Plenty Ladylike for Politics

By: Maddie Ecker

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) interviews Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) on the Betts Marvin Theatre stage.
(Photo: Maddie Ecker)

September 11, 2015

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) has always been outspoken. One of her
favorite grade- school teachers once told her, Claire, youve got to
stop talking so much in class. The boys arent going to like you.
That did not stop McCaskill from going on to pursue a career in politics
where she would continue to speak her mind about topics such as
sexual assault in the military and strengthening national security.
Plenty Ladylike is an account of the Senators life in politics,
beginning with her election as homecoming queen to becoming the
first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri.
She was interviewed by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) at George
Washington University to discuss Plenty Ladylike as part of the
Newsmakers Series co-hosted by Politics and Prose and GW.

McCaskill spoke about her personal life. My family helped me stay

true to who I am, she said. Her mother was the first women on the
City Council in Columbia, Missouri and had a strong presence among
the good ole boys.
She talked about how her mother would heckle her colleagues from the
back of the courtroom and would reveal to student reporters when
important information needed to be made public.
Although McCaskills mother isolated herself through these actions, she
was able to get things done. If you are willing to take risks and be
bold, you have a better chance of making an impact. Youve got to
make people mad to make progress, McCaskill said.
McCaskill reiterated her well-documented maneuver known as The
Dog Whistle Operation of the Missouri Republican primary that
contributed to her winning the 2012 U.S. Senate election in her state.
This campaign helped Akin win the primary and allowed McCaskill to
win the general election through garnering the independent voters
support.
McCaskill and her campaign staff worked on uncovering what
Republican voters loved about Akin. Her next move was to finance
campaign videos that helped spread his conservative message to the
citizens of Missouri. [The videos] said Todd Akin is too conservative for
Missouri.
The three opponents who were running against me, there wasnt a
dimes worth of difference in terms of the positions they held and how
they would vote in the U.S. Senate, McCaskill said. But Todd Akin was
different, because Todd had no filter. And he was driven by deeply held
religious convictions. In fact, he probably wants to run away with the
county clerk in Kentucky.
During his campaign in 2012, Atkin gained notority for his remarks
about rape. If its a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the
whole thing down, he said to St. Louis television station, KTVI-TV.
His comments sparked outrage across the country and within Akins own party.
Mitt Romney, who was supporting Akin at the time said, His comments about
rape were deeply offensive, and I cant defend what he said. I cant defend him.
Both the Dog Whistle Operation and Akins comments helped McCaskill paint
her opponent as extreme. She used her own campaign money to amplify his
remarks and was able to capitalize on his controversial message.

Booker and McCaskill discussed how the political realm is still a male
dominated environment. McCaskill, who has held her position in the
Senate since 2006, expressed her views about the few women who
have succeeded in politics.
There are some advantages that women have that men dont,
McCaskill said. There is the assumption that women are driven by
substance. There is an assumption of honesty.
She addressed the young women in the room who want to pursue
careers in politics. Success is loving what you do, not what you earn,
she said. Try to get over the disease to appease. Get over the notion
that offending someone is a horrible thing.
She encouraged women to fight the urge to dumb down and submit to
feminine stereotypes. The notion that if I acted like I wanted it too
badly, it made me seem too aggressive and domineering...recognize
these adjectives? she asked the audience.
McCaskill said that the 20 women in the Senate, who do not always
agree politically, all fought the same political system to get where they
are. We dont want to say something at anothers expense. We dont
do gotcha with women, she said.
McCaskill said that women want to get along and work things out. I
think we will have a better government when we have a woman in the
oval office.
Her advice to the young women in the room as they venture out to
begin their careers was to remember that they do not need to choose
between starting a family and having a career. She talked about her
own history of raising three children, running for office and having the
support of her husband, Joseph Shepard, in all that she does.
The notion that you cant do this job and be a perfect mother is just
BS.