A very old friend of mine asked me if I thought this nation isn’t ready for a female president. I just thought I would repost my answer (edited just a little to add stuff):
First off, regardless of who won last night, half of our country would be angry and upset today. The divisions run deep, and no election can prove that ideas are either right or wrong. Only implemented policy can do that. Only by testing policies in the real world can we determine if they are good for the nation or not.
I think this election has shown that a large percentage of Americans are not ready to vote for a woman, on both sides of the aisle. I think this election has shown that our nation has been in denial about a lot of underlying forces for a long time, both positive and negative, and I hope that we can all find a way to grapple with the truth, instead of swallowing political rhetoric meant to manipulate us. I hope that we can start to have the tough conversations that we’ve avoided for decades, so that we can all move forward as one country, understanding that policies that hurt any group (rural white voters, middle class blue collar, POC, immigrants, businesspeople, etc) will eventually hurt all of us. I hope we can finally begin to accept the fact that elections don’t settle arguments. In the end, politics is still about compromise. Only through compromise can our policies protect all Americans instead of a small minority. Only through smart research, introspection, and honesty can we solve the tough issues that face our country. We have treated our government like a tug of war. We have acted as though winning a Senate seat or a presidency proved one side right and the other wrong, and we have allowed our politicians to become completely divorced from the needs of the people they represent.
Again, no matter who won last night, half of the nation was going to be angry and disappointed. For the past two years, we have said awful things about each other. We have treated those who disagreed as outsiders. I hope, above all else, that we can all recognize that last night didn’t solve anything. Because of this divisive election in particular and the politics of division this country has pursued for more than a decade, this nation is in crisis. We will have to learn to talk with one another. We will have to learn to stop isolating ourselves so that we are protected from opinions that are opposed to our own. We will have to stop seeing our neighbors and colleagues as enemies and being to see the truth, that punishing one side punishes us all.
So, no, I don’t think this nation was ready to vote for a female president. I think there is strong objective evidence for that. If we can’t at least be honest about that, and grapple with it, and figure out how to move ahead, then we will not make any progress at all.