Survive Breast Cancer and Become President?

Breast cancer could be to women politicians what the war wound is to men, writes Washington Post White House correspondent Anne Kornblut in her Sunday Post article.  Kornblut’s piece is a preview of her book, Notes from a Cracked Ceiling, which comes out December 29 and recalls lessons learned from the 2008 election that saw Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin’s unsuccessful quests for the White House.

Kornblut’s article discusses the usual themes that arise when a woman runs for office–sexism, traditional gender stereotypes, wacky families, and hemlines–and she details proven tactics like being an expert on the issues, having ideas, and having the  experience that convinces people that you can lead.  Examining what it will take for a woman to finally become president is an important endeavor and Kornblut recognizes the traditional roadblocks and the things that have changed, allowing more women to enter politics and suceed.  But I’m not so sure the breast cancer angle should have been a specific item in Kornblut’s story.  Perhaps it could have been part of another section discussing the importance of having a compelling back story.  Although Kornblut is not recommending that anyone get breast cancer in her effort to win an election, in my mind, putting it in a story about what it might take for a woman to win the White House seems like a tall order.

Women Politicians, Breast Cancer, and Other Great Stories

Kornblut writes that surviving breast cancer may have shown that Homeland Security director Janet Napolitano, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), and California Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina are tough, resilient, and capable of handling any challenge, but I would argue that these women offer other things that make them viable leaders.  For example, Napolitano earned recognition for expertly managing Arizona when she  was the governor.   The breast cancer aspect seems like such an oddly specific thing to warrant a sub theme on winning an election.  Women leaders with breast cancer is part of a larger trend of women with the disease and let’s not forget that plenty of male politicians have survived cancer.  And having prostate cancer didn’t help Sen. John Kerry win the presidential election in 2004 nor did it make Rudy Giuliani a warmer, more relatable guy.   Successful politicians–male and female–have found ways to reach out and remind people that our life experiences shape who we are.  That’s why Bill Clinton became the Man From Hope and George W. Bush was a recovering alcoholic who eventually found Jesus.  Having survived breast cancer could be just one way a woman politician tells her story. 

The key is, obviously, for women to find the perfect formula; to successfully navigate the political climate (knowing the specific issues, understanding the race); highlight expertise and skill; and have charisma and personality.  Kornblut shows that women have won without chemotherapy.  Women have many other sources of strength from which to draw–Hillary Clinton has earned accolades for her work as a Senator and as a Secretary of State.  As I found in my research and as Kornblut pointed out, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has successfully combined her experience as a mother with a tough political style. 

Wars and Survivors

The discourse of cancer is about battles and survival.   For future women politicians, cancer will not be the only battle they discuss.  Considering the numbers of women participating in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we will most likely see more women like Veterans Affairs Department Assistant Secretary, Tammy Duckworth, running for political office and erasing the idea that war wounds are the sole provenance of men.