Serious doubts raised about woman’s shot at presidency

Thursday, March 11, 1999 | 11:23 a.m.

Even with the progress women have made this century, two respected Las Vegas women -- a college professor and a political adviser -- say the country is not ready to elect a woman as president yet.

"A woman would not get the votes," said UNLV Director of Women's Studies Ellen Rose, "although there is no question women are capable of doing all sorts of things."

Terry Murphy, the deputy campaign manager for Kenny Guinn's successful Nevada gubernatorial bid last year, said: "My guess would be no. Although Nevadans vote for the most qualified candidate regardless of party, I don't think they are ready to give a woman that much power."

Their comments came in the wake of Elizabeth Dole's announcement this week that she is in the process of determining whether a bid for the White House is feasible.

However, former state Sen. Helen Foley, a partner at Faiss Foley Merica public relations firm and a lobbyist at the Nevada Legislature, disagreed: "I think Nevadans would vote for a qualified woman. Qualified is the key word.

"Nevada voters are willing to vote for women. They've proved it time and again."

Rose, Murphy and Foley each mentioned a number of women who have had success running for office in Nevada, including Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones, former longtime Rep. Barbara Vucanovich and Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa.

But Foley conceded that there are factors other than who is most qualified when it comes to undertaking a run for president.

"It's more difficult for women to raise money," said Foley, who ran for Congress in 1986.

Rose noted that first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom she thinks would do better in a bid for president than Dole, got her highest opinion ratings when she was the noble wife of a cheating husband, not when she was working on serious health care reform policies.

"The public's and media's treatment of Hillary Clinton when she was working in a policy role suggests to me that the country is not ready to elect a woman president," Rose said.

Rose said Hillary Clinton possesses attributes that would make her a good presidential candidate: "She is smart, experienced and politically astute." Rose called Dole "an accomplished administrator."

Rose declined to predict when she thinks a woman will be elected president because she feels that the advancements made by women in the last 25 years have been for the most part hard-fought and inconsistent.

"I won't make a prediction because I don't see us on a pace," she said.

Murphy, however, said she believes a woman could be elected president during the second decade of the 21st century.

"If America ever was ready to elect a woman president, it would be Elizabeth Dole," Murphy said. "We are almost ready based on social changes that are made generation by generation.

"My generation is the first to work more hours outside the home than inside, and my generation is the first where women's opinions have been valued. I believe a woman could be elected president between 2010 and 2020."

As for the here and now, Foley believes Dole will put up a pretty good fight.

"Elizabeth Dole has certainly done a great job of raising money for the Red Cross and raising its profile," she said. "And as the wife of a political figure (former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole), she certainly knows what she's getting into.

"I think she'll be quite formidable. She has mass appeal with Republicans and Democrats."

A national Gallup Poll released this week says four out of 10 Americans think a man would make a better president. But the same poll also found that three out of 10 Americans believe a woman would be better at the job because of their common sense and compassion.