Are Republicans losing female supporters because of the Democratic Party’s incessant attempts to smear them as anti-women? Polls say no, but when do liberals ever let statistics get in the way of a good narrative? The truth vigilantes at the New York Times put seven reporters across the country on the case, and, after “dozens of interviews in recent weeks,” managed to track down five female Republicans and one independent who displayed varying degrees of disappointment at the GOP candidates’ recent comments on social issues. The result was this headline: “Centrist Women Tell of Disenchantment with Republicans.”
The Times reports:
In Iowa, one of the crucial battlegrounds in the coming presidential election, and in other states, dozens of interviews in recent weeks have found that moderate Republican and independent women — one of the most important electoral swing groups — are disenchanted by the Republican focus on social issues like contraception and abortion in an election that, until recently, had been mostly dominated by the economy.
And in what appears to be an abrupt shift, some Republican-leaning women like Ms. Russell said they might switch sides and vote for Mr. Obama — if they turn out to vote at all.
The Times is careful to note that “[to] what extent women feel alienated remains unclear: most interviews for this article were conducted from a randomly generated list of voters who had been surveyed in a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, and their responses are anecdotal, not conclusive.”
Fortunately, there have been actual polls conducted on whether women have become disenchanted with the Republican candidates. Today’s Washington Post/ABC poll found “no measurable effect at this point” showing that women are moving toward the Democratic Party. In fact, President Obama actually appears to have lost ground with women in a general election matchup against Mitt Romney:
Compared with last month, disapproval of Obama’s job performance is up slightly among men, and there’s no increase in approval among women. And on vote preference vs. Romney, Obama did better among men and women alike last month, and has lost ground slightly among both sexes this month. In the latest results Romney has a 12-point lead among men who are registered voters; among women, it’s Obama +6.
So the only evidence that Republicans have lost support among women at this point is in a few cherry-picked anecdotes from the New York Times.
Why is the gender gap always posed as a Republican problem with women? I was astounded to read recently (not in the NYTimes of course) that Obama's support among white men in November may not exceed 35 %. I doubt the Times will probe that phenomenon.
If I do desert the GOP, it sure won't be for the stinking Democrat Party and their weasel Marxist "professor" Odrama Queen. n nIt will be because they select a candidate to force down our throats of the caliber of raging RINO Liberal John McCain. n nThese Marxist bureaucrats have got a very warm reception waiting for them in the After Life – regardless of what fine virtues they brag about, here on earth.
YES! n nAnd the flip side to all of this is what Howie Carr said about gasoline prices today — the birth control issue affects a small segment of half the population, while almost everyone has a car. n nHeaven help me, but there is a side of me that wants to say "screw the girls" — if we are going to loose them anyway, let's go for broke and become the "He-Man Women-Hater's party." n nBut Rose represents what I know of real Republican women — not the RINO leadership folk — they are people, not vaginas. They are concerned about more than just Big Sister's agenda….
Great job of 'fisking' the Times article!