The Republican Party’s Historic Opportunity with Women
November 8, 2010
by Amy Siskind
|The following op-ed by The New Agenda’s Amy Siskind appears at The Daily Caller.
In the 2010 election, women made history. Since the advent of exit polling data in 1982, women voters have consistently favored Democrats. Not this time. For the first time, women voters preferred the GOP. A rather shocking occurrence given just two short years ago, President Obama had a 14 point advantage with women.
Here’s what is at stake: women voters have decided almost every presidential elections since 1960. The Republican Party has a historic opportunity to win over this block, all but ensuring a presidential victory in 2012. But, will the GOP be able to capitalize and transform itself into an inclusive ‘women-friendly’ party? Or, will they blow it by embracing a caricature of themselves: a bunch of white guys fighting it out for power?
The shift in women voters comes largely from the Democratic Party’s bitter primary battle in 2008. Wounds have still not healed. President Obama’s tone-deafness to the wishes of the American people on policy issues is all the more palpable to Democratic (and formerly Democratic) women. We were told, straight up, when Hilary dropped out: Get over it! Since then, here is Obama’s outreach to Hillary Clinton supporters:
Under Obama’s leadership, the Democratic Party remains fractured. In 2008, Democratic women had a rude awakening: gender equality was no longer a core tenet of the DNC. And so, women increasingly became free agents. The operative question now: what is the trajectory of women’s exit if Obama is on the ticket in 2012? The GOP will have a big say in that!
The Republican Party, perhaps unwittingly, has become decidedly more pro-women in 2010. Sarah Palin can take credit for much progress here. Not only has Palin endorsed and elevated women in the GOP, she also continually speaks out and defends them from sexism. Conservative women (and some men) in the media like Michelle Malkin, Dana Perino and Ann Coulter have also been voracious in their defense of women in their party.
Read the rest at The Daily Caller.
The Republicans are becoming more and more in favor of a lot of things I’ve always cared about lately. Given that they are sustaining a massive influx of liberals who were told that neither we nor our working-class vaginas were needed anymore, they had to. Gays are doing the same thing — and now, we have a WH that defends DADT and prominent Republicans (my current governor, Ted Olsen, the judge that tossed DADT in the first place) backing things like gay marriage and dismantling DADT. We’ve got visibly pro-choice Republican women running for office as well.
The influx of people who REALLY defend liberal values and not just trendoid progressives (translation: egotistical, gentry porn addicts) into the Republican party, together with the increase in visibility in Republican women, may turn the party into something that I can get behind. The more women and gay people consider ourselves free agents, the more the other side will have to work to woo us.
Or at least, they had damn well better. This is why Palin is so important as a wild card. If things go right back to the way they used to be, she will pull the pin. Note that the only people who hate Palin more than the faux-gressives are the GOP cocktail establishment, though. We’ll see how that goes. She’s obviously not wedded to change within the system, and if she thinks overturning the applecart will get a better result, she’ll do it. I like that. Whatever one may think about the Tea Party, it’s mind-boggling that they can get a 50% success rate after only being in existence for maybe a year and a half. Compare that to the rest of the third parties we’ve had forever, who can’t get past fractional percentages!
Maybe there is enough women in the Republican party at this point that Republicans can move forward and capitalize on their moment. Or maybe the men in charge will waste their time strutting around like a bunch of useless roosters and attempting to consolidate their personal power. That tends to be what men do best.
I am wondering whether this change in stats of women voters being equally devided between the parties reflects mostly women becoming free agents. or, how much of the increase in women voting republican is something like a get out the vote of previously not voting women, who become engaged seeing conservative women on the ballet and getting unfairly attacked.
Just got around to reading this last night, Amy. Outstanding work! I’ve watched as the subtext of women has been present in the media, but it really needed a push into the mainstream. I think you’ve done that here, and I hope we see more of it!
Leave your Response Want an avatar? Get a gravatar!
Community Room
February 22, 2012 at 11:22 am
February 17, 2012 at 2:39 pm
February 6, 2012 at 4:25 pm
January 30, 2012 at 2:36 pm
January 26, 2012 at 4:38 pm
January 23, 2012 at 1:04 pm
January 15, 2012 at 11:37 am
January 9, 2012 at 6:36 pm
BUILD your NETWORK
Our Network of College Women
Protecting our Teenage Girls
We’re in the Media »
Click to see our latest stories in the media
More Stories »Recent Comments
The Latest from our Blog
Archives
Pioneer Mentors
Blogroll
Find us Online
Subscribe Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS)
The New Agenda is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls by bringing about systemic change in the media, at the workplace, at school and at home. More...