The Recession Question

The Recession Question — by Catherine Morgan

The economy is an important issue to voters, and the voters are getting a lot of mixed-messages about the economy. Is it good? Is it bad? Are we in a recession? Should we be spending or saving? As far as I am concerned…It doesn’t matter what you call it, but the economy is on shaky ground for many Americans. Here is a look at some of the recent news on the economy…

READ FULL POST AT THE Care2 Election Blog

Women Will Play A Key Role In 2008 Presidential Election

Women Will Play A Key Role In 2008 Election — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at The Care2 Election Blog)

The presidential campaign has taken an interesting turn in the last few days. It’s finally become apparent to the media, the pundits, and the candidates, what has been obvious to women all along…Women hold the key to the White House, ignore them and you shall be locked out.

How important will the “women’s vote” be in the 2008 presidential election? The answer – It’s going to be more important than anyone can even begin to imagine. If that fact hadn’t been abundantly clear before now, it certainly should be after Iowa and New Hampshire. Obama won in Iowa with the majority of women voting for him there, and Clinton won in New Hampshire with the majority of women voting for her there. When all is said and done, the next President of the United States will be coronated not by the media, but by the women.

In 2004, 8.8 million more women voted than men, that number is going to be even greater in 2008.

So, do your homework candidates. This election is not about race, gender, or tears…It’s about the issues, especially the issues that are important to women voters. You will need a message that resonates with all women voters…all colors, ages, income levels, married, single, soccer moms, and single moms. Don’t feel bad men, women ultimately want what’s best for the country, so that includes you too. And NEWS FLASH…Just “pandering” to the women is not going to do the trick, we can actually see through that.

NOTE TO CANDIDATES: Now might be a good time to check in with Lisa Stone of BlogHer about the BlogHer’s Voter Manifesto. FYI…Women who blog not only vote, but they influence other voters. With that said, you may also want to check out The Political Voices of Women, where a list has been compiled of over 300 women blogging about politics and the election. And, don’t forget to check out our very own Care2 Groups, with millions of members, many of whom happen to be women.

So, what are some of the women of the blogosphere saying about the events of the last few days? Here is a little sampling…

Morra Aarons of BlogHer – Why Thirtysomething Women need Hillary Clinton, and Why She Needs Us

As I wrote last week, the “You Go Girl” nature of many women’s political campaigns rings false to a generation more preoccupied with righting our sinking real estate investments than raising our consciousness. Feminism did a lot for women way back when, but it can’t clean up our current messes: quiet harassment, unexplained passing over for big jobs, Chris Matthews. We need to protect our hard-earned status and money, not clamor for more femaleness (check out this enlightening blog post from Eve Tahmincioglu on women in business and Hillary).

E.M. of American Princess

Clinton did win more than just the primary, though, last night. She socked away some of the most important Democratic demographics: women (particularly stay-at-home moms and young career women), old people and union workers. All three of these were, early on, in other camps. The women were with Obama, and the old people and union workers were with Edwards. All three of these, were (and are) also demographics that vote in huge numbers and often as a group. Stay at home moms and old people have time to go and vote on election day (heck, the old people wait all year), and union workers will get election day off, making them totally available to add to the Democratic numbers.

Tennessee Guerilla Women – Hilary’s Victory

Everyone’s searching for reasons for Hillary’s victory in New Hampshire. In my view, she is simply the best person for the job, but there can be no doubt that the misogyny oozing from media pundits like Chris Matthews got New Hampshire women good and mad and they showed it with their votes. Women put Hillary over the top – the gender gap was 13 points!

Sue from Nailing Jello to the Wall

By now you’ve heard the news of Hillary Clinton’s surprise win in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. But I think the real winner in this contest was the will of the American people. Yesterday afternoon, all the pundits and pollsters were predicting a major loss for Clinton. Assclown Blogger Matt Drudge even predicted Clinton was so far behind that she would drop out of the race completely in a story entitled TALK OF HILLARY EXIT ENGULFS CAMPAIGNS.

What we saw, ladies and gentlemen, was a catastrophic media failure.

Pacific Views

So what are the good things about the primary so far?

I love the fact that Obama is such a viable and exciting candidate and would certainly pull the lever for him if he’s the nominee. Our country is decidedly less racist than it was in the past (even though the Republicans can’t stop demagoguing the immigration issue).

I love the fact that Hillary has shown her passionate and authentic side and still she is seen as capable of being an incredibly competent president (despite being a woman).

I love the fact that Edwards is still driving his opponents to be more vocally progressive and clear on who is standing in the way of a better future for the American people. (It’s those pharmaceuticals, those oil companies and those other corporations who think the US is just a country to exploit while they rake in the big bucks.)

I love the fact that I still might have a voice in this primary in early February when my vote is cast.

And I love the fact that almost twice as many people pulled a lever for a Democrat in New Hampshire than a Republican.

Tina at The Right Pundits

Ok, ,the primary results are in and Hillary Clinton won it for the Democrats. I thought that Barack Obama would have won it. Like the media, the campaigns, and the pundits, I am stunned. All reputable polling firms (like Zogby, Rasmussen, Gallup, etc.) indicated that Hillary would lose. So what happened? I suspect some “voter fraud.” Of course, I can not prove it – but I’m sure you will hear more stories about this soon.

What Tami Said

From time to time, I am challenged by other black women for calling myself a feminist. Some of them believe that while all women suffer from sexism, white women who make up the feminist mainstream do not understand the extra burden of race faced by women of color. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem’s Jan. 8 Op-ed in The New York Times just made it even harder for me to defend myself. In it, she declares that sexism trumps racism and that true “radical” feminists are casting their votes for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries.

What Do I Know?

Anyway, my quick two pence on what happened:

Women got mad, almost as mad as Hillary in the debate. The press, and one candidate in particular, were ganging up in classic misogynistic style. Women rush to each others’ side when one of us is attacked. I don’t know; it’s like a jungle thing. We defend. We empathize. And we vote.

The polls weren’t wrong so much as they didn’t predict the undecideds. After seeing the media anoint a candidate, the large chunk of voters still on the fence jumped off on Hillary’s side. That’s New Hampshire. Live free or die, baby.

The media tried to coronate Hillary and Iowa rejected that. Then they tried to coronate Obama and NH rejected that.

Lauren from Pride of America

I don’t want someone running my country who can’t handle stress and pressure and has to complain about how she can’t exercise or eat right. Aren’t there more important things to talk about? Like the war? Or the economy?

Either she cracked, or more than likely, this latest ordeal was an attempt to appeal to the masses through sympathy.

PunditMom – 7.6 Million Women Voters Being Ignored

In 2004, George Bush beat out John Kerry for the White House by just over three million votes.

The 2008 race is bound to be a close one, as well. I know the candidates have been a little preoccupied with Iowa and New Hampshire, but with a margin of victory so slim, wouldn’t you think that the candidates would be interested in over seven and a half million women who will probably be voting?

The WIP

Women’s Voices. Women Vote has found that 91% of the unmarried women voters they surveyed reported that their frustration with public policy made them more likely to vote in 2008. They are paying attention and are interested in record numbers. Polling data reported on their website shows that 64% of unmarried women voters usually considered unlikely to vote (eligible and registered, but who missed at least one of the last two presidential elections) now say they are “absolutely certain” to vote in 2008. Women’s Voices. Women Vote also found 77% of unmarried women voters are expressing a high level of interest in this election.