Madame President

“Madame President”… Wow. There is such a nice ring to that phrase. I often wondered what the proper title would be. It is Mr. President, so perhaps Mrs. President? But see, that would not work, because Mrs. originates from the word mister’s, and obviously – this woman would belong to no man (not that any women do, or should).

But I digress.

I will admit: when I first heard that ABC was coming out with a show about the first female president, starring Gina Davis, I almost choked on my over-sweetened cup of coffee. I gagged when I heard that the first show about the first female president of the (so-called) biggest democracy in the world was going to be focused on “her family and the challenges of balancing a family with the presidency.” I mean – what the fuck?!!

C’mon, folks. Nobody advertised The West Wing in that manner. Nobody said, “Well, this is going to be a show not so much about the politics and struggles of the American presidency, but about what happens outside the Oval Office, in Bartlett’s family life.” Blah! Nobody would have turned on NBC to watch that show!

And so I was very disappointed and not excited at all about this new show that, once again, defined women’s roles as primarily familial. I could just picture Gina Davis baking cookies for her Cabinet meetings, and chasing a rambunctious toddler around the Oval Office: “Hold on, sweetheart! Mommy has to change that diaper before the 10 o’clock meeting with Kofi Anan!” Again – blah!

I must say, though, I was SO pleasantly surprised when I saw the last half-hour of Commander-In-Chief this past Tuesday night. Yes, there was talk about family. Yes, there were issues with her kids, and her husband who had to adjust to his “first man” status. But that was not the main focus.

When I heard the words “Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States” and saw Gina Davis walk into the room… I can’t even describe it. Chills went all through my body! Madame President…. A woman president… My eyes teared up, and I don’t really remember myself actually breathing during her entire speech to Congress.

So some may say it’s not the most fabulously written show. Some may dislike Gina Davis. Some may… whatever!

The thing that is most important to me is that there is a show taking the idea of a female president seriously. Women and girls all over the United States need to see it. They need to hear the words “Madame President” on a regular basis. They need to visualize, if only through the confines of their TV screens, a woman sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office. They need to see it, and they need to believe it. They need to believe that it is possible.

I don’t think that most men will truly understand this sentiment. The words “Mister” and “President” seem almost naturally conjoined in our world. We never have to pause to appreciate or understand what they really mean. It is the status quo. It is the norm. Men didn’t have to fight for it to be so. It just fell in their lap. (White men, I should say.)

If nothing else, I hope that Commander-In-Chief starts putting “Madame” and “President” together more often in our everyday vocabulary. This needs to be more than a dream; it needs to be a reality.

We are still waging a war – political, social, cultural, economic - to put “Madame President’ into the White House. Let Commander-In-Chief help us spread our battle cry.