hononuy societies includingPhi Sigma

Alpha (a national political science society), and White Duchy (a local honorary societyfor outstandingwomen leaders). Her senior yearshe waselecte d asPresident of the Women's

Student Government Association and served on the Women's Judicial Board. Elizabeth demonstratedher desireto organize and leadchange during her last yearat Duke by lobbying for a numberof changes on the university campus. Elizabeth took the initiative on several ends and triedto bringthe men's and women's sides of the campus together through some fundamental changes in the university system. She felt thatstudent governmentwas the best medium for effecting these changes.

Returning to Durham inthe fall of 1957, we launched a series of

83Toid. 78.p.

�ulford, Carolyn. Eljz:aheth Dole· Public Servant. Hillside: Enslow Publishers. 1992. p3 l 43

raids against campus tradition. Heading the list of refonns was establishmentof a university-wide honor code. With help from Duke Administrators, including Dean Brinkley,leadership a training programwomen for was established and a variety of speakers were imported from around the country. We set up a permanent foreign-student fund and raised tomoney bring a 8 Danish girl to Durham. 5

She made the Who's Whoin AmericanColleges and Universitiesand was selectedas May

Queen, an honor givento a seniorwoman who demonstrated outstanding serviceto their school

community. Lastly, she was selected as StudentLeader of the Year by her peers. She graduated

86 in 1958 with high honors in Political Science and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. It would

appear, thatElizabeth would now have her choice of avenues to pursueupon graduation from

Duke. Adulthood

After college, Elizabeth spentsome time tryingto figure out which path totake from

there. Accordingto Elizabeth, she wastrying to figure out which course would most likely bring

her intothe political arena. "Iwas thinking that law might be a very backgroundgood fora

careerin government service. That was beginningto jell, but it wasn'tyet a plan or a

87 blueprint. " In fact, she did not togo law school immediately. Instead, she traveled up to

Bostonto work at theHarvard Law School Library, and pondered over opportunities to travel.

Her first excursion tookto her Oxford University, to study English history and government for a

summer. She thendecided that she wanted to explore the countrythat had been viewed as the

85 Ibid. p80.

�ul

89 first was my emergingpassion, the second a vocational insurancepolicy." Still livingin a time when women were expected to work in only teaching, nursing, or secretarial work, ifthey worked at all, Elizabeth was simultaneouslyto trying satisfyher passion for governmental

90 studieswith the realities of women's opportunities inthose days. In the years whenthe Civil

RightsMovement would thrust into the national spotlight and become the forefront of issues for

American society, Eli2:abeth watched, studied, and workedwith more than just a passinginterest at all the goings-on around her.

In 1960, she worked as a secretarythe in office of Congressman B. EverettJohnson of

North Carolina. wasIt the firsttime she had been in Washington, D.C. since she was a little girl, and she took every opportunity to become as involved as possible in the political process.

Among her most memorable experiences that summer was working on the LBJ Express as part

8 Tule, Bob and Elizabeth. UnlimitedPartn ers: Bob andEl izabeth Dole. New York: Simon& Schuster ]996. p.81-82. 89 Ibid. 83-84.

�ulford, Carolyn. ElizabethDole: Public Servant. Hillside: EnslowPublishers. 1992. p44. • 45 91 of the whistle stop tourof the South theby thenvice-presidential candidate. This experience was her first in national politics. Inaddition to being a part of his campaign for abrief stay,

Elizabeth sought the advice of the few women who had run and secured national political office.

She writes, "When not staring at senators, gaping at Statuary Hall or climbing to the top of the

92 Capitol Dome, I sought out prominentwomen in government for professiona1 guidance. " A woman who had a tremendous impact on the nextstage Hanford's in life was Senator Marjorie

Chase Smith fromMaine. Elizabeth literally dropped into her office, introduced herself, and asked for Chase's advice on what might bethe best course to plot for a future career in politics.

93 Senator Chaseunequivocally recommended that Elizabeth go to law school.

Afterearning her MastersDegree in Education and Government, Elizabeththen enrolled in Harvard LawSchool in I 962. She was one of on1y 24 women in a HarvardLaw class of 550 people. Like most people in 1963, Elizabeth was deeplyaffected by the assassination of John F.

Kennedy. Especially beingHarvard at at the time, not only were theymourning the loss of a president but they were also mourningthe loss of a fellow Harvard graduate. Nevertheless,

Elizabeth was particularly affectedby the social and political atmosphere at the time. She writes, "Under John F. Kennedy, Harvard hadcome to be known, only half in jest, asthe fourth branch of American government. Whilethere, I had gotten caught up in the enthusiasm for

94 public servicethat flavored the early sixties." Eliz.abeth's passion was international law, and

Unlimited Bob and 91 Dole, Bob and Elizabeth. Partners: Elizabeth Dole. New York: Simon & Schuster 92 1996.Ibid p.87.p.84.

9 3rbid. p86.

�id.p93. • 46 she was appropriately elected asPresident of the International Law Club Harvardat Law. In 95 1965, the class elected her secretary, which would be a position with no term limit. With all of these experiences, andthe energy and enthusiasm generated therein, Elizabeth was now ready to conquer Washington, D.C.

In 1965, she made it to the final round of interviews fora place in the newly created

White House Fellows Program,yet unfortunately lostthat opportunity. For the next couple of years, however, Elizabeth would work as a public defender, and through herexperiences would gain insight intothe lives of people she had never before come into contact with in her small town childhoodin Salisbury. Then, in 1968, she beganworking for the White House Office for

ConsumerAffairs under PresidentLyndon Johnson. Elizabeth writes of her interest in public welfare issues, "What began as just a jobsoon turned into somethingof a personal crusade.

Underdogs have always appealed to me. As a public-interest lawyer I had already seen how fraud

96 or deception can victimize the elderly andothers too young or impoverishedto fight back. "

Throughthis job experience, Elizabeth was to meet a woman who would end up having a tremendous impact on her future career Washington.in VirginiaKnauer, thenew headof the

Presidential Committee on ConsumerInterests under Nixon, would subsequently guide

Elizabeththrough the rigors of traveling and selling public policies all over the country. For

97 Elizabeth, Knauerwas «both mentor and surrogate mother. " In 1970, forthe recognition ofthe work she had done withthe Presidential Committee on Consumer Interests, Elizabeth was

95 Mulford,lyn. Caro ElizabethDole: Public Servant. Hillside: Enslow Publishers. 1992. p47.

�le, Bob and Elizabeth. Unlimited Partners· Bob and Ehzabeth Dole. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1996. p.144.

97lbid. p141. 47

98 named Washington's Outstanding Woman of the Year. This experience and recognition would lead to her first appointed political office.

In 1973, Knauer nominated Elizabeth to be the new Commissionerfor the Federal Trade

Commission, and, after her first bout withSenate confirmation hearings, she would be confirmed as the new Commissioner of the FTC. She would serve in this capacity from 1974 to

99 1979. Meanwhile she would meet, court, and marry Senator Bob Dole of Kansas in 1976.

Immediately aftertheir marriage, Gerald Ford would name Dole as his chosen vice-presidential running-mate, and Elimbeth would experience forthe second time the rigors of assisting in a

100 national campaign for office. In 1980, Bob Dole would make another runthe for White

House, only to lose for the second time. Even while campaigning fulltimewith herhusband,

Elizabeth never stopped mapping out her own political career.

MiddleA2e

In December of 1980, Elizabeth was named head of the White House Office of Public

Liaison underPresident Ronald Reagan, a post she held until 1983.rni She then went on to serve President Reagan again when he appointed her Secretary of Transportation in 1983. At the

Senate confirmations hearings, when he was ca11ed as a character witness, Senator Dole said, .. I

�ulford, Carolyn. Eli,.abeth Dole: Public Servant.Hillside:EnslowPublishers. 1992. p57.

�ieter, Lisa "Future First Lady, or first ladypresident?" Insight on the News. 24 July, 1995. p13.

1 �1e, Bob and Elizabeth.Partners: Unlimited Bob and Elizabeth Dole. New York: Simon &Schuster. 1996. p.157-190.

101 Lieter, Lisa "Future First Lady, or first ladypresident?" Insight on the News. 24 July, 1995. pl3 P g48

2 only regret thathave I but one wife to give forcountry's my infrastructure." 10 However, many

in Washingtoncontinually speculatedabout possibleconflicts of interest betweenher careerand

that of her husband. Even in 1983, peoplebegan to wonder if Elizabeth would eventual1yrun for

national office. ,..

Dole hasearned a reputation as a smart, ambitious, headstrong, zealous overachieverwho manages to keep topping herself appointmentafter appointment. TheDepartment of Transportation, her admirers say, is onlylatest the rungon the ladder. The next rung? Somepeople in Washingtonthink Dole has the potential to becomethe first-ever woman vice-presidential candidate of a major party in U.S. history.io 3

As Secretaryof Transportation, she wasthe seventh woman to serve in the United States

Cabinet, and the first womanto lead a branchof the armedservices (theCoast Guard fell under thejurisdiction of theDepartment of Transportation). 104 Withthese experiences in hand, her

future career in Washington seemedpolitics cemented.

In 1988, Elizabethappointed was to Secretaryof Laborunder President George Bush.

After four years with the Bush Administration,was Elizabeth lookingto move in a different

direction. In 1989, in thebeginning of her tenure asSecretaryof Labor, a member of the

AmericanRed Crosscalled her and asked her toconsider becoming the next presidentof the

organization. Therepresentative told her that the "ARCseeking was a dynamicleader with

experience in runningcomplex a organization, strong communication skills, the ability to build a

102 Dole, Bob and Elizabeth. UnlimitedPartners: B oband E lizabeth Dole. New York: Simon & Schuster 1996. p.217. 103 Miller, James. "Portrait: Elizabeth Dole." Life. July 1983. p2I. 1 �ulford, Carolyn. ElizabethDo le· Public Servant. Hillside: Enslow Publishers. 1992. p87. 49 consensus and develop leaders, and the courage to make painful decisions." 105 This phone call would be of continued interest to her throughout the remainder of her time in the Cabinet, and in

1991, after resigning from Cabinet, she was elected to be the new president of the ARC. 106

Throughout the nexteight years, Elizabeth would call for a complete overhaul of the Red Cross'

Blood Setvices, in aneffort to make it state-of-the-art and easily adaptable to technical innovations in the medical industry. She took a leave of absence from ARC in 1995, to once again go on the campaign trail withher husband, only to return ayear later after a difficult campaign and a difficult 1loss. 07 Her experienceswith ARC appealed to a different calling within her, as opposed to her call to public office.

103 In January of this year, Elizabeth stepped down from her post as President of ARC.

For years now, and growing more frequent each day, is speculation over whether or not

Elizabeth may make a therun for White House, either as a vice-presidential candidate or even as

109 a presidential candidate. This talk has reached nearrecord levels now with the announcement of her resignation from ARC. What the future holds·for Elizabeth remains to be seen. Ifshe decides to run for national office, oreven if she decides against doing so, her life and experiences have been shaped by a loveand passion for government and public policy, and rest

5 10 lbid. p 114. 1 �id. p124.

1 07Dole, Bob and Elizabeth. Unlimited BobPartners: andElizabeth Dole. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1996. p.291.

IORn And Now It's Her Turn." Time. 18 January, 1999. p34.

109 Ponnuru, Ramesh. "The other Dole Campaign: who is Elizabeth Dole?" National Review 9 February, 1998. p22. 50 assured herwork in theseareas will continuein somecapacity. • °! Analysis St

Lookingback at the profilesof Clinton and Dole, it becomesclear that theirpaths to public officehave beenan evolutionaryprocess thatbegan forboth women at a veryy oungage .

The issues of timing, political climate, leadershipdevelopment, and leadership style and their impacton women's considerationof running nationalfor officebecome veryapparent aftera thoroughanalysis of these issues' relationshipsto one another. Whileneither of these women knew theywere going to run forpolitical a officeas youngchildren, they nevertheless set out on a path pavedby strongambitions and work ethics, as well as anever-present drive to succeed in whatever activitythey chose astheir passion at thetime. Since theiryouth these women have been powerhousesof activismand leadership. Fromorganizing the neighborhoodduring kids gradeschool. to beingthe recognized leaders inan their respective high schools, bothClinton and Dole have chosen to takethe leadershiprole in of theirrelationships and work. environments.

Theyare both demanding and perfectionists - typical Type personalities.A Throughouttheir lives and theirexperiences, these womenar e proven leaders. In additio�their leadership drive andcapabilities have giventhese womenthe motivation to become active in their local communitiesas well as thenation as a whole. So, whatabout theirpath to publicoffice has been typical? How does their developmentdiffer from thatother of women andmen seeking public office?The answers to thesequestions I will comprehensively explorein thefollowing pages.Timing and PoliticalClimate: two key motivating facton

In reference to timing,there can be no timemore open andencouraging to women running officefor than that of today. Since the fabled uwomen's Year"election of 1992, r a 52

women are increasingly seen asviable political candidatesand are not regardedwith as much

"outsider'' status as havethey beenaccorded in years past. While theirrepresentative numbers

in local, state, andnational offices are growingat a seemingly slow crawl, thosenumbers a re

nonetheless increasing. At the Congressional level, thepercentage of womenin electiveoffices

hasrisen from 4% in 1975, to 10% in I 995. Statewide, womenhave grown from a 10%

representation level in 1975, to almost26% in 1995.110 Lastly, women inthe statelegislatures

havegone from 8% in 1975 to almost 21% in 1995. Thus, ineach of these political arenas,

women's representationmore has thandoubled, an encouraging sign for womenoffice whoseek

in the upcomingelections. Clinton andDole, as well as otherwomen, have seen the numberof

women in public office increaseslowly over thepast three decades. For these two women, as

well as a host of others, there is a strong desire to be a part of themove to increase these

statisticseven more inthe years to come.

Whilethe numbers arestill slowly increasing, everyyear the political climate becomes a bit more welcoming to thesewomen and their political aspirations. In their book studyingthe

currentsituation of women in politics, authors Sue Thomasand Clyde Wilcox put forth their

conclusions as to why thetiming for thesewomen is bettertoday than inyears past. Theywrite,

Themost recent studies suggestthat such discrimination [byparty elites] has diminished considerably. Whereaswomen may once have lost their elections more andmore oftenthan their male counterparts,that is not the case today. When factors such as party and incumbency status aretaken into account, the evidence is clear that women win races asoften as men. Hence, when women decide to present themselvesto the pubic as candidates for local,

11 Tumas, Sue & C. Wilcox. Womenand Elective Office· Past, Present& Future. New York: Oxford UniversityPress. 199&. p7. a 53

state, and national offices, their chances of winning are as good 1 (and sometimes better) than those of men. 11

Given this encouragement, there can be no doubt that the environment today is more apt to encourage women to run foroffic e. The statistical chances of winningaside, the mere numbers of women running pubicfor office in the past decade inspire would-be woman candidates. In the cases of Clinton and Dole, they have both served in political roles and positions throughout a great deal of theirrespective careers, and they have met with, and been mentors and friends with a number of women in the political sphere. In addition, there is a great emphasis given today on

112 domestic and social issues. These issues include health care, childwelfare, and consumer interests. Clintonand Dole have made these domestic issues the focus of their political and professional endeavors, and today as opposed to years past, these issues are seen by the voting public as more urgent andin needof reform.

Both Clinton andDole are witnessingthe taperingoff oftheir husbands' careers in national political office. As such, theyno longer have to maketheir primary focus the political careers of their husbands. lnsteadcampaigning of fortheir husbands, Clinton and Dole can look to achieve their own political ambitions. In addition, especially for Clinton, the fact that Chelsea is almost through with college and no longerdependent on her parents, is of equal importance to the factthat her husband's secondand final term is coming to an end. For Dole, who is 64 years old, this will be her one and only chance to run for elective office. Thus, ageher has to be an

111 Thomas, Sue & C. Wilcox. Womenand Elective Office·Past Present,Future. & NewYork Oxford University Press. 1998.

t12Ib I.d . p. 7 • J 54 important determining factor in her consideration of running for public office. Therefore, in reference to the timingand political climate for a possible run for office. these two women will most likely not be able to find a bettertime in their lives and careers. Leadership Development&Leadenhip Style

In the samevein as domestic issues becoming more recognized, female leadership behavior is becoming more sought afterthe for three-dimensionality itadds to a once one• dimensional political realm. Since women are more apt tobe concerned with issues of direct public interest, their leadership styles, which are more consensual than men, are becoming more andmore in demand. Inher book entitled,Political Woman, Jeane Kirkpatrickoutlines her typology of a political woman. As you will be able to see,the characteristics she listscan be easily used to describe women like Clinton and Dole. Those characteristics are: I/concern with whole process ratherthan part; 2/intensecommitment exhibited in long hours, hard work, and in preoccupation withthe business of the legislature; 3/a detached interpersonal style oriented to maintaining harmony andcooperation rather than winning affection; 4/ heavy demandson the self; 5/a clear sense of self; 6/ a strong future orientation and defined personal goals; and 7/ high

113 level of political skills. In their study done on the feminizationof leadership in state legislatures, Thomas andWilcox discovered that. '"women repeatedly told us that they were 114 interested in cooperating, building consensus, and creatinga harmonious workplace." As the social, economic, and political issues beforethe state and national legislatures become

113 Kirkpatrick, Jeane. Political Woman. York:New Basic Books, Inc. 1974. pl 83. 11 4nornas, Sue & C. Wil cox. W omenan d Elective Office: Past Present & Future. New York: Oxford UniversityPress. 1998 p 171. 55 increasingly complex and multi-dimensional,the leadership styles oflegislators of both genders must readily adaptto the changing circumstances. Fortunately for women, their tendency towardsthis consensus-based leadership style makes that adaption muck quicker, and thus, more opportunitiesto act as leaders within their respective organizations and political systemswill emerge. In the cases of Clinton and Dole, their leadership development throughouttheir lives has served as the foundation for owntheir leadership development in the political arena, and subsequentlypoints to a pattern of political leadership development for younger generations to

follow.

Similarto their male counterparts, women's leadership development stems in part from how they were socialized by their parents, peers, andthe overa11 environmentthroughout their

lives. Yet, essential to a woman' desire to run forpublic office is knowledge that she really can run foroffice. Not long ago a woman's lack of consideration to run for public office was pre­

detennined due to social and political limitations imposed on her gender. Both Clinton's and

Dole's parents were very important in this aspect of their daughters' leadership development.

Both women grew up feelingthat there was nothingthey could not do. They grewup thinking that gender was not important when it came to the realization of their dreams.

Hillaryalways considered herself 'very fortunate, because as agirl growing up, I never felt anythingbut support from my family. Whatever I thought I could do and be, they supported. There was no distinction between me and my brothers or any barriers thrown up to me that I couldn'tthink about something because I was a 11s girl.,

Accordingto Cantor and Bemay, parents' recognition of a female child's achievements,

115 Radcliffe, Donnie. HillaryRodh amC linton: A FirstLady r fo ourTim e. New York: Warner Books, Inc 1993. p35. 56 independentopinions, 116 autonomy, and leadershipare key factorsin their leadership development. Thus forthese twowomen and a numberof others, their socialization environments since childhoodhave been key sourcesof inspiration and motivatio!)to run for publicoffice.

A natural extensionof leadershipdevelopment in womenpolitical leaders,therefore, is anexamination of the leadershipstyle they have developed as a result of this socialization and development. HereI will analyzethe leadership behaviorsand stylesof Clinton and Dole as well asassess their effectiveness withinthe public sector organiz.ations in which they work.

Clinton and Dolehave very differentleadership styles, consideringall of the parallelsthat can be drawn fromtheir leadershipdevelopment and lifeexperiences.

Clinton has been describedsome by as direct,domineering, ambitious, and very disciplined. Many peoplelike to drawcontrasts between her leadership styleand that of her husband. "HillaryClinton's approach to life is 'focused, pragmatic,and aggressive.' Bill

Clinton, on the other7 hand, remains unfocused, withan aversionto boundaries, and prefers charm to co11nflict."u8 She remainsextremely disciplined, a traitshe learned from her fatheras a young girl. If one were to look at thesetraits againstthose discussed in the introductionthey wouldfind that Clinton does not fit the traditional "feminine" leadership style. In fact,it could be arguedthat she is even more masculine thanandrogynous. She likes to move intoa role or an 116 Cantor, Dorothy & T. Bemay.o W men inPower· TheSecrets of Leadership. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1992.p.143. 117 Renshon. StanleyA HighHopes: The Clinton Presidency the and P olitics ofAmbition . New York: New York University Press. 1996. p22 l.

11 8Radcliffe, Donnie. Hillary Rodham Clinton: A First Lady for our Time. NewYork:WarnerBooks, Inc. ]993. �7 organiz.ation and take immediate control of all that is going on. In terms of working with other people,Clinton is not asteam-oriented as one might expect from a woman political leader. Thus she never reallybecomes a part of the group she leads. Instead, she is more apt to perform her

119 role as its leaderand whetheror not she has the support of her team is insignificant. "The combination of strong views, strong self-confidence in them, a capacityto stand her ground, and an ability to do what she feels necessary to accomplish her good purposes has buttressedviews

120 of her as tough and hard on others." Thisleadership style andbehavior is manifest inher chairmanship ofthe President'sTask Force on Health Care Reform. teamThis was made up of over 500 peoplewho all hadto work in absolute secrecy. C1inton was adamant and forceful abouther views andopinions, yet was seenby many as power hungry and cold asaleader. The

Task Force she headed essentially failed in itsobjectives, and was engu]fed by all sorts of

121 speculation aboutthe First Ladyand her leadership capabilities. Perhaps herindependence from those with whom she works could explainher focus onprivate sector work as acivil rights attorney. While she has an innate capacityto get things done and to do them well, Clinton appears todo her best work on her own, or at the very least independent of a larger team.

Nevertheless, many of the qualities and leadershipbehaviors thatshe exhibits fit the profile of a political leader withinmasculine-oriented a environment. Her effectiveness as a candidate for public office, therefore, would be contingent upon her abilityto feel closerto her constituents

119 Renshon. Stanley AHopes· High TheClinton Presidency and the PoliticsAmbition. of New York: New York University Press. 1996. p228. I20 Ibid. p228. I2I Duerst-Lahti, Georgia&R.W. Kelly. GenderPower, Leadership, and Governance. Ann Arbor: University ofMichigan Press. 1995. p245-247. Q 758

and their issuespart and concerns. In anycandidacy foroffice, if it is to be a success, the candidate must seem a of the larger constituency,opposed as to being seen apartfrom it. 122

Dole, on the otherhand. has thereputation aroundWashington for her "Sugar Lips." It could be arguedthat Dole's leadershipstyle is in directcontrast to Clinton. Dole loves the salesmanship of politics. She is we11-1iked by everyoneshe works withfor her charm and political sensibilities,however, some peoplehave wondered that she is mostly talk andnot enough substance. "She123 hascharisma and strongname recognition,but voters have no clear idea of whereshe stands. Inthe organizations she has run, andduring both of herstints on

Presidential Cabinets,Dole was renownedfor her perfectionistnature, a naturethat insome instancescould drivethose with whomshe worked on a daily basis into frenzy.a She is one of the most requested speakerson theRepublican 124 circuit, receiving more than 6,000invitations a year for variousevents andmeetings. Thus, whileClinton may havethe directionand passion aboutpolicy endeavors and issues, Dole hasthe ability to sell thosepolicies to the peoplein

Washington. Dole is characterizedby her drive, her ambition, herperfectionism and her charisma. Again,these are traitsthat are often associatedwith the masculine political leadership style. However, Dole's success as a possible future candidatewill hinge on her abilityto make the policiesarticulated in her speechesmore passionateand better implemented. Unlike

Clinton,Dole hasthe presence and less ofthe political zeal. Nevertheless,the roles that these two women are interested in are both very differentin nature. Executivepositions of powersuch 122 Pbillips, Andrew. ''Enter Elizabeth." Maclean ·s. I 8 Janumy, 1999. p28.

123 Ibid. p28.

124w eiss, PhilJip. "Channing Her way to the White House; air travel stinks, auto safety is ajoke - and Washington still loves Liddy Dole." Washington Monthly. September l 987. p29. 2 59

as the presidency and vice-presidencyrequire a leader who is able to make compromises, sell policiesto the legislature, andnetwork with other legislators. Duringthe courseof her career as a leader in politics, Dole has proven her abilityto do all of thosethings. The question,. then becomes, ifher officeis more aboutselling than actuallyimplementing policy,she will leave behind amixed legacy asshe leaves office. Nevertheless,Dole has proven she has the abilityto

Areoperate Clinton and lead and withinDole Uniquea male-dominated to Other Women realm. Political Leaders?

WhileClinton's and Dole's backgroundsare in no wayentirely unique from other women in public office,there were neverthelessdifferent forces at work theirin lives and differentmentors to look up to duringthe key development years. "Whileno one background and nopattern of experiencewas sharedby all thewomen legislators,the biographiesof many include these samekey elements: a small townbackground, geographicstabiJity, middleclass, participantparents, higher educatio� andcommunity Theseare all elements thatfit into the personalprofiles of thetwo subjects ofrnycase studies,but theyalso fitthe lives of several otherwomen inhigher office. For example, Colorado Congresswoman Patricia

Schroeder describesher upbringingand socialization environmentin much the same manner that

I haveportrayed bothClinton's and Dole's socialization environments. She had a father who encouraged herto do anythingshe wanted, a mother who providedher with bothan awarenessof the gender-typed society she lived i� but also the impetus forher to go out and change that environment. In addition, her family wasalways involved in political activities. Her grandfather

125Kirkpatrick, Jeane. PoliticalWoman. New York: Basic Books, Inc. 1974. p29-30 60

126 was once a state legislator in Nebraska.

Similarly, former Texas Governor Ann Richards grewup in a householdwhere the parents were trying to reconcile social expectations for female children at the time with the headstrong and ambitious daughters in their family. Richards parents'. intheir own unique and subtle way, were very supportive of their daughter's endeavors even from a young age. While the risks she took scared them, they werenevertheless very proudof her accomplishments, and though they triedto imposelimits, deep down theyknew that Richards had her ownpath to

127 follow, no matter what reservations they may have had. FonnerConnecticut Congresswoman

Nancy Johnson was also socialized in a similar environment. Like an the women discussed above, Johnson grewup with parents who placed no limits on her abilities and aspirations. She also grewwith up strongfemale role models. "Her paternal grandmother, one of thefirst women graduates ofJohn Marshall Law School and an early leader in the settlementhouse

128 movement in Chicago, wasalso an activist in the League of Women Voters." Thesupport and encouragementfrom such activerole models undoubtedly influencedJohnson's leadership development. Like Clinton and Dole, Johnson, Schroeder, and Richards were very active youngsters, whose leadership capabilities emerged during theirchildhood years. They were active in theirschools. ran for student government offices, participated in community programs, and were all orientedto the goal of furtheringtheir educations and charting their own careers.

126 Cantor, Dorothy & T. Bemay. Women in Power: The Secrets of Leadership. NewYork:Houghton Mifflin Company. 1992. p.92-93. 127 Ibid. p 162-163. 12 8Jbid. pl95-l96...... 61 lncidentally, these three womenwere chosen for my comparisonbased on the information available on the issues specificallyrelated to my theoretical framework. Thus,there while are any numberof women who could be chosen forthis analysis, it was merely convenience of available data that made me select thesethree women political leaders for my study. Are Clinton and Dole Unique from Male Political Leaders?

So what makesthese women distinct, if anything, frommen seeking elective office? To begin with, there are a numberof similaritiesbetween thepersonal profilesof women and men politicians. Like the women discussedabove, it is common for the male candidate to come from a small, close-knit community.addition, ln socio-economically their backgroundmiddle is to upper-middle class. Similarly, these men come from families who were very involved in their community's affairs. Lastly, malecandidates are also strong over-achievers and were quite

129 active extracurricularly in childhood allthe way throughcollege. So in the basicaspects of a candidate'sbackground, there are no major differencesbetween men andwomen exceptone very critical aspect� aman is socializedto become whateverhe wants to be, politicallyor otherwise, whereas awomanbas to contend withthe infamous "glassceiling" and all of the gender-imposed limitationsthat ceilingcreates. ..Cultural change has lessened the impact of situational and structural factorson women's political participation, butwomen's full participation in political affairswill occuronly whenmen andwomen have the same degree of access to educational and employment opportunities." 130 The simple fact remainsthat a man in

129 Kirkpatrick, Jeane. PoljtjcalWoman. New York: Basic Books, Inc. 1974. p38

130 Conway, M. Margaret & G. Steuemagel & D. Ahem . Women& PoliticalParticipation· Cultural Change .m.. the Political Arena Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, Inc. 1997. 62 public office is the norm, a woman, the exception. The statistics discussed in the Introduction

aretestimony to this conclusion. As we work to break down this stereotype in a time whenthe political climate is perhapsthe most favorable it has been in the history of thecountry, perhaps women running forpublic office willbecome not so much of an aberration, but ratherbecome an expected and encouragedannouncement every time an election yearcomes about. 63 Conclusions

Given the historicaland cultural time periods in which they were raised, the socialization environments of Clinton andDole may have beenmore the exceptionthan the nonn. ln fact, all of thewomen profiled in this paperhave been the exception to the norm. Basedon sheer numbers alone any woman who seeks and is electedto public office even today, but especial1y in the pasttwo decades. is unique. While these women are not often unique from one another.they were socialized very differentlyfrom the majority of their peers. However, in an age when these cultural and attitudinalconstraints aregradually breakingdown. and women become more of a demand in the political arena, perhapsthe development pathsof Clinton, Dole, and their contemporaries will serveas solidtem plates upon which women of later generations can model their own path to public office. However, each generation of women political leaders evolves into a different type politicalof woman, both in leadershipdevelopment and style. Women of each generationmust adapt their leadershipto the social, political and economic context of their time. Thus forevery subsequentgeneration of women political leaders, thlstemplate will be modified and changed to appropriately reflectthe needs and issues of the time. ln many ways for womenof my generation, women such as Clinton andDole have trodden a path that had not yet been traveled enoughfor the sojournerto be sureof the obstacles and opportunitiesthat lay in frontof them. They haveplaced markers all along the path sothat women of future generations can have an easierjourney each timethey choose to walk the treacherouspath to public office.

These women have each applied their ownunique leadership style to their offices and organizations, thus there is no real model forwomen's political leadership. Clinton's and Dole's t 64 leadership stylesare as different asnight and day. yet they are both extremely successful in their careers. While neither woman�s style fits a traditional masculine, feminine, or even androgynousmold, both women are still developing their leadership abilities. For Clinton especially, a move from theprivate sectorto the public sector could prove to be especially challenging. For Dole, on the other band, she would make her candidacy as a seasoned politician. Therefore, whether or not their leadership styles will be appropriate for a run for public office remains to be seen. As the phenomenon of women in public office is itself still in its infancy, such analyses ofleadership will no doubt come in time.

Therefore a great deal of progress has been made for women poHtical leaders in a very short span of time. TheUnited States is slowly but surely recognizingthe importanceof women holdingpublic office. This is especialJykey where theissues of timing and political climate are concerned. Women can be brought up today feeling the same support, encouragement, and freedom of ambitionsthat Clinton and Dole grewup feeling. However, if the timing and climate are not favorable, more often than not these women will not consider running forpublic office.

Depending on the socially accepted role for women at the time, as well as the number of opportunities that lay before them will greatlydetermine a woman's drive to run for office. All of these aspects ofa political careerare intertwined and interdependent. While Clinton and

Dole werein many ways exceptions to the women of theirrespective generations, perhaps women wil] become so prolific in public office that such an accomplishment will no longerbe considered a "surprising occurrence," but rather a respected and expected role for women of future generations to undertake duringtheir lifetimes. The lives and achievements of these women are blueprints forthe future of women in politics. 65

Both Clinton and Dole were brought up believeto that any careeraspirations they had were achievable, both were activists in their families and communities fromanearlyage, and both have consistently demonstrated their leadership capabilitiesand drivethroughout their respective careers. For Clinton and Dole, the path they each trod may lead them to runfor public office in the nextelection. However, if they choose not to take that path, they have nevertheless had an enormous impact on the future political opportunities andgoalsforyoung women all over the country. That in and of itself, is quite a legacy to leave behind.