The Illusion of Choice

Since the election draws nearer and nearer, why not get a little political?
A great example of spontaneous consent (at least until this go-around) is the electoral system, and our national belief that the president should be a WASP male, above the age of 45. This hegemonic, but shrinking group still asserts itself as the prime political force, attempting to stamp out candidacy of someone who doesn't fit that mold.

In the press and on the street, we constantly hear "Is the country ready for a black president?" or "Is this country ready for a woman president?" These questions are just testament to that ideological hegemony. We question the legitimacy of a candidate based on his race or her gender because we've been conditioned and consented to the idea that a president is a tall, white, protestant man. When JFK was elected, he had to explain to the country that his religion (Catholicism) would have no affect on his ability to act as president. No Catholic since has been elected president, and never has there been a Jew, Muslim, or any other religious group you can think of.

Even the two outlying candidates, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, have a foot in the old equation. Recently, it came out that Obama is distantly related to Vice President Dick Cheney through his mother. Hillary has been a part of the WASP establishment for a long time, and is married to a former president.

Why do we wonder if their differences affect their abilities? Countless woman have ruled successfully in both modern and ancient history. Most of the world leaders today are not descended from Northern Europe or Great Britain, but America, a country that prides itself on its relative acceptance, still has yet to break away from this chauvinistic hierarchy.
The reason is simple, the dominant ideology dictates the way we see the president, there is a clear hegemony on that office, and on our voting patterns regarding it.

(by the way, I'm not endorsing either Senator Clinton or Obama, this just seemed like a pretty good example)