Is It Easier to Be a Black Politician than a Women Politician

In this years 2008 Democratic Presidential primary much has been made as to the race and gender of the major candidates. In fact it could be argued that the race and gender is what has propelled both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton into front runner status in the first place. Though recently there has been discussion as to whether or not Hillary has hit the proverbial glass ceiling, while Obama continues to climb. So is it easier to be a black politician for president than a women. If we were looking at a women with less than one term in the U.S. Senate who was in her 40's , would she be taken as seriously as Barack has been taken? Of course conjecture is always just that , mixed with biases and opinions but I have a suspicion that there are almost no women in this country that would be getting the same reception. The threshold for women is much higher. A younger women with limited Barack-like experience would have to deal even more so with the issues of her physical appearance, her clothes, her hair. In polite society we do not speak of race but we still speak of appearances. It is only Hillary's age that has spared her the open criticism of appearance. It is never an issue for a man -regardless of race- unless you are wearing womens clothing. So the judgment starts off right from the appearance and heads downward from there