Queen Elizabeth I was an unexpected political genius dedicated to her country and her people in a manner that had been seen in few monarchs before her. Stepping into her position as one of the first female heads of state, Queen Elizabeth I brought the English people through both domestic and foreign crises in determined strides.
According to historians, Queen Elizabeth didn’t assume the throne having pretenses that she knew all the answers to society’s problems. Instead, Elizabeth made use of the advice of her counsels and would change policy approaches when they became unpopular.
Her outlook on leadership was determined, cautious and conservative, though as she showed the world, she was willing to act decisively to quash the immense foreign threat of the Spanish Armada.
This mindset is exactly what our country needs. Certainly, her monarchical system of government is not what I am prescribing.
It’s Elizabeth’s demeanor of a determined conservative, loyal to her people and unwilling to act out of rash self-interest but still able to challenge the greatest threats from abroad that I’m recommending.
I see this potential in the feminine leadership that has emerged lately in the Republican Party.
Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina are both running strong races for governor and senator in California. Nikki Haley has an excellent shot at the governor’s mansion in South Carolina. Sharron Angle is running neck and neck with Harry Reid in Nevada. Her toppling of the leader of the Democrats in the Senate would be a political coup.
In Delaware, Christine O’Donnell’s come-from-behind primary win is getting national headlines, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that her controversial candidacy could produce another win.
And, of course, there’s Sarah Palin. Most unsuccessful vice presidential candidates fade quickly from the limelight, but Palin has held national attention for two years and continues to command an enthusiastic following. Palin has both star power and a common touch, which dazzles the right and strikes fear into the left.
And, while her critics repeatedly resort to an insipid lipsticked-hockey-mom attack, she is taking decisive stances on the country’s pressing issues and refuses to back down from the challenge. Though she made legitimate political fumbles, the attacks against her are usually vicious and personal.
So is Sarah Palin the next Queen Elizabeth? No. Instead, I’m pointing out that I’m glad to see the Republican Party look toward women for leadership as opposed to treating them as token representations of gender. And what of the Democrat’s queen?
Nancy Pelosi can barely make it off her upgraded military jumbo-jet without running into her self-made dissatisfaction. A recent Rasmussen poll shows that 59 percent of Americans do not think favorably of Pelosi, after she’s enacted more than half a decade’s worth of liberal policy agenda and tax-and-spend legislation. She lacks the vital conservative element of Queen Elizabeth’s success and risks her own political career, taking a trip to the guillotine this November.
It is an encouraging trend to see increasing female representation within our political system. A large number of Republican women are running for major offices, and in the case of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, they are being looked to for national leadership. It’s entirely possible that the first person to be addressed as Madam President will be a Republican. My hat is off to the female conservative leadership to whom the task ahead surely will be of regal proportions.
Bryan Griffin is a first-year law student. His column appears every Thursday.
