What White Women Want, Surprisingly the GOP

Real Clear Politics ^ | November 13, 2009 | David Paul Kuhn

[2ndDivisionVet]

This week, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat, told reporters the GOP offers a "back-of-the-hand treatment to women." Later she said two conservative female representatives only serve to further "repulse women." You see, Schultz said on MSNBC, Republicans "don't really get very many women when it comes to elections."

The week before, in Virginia, the Republican gubernatorial candidate won women. And in blue New Jersey, the Republican lost women but won white women by 18 percentage points.

Last year, John McCain won a majority of the white female vote. They sum to more than 25 million women. Democrats, so many forget, have not won a majority of white women since 1964.

Few subjects evoke more wrongheaded conventional wisdom than the gender gap. Consider a more common expression of the same factoid. In Democratic commenter Steve McMahon's words, "the Republican party is becoming, regressing to become, a white male southern party." NPR's Juan Williams said the GOP was a "regional southern party of white men." Even Republican strategist Mike Murphy called his GOP "the party of white males." Or as BBC's Katty Kay framed the danger, Republicans "don't want to end up being the party of white men."

The white part is correct. It goes without saying that Republicans must, foremost, win new minority voters. And Republicans do fare significantly better with white men than women. But take BBC's Kay. She's a fair-minded pundit and has written a book about women. But even Kay overlooks that the GOP consistently wins white women.(continued)

[msrngtp2002]

Absolutely! I agree with this stance yet from other conservatives I talk to many of them take a hard line stance on the abortion issue. Most of these are men - men will NEVER have an abortion nor need to, so perhaps government needs to get out of this issue somehow.

Similarly with the whole gay marriage, rights issue. I really don’t care what gay people do as long as they don’t do it in my face. Just as I don’t appreciate hetero public displays of sex we shouldn’t have to tolerate gay PDA either. I have been married and divorce a few times and got taken to the cleaners each time - so let the gays participate in THAT activity!

As a conservative and republican I am more concerned with things like defense, responsible handling of our tax dollars, and getting the government out of my face in all facets of life. I am frankly tired of seeing tax money spent supporting people who contribute nothing to society. I am tired of completing endless tax forms (I own a business). Tired of my local tax dollars being spent on crap like skateboard parks, flower boxes along the street, grants to this group and that and each group brings NOTHING to the table that will benefit taxpayers at large.

I am tired of being in the majority of opinions yet being in the minority on the receiving end of things.

I am tired of being hushed up when I speak out. I am tired of the PC crap. If I want to say something I will - if those within earshot don’t like it they can leave or confront me - That is THEIR right. They don’t have to right to regulate what I say. I was always taught sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you. Words are just words - get the hell over it!

At what point do we, as the majority opinion holders, get to say “We are the majority - do it our way. If you don’t like it, then become the majority.”

[Carlos Martillo II]

“White” women can’t have it both ways; they can’t pass as conservative while supporting women’s job fairs, token hiring, gov’t. grants for female-owned businesses, etc.. The biggest problem they have now is the determination of the other “protected” classes to shut down these programs, using the logic that these women have the same advantages as “white” men (gold flakes on their morning toast, family foundations funded by 987,000 years of slavery, etc.). White women will be steadfast conservatives when they see how the white males growing up now are clones of the urban welfare males, with all that entails. As these women have to shoulder more responsibilities, and their life resembles that of the current “white male” (60 hour workweeks, never seeing your children, etc.) and their life expectancy falls to that of their male counterparts, they will react. Don’t look for anything until then.

[Rick_Michael]

I’ll disagree with you on that, in that I think all issues of morals are within the government (abortion included); although when it comes down to it, it’s status (of being legal or not) doesn’t matter...in that it will still happen.

It may happen less, but it will still happen. I think the effort in practical sense,—regardless of state moving to change their own practice, is to make the conception part the barrier....not to get into it and leave abortion as the only option.

My dispute with abortions mostly resides in how casual it’s used, especially if you bear the statistics. I understand to some extent how women feel bad when they’re raped, but just because it’s inconvenient or they’re irresponsible doesn’t account for much in my mind.

One of these days neither side will have to fight over this issue and I think the right will benefit heavily when this issue is no-longer as big.

[Rick_Michael]

My guess is you started out as libertarian or you still are to some extent. I use to be somewhat like that, but my views have become more conservative on gay marriage and abortion.

[djf]

To rely on government, whose primary attributes seem to be greed and power, as a basis for your moral foundation seems to me to be a disaster waiting to happen!

;-)

[Rick_Michael]

Very few solutions are done through one.