Ta-Nehisi Coates asks, concerning the dearth of women in the U.S. Congress:
Dana's point about women who "want the job" got me thinking about an old debate. How many women really want the job? Are there fewer women looking to have a career in politics than men? If so, why? Are they being discouraged, either actively or passively? Is politics, at least as it's in American, gendered in such a way as to attract male candidates?
Pardon me while I go bang my head against the garage door.
Ah. Much better. Here's what I wrote in 2008.