We nearly lost women

[Recursion]

Slate http://www.slate.com/id/2273340/entry/2273604/">calls out a fox news analysis (I'd prefer to link to Slate than to Fox).

For one thing, women voted nearly as much for Republicans as for Democrats (in 2008 the split was 56-42 in favor of Democrats). Yes, this was a Republican anti-incumbent year. But still, this is the first time that's happened, and it suggests that the shift in sympathies and alliances happening among American women are not captured by a temporary infatuation with a handful of photogenic Mama Grizzlies.

For all the talk of "Security Moms" in the oughts, women never evenly split between the parties in that decade. Why did we lose 10 percent of female voters, and what can we do to get them back?

[EFerrari]

1. I'd wait for good numbers before drawing any conclusion.

Do you remember all the claims made in the aftermath of 2004? About women, youth, Latinos, service people? They all turned out to be bs but that didn't prevent anyone from excoriating those groups or from drawing conclusions based on bs for weeks.

Get some good numbers first before you buy in, imho.

[Ozymanithrax]

2. The economy is bad. They fear for their jobs and homes.

Bring economic security, and they will come home.

[End Of The Road]

6. But why do they think the Republicans will improve the economy

and faster than the Dems? That's what I don't get. Since I'm not rich, I've always been worse off, financially, during a republican administration. I've always looked to the dems to protect my rights.

[NoNothing]

11. They don't

But that's the other choice in a two-party system. This was not about rewarding Republicans, it was about punishing Democrats.

[Ozymanithrax]

17. I was an experiment where a blind worm was touched with a hot wire.

In every case, the worm moved away from the wire.

People are uncomfortable now, and nothing is being done RIGHT NOW to ease their fear and discomfort.

Since Republicans are the only other game in town,the majority who voted moved in that direction seeking relief to their fear and discomfort. The did no elect Republicans so much as the unelected Democrats.

What happened tonight happened a number of times in history when you mix a bad economy with a midterm. It is predictable.

I think Americans are telling their government, I'm frightened and you need to fix this. Republicans hear what their need for powers dictates they hear. They will work to give big tax cuts, because they believe in their undersized little minds that tax cuts are the ultimate truth.

And everybody gets screwed.

I expect another wave in 2012.

[Dinger]

3. Well, Many Public School Teachers Are Women, And Union Members

Might explain at least some of that.

[frazzled]

10. Public school teachers and union members are voting R?

Or are you saying they didn't vote? Same thing. (But you're wrong ... and the numbers don't bear your theory out).

I'll tell you one anecdote: I spent part of yesterday phoning voters who had sent in their application for an absentee, mail-in ballot, but too late for the Clerk to send them out. We were trying to see if we could get them to go to the polls to vote. One woman I talked to said that indeed, she had not received her ballot. I asked her if she could get to the polls to vote, and she said she planned to later in the day for sure. Great, I said (after checking she knew her polling place), and we'd sure appreciate it if you vote for all our Democratic candidates. "I'm a TEACHER," she said, "of course I will."

Just one story, but it made my day.

[gkhouston]

4. Two words: "values voters". I'd wait for sound numbers from a reputable source

before assuming a trend exists that needs to be analyzed.

[EFerrari]

8. Exactly. Those mystery "values voters" that no one was ever able to find.

:thumbsup:

[Naturyl]

5. Teabagger moms

A singularly puke-inducing phenomena, but a real one.

[truebrit71]

7. Any woman, and I mean ANY woman that voted for the gop needs their head examined...

..why on earth would you vote for a party that wants to take away your rights?

It makes as much sense as a pro-Colonel Sanders chicken..

[MadMaddie]

9. I will say something unpopular

I believe the root of this loss is racism.

For these women to support Republicans
- who have said they will interfere with a womans right to choose
- who do not believe in fair wages for women
- who do not believe in providing money for military women who have been in combat
- who believe that early start programs for children should be eliminated
- who believe the Dept of Education should be abolished
- who believe that Medicaid and Medicaire should be abolished

Sorry but what other conclusions can we come to? I believe they are blinded by Faux and racism. What say you?

[CBR]

12. +1000!! The main losses were among white women. nt

[Kaleva]

16. White women tend to vote Repub anyways.

[EFerrari]

13. It's not even certain there was a loss.

Remember blaming black voters for Prop H8 and then finding out that one little poll was bad AND that the vote count in L.A. County was also bad? Can we be a little careful before we call any group racist?

[TexasObserver]

14. It was likely because of turn out.

The older women who always vote GOP turn out every election. Younger women do not, and given that many of the younger women who supported the president have been disappointed the past two years, it's not surprising that our 2008 women voters didn't all vote in 2010.

[regnaD kciN]

15. Exactly...

One of the big features of this election was that voters as a whole were considerably older and much more Caucasian than in 2008. In other words, the "women's" vote was more older white ladies. That group is going to be amongst the most conservative. I doubt you'll see that two years from now.