Key Messages
How Hillary Clinton’S 2016 Failure Hints At The Challenges Of Ambition For Professional Women
In Dear Madam President, a member of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign gives you the inside story on her campaign in 2016.
You’ll get new insights into what happened on election night that left many people questioning why she didn’t easily win — and uncover the truth about the odds being stacked against her.
Learn more about how expectations were confounded, why media coverage makes it hard for ambitious women to take the spotlight and succeed where Clinton failed, and even discover what all great presidents have in common.
Finally, understand why professional women are held to different standards than men – and make sure you vote in your next election with an informed knowledge of what politicians are facing today.
With this book, you can get the inside story on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign from start to finish!
How Society Puts Pressure On Women To Concede And Surrender When A Man Succeeds
It is clear that sexism played a major role in Hillary Clinton’s election loss in 2016.
From the media’s coverage of her concession speech to the experts’ warnings about how people view ambitious women, it is evident that society still has an uphill battle when it comes to acceptance of strong, ambitious female leaders.
Palmieri now firmly believes that sexism was a primary factor in Clinton’s election bid being thwarted.
For example, when she graciously accepted Trump’s victory and promised to support him as President for the good of the American people, many pundits praised her as if they were seeing her in a different light.
It soon became apparent that they only liked what she was doing because it was more in line with how they thought women should behave – which is to put men first and accept men’s authority.
This attitude is far from progressive and highlights how society isn’t ready to unconditionally accept an ambitious female candidate who truly seeks power and authority over others – something Clinton tried to do during her election campaign.
The fact that Clinton had to frame her ambition as wanting “to serve others” shows just how much farther we have to go before women are accepted without qualification or diminishment when running for office.
Believing In The Value Of Your Opinion: Lessons From The White House
For anyone striving for success, speaking your mind in powerful places is an absolute must.
This was something that Jen Palmieri – author of “Dear Madam President” and former communications director for the Obama and Bill Clinton administrations – learned firsthand.
During her time in the White House, she quickly learned that if you don’t speak up during chaotic meetings with President Clinton you get sidelined.
Later, she realized that this same lesson applied when attending meetings under Obama’s leadership as well.
At the end of each staff meeting Obama would ask quieter attendees – usually women – what their opinion was on the matter at hand.
Ultimately, speaking up boosts confidence and helps prove to yourself and others that your views do indeed matter.
Women often lack the courage to express their thoughts in influential circles.
However, according to Palmieri it is essential to believe in yourself and act like your opinion counts if you want others to take notice too!
Jen Palmieri’S Experience Shows That Women Should Not Be Afraid To Cry In The Workplace
Women’s emotions in the workplace are constantly under a microscope.
From 10:00 p.m.
on election night 2016, when Hillary Clinton’s campaign team began to process the devastating news of Donald Trump’s win, women often feel an extra pressure to keep their emotions in check.
The negative expectations around emotional control suggest that women will be judged more harshly if they show emotion than men are.
That’s why Jennifer Palmieri, former director of communications for the Hillary Clinton campaign found herself not wanting to cry when faced with difficult news.
But Palmieri believes that women shouldn’t be afraid to show emotion at work, crying included.
Instead, she has called it a form of feminine power-play and strength – one that signals the value of empathy and humanity in the workplace.
Palmieri is a prime example of this power-play – despite criticism from media and colleagues she faced after a post-election conference at Harvard University, where she wept while calling out Trump’s racist campaign tactics – bowing down to no one for her display of emotion.
So whether facing good or bad news, there is strength in expressing yourself honestly and truly in any situation – no matter what gender you are.
The Power Of Listening To Your Heart: Lessons From Hillary Clinton’S Presidential Campaign
Leading with both your head and heart is essential for any politician who wants to succeed.
Just ask Jennifer Palmieri, who has been in the highest echelons of politics.
During her time in the White House, she has had to weather a fair number of challenges and complicated political storms.
One example comes from when George Zimmerman was acquitted of shooting an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin – which caused an outpouring of sadness and anger from African Americans.
President Obamas’s director of communications at the time, Palmieri, knew he had to speak up regarding this injustice.
Instead of just talking to the black community though, Obama spoke FOR them – counting their painas his own and identifying with their struggles.
This empathy resonated positively with voters and showcased why he was such a successful leader: He wasn’t scared to follow his heart.
Palmieri also saw during Clinton’s presidential campaign that listening to what’s in your heart could be very beneficial in tough situations – such as dealing with the controversy surrounding her private email server during her time as secretary of state.
Clinton advised her team that it would be useful to address voters’ concerns about trustworthiness head-on, however they disagreed and ultimately she followed their advice anyway.
Now, after looking back on that decision, Palemir thinks it would have more helpful for Clinton’s chances if they had listened to what her heart was telling her: To talk more about the emails so people wouldn’t get their information solely from less reliable sources.
The Double Standard Of Ageing: Different Expectations For Male And Female Leaders
It’s a sad truth that women are judged more on their appearance than men, and this can make it difficult for them to reach the highest levels of success.
But although society often tells us to botox away our wrinkles and look youthful at any age, Palmieri argues that it’s important to embrace our wrinkles for what they represent: life stories.
Her own wrinkles remind her of all she has lived through – from joyful moments when laughter lines appeared on her face to the stressful times when frown lines formed between her eyebrows.
All these experiences have contributed to making her who she is today and she believes that it would be a dishonour to try and hide them away.
When the first female president is eventually elected, Palmieri predicts that she won’t escape what has become known as ‘the pink tax’ (the extra hour expect of women daily on hair and makeup).
This is because we still live in an unjust society that judges women on their physical appearance more than men, where superficial factors make it seem like an uneven playing field.
Politics Will Never Be The Same Again: How A Week Of Celebration In 2015 Unleashed A Backlash That Led To Donald Trump’S Victory In 2016
On November 8th 2016, anything was possible as Donald Trump won a huge upset victory.
While many were shocked — including Jennifer Palmieri who had celebrated progressive changes only a year earlier — the reality is that Trump’s win was enabled by the frustration of conservative and disillusioned Americans.
For palmieri, experiencing the election results was like walking into an alternate future; years of progress were suddenly in question.
On one hand, in 2015 her neighborhood in Brooklyn celebrated policies like the Affordable Care Act and gay marriage, but these societal changes invoked anger and hatred from some quarters.
White and conservative voters felt their values weren’t being represented or respected by Washington which ultimately led them to embrace Trump’s extreme message.
Though Palmieri experienced joy on June 26th 2015 when progress seemed like it couldn’t get any better, now she feels alienated due to the unexpected changes that have happened since then.
Politics will never be the same again – even if we don’t yet know what is to come next after this episode.
Wrap Up
The core message of Dear Madam President is that Hillary Clinton faced both discrimination and obstacles during her presidential campaign as a female candidate.
Despite these challenges, women can still become successful leaders by speaking their minds, being confident in their opinions and trusting their instincts.
At its conclusion, the book calls for women to take on the same resilient attitude of Clinton and not lose hope when hindered with difficulties.
Even though she may have lost the election, she was never defeated because she continued to strive each day despite the odds.
This is the same strength that any woman wishing to succeed in politics must possess.
