"We Just Put the Biggest Crack in That Glass Ceiling"

What constitutes 'decent' Pizanfan?

Really? What evidence is there of that?

Slarti

Had any decent female candidate run they would easily have dumped the Trump!

And until the perfect woman comes along, any man, however flawed, is better, I assume.

Except she won the popular vote, so that isn't really true is it? In pure numbers more people wanted her to be president, in spite of all her controversies, than wanted Trump, with all of his. If there wasn't a mountain of dirt on her she'd almost certainly have won.

"A right wing woman will have more chance - just like in the UK. Because they've already sided with the patriarchy. They aren't seen as too much of a threat."

This is a good point. I've been puzzling over why right wing women seem to have more political success at the very top, and you've just clarified it for me.

Re Hillary being held to a higher standard than the Donald purely by being a woman? I cannot imagine a woman who had five children from three different fathers would have even been given the nomination - disgraceful double standards throughout this campaign

"I don't recall hatred against George W. Bush rooted in the fact that his wife killed someone in a car crash." George W Bush had a drink driving conviction. But he found God. So that's alright.

I agree vesuvia about Michelle Obama. She looks like the 'perfect' candidate now but she wouldn't after about six months. She looks perfect now because she is allowed a certain amount of leeway in her position at this time. She poses no real threat to the establishment at the moment. They'd be sure to put her in her place if she did.

YY Vesuvia. It would go like that. A woman running for president has to be like Caesar's wife - above suspicion. Doesn't apply to men.

Shame that the crack in the glass ceiling turned out to be Trump's fat white arse crack mooning us all below.

I hope that by 2020, voters will have realized how stupid they have been and will vow to never ever again elect a white man president.
(I know, they usually only take women who were the first to do something and were bad at it as proof that women can't do it, but a girl can dream ...)

Which would give Michelle good chances.

I've heard people say that perhaps Michelle Obama could run for president, perhaps in 2020.

If Michelle did stand for election, I'm sure that her opponents would use what they perceive as Barack's faults to attack her.

I don't recall hatred against George W. Bush rooted in the fact that his wife killed someone in a car crash.

What exactly constitutes 'better'?

Obviously not "better than Trump", because, really, my three year old niece would be better than Trump.

You're right, scallops. The goalpost will always move.

"of course we want a woman. Just not that woman. No, not that one either. Nope, still not that woman, try again?" ad infinitum. There is no woman "good enough".

Hillary has been held to a much higher standard than men. I saw a tweet saying the it isn't that the US don't want a woman in the White House its that they want a better woman (paraphrasing). I'm sure you do. What exactly constitutes 'better'? How perfect does a woman have to be?

Trouble is that line will move no matter which woman becomes a presidential candidate. There will be no perfect candidate. There will just be a higher standard to meet. A right wing woman will have more chance - just like in the UK. Because they've already sided with the patriarchy. They aren't seen as too much of a threat.

This is very similar to perfect rape victims. Similar to why women have to fight for their rights - if only you were a little more like x, y, z. If only you asked more nicely. If only you were men. In fact if only you were men who self-confessed to sexually assaulting women and was up on a charge of child rape.

What this result says about America is terrifying. I find myself Godwinning all over the place. I can only hope my fears are unfounded.

One of my DCs woke me in the night to tell me. He was totally freaked out. I'm glad I didn't stay up to watch it. Poor DS found it harrowing though, as he says, it's history. I thought "holy shit" and went back to sleep. Nothing I can do about it. Apart from quake in my boots.

Doesn't this mean that basically men can treat women however they like - and it's OK to do so. In fact, it makes you more electable if you're a misogynist abusive bully?!

OMFG have I woken up in a nightmare?

Me too. Keep wavering between staying up all night in a state of high arousal and I can remember when that was fun., staying up all night researching Paris Lees or going to bed with cocoa, a grim determination and a good book. At the moment the cocoa seems to be winning. My kids* have promised to wake me up to give me the result. But I'm soooo jittery!

• Don't worry about the kids. I've promised to let them off nursery tomorrow.

Their marriage and its practicalities are really none of our business.