Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: John McCain can win with the ladies
By Daniel Earnest
Daily Texan (U. Texas)
03/17/2008

(U-WIRE) AUSTIN, Texas — Strictly examining voting trends, women have mostly espoused Democratic presidential candidates since the 1960s. In the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, however, polls suggested that the number of women voting for Republicans had slightly increased. According to Votes for Women, a project of the nonprofit Communications Consortium Media Center, President Bush carried 48 percent of the female vote as opposed to 43 percent in 2000. It has been argued that this increase is a chief reason why Bush indisputably triumphed over John Kerry.

Indeed, females are a significant constituency when it comes to a general election. According to a poll conducted in 2004 by George Washington University, women made up 65 percent of undecided voters nationwide, and considering the increasing involvement of women in politics, that statistic might be even larger in 2008.

With that in mind, what must John McCain and the Republicans do to persuade these women to vote for them?

Iraq is key to McCain's chance of winning the presidency. While he may appear stiff and hawkish, McCain could employ his strong stance on the war to not only bolster support from people who fancy a president with a brawny view on foreign policy but also the number of his female supporters. One way to accomplish this might be by highlighting the fact that millions of women have been liberated in Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead of solely focusing on the logistics of national security, he can, in the public eye, evolve into a rescuer of shackled women.

In contrast to McCain, both Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have plainly paraded their hostility for the country's opposition to Islamic fundamentalism, which has been historically one of the most infamous and extreme suppressors of women's rights. In their scuttle to determine who is more anti-war, the two prospective Democratic candidates have failed to recognize the irrefutable fact that many of the countries who the United States is entrenched against in the War on Terror engage in the atrocious exploitation and general disrespect of women. In some of these countries, Arab women are barely considered human beings, often forced to act as baby-making machines to populate the earth. Most are treated slavishly by chauvinist pigs who also have destroying America on their short list of things to do.

But Obama and Clinton both continue to show extreme opposition to combating these radical fanatics. Both seem to be adopting a "let's just all sit around and talk about our differences" type of foreign policy, which champions appeasement. Both Democrats have a blatant, vociferous hostility toward a war that is liberating women, and that is where McCain can and should attack the Democrats.

Another issue on which McCain can attempt to expand his support from women is abortion. Because abortion is such a complex issue, it generally invokes passion from people on both sides of the fence, and if it is managed properly by McCain, it could be reason enough for some women to jump the fence and shift their alliance to the GOP in 2008.

Among women, opposition to abortion has risen steadily in current years, and the abortion rate in the United States has been steadily decreasing over the past 20 years. In 1990, abortion hit its pinnacle, with over 1.6 million abortions being performed.

However, in 2007, it has decreased to just over 1.2 million. Additionally, an article by the National Right to Life cites a Gallup poll that shows only 23 percent of women want abortion to be legal in all circumstances, and a national poll conducted by the Elliot Institute shows that only 16 percent of women believe abortion generally makes a woman's life better.

In addition, a 2003 Newsweek and Princeton University survey shows that 42 percent of women who identify themselves as Democrats also categorize themselves as pro-life. McCain should target these apparently pro-life Democrats by portraying himself as an ardent defender of the sanctity of life and by comparing himself to both Democrats who advocate pro-choice beliefs.

Moreover, according to David Reardon, director of the Eliot Institute, a staggering one in every four women voters has had an abortion, and he asserts that the majority of those one in four women regret their decisions later in life. If he compassionately reaches out to these women who have had abortions, McCain can not only rid the GOP of its reputation of condemnation and judgement but also glean some women voters who would normally vote for a Democrat. By working to purge the country of the grisly practice of abortion and by offering support and care for the women suffering from the anxiety that follows an abortion, McCain can please two major communities of support: pro-lifers and women.

If the trend from the past two elections does continue, it may be the first time a Republican has a feasible chance of carrying the majority of women in 40 years, and McCain may have the stances on certain issues that could potentially attract this majority. It all depends on whether he is willing to attempt to connect with women, and if he does, how well he can communicates these issues with them.

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