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Ok, before anyone goes berserk and starts a flamefest (since, for some reason, even the mention of Jesse Jackson seems to set off a lot of hysteria around here).
Hillary Clinton is blazing a trail, win or lose. She has gone further, wider, and higher than any woman has ever gone in American political life. She's had to push hard, stay cool, work smart and prove herself, not just on her own behalf, but as a representative of her gender. She's done an incredible job and, as a result, she may make it all the way. But win or lose, she has created a path and set an example for women coming behind her. And I have no doubt that she has made the path SO much easier for the next wave. The next time a woman runs for president, her gender won't be nearly as big an issue as it is with Hillary. And that will be because Hillary took the first wave of hits, handled them and kept on standing and kept on moving forward.
In my view, Hillary Clinton was one of the only women who could have done this, and here's why: pioneers become immediate lightning rods. It is very difficult for a pioneer to deal with the lightning rod aspect of a presidential race unless they've already had plenty of experience being a lightning rod already. It's also important for pioneers to already have a certain amount of name recognition - it helps them overcome some (not all) of the natural disadvantage they have because of their race or gender. It's not a head start, but it helps then catch up or at least not start SO far behind.
This is exactly the situation that occurred with Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988. While there were a number of prominent blacks in political positions around the country, it really took a Jesse Jackson to make that first major run. We needed a galvanizing, charismatic, exciting bigger than life figure to be the pioneer. Someone with media savvy, who could inspire large numbers of people. Jesse Jackson did that beautifully. He paved the way for the Douglas Wilders and the Carol Moseley Brauns and the Al Sharptons. Rev. Jackson to "black" out of the first paragraphs of the stories about presidential candidates who happened to be black - "black" stayed in the story, but it was no longer THE defining feature of every black candidate. By the time that Al Sharpton ran in 2004, his race was not his single, defining characteristic - and that's because Rev. Jackson drew that fire and diffused it.
Without Rev. Jackson, there'd be no Barack Obama.
And I feel strongly that Hillary Clinton is also that kind of trailblazer. So, even if she doesn't win this time - and, again, that outcome is not certain by any means - I hope her supporters aren't discouraged. This is not and will never be a lost cause. She has done an amazing, historic thing of which we should all be enormously proud. And, if Hillary is not the first woman president, the person who DOES become the first woman president will have her to thank.
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