Second Verse, Same as the First, a Little Bit Louder and a Little Bit Worse

A Year of the Woman, again?

In Arkansas, being a woman helped Sen. Blanche Lincoln pull off a huge upset in a runoff over challenger Bill Halter, who led by a comfortable margin in almost all pre-primary polls. Bill Clinton campaigned for Lincoln, which no doubt helped, and Lincoln’s anti-derivatives amendment in the Senate gave her some populist cred. But I’d argue that she won as much because she’s a woman as anything else.

As much as I'd like to celebrate this landmark event, I'd like to know WHY being a woman made such a dramatic difference. Every minority or marginalized group has been told that THIS is their year, but without any evidence to support it, this pronouncement sounds like the latest in a series of empty platitudes. Forgive my skepticism, but I think when true gender parity in politics or otherwise is established, few will feel the need to proclaim it to the heavens.