By: Jessica Hopper
As the dust from November's mid-term elections settles, the 2008 race for president is just beginning. At the forefront of the Democratic party's possible presidential hopefuls are Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Obama represents Illinois and Clinton represents New York. Both of their elections to the Senate were historical. Obama became only the third black to be elected to the Senate since Reconstruction and Clinton's election was the first for a former first lady of the United States.
Obama and Clinton stand out not just because of their ability as political leaders, but because they are minorities in political office.
If either senator received the Democratic party's nomination, it would be groundbreaking. It would signify the first time a woman or an African American would be pursuing the presidency on a major party ticket.
While Obama and Clinton are possible contenders, are they probable winners? Is society willing to accept a female or black male president? Is it more likely to accept one over the other?
Senator Clinton's Character
Washington and Lee University Assistant History Professor Molly Michelmore does not think that Clinton has a chance at winning the presidency.
"She's stepped out of the box of what you're supposed to be as a former first lady, as a woman," Michelmore said.
Clinton's stepping out of the box turned her into a polarizing figure among Americans. This polarizing attitude towards Clinton might cause the downfall of a presidential bid if she chose to run.
Associate Politics Professor Robin LeBlanc said that Clinton has two big problems.
"One, she's a woman and that's going to hurt her if she wants to be a presidential candidate and two, she's Hillary Clinton which is another matter altogether," LeBlanc said.
President of College Republicans, Hank Gates, said that being Hillary Clinton means having naked ambition. He said that more than race and gender, constituents care about the character of the candidates and their stances on the issues.
"The one big chink in Hillary Clinton's armor, the one big weakness or vulnerability is sort of that legacy of character," Gates said.
While Gates admits it might be unfair, he said that Clinton's character is inextricably linked to her husband's character. If people have a problem with the former President Bill Clinton's legacy, they'll have a problem with Senator Clinton too.
Senator Obama: Remember Harold Ford
Senator Obama, compared to Clinton, is a newcomer into the political arena. His youth and charisma have made him an icon of sorts to young people. KEWL, Knowledge Empowering Women Leaders, President Paten Hughes said that Obama is reminiscent of John F. Kennedy.
"We're of an age where we've got our whole lives ahead of us, we've got all of this hope and all of this passion within us and we want to see someone tell us that that [hope] matters," Hughes said.
Mitchelmore said that it is important to remember how little we know about Obama.
"We've only really known who Barack is the last two years," Mitchelmore said.
While fifteen years of public discourse has been compiled about Clinton, there is less discourse and more importantly, little dirt about Obama.
But according to Associate History Professor Ted Delaney, if Obama runs, the dirt will be dug out into the open.
"I would hate to see him be the victim of the kind of tactics that Harold Ford went down with and I think that would happen," Delaney said.
Obama could protect himself from campaign tactics similar to those used against senatorial candidate Harold Ford that played on racial prejudices by sitting this election out.
Delaney said that Obama could use the extra time to develop his character into something unimpeachable.
The president of Young Democrats, Adam Hockensmith, said Obama was someone who could transcend race and thus avoid a Harold Ford like controversy.
"Certainly there would be a backlash and it would be unadvisable for someone on the opposing ticket to run a negative ad against Barack Obama in that way," Hockensmith said.
While Hockensmith and Gates said that issues and character matter more than gender and race to voters, Delaney said that bigotry in America is still pervasive enough to affect a black or female candidate.
While not everyone agrees on how important race and gender will be in the election, all agree that it’s too early to tell for sure.
Timeline of Senator Obama's life
Timeline of Senator Clinton's life
Where do they stand on the issues?
Test your knowledge of black and women politicians
How will the Harold
Ford controversy impact Obama?
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd