Editorial: Finally, a woman, an elected woman, in the room

There is a woman in the room today.

There have been women in the room before. There have been secretaries of state and other cabinet members, valued for their deep knowledge; there have been presidential spouses, and even mothers, who offered valuable insights on policy; and a presidential daughter who was a prized adviser.

Until today, though, none of them were elected. Presidents could decide how close those women would be to the seat of power, or how far away they would remain.

Today there is a woman sitting adjacent to the Oval Office because America wants her there. She cannot be dismissed or ignored or reassigned.

When President Joe Biden was Barack Obama's vice president, he famously was often the last person to leave the Situation Room when a major decision had to be made, the last adviser Obama wanted to hear from before making a difficult call. It was, at the time, a fairly unusual arrangement - historically, vice presidential candidates were chosen more for what they brought to the electoral ticket and less for what they contributed to the collective intelligence behind policy and problem-solving.

Biden, who saw firsthand how productive a relationship like that could be, has said he wants the same thing with Vice President Kamala Harris.

"When I agreed to serve as President Obama's running mate, he asked me what I wanted most ... I told him I wanted to be the last person in the room before he made important decisions. That's what I asked Kamala. I asked Kamala to be the last voice in the room."

The modern political era in the United States is only 100 years old. Shoulder to shoulder, women (with the support of enlightened men) struggled for suffrage for nearly a century before winning the vote in 1920. When women finally got the franchise, it was only a matter of time before they would also hold important office.

It has taken too long for the Kamala Harris moment to arrive, but women haven't been sitting still since 1920. Instead, they have revolutionized how politics work in this country.

Since 1980 the proportion of eligible female adults who voted in presidential elections has exceeded the proportion of eligible male adults who voted; moreover, the actual number of female voters has exceeded the number of male voters in every presidential election since 1964.

There are still places in Illinois where a woman has yet to be elected to a city council. In the suburbs, thankfully, women are aldermen and village board members, mayors and school board presidents, state legislators, a lieutenant governor and a U.S. Senator. These are all mighty role models - for children, certainly, but for all of us.

Harris is well-prepared to be a co-leader of the nation. She is educated and intelligent, and has political relationships from four years in the Senate - nothing approaching Biden's 47 years in Washington, but useful nonetheless. Like most women, she exudes practicality. And she isn't afraid to speak her mind - witness the five most galvanizing words from the vice-presidential debate, when she deflected with a smile Mike Pence's attempt to talk over her: "Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking."

Yes, that line was probably rehearsed. But the gobsmacking thing about it is, she knew she'd get a chance to use it.

There is a woman in the room. And when she talks, others will listen.