Machismo Misogyny Dooms Harris Presidency

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” And we do mean men. We hold these truths to be manifest that there is no equality, that women are of a lesser quality, and that they are the weaker sex. And we do mean sex. We hold these truths as prima facie evidence that the majority of Americans are underlings who would rather see democracy fall to the whims of an immoral, unrepented, felonious, brutish dictator than to see a woman assume leadership. And we do mean assume. America has spoken. Loudly and emphatically, America has declared that this is a nation built by men, for men. America has spoken and chosen misogyny and machismo.

The election of Donald J. Trump to another term in the White House despite Project 25, his claim to be a dictator – especially on day one, his vow to terminate every prosecutor who investigated the crimes of which he is accused – or who brought indictments against him, his suggestion that his political rivals should face firing squads and be handled by the armed forces, along with his dismantling of women’s rights to health care says more about the sad state of American culture and morality than it does about him. The ascension of Donald J. Trump to the head of state and the head of American politics was buoyed by a natural proclivity of men to dominate women. It has awakened a dormant Neanderthal-like mentality in men of various races and ethnicities with a vengeance. Black men, Latino men, and white men alike have chosen to elect a leader who exhibits no redeeming quality other than masculinity, as if, somehow, femininity is a quality for which there is no redemption.

Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016, lost to Joe Biden in 2020, and has now defeated Kamala Harris in 2024. According to CBS News, an overwhelming majority of white men voted for Trump. That is no surprise, but it is bewildering that the majority of Latino men voted against Harris, and white and Latino women voted against her at a rate of forty-five and nearly forty percent, respectively (CBS News, 2024). It is even more than apparent that no woman would have won this election, even with clear indications that she is the most qualified candidate and the most dignified human being. Furthermore, it is quite probable that any democratic man would have defeated Trump. If Tim Walz had been at the head of the ticket, he would have won, despite the fact that most Americans never heard of him until this summer. Harris’ loss is merely due to her gender. At a rally prior to the election, Michelle Obama stated, “By every measure,” Vice President Kamala Harris “has demonstrated that she’s ready. The real question is, as a country, are we ready?” (CBS, 2024). America has unequivocally asserted we are not ready.

Many pundits have claimed that the Democrats “don’t know how people think anymore” (Matthews, 2024), and that the border crossings, the economy, inflation, the war in Israel, and the war in Ukraine are the reasons the Republicans took back the white house and congress. Those same pontificators enthusiastically demonstrated their favor for Harris before election night, yet they now seek to find fault with her party and her campaign strategy. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings” (Shakespeare, 1599). The fault is not due to some deficiency in campaign strategy or political ideology on the part of Harris and the democrats but due, in most part, to our preference for patriarchy.

The proof is in the dearth of female bishops in our churches. The scarcity of females who head our cities as mayors or lead our states as governors evinces our penchant for preferring males in positions of leadership. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Trump’s testosterone-driven campaign capitalized on resistance to electing the first woman president” (Baker, 2024). Ellen Silverman-Popper, in a letter to The Times, wrote, “Misogyny won Tuesday night. Kamala Harris’s greatest deficit was being born with the XX chromosomes, making her a woman. Unlike most of the rest of the world, this country is not ready for a female head of state” (New York Times, 2024). There have been scores of female heads of state throughout world history, including Golda Meir of Israel (1969 - 1974), Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan (1988 - 1990 and 1993 - 1996), and Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom (1979 - 1990); and dozens of women are currently serving as national presidents such as Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, Sandra Mason of Barbados, and Ingrida Šimonytė of Lithuania (CNN, 2024).

America is hailed as the leader of the free world and the defender of democracy but has most often been the master of the free world and the epitome of hypocrisy. Our laws dictate that employers cannot discriminate based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender and the assertion of The Apostle Paul that there is no differing nationality, no class, and no gender; but we are all one in Christ, both mirror the fundamental elements of the constitution that speak of equality. Yet, the unspoken constitution in the barrooms, boardrooms, barbershops, and bedrooms of the majority of ordinary Americans demands the subjugation of women, the mothers of future misogynists, the birthers, and nurturers of future chauvinists. It boggles the mind that men would grow up to perpetuate the subordination of their mothers, sisters, and daughters. Must another generation perish in the wilderness before we can all walk together into the promised land of freedom and equality? It appears so. Yet, in her concession speech, Harris said, “Hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting” (Harris, 2024); therefore, we must all use this moment, and the next four years, to teach our young the meaning of these actions, the future consequences of our actions, and the lessons to be learned regarding all our actions in these historic times.

Works Cited

Baker, Peter (2024). A Comeback That Tells Us Who We Are. Published in the New York
Times. 7 November 2024.

CBS News (2024). 2024 Exit Poll: Vote for President by Select Demographics.

CNN (2024). Map: The Countries Where Women Lead.
https://www.cnn.com/world/women-head-of-state-government-worldwide-dg/index.html

Harris, Kamala (2024). Concession Speech, 6 November 2024 at Howard University
https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/harris-reassures-young-voters-during-concession-speech-223758405800

Obama, Michelle. (2024). Speech in Michigan, Kamala Harris Campaign Rally, 26 October 2024.
CNN Transcripts: https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/cnr/date/2024-10-26/segment/06

Shakespeare, William (1599). Julius Caesar. From the Folger Shakespeare Library:
https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/julius-caesar/read/

Silverman-Popper, Ellen (2024). Letter to the Editor. Published in the New York Times,
7 November 2024.