Watch CNN Panelists Discuss Clinton's “Historic” Nomination

Nia-Malika Henderson: “It Is Remarkable Because Now It Is So Unremarkable That A Woman Could Run For The White House”

From the July 26 edition of CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper:

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JAKE ​TAPPER (HOST): A woman major party presidential nominee is -- again, whatever you think of Hillary Clinton, remove that for a second -- it's a pretty huge moment in American politics.

GLORIA BORGER: It's interesting because women of my generation sort of think “wow, we -- we never thought this day would come and here it is.” In many ways, I think, like African-Americans thought about Barack Obama --

TAPPER: You never thought it would come? Really, you never thought this day would come?

BORGER: ​ You know what, actually I didn't. For really, I mean, I would say in the last ten years I thought more about it. But what -- yeah, I really, I didn't. I think a ​lot of other things would have happened first. ​And so, for women of my generation, t​his is a moment to kind of step back and say what a land mark this is. That other countries have done it and we haven't." And so, it is ​-- f​or women of a younger generation, I made a point on the campaign trail of taking to millennial women [at] every rally I went to, particularly Bernie Sanders' rallies, and they just assume, they're like of course a woman is going to be nominated. So we have done something right in this country, because younger women actually take this for granted, which I think is great. Older women, of which I include myself, do not.

​NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON: ​​And they, in some ways, take it for granted because of Hillary Clinton​. Her historic​ run in 2008. ​She talked about the 18 cracks in the glass ceiling.

TAPPER: 18 million.

HENDERSON: 18 million. And she said it would be remarkable, it's remarkable because now it is so unremarkable that a woman could run for the White house. So, ​I think, oftentimes younger women don't make that connection to Hillary Clinton, and what she was able to do.​ Listen, I grew up, and I think you're right. You look on -- when you're in school, you had those place mats with all the presidents there. For obviously centuries, it was just white men, and then you have Barack Obama there. Now -- and ​you think that now school kids might grow up and it could be a black man there, and a woman there. ​Or Donald Trump, who would also, in some ways, be an historic figure as well.

PATTI SOLIS DOYLE: And, I also want to say, it's not just young women, it's young men. I have a daughter and a son, and this is just as important for him to be able to know, and to think that women and girls can grow up to be anything they want to be as long as they set their sights to it, and they work hard for it. ​ It's just as important for boys.​

JAY CARNEY: I also have a son and daughter, and this is really meaningful for me because of my 11-year old daughter. The place mat. When I was working for President Obama, we had that place mat. And my daughter essentially ignored skin color, and she wanted to know why there were no women on the place mat. And, o​ne of the things that I think is frustrating about the fact that folks are taking it for granted, is that it is only because Hillary Clinton has been on the stage for as long as she has been. People take her for granted. And this is what happens when you have been a major player in national politics for several decades. She was the favorite in 2008, and she didn't get the nomination. And now, she is the favorite in 2016 to get the nomination. She succeeded. Getting there was really hard. You can't -- just because you're the favorite doesn't make it easy. Patti knows, this is tough stuff. She is a great small room politician. She's a sophisticated policy expert. She's passionate about a lot of important issues that matter to families and kids, and she's a woman. And I think having a woman in ​​the Oval Office will have profound effects for girls around the country and the world.

Previously:

Republican CNN Commentator: Clinton Win Is “A Moment In History That Is Worthy Of Acknowledgement And Honoring It”

What’s “The Historical Value?”: Conservative Media Downplay Clinton’s Presumptive Nomination

Fox Host Doubts “The Historical Value” Of Clinton Becoming First Female Presidential Nominee