Download raises `s hopes

gulfnews.com | Monday, November 7, 2016 | Gulf News
A26
Gulf News | Monday, November 7, 2016 | gulfnews.com
A27
01 DAY TO GO
@POTUS through the years
AP
■■
Clinton applauds as singer Katy Perry arrives on stage during a Get Out the Vote concert
at the Mann Centre for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Clinton raises
women’s hopes
FOR US WOMEN, THE DEMOCRAT’S WIN COULD END A VERY LONG
WAIT — TO SEE A LADY AS THE NATION’S COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
WASHINGTON
E
stelle Liebow Schultz, who is 98, was
born before her fellow countrywomen
had the right to vote.
Now she has proudly cast a ballot for
the candidate she hopes will make history as the first American woman elected president.
Hillary Clinton hopes to become that woman
tomorrow, breaking the ultimate glass ceiling after having become, at the Democratic nominating convention in July, the first female candidate
for a major party.
Schultz was born in June 1918, two years before American women gained the vote with the
ratification of the 19th Amendment.
“To see such an accomplishment in my lifetime is momentous,” said the retired teacher,
who lives in the Washington suburb of Rockville,
Maryland.
Having cast an early vote — as several states
permit — she hopes to see the inauguration in
January of the first woman president, following
the succession of 44 men that began with George
Washington in 1789.
It has been a long road, starting with the presidential campaign in 1872 of Victoria Woodhull
— who at 34 was technically a year too young to
become president — as candidate of the Equal
Rights Party. History books list the vote totals
won by her male rivals, but not hers.
Britain, Germany, Croatia, Norway, Chili and
South Korea have women leaders; Israel, Brazil,
Argentina and Pakistan have been led by women.
Very late to the party
“We are very late compared to many other
countries around the world,” said Jeanne Zaino,
a political scientist at Iona College in New York.
Only two women have made it onto major
party presidential tickets: the Republican Sarah
Palin, who was John McCain’s running mate in
2008, and Geraldine Ferraro, who joined Walter
Mondale on the Democratic ticket in 1984. Both
lost.
Some women failed to survive the brutal primary election process, chewed up by the big parties’ political machines. Others became historical
footnotes in the quixotic campaigns of splinter
parties.
“When you don’t support women in a structural way, you have fewer women who can rise to
the top, in politics and other arenas,” Zaino said.
Parliamentary or multiparty systems are more
favourable to women, pushing parties to establish
diverse lists of candidates, which helps women
climb within a party to top leadership positions,
said Robert Shapiro, a political scientist with Co-
When you don’t support
women in a structural way,
you have fewer women who
can rise to the top, in politics
and other arenas.”
Jeanne Zaino | Political scientist at
Iona College in New York
Rex Features
■■
Republican Sarah Palin was John McCain’s
running mate in 2008.
lumbia University in New York. Candidate Clinton has sometimes presented herself as a mother
or a grandmother, but the 69-year-old has used
the “woman card” sparingly, intent on being
judged first for her competence and experience.
At the same time, her Republican opponent,
Donald Trump, has not hesitated to draw on stereotypes of women, describing the former First
Lady, New York senator and secretary of state as
weak and lacking stamina.
Whether out of misogyny, partisan hatred or
some combination of the two, supporters of the
Republican regularly break into chants of “Lock
her up” whenever Trump describes her as corrupt.
“Hillary Clinton is consistently treated differently than just about any other candidate I see
out there,” President Barack Obama said recently
during a rally in Columbus, Ohio.
Addressing himself to men in the audience,
he asked them to “kind of look inside yourself
and ask yourself if you’re having problems” with
Clinton’s candidacy because she is a woman.
“I’m proud to be a woman running for president,” Clinton recently told a New York radio
host. “I’d be just incredibly humbled and honoured to be the first woman president ...
“But I have a lot of work I want to do. And I
hope that people will say, ‘Hey, she’s getting it
done.’”
The idea of electing the nation’s first woman
president has generated less excitement than the
election eight years ago of Obama as the first African-American president.
Roughly half of Americans in a recent survey said they would have preferred that history
be made by someone other than Clinton, whose
popularity ratings are low. But if she is elected,
“there will be many tearful faces,” Shapiro predicted. “Before I die, by God, I want to have a
woman president. Yes, it’s very important,”
64-year-old lawyer Moira Hahn said.
It would be “wonderful,” said Nancy Murphy,
58, a retired teacher, while worrying aloud: “I don’t
know how a lot of the nation will feel about that.”
If elected, Clinton hopes to celebrate in New
York’s Jacob K Javits Convention Center — a glassenclosed building on the banks of the Hudson
River. It would be a sly wink to the “glass ceiling”
she would be breaking on that momentous day.
— AFP
Meet the Presidents of the United States (POTUS) who have led the
nation in times of war and peace, from the youngest to the oldest
George Washington (I)
1789-1797
George Washington led the
colonial forces against Britain
in the American Revolutionary War (1775-83). Following
victory, he presided over the
convention that drafted the
United States Constitution
and became the first and only
president to be unanimously
elected, receiving all 69 electoral votes in 1788.
John Adams (F)
1797-1801
A signatory of the Declaration of
Independence in 1776, Adams,
as a diplomat in Europe, helped
negotiate the Treaty of Paris
(1783), which officially ended
the Revolutionary War, and he
became the first US ambassador to Britain. Upon his return to
the US, he served two terms as
vice-president, before his own
election to office in 1796.
Thomas Jefferson (D-R)
1801-1809
Jefferson is recognised as the
principal author of the Declaration of Independence and a
visionary among the Founding
Fathers. He served as the first
US Secretary of State (1789-94)
and as the country’s second
vice-president under John Adams. His presidency is marked
by the purchase of Louisiana
Territory from France (1803).
James Madison (D-R)
1809-1817
Known as the Father of the
Constitution for his role in
drafting the US Constitution
and Bill of Rights. With Jefferson, Madison founded in 1792
what was to become the Republican Party and later served
under Jefferson as Secretary
of State. During his presidency,
Madison led the US into the
War of 1812 against Britain.
James Monroe (D-R)
1817-1825
The last president who was
a Founding Father of the
United States, Monroe oversaw
rapid westward expansion of
the country. He issued a key
foreign policy declaration in
the Monroe Doctrine (1823)
— a warning to European
nations against interference
in US interests in the western
hemisphere.
John Quincy Adams (D-R)
1825-1829
The son of former president
John Adams is recognised
as one of America’s greatest
diplomats, negotiating many
international treaties before
his presidency and formulating foreign policy as Secretary
of State under James Monroe.
Adams developed into an
outspoken opponent of slavery
during his political career.
Andrew Jackson (D)
1829-1837
Known as the People’s President, Jackson became a war
hero after defeating the British
in the Battle of New Orleans in
1815. He is known for founding
the Democratic Party, but is
also remembered for his role
in implementing the “Trail of
Tears” — the forced removal of
Native American people from
the southeast to new lands.
Martin Van Buren (D)
1837-1841
Van Buren served as Secretary
of State and VP under Andrew
Jackson before being elected
president in 1836 — he was
the first president to be born a
US citizen rather than a British
subject. He is credited with
playing a key role in organising
the Democratic Party but his
reign was marred by financial
panic in 1837.
William Henry Harrison (W)
1841
Best known for his military service against Native American
tribes on the US frontier, Harrison had the shortest tenure
of any American president. He
delivered the longest inaugural
speech — lasting nearly two
hours — in rain, and died of
pneumonia 32 days after being sworn in. He was the first
US president to die in office.
John Tyler (W)
1841-1845
John Tyler was the first vicepresident to succeed to the
office of President due to the
death of his predecessor. A
political maverick, he refused
to give allegiance to any party
and finished his presidency as
an independent. He annexed
the Republic of Texas, making
it the 28th US state.
James K. Polk (D)
1845-1849
The first “dark horse” candidate
to be elected to the presidency,
Polk became one of the most
successful US presidents,
keeping all of his campaign
promises. During his tenure, the
US increased in size by over a
third as a result of securing the
Oregon Territory from Britain,
and victory in the MexicanAmerican War (1846-48).
Zachary Taylor (W)
1849-1850
Known as Old Rough and
Ready by the men under his
command, Taylor had a 40year military career in the US
Army and became a war hero
as a result of his leadership in
the Mexican-American War.
Elected president in 1848 as a
result of his extreme popularity, he died only 16 months
after taking office.
Millard Fillmore (W)
1850-1853
Became vice-president under
Zachary Taylor, assuming
the presidency after Taylor’s
death in 1850. He was the last
member of the Whig party to
hold the office of president.
Although personally opposed
to slavery, Fillmore signed the
controversial Compromise of
1850 in order to preserve the
Union.
Franklin Pierce (D)
1853-1857
Coming to office in a period of
growing tension between the
North and South, Pierce failed
to deal effectively with the
crisis over slavery. His signing
of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in
1854 — which undid previous
legislation limiting the expansion of slavery — outraged
many Northerners and set the
nation on a path to civil war.
James Buchanan (D)
1857-1861
Served as Secretary of State
under James Polk and appointed ambassador to Britain
by Franklin Pierce before being
nominated for president in
1856. Buchanan’s efforts to
maintain peace between the
North and South alienated
both sides and the Confederate States of America was
born in 1861.
Abraham Lincoln (R/NU)
1861-1865
One of America’s greatest presidents and heroes, Abraham
Lincoln led the nation through
the Civil War — its bloodiest conflict — preserving the
Union and bringing about the
emancipation of slaves, while
promoting economic modernisation. Lincoln was fatally shot
by Confederate sympathiser
John Wilkes Booth.
Andrew Johnson (D/NU)
1865-1869
Became the 17th president of
the US upon the assassination
of Abraham Lincoln in April
1865. Johnson was the first US
president to be impeached, in
1868, after falling foul of the
Republican-dominated Congress over his efforts to quickly
incorporate the southern
states back into the Union. He
was acquitted by just one vote.
Ulysses S. Grant (R)
1869-1877
US general and commander
of the Union armies during the
late years of the American Civil
War, Ulysses S. Grant — at the
age of 46 — was the youngest president elected up to
that time. As president, Grant
worked to reconstruct the
nation and protect the rights of
newly-freed slaves.
Rutherford B. Hayes (R)
1877-1881
Hayes is best known for winning one of the most controversial elections in US history,
which had to be determined
by Congressional commission,
giving Hayes the presidency by
just one electoral vote. As President, he brought an end to the
period of reconstruction after
the Civil War and took steps to
deal with civil service graft.
James A. Garfield (R)
1881
Garfield served as a general in
the Union army during the Civil
War and a Congressman from
1863-81, but his tenure as president was the second shortest in US history. In July 1881
Garfield was shot by Charles
Guiteau, a mentally deranged
lawyer. He survived for almost
three months before succumbing to his injuries.
Chester A. Arthur (R)
1881-1885
Elected vice-president in 1880,
Arthur acceded to the presidency upon the assassination
of President James A. Garfield.
As president, Arthur signed the
Pendleton Civil Service Reform
Act (1883), which provided for
the open appointment and
promotion of federal employees based on merit rather than
patronage.
Grover Cleveland (D)
1885-1889
Grover Cleveland is the only
US president to win two
non-consecutive terms, and
also the only Democrat to
become president during the
era of Republican domination
that lasted from 1861-1913.
Cleveland continued the civil
service reform of his predecessor, and distinguished himself
as a politician of integrity.
Benjamin Harrison (R)
1889-1893
Harrison was the only president whose grandfather (William Henry Harrison) had also
been president, and his administration is chiefly remembered
for the Sherman Antitrust Act
of 1890 — the first legislation to
prohibit abusive monopolies.
Harrison was a protectionist
who favoured high tariffs.
Grover Cleveland (D)
1893-1897
Two weeks into Cleveland’s
second term, the stock market
crashed, sparking a four-year
economic depression, the
worst the US had ever experienced at the time. Unemployment soared as thousands of
businesses went under, and
Cleveland’s popularity waned.
William McKinley (R)
1897-1901
McKinley’s administration
ushered in a new world order —
with the US becoming increasingly active in global affairs and
acquiring an overseas empire
— including Puerto Rico, Guam
and the Philippines — after a
brief war with Spain in 1898.
The economy was booming
again and McKinley was easily
re-elected in 1900.
Theodore Roosevelt (R)
1901-1909
At age 42, Teddy Roosevelt
became the youngest man to
assume the US presidency,
following the assassination of
McKinley. Roosevelt aimed to
balance the needs of the working class with those of business.
He ensured the construction of
the Panama Canal and won the
Nobel Peace Prize for his part in
ending the Russo-Japanese War.
William Howard Taft (R)
1909-1913
Chosen by Theodore Roosevelt
to succeed him and carry on
the progressive Republican
agenda, Taft won an easy
victory in his 1908 bid for the
presidency. However, he alienated many liberal Republicans
contributing to a split in the
party ranks in 1912. In 1921, Taft
was appointed Chief Justice of
the US.
Woodrow Wilson (D)
1913-1921
A scholar and university
professor, Woodrow Wilson
enjoyed a meteoric rise to
the nation’s highest office. He
guided America through First
World War and helped to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles,
which provided for the League
of Nations — a precursor to the
United Nations.
Warren G. Harding (R)
1921-1923
A successful newspaper
publisher, Harding promised a
postwar “return to normality”
in his 1920 campaign and was
elected by an unprecedented
60 per cent of the popular
vote. As President, he reduced
the national debt and immigration, but served for less than
three years, dying suddenly in
1923.
Calvin Coolidge (R)
1923-1929
Coolidge took office on Harding’s death, continuing the
conservative pro-business
policies of his predecessor.
Nicknamed “Silent Cal” for his
quiet demeanour, Coolidge
restored public faith in the
White House after the scandals of the previous administration and remained popular
throughout his presidency.
Herbert Hoover (R)
1929-1933
Renowned for his humanitarian work during the First World
War, and for his role in the construction of the Hoover Dam
as US Secretary of Commerce,
Herbert Hoover was elected
on a wave of popularity which
lasted just seven months —
wiped out by the Wall Street
Crash of October 1929.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
1933-1945
Franklin D. Roosevelt was
the only US president to
be elected four times. He
led the US through the Great
Depression, implementing a
programme of federal aid and
reform known as the New Deal.
During the Second World War,
he was the principal architect
of the alliance between the US,
Britain and the Soviet Union.
Harry S. Truman (D)
1945-1953
Truman led America during
the final months of Second
World War, making the decision to use the atom bomb
against Japan. Truman agreed
to help rebuild postwar Europe
through the Marshall Plan, but
increasing tensions with the
Soviet Union led to the Cold
War and US involvement in the
Korean War (1950-53).
Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)
1953-1961
Eisenhower came to the presidency as a war hero, having
commanded the Allied forces
in Europe during Second World
War. In office, he helped bring
about an end to the Korean
War, but the Cold War continued to intensify, along with a
nuclear arms race. At home,
America enjoyed a period of
relative prosperity.
John F. Kennedy (D)
1961-1963
John F. Kennedy was the
youngest man elected to the
presidency, at the age of 43.
Less than three years later, he
became the youngest president
to die in office. Kennedy faced
mounting Cold War tensions.
Among his achievements were
the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
and federal support for the civil
rights movement.
Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
1963-1969
Lyndon B. Johnson took office
upon the assassination of John
F. Kennedy in November 1963,
completing Kennedy’s term
and being elected President in
his own right in 1964. He signed
the Civil Rights Act (1964) and
implemented social reforms,
but his popularity plummeted
as a result of increasing American troop losses in Vietnam.
Gerald Ford (R)
1974-1977
Following the resignation of
Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford
became the first unelected
president in US history — having
been appointed vice-president
in 1973 under the terms of the
25th Amendment when Nixon’s
original vice-president resigned.
Ford worked to restore public
confidence in the presidency
after the Watergate scandal.
Jimmy Carter (D)
1977-1981
Jimmy Carter was elected to
the presidency without any
previous federal government
experience, and at a time when
the country was facing a number of challenges — including an
energy crisis and a deteriorating
economic situation. Carter’s
main achievement was the
1978 Camp David Accords.
Ronald Reagan (R)
1981-1989
At 69 years of age, former Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan
was the oldest person to be
elected president. America
prospered under his leadership, experiencing economic
growth and strengthened
national defence. He improved
relations with the Soviet Union.
He survived an assassination
attempt in 1981.
George H.W. Bush (R)
1989-1993
A naval aviator during the
Second World War, Bush
held many government posts
before becoming president. His
presidency was chiefly consumed with foreign affairs, with
a successful military operation
in Panama (1989) and the
campaign to oust Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussain from Kuwait
(1990-91).
Bill Clinton (D)
1993-2001
The first Democratic president
since Franklin D. Roosevelt to
win a second term, Clinton
presided over the country’s
longest period of peacetime
economic expansion. In 1998
he became the second US
president to be impeached
— over a scandal involving a
White House intern — but was
acquitted in 1999.
George W. Bush (R)
2001-2009
Eldest son of the 41st US
President, George W. Bush won
the presidency in an extremely
close and controversial race
against Democratic challenger
Al Gore. Bush’s time in office
was defined by the attacks
of September 11, 2001, and
his subsequent global war
on terror, and costly wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
Barack Obama (D)
2009-2017
With a campaign message of
hope and change, Barack Obama became the first African
American to serve as president, focusing on health-care
reform at home and the fallout
from the global economic crisis. Key achievements included
brokering a nuclear deal with
Iran, and the rapprochement
with Cuba.
Hillary Clinton (D)
or Donald Trump (R)
2017
Either Democrat nominee
Hillary Clinton or Republican
Donald Trump will be elected
as the 45th President of the
US. Clinton would be the first
woman President, while Trump
comes with no prior experience of political office. The
successful candidate will be
sworn in on January 20, 2017.
Richard Nixon (R)
1969-1974
Nixon served two terms as VicePresident under D. Eisenhower
and finally made it to the White
House after narrowly losing to
Kennedy in 1960. Nixon ended
US involvement in Vietnam,
improved relations with Russia
and China, and presided over
the moon landings, but his administration ended in disgrace
over the Watergate affair.
Key: (I) Independent, (F) Federalist, (D) Democrat, (R) Republican, (D-R) Democrat-Republican, (W) Whig, (NU) National Union
?
Graphic News/©Gulf News