Read the Women Blog!
Read the Women Blog
December 14, 2007
Who will capture women’s vote?
Sen. Barack Obama knows women will call the shots at next year’s election, as was the case in 1992 and 2006. He’s already reaping the media coverage, temporarily dwarfing other candidates, after being endorsed and accompanied to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina by Oprah Winfrey, perhaps women’s most celebrated TV icon. It remains to be seen whether his campaign’s new focus on women, which includes targeted videos and messages, are effective in securing women’s support to win the Democratic nomination.
It’s interesting how quickly Sen. Obama has adjusted his focus. Back in July, I attended a gathering in which he left unclear whether he planned to address the so-called social issues that have dominated presidential elections since Ronald Reagan’s victory in 1980. When we spoke, as he made his way out of the room, he was emphatic that terrorism would be “the only issue” in the 2008 election. Americans’ priorities, including women’s, go beyond terrorism and the war in Iraq, as a USA Today/Gallup poll confirmed last week. Looking back on CFAW’s work, especially the extensive qualitative research we conducted this year, women’s priorities include intimate partner violence, economic security and equitable access to gender-relevant, quality healthcare.
Women’s vote is too powerful to be ignored, even though campaigns have tried; John Kerry’s being the most notable among Democrats. Over the past 25 years, women, about 54 percent of the electorate, have voted in higher numbers than men. And according to a new survey by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, 82 percent of the elusive unmarried women say they will vote in 2008.
What might have had an even stronger influence in re-shaping Obama’s approach are women who have not decided. Not even Sen. Hillary Clinton can take women’s vote for granted, although some have concluded that we are her natural constituency. The field is still wide open to capture women’s loyalty. According to several polls, including one by Lifetime television network, only 22 percent of women have selected their candidate. At least before last weekend, 88 percent of women had not been swayed by the candidates, themselves, or by celebrity-style politics.
We will support a champion who will address our priorities. Obama’s strategy shift seems to recognize that if they want to be elected, they avoid women at their peril. He’s reached out — now what will he promise to do? And how will he and anyone who gets women’s vote be held accountable? We must press for specific answers.
Here are a few specific questions that we should ask every congressional and presidential candidate:
• Will you vote to pass and sign into law the Fair Pay Restoration Act, which will correct the injustice of the Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.? According to the Court’s majority, victims of compensation discrimination cannot seek justice under the present law, unless they file claims within 180 days of receiving discriminatory checks, a condition that ignores the realities of wage inequity for women in male-dominated workplaces.
• Will you vote to pass and sign into law the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, which will allow pharmaceutical companies to offer discounts on contraceptive prices in college campuses and health care centers serving low-income women? National teenage pregnancy rates rose again for the first time after 15 years. More discounts must be restored to bona-fide contraceptive services that offer more than “Just say no!” alternatives.
• Will you vote to pass and support the Equal Rights Amendment, which would finally grant constitutional guarantee of equality for women? Why this is not a no-brainer, in 2008, is a mystery to me. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) dutifully introduce ERA each year. It’s time to ratify equality for half of the U.S. population.
• Will you vote to fully fund programs included under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), signed into law in 2006? Over the past five years, CFAW’s quantitative and qualitative research with women confirms that intimate partner violence and sexual assault are among women’s top concerns.
• Will you vote to pass and sign into law the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA), which integrates efforts to end violence against women worldwide into foreign assistance programs and diplomatic efforts?
Women have an exciting and unique opportunity to make the full force of our power felt. So much is at stake. At the top of the list: the future of the Supreme Court. It is essential that we connect our personal lives and everyday experiences to the political action needed to promote fairness and opportunity for all women. In 2008, CFAW will disseminate, through local and national media platforms, the facts on women’s priorities and the direction that they want to see our country take. Our vote should not be taken for granted by any candidate, even an aspirant to local public office, nor should it come cheaply.
With your commitment to support CFAW’s work, we will get the word out. I ask you to please put us on your year-end charitable gift-giving list. Donations can be made online at our Web site, advancewomen.org. If you already are a financial supporter, thank you for your generosity.
As the year draws to a close, I would like to thank you personally for your support of CFAW’s efforts to fight for the preservation of women’s rights. Thank you for believing that women’s issues matter. Thank you for demonstrating that you believe change is possible.
May 2008 be a happy, fair and healthy year for you and for all women, worldwide.
kesa says
I’m voting for Dennis Kucinich and if you look at his record, you’ll vote for him, too.
Kari says
A vital issue not on your list…
What about asking candidates about their stand of funding UNFPA?
Thanks
Barbara says
A Hillary presidency reminds me of a colonoscopy with no medication. Slow, torturous and praying for it to end soon. I think a woman would be wonderful in the white house, but who that woman is makes all the difference. If she were someone I could respect, even someone with a voice I could tolerate, that would help. As a professional, I want someone that makes me proud that I am a woman. Someone strong, intelligent, classy yet has all the qualities I appreciate about being a woman-nurturing, family oriented, humanitarian and yes-integrety is important. Hillary doesn’t come close to fitting the bill.