Note to John McCain: Sidling Up to Women Doesn't Make You a Feminist

Image source: AP and CBS News.

I find this very patronizing:

"The McCain strategy for reaching women across the aisle involves praise for Clinton and connecting with some of the newer women's media outlets, such as the community BlogHer and MOMocrats blogs, which have been invited to join McCain campaign conference calls."

Not Garance Franke-Ruta's words, but the McCain campaign's concept.

I don't fault McCain, his campaign or even Carly Fiorina for the strategy, which Joanne Bamberger and I both find crazy like a fox. I do fault them for thinking it is enough and I also fault anyone who buys it.

Talking to women, acknowledging their presence and influence, and inviting them to listen in on a conference call doesn't make one a friend of women or women's issues.

I think women---actually all voters and citizens---should keep in mind that a vote for McCain is a vote against feminism.

Fiorina's comments that she believes Clinton has experienced sexism are a drop in the bucket in the McCain strategy to snag the white women voters they believe will be looking for a new candidate after today.

According to Matthew Mosk at The Trail at washingtonpost.com

Republican John McCain has quietly spent about $1.5 million on television ads in key swing states over the past 90 days, trying to get an early edge with voters while his Democratic rival remains bogged down by a protracted primary battle.

. . .

[Evan Tracey, of the Campaign Media Analysis Group] said McCain is chasing independent voters, particularly in Pennsylvania and Ohio, who supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primary and may now be feeling disgruntled as Obama emerges as the more likely nominee.

It's been pointed out time and again that white women are cold towards Obama, and generally more in favor of Clinton. And that's clearly the group the McCain campaign is hoping to pick up.

After all, in recent Gallup polling Clinton mainly stays ahead of McCain and Obama is slightly behind.

But I don't think the Republicans should underestimate white women's willingness to vote for Senator Obama or ultimate party loyalty to the Democrats, who best embody Democratically inclined women's priorities, such as education and health care.

Those are frequently listed as the top issues women care about. Unmarried and younger women are more likely to vote Democrat, and in this election, they are the powerhouse voters. They constitute 42% of female voters and are 66% Democrat, most likely because of economic issues, which affect them as primary earner of their household. Historically, the GOP could count on married-with-children women leaning conservative, largely because of the abortion issue.

But women's priorities have shifted, including the white married-with-children women. Now women are concerned about the economy, health care, education and the war, as well as the environment and other issues that affect our existing children now and in the future, when they inherit the position of custodians of our world.

Additionally, in 2006, ABC News reported that 53% of Republican Southern women were leaning Democrat for upcoming elections. The war was one of the largest factors that drove women away from Republicans, and it's an issue that remains unresolved and still affects how many women will vote.

Women are getting wise to the fact that Democrats are more likely to vote for issues the way women prefer. According to the ABC News report

Tracy Quick Bradford, another Memphis woman who has traditionally voted Republican, proves that view.

"I think health care, education and the economy and I think that the, the candidates that represent the Democratic Party are most in line with my views on those issues," Bradford said.

Susan Loubet of the Women's Media Center interviewed Madeleine Kunin, former Vermont governor and ambassador to  Switzerland. In that interview, Kunin said

More women are involved in education and health care for instance, “so when you get a group of women in any political body, you tend to get more emphasis on those issues. When there is a woman at the table, the conversation changes.” She also thinks that women may, more than men, seek power to help others rather than for its own sake.

Clearly the key to attracting women is to create and maintain a candidate platform that leans altruistically. GOP candidates can talk about and include women in discussion as much as they like, but until they actually put action to words and begin voting to improve education, provide health care, and support other issues women slot as top priorities, they aren't actually reaching women, as the McCain campaign hopes. They are instead merely reaching out. That's the difference between much matter (reaching) and little art (reaching out). It's smoke and mirrors. It's seduction without honorable intent.

Kunin also said

People are astonished to find out, she has learned, that the United States is behind Iraq and Afghanistan in the proportion of women in the national legislatures.

There's a mighty message to infer from that statistic, and it doesn't warm the cockles of my female heart.

But it does shine a light on another key to reaching women: modernize the infrastructure to better support women's lifestyles and life patterns so that more women can actively participate in the political process, as Kunin said in her interview.

That includes the media, who needs to begin depicting women as educated, informed and decisive voters instead of hysterical emotional voters. Not too long ago the MOMocrats declined an invitation to participate in a national discussion in which Clinton supporters would assert that they refused to vote for Obama. That's not our position, and we also felt it was not a helpful or appropriate opinion to assert and promote. But I know we also were concerned about the same thing WomenCount PAC organizers worried about when Huffington Post writer Seth Colter Walls wanted to interview them at their demonstration this past weekend as the DNC argued about how to solve the Michigan and Florida primary issue. They asked

"You're not going to write that we're a bunch of hysterical women trying to create havoc, are you?"

The interview opportunity the MOMocrats let pass wasn't seeking any Clinton supporters; instead it sought women, and more particularly moms, preferably of the soccer variety, who would denounce Obama and the Democrats if Their Girl didn't get the nomination. That smacks of a desire to keep depicting women as hysterical voters.

As it happens, women are even more active and informed than ever.

In the Huffington Post article, WomenCount addressed both the shameful characterization of women in politics and cited that as a major factor in their formation and success

Still, they say their efforts have been a success, if for no other reason than the outpouring of support they've received from women who feel as intensely about this race as they have about any other in the past.

"When we formed WomenCount PAC, we had been hearing for several weeks a low rumbling of outrage, that it was not understood that women wanted to be heard and recognized in this race as an important voting block," Camposano said. "Instead we're constantly being cast as whining women. The PAC formed exactly two weeks and two days ago during a meeting in an office in New York, and we raised $250,000 in four days. ... It's been a massive viral thing, and I have not slept in two weeks."

The GOP can count on the majority of Clinton supporters---men and women alike---standing by the Democratic party and ultimate candidate, regardless of who it is. As WomenCount supporters said---despite Obama campaign criticism of their actions---they are not exclusive from Obama supporters.

I believe that, bottom line, voters are tied to beliefs and ideals, not as much to a specific person, and when it comes to actually pulling the lever, that will win out over any feelings or belief of offense.

So women---even white ones, even married ones, even moms---will use their logic to vote, and will continue to use their words to demand fair treatment and respect, as well as improvement in the issues that concern them most.

Keep reaching, McCain, but the brass ring of women Democrats will remain beyond your grasp. You can talk about us and even avoid crass language about us, but in the end, your actions will speak louder than any of your words, and that means we'll see that you aren't really interested in working for our priorities, just in greedy grasping of our vote.

Julie trumpets the horn for women---who she thinks rock and rule---and women's issues as Editor in Chief of Moms Speak Up and at her personal blog, Using My Words.

Comments

[CityMama/Stefania]

Thank you for this post. You know the horror I felt seeing MOMocrats mentioned in a blog post about McCain being friendly to woman. This sets the record straight nicely.

[PunditMom]

So my question is, why aren't any of the Democrats adopting McCain's strategy of reaching out to us? I'm not saying there will be lots of us who would vote for McCain over Obama, but it seems that the Dems are missing a golden opportunity and could be portrayed as taking women's votes for granted.

[Julie Pippert]

Joanne, BINGO. I've been wondering that myself. Countless times. I understand the Dems have to triage, and have been consumed by this primary but honestly...this is their BASE, especially for Senator Clinton. I haven't understood the total silence on that end. I think that this is a reason the Dems have been accused of both alienation (esp Obama) and taking for granted (both, and the party, wrt minorities in particular).

I have to wonder whether they missed the news bulletin in 2006 that married women are up for grabs, too.

[Julie Pippert]

Stefania, yes I did. I don't want there to be an automatic assumption that reaching out equals reaching and that McCain is women's friend. So you're welcome.

[cynematic]

Julie,
An excellent use of your words! :)

Don't forget that McCain thinks "education and job training" is an adequate response to women subjected to employment discrimination--in the form of unequal pay--based on their gender.

Just ask Lily Ledbetter! http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2008/04/john-mccain-sto.html

Obama's record on the (Lily Ledbetter) Fair Pay Restoration Act: he voted in favor of ensuring that you'd have a reasonable amount of time to make your case to the EEOC, instead of a 180 day statute of limitation.

[Lawyer Mama]

Thank you, Julie! THANK YOU!

Such crass manipulation leaves me cold.

[Mom101]

Let's be very clear, Washington Post (and others): John McCain's "connection" with sites like Momocrats was not intended to bring him closer to women and the issues they care about.

It was intended to generate Washington Post articles referencing that he is connecting with sites like Momocrats.

Done.

[AmyInOhio]

Yuck, he's like the loser in the bar looking to get lucky.

Sorry John, we'll never be THAT drunk.

[Jennifer H]

I can't top AmyInOhio's comment.

This was excellent, Julie. I'm so glad to see you and your strong voice reaching an ever-wider audience.

[Christina West]

Typical smears from the Liberal Elite Bias Media. John McCain has LOTS of experience with women, and if you're looking for women's issues, John McCain has got TONS of issues! John McCain will win when voters go to the polls in January. Never surrender!

http://www.womenforjohnmccain.com/

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