Notes from the Cracked Ceiling: Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and What It Will Take for a Woman to Win

by Anne Kornblut

In the presidential election of 2008 America seemed ready to elevate a woman to the presidency or vice presidency and—with Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin—was on the verge of actually doing so. Words like inevitable and phenomenon were in the air and the political and cultural stars seemed to be aligned.

Why didn’t it happen? What will it take to make it happen soon?

In a probing analysis sure to ignite controversy, acclaimed White House correspondent Anne Kornblut argues that the optimists are blind to formidable obstacles that still stand in the way of any woman who aims for America’s highest political offices. And she makes clear exactly which strategies and common assumptions will need to change if a woman intends to break through the “highest, hardest glass ceiling” of all. Delving deep inside the Clinton and Palin campaigns, Kornblut

• the strategists’ mishandling of their candidates as women by failing to strike the right balance between femininity and toughness

• Clinton’s weathering of a series of stinging gender-based attacks, until accusations of “pimping out” her daughter, Chelsea, finally brought her to tears

• that Barack Obama was celebrated for his “historic”win in Iowa, even though it was not the first time an African American had won a caucus, but few noticed when Clinton became the first woman to  win a primary in New Hampshire

• that Palin was chosen solely by men, none of whom had experience in running women for office

Drawing from exclusive interviews with prominent women in both parties, Kornblut pinpoints where politically ambitious American women have gone wrong and what it will take to put them on track to the ultimate the presidency. Former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice “We crossed the bar on African Americans some time ago. I’m not quite sure we’ve crossed it on women.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remarks on the “suit of armor” women must don to survive the sexism and viciousness of politics. Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano confronts the false rumors that she is a lesbian and reveals what an invigorating “kick in the pants” it is to be in politics. And California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, the former head of eBay, compares politics to “It feels to me, thus far, as less of a meritocracy and more of a popularity contest. More of a little bit of an old boys’ club.”

Kornblut identifies the surprising realities of gender politics, such as the harsh treatment female candidates often receive from women voters, the gap between the United States and other countries when it comes to the electability of women, the “mommy penalty” that handicaps women candidates with young children, and the special appeal that women with law enforcement backgrounds have with voters.

Notes from the Cracked Ceiling reveals that the highly touted new era of gender-equal politics never got as far as was commonly perceived and is now in full retreat. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about politics and the limits for women that persist.

Genres: Politics, Feminism, Nonfiction, School, Womens Studies, Book Club, Adult

288 pages, Hardcover

First published December 29, 2008

Reviews

[catherine ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

My two stars is not to say that this book wasn't interesting or that I hated it — if anything this was still a really informational read and I enjoyed seeing old elections through a different lens. The main problem for me, however, was that there seemed to be a painful lack of intersectionality in the book, whether it be race or class. With that, I really felt the divide between second-wave and third-wave feminism. It wasn't just that there were other factors the book seemed to disregard, but also just that the book felt too devoid of policy discussion.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to think this book was amazing. I agree with many of Kornblut's points: I think there is still a lot of sexism in politics (well, in American culture in general) and more specifically, I do think it makes it harder for women to be viable candidates.

However, she sort of lost me in the section about Hillary Clinton where she talked about the divide between young female voters and their mothers and grandmothers. I consider myself a feminist, and yes, I am part of the third wave, but I'm not going to vote for Hillary Clinton simply because she is a woman and it would be ground-breaking, which is the point that I felt Kornblut was trying to make. Kornblut seems to think that young women feel like feminism is over, that any woman could be elected president at any time, and we just, like, don't care. (Seriously. One of the TWO young women she interviewed happened to use "like" in a sentence similiar to what I stated and that's what she chose to include in her book.) Heaven forbid I, as a young feminist, be sick of the Clintons. I should have laid aside the fact, that for the first time ever in my life, I felt excited about a political candidate and not like I was trying to choose the lesser evil and voted for Clinton because it was a historic moment for women. I guess I need to turn in my feminist card then.

I can see why Kornblut chose to include the statistics about how there was a divide between feminists on who to vote for. I just think she should have expanded her pool of third wave feminists beyond two interviews.

[Liam Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think its a good thing this book feels so out of touch a little over ten years after its release. It completely ignores women of color but offhandedly mentions Kamala Harris CA District Attorney unaware she would ultimately break that (lower) glass ceiling, which was a nice bit of irony. But beyond this it just got exhausting to read about how tough straight, white women have it in politics with no attention to intersectionality. I also think it was really reductive with the reasoning of why people did not like Hilary in 2008 (Kornblut did not anticipate how far this distaste could go in 2016). I really don't think its anti-feminist to not support Hilary in either primary and positing young woman as not caring about this milestone seems very out of touch (but what do I know).

I read this for class and in 2024 it just feels so outdated I see it as an archaic text and maybe an interesting time capsule of gender politics in 2010 but doesn't really have any weight in today's landscape

[Jakob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of this book but its analysis of gender politics in campaigns lacked intersectionality and fell flat at some points. I did enjoy the author's writing style, though. I would be very curious to hear her thoughts on the recent wave of younger, more diverse women politicians (post-2016) that have been elected to higher office.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally read it! What a time capsule, reading this book as our country is again considering a first female president. While it has felt like a slog to get here, it's interesting to read the progress we have made with getting more women involved in politics since this was written. (And how far we still have to go.) I'm glad I finally checked it off my TBR.

[Shabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for class eeek

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books where the thesis should be obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense: women are not treated equally in politics. And yet when the evidence is all laid out in front of you—the statistics of women in office versus the much higher percentage of men, the headlines about Hillary Clinton crying and rumours about Sarah Palin's pregnancy, the fact that a main concern for voters is how a mother can take care of her children while she is in office, even if her children are grown up or her husband works from home—it's pretty staggering to be reminded that no matter how many cracks there are in the glass ceiling, it's pretty far from broken. Kornblut supports her argument with extensive interviews, research, and anecdotes, looking at the history of women in politics and some recent races. While she focuses on the 2008 presidential election, she also discusses Nancy Pelosi, Claire McCaskill, Meg Whitman, and other prominent female politicians. The book is an entertaining and informative read, and takes a look not only at the ways women are treated in politics, but also the ways they have taken charge of their roles and campaigns.

There are two extremes when discussing women in the 2008 election (and women in politics in general). On one side, there's the claim that women should band together, should vote for women because they are woman, seemingly regardless of whether or not their views mesh, and that any dislike of a woman candidate is pure sexism. On the other, there are the people who say that sexism does not play a role in a woman's chance at running or winning, that people don't analyze her hair or her clothes any more than they do men, that it's all about the issues!!!!! Most people fall somewhere in between this, recognizing that you can dislike Sarah Palin because she's an awful politician and still know that people wouldn't be photoshopping her into bikinis if she was a man. For the most part, Kornblut's book is moderate about this too, but there were moments when she seemed to lean into the "women should vote for women because they're women!" extreme. For instance, she calls out a female college student on her decision to support Obama over Clinton and quotes her as saying that "This isn't, like, our only chance" to have a woman president. I find it telling that this is one of the few times when filler words (which journalists can usually cut without accusations of misquoting) remain; the other instance also comes in a quote from someone Kornblut disagrees with. She also writes that women choosing to support Obama over Clinton sent the message that "there is no shame in supporting a male candidate over a female candidate." Well, that's because there isn't. I would have liked the book more if she had not made these implications, because I think it detracted from her overall message.

At the end of the book, Kornblut looks ahead to the 2012 (and 2016) presidential elections. While at the time of writing it still appeared that Sarah Palin could decide to run, and Michele Bachmann wasn't even on anyone's radar, her insights into what it might take for a woman to become a candidate and potentially win are still useful in looking forward to the future.

[Mimi (a.k.a Ellen) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an impressive work for two important reasons: first, my compliments to Kornblut for her non-partisan assessment of the problem of sexism in politics, and second, despite her being a thirty something, an age where most young women abjure feminism and believe sexism is a thing of the past, Kornblut brings to light that the double standard for women is alive and well in Washington, aided and abetted by the media and political consultants who don't understand how to showcase women candidates.

Ironically, in this world turned upside down, the only "woman" candidate to succeed in the 2008 presidential election was Barack Obama. According to Kornblut's claim, while Clinton and Palin had to downplay their femininity to appear strong and "ready on the first day," Obama was praised for showing his feminine side, being sensitive, relaying personal family stories of single mothers, absent fathers, breast cancer, and love for his grandmother, wife, and children.

While not personally a fan of Palin, I sympathize with her now for being thrust into an impossible position by operatives unable to understand both a woman candidate or women voters, setting her up for failure by misreading her strengths and weaknesses, and then abandoning her when things turned sour. (I now think Palin's "going rogue" might have been the most sensible decision she has ever made.)

The book is very well researched and her analysis of "what it will take for a woman to win" is thoughtful and should be number 1 on the reading list for any woman thinking of finally breaking the ultimate glass ceiling.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bravo, Bravo, Anne!! It is wonderful to FINALLY see a book published on an issue I have been complaining about for the past 25 years when Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale's running mate! Although, the book was written beatifully in a non-partisan fashion, I did feel that the author did focus too heavily on Democratic female candidates and politicians and discussed too infrequently the garbage that female Republican women need to deal with!!! The book was a fantastic read though. The only part of the book I found absolutely triffling and nauseating was the chapter on Nancy Pelosi, who I think is part of the problem, not a victim, of a male dominated political machine! I had to choke all through the writing on her.

Fun Fact out of the book: Afghanistan has more female members in the assembly than there are in the legislative branch of the United States!!! SAY WHAT?!?! :0

ETA (02/01/11):I just finished Notes from the Cracked Ceiling. I originally gave it 5 stars, but will be taking it down to 4 stars. The partisan-ness of the book really got to me at the end. I am really tired of the unethical judgemental bias of the alleged unbiased mainstream media, which Mrs. Kornblut is a part of. I thought there were some obvious cases, such as Michelle Bachman(R,MN), that the author missed which would have been pretty important to the book and would have made it more balanced. Still a fantastic read though.

[Beatrice]

This book was published in 2009 so a lot has happened since it was published. This book talks about when Hilary Clinton ran for President, Sarah Palin for Vice President with John McCain. It talks about how people from the lower 48 could not understand how Palin could say that she 'could see Russia from her front porch' but what many do not understand is that many that live in Alaska went to live there during the cold war and that is something many from Alaska would understand. The book also talks about Nancy Pelosi the first female Speaker of the House who learned about politics from her father who was a three time mayor of Baltimore. I also learned where EMILY's List came from and what it stands for. "EMILY's List was founded in 1985- at a time when no Democrat woman had been elected to the Senate in her own right and the number of women in the House was shrinking-the group started out primarily as a fund-raising operation." The book talks about how young women voted for Obama and why and how many of the older generation of women were upset that they young daughters were not voting for Hilary. Many of the older generation of women wanted to see a female president in their time.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for anyone with even a mild interest in politics and women's advancement therein. What started as a close-up look at the Clinton campaign leading up to the 2008 election became a broader commentary on the state of women in politics, with additional focuses on Sarah Palin and other prominent figures like Janet Napolitano, Nancy Pelosi, and Amy Klobuchar. Author Anne Kornblut struck a nice balance between campaign trail dish and analysis of women's progress--or, perhaps more accurately, lack thereof--in politics. As a young woman, I also really enjoyed the analysis of the generational divide in thinking among women about Clinton's bid for election as well as feminism and politics more broadly. Finally, a journalist first, Kornblut's writing style is engaging and conversational. Definitely recommend this one.

[Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kornblut does a fair job of looking at the more obvious ways in which the Clinton and Palin campaigns blundered, and how sexism played a role in their success (or rather, lack there of). But she shies away from a serious discussion of race (good thing Clinton wasn't running against a black man!), and doesn't really explore in depth any kind of differentiation in women other than conservative vs liberal. I was especially disappointed to see her chalk up Clinton losing the young liberal women's vote to Obama simply to young women not really caring about gender equality; I wish she would have instead talked about the different ways different groups of women (including young women, women of color, and queer women) conceptualize gender equality and sexism, prioritize different issues and outcomes, and differences in which tactics and language appeal to various groups.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The election of 2008 was wrought with discussion on gender and the women candidates in the race (namely Clinton and Palin) walking the line between being a woman while being serious contenders for the the Presidential race. Gender factored into the race sometimes even more than race.

The author discusses what went wrong with Clinton's presidential run and Palin's vice presidential run. She also profiles some of the other women in the political realm that may have the qualities that may carry them all the way. The thing I liked about this book is that it was politically unbiased and merely talked about perspective of getting a woman elected.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written, non-partisan and thorough, but an exceptionally depressing read for anyone who thought they might see a female president in their lifetime...Kornblut focuses primarily on women running for office and by doing so misses a key point about the role of women in politics. The glass ceiling doesn't just limit who holds elected office, but also who runs campaigns. If women are in the war rooms at all they are relegated to "communications" or "community outreach" or other more "feminine" tasks. It won't be until women reach the top levels of campaign management and strategy that we'll see more women win elected office.

[Anna Morozovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. I couldn't put it down, I read it in 4 hours. If I could I would purchase a copy for everyone in professional politics, media, is a woman, related to a woman, or can read at all. Seriously, read this book. It made me crazy, angry and frustrated. It made me feel like I need to be doing a lot more, and gave me the motivation to do so. Obviously this is a cause I care a lot about, but it's also an incredible compilation of non-partisan facts that will wake you up about the true state of gender equality in our country.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book by one of the more experienced Washington Post white house reporters makes for a good and timely read. Despite all the progress that women have made, there is still a clear double-standard in the way they are covered by the press.
Kornblut talks about how from Sarah Palin to Hillary Clinton to Nancy Pelosi powerful politicians are judged by when they show emotion, how pretty they are and even the types of clothing they wear.
It's a dreary reality but a worthwhile read.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent non-partisan analysis of the current state of women in politics. I especially liked the play-by-play review of the Clinton and Palin campaigns, then the short vignettes on lesser known successful women in politics, then the comparison of the United States with other countries and what might be on the horizon (if anything) for women in politics in the future. Easy read, but full of insight and information. A must-read for anyone interested in politics.

[Hana Candelaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book: a fair amt of stats and cogent use of historic info about women reaching for political gains. So far, it sounds like if we can stop using different labels to define women, we might get somewhere.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good. I almost stopped reading because it started so similarly to Big Girls Don't Cry, but I'm glad I continued. It has intersting profiles on women who could (and will heopfully be) the Hillarys of the future, women who are just starting out in politics.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book! Fascinating study on the polital and social agendas and response to women running for high offices in our country. Especially interesting is the information and insight regarding the presidential election 2008. Really great stuff.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book provides a good introduction to the challenges female candidates face when running for office. However, Kornblut falls into the classic writers' dilemma of telling rather than showing. The story could have been better crafted with use of more compelling anecdotes.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some great insights on gender and politics, specifically the presidency, in America.

[Janice]

1/26/10

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great analysis of women and politics. I gave this a four-star rating because some of the facts were incorrect and the middle of the book dragged.

[HB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome, honest book about the state of women in politics and lessons from the 2008 election cycle. Sometimes disheartening but also very empowering.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the politics of women candidates. Brought up some points to ponder and did not paint a very rosie picture of having a viable female president in the near future!

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

An analysis of the obtacles that still stand in the way of any woman being elected to high political office based on interviews with prominent women in both parties. Well written, excellent read.

[Private Account · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. Soooo depressing. Every woman should read it.

[Sally Kenney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breezy and journalistic, with nods to political science, Kornblut can't decide if women should run as women or not, but has some interesting analysis.

[Toni Fuscellaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definately worth reading....Very informative