Another Glass Ceiling Down

Australia has its first female Prime Minister as Labor MP Julia Gillard saw off incumbent Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in a leadership ballot- though, by all reports that I'm seeing, it wasn't much of a ballot, as Rudd couldn't even must enough support to contest the ballot much less make it close. The reason for the change? Well, mainly its politics more than anything else- the Labor Party's ratings were slumping and a general election is expected Down Under in the next few months. With Rudd not getting the job done, it comes as little surprise that the Labor Party decided to make the change. Whether Ms. Gillard can get the Labor Party back in for another term remains to be seen- so stay tuned on that score.

But: here's a Beeb profile of the new Aussie PM. Congrats to Ms. Gillard on the new job.

In related thoughts: this is shaping up to be a potentially very big year for women in politics across the globe. Brazilian Presidential Elections are due later this year, with the possibility of Brazil elected its first female President. Australia just shattered their glass ceiling and in the United States, Nikki Haley won the GOP Gubenatorial Nomination in South Carolina, while Meg Whitman and Margaret Anderson Keliher are in the running for the top spots in California and Minnesota respectively. (MAK needs to clear a primary first, but I think she will. She did get the DFL nod at the convention after all.) Only question now is: when will America's glass ceiling crack?

A lot of people are probably reading that and saying: 'In 2012, when Sarah Palin takes out Barack Obama.' But although Palin is (probably) going to run in 2012 and certainly as a damn good chance of getting the nod for the Republicans. (Who else can energize the base like she can? I think a Palin-Pawlenty ticket would be very strong indeed.) However, given the flailing and increasingly despondent incompetence of the current administration, I begin to wonder whether or not we could see a challenge from Hillary Clinton. I think she'll keep mum on that score for the time being, but if the midterms prove to be the disaster for the Democrats that many are predicting, I start to wonder whether she'll quietly resign her position at the State Department and make a go at it. Unless something radically changes in the next few months, that could be a very interesting race indeed- and one that the President is not assured of winning.

But broken glass keeps piling up and women keep inching forward in politics all over the world. Not a bad thing at all, I think.