[lbo-talk] Re: Who has the cojones? (was: Learn Why We Need a MillionWorker March)

[Joe Smith]

> On Sep 20, 2004, at 11:08 AM, Joe Smith wrote:
>
> > To make matters worse this is supposed to be cojones week for the
> > Democratic
> > ticket as Kerry & Edwards talk tough on Iraq and al-Qaeda.  Not
> > exactly a
> > promising sign that Kerry will be able to stop the rot.
>
> Well, for the Kerry/Edwards strategists, it is supposed to make matters
> *better,* because (the conventional wisdom says) the women are
> defecting to Bush because they want a president with "cojones" who will
> protect them and their kids from the big, bad terrorists. Goes right
> along with my view that Bush's High Noon image (protecting the Quaker
> lady even if she dislikes violence) is working like a charm.
>
> I don't know if that conventional wisdom is correct, but it's the only
> explanation I can think of for the female slide to Bush (assuming of
> course that *that* is correct, given the weird behavior the polling
> business is displaying these days).
>
> Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org

Yes, that seems to be an accurate picture of the 'conventional wisdom.'
According to the LA Times article I cited earlier woman's rights activists
are dismayed by the Kerry campaign's reticience on women's issues.  They say
that has left the field open to Bush who has stepped into the breach:

"The president's reelection effort has worked to create a grass-roots
network of female supporters, giving them material about Bush's agenda to
distribute at "W is for Women" house parties.

"On Friday, the president's campaign trip to Charlotte, N.C., was focused on
gaining support from women. Before a largely female audience, he promoted
his tax cuts as beneficial to female-owned businesses, and argued that the
U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq had improved conditions for women
in those countries."
(http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/2004/la-na-women19sep19,1,7691956.stor
y?coll=la-news-elect2004)

In other words the Republicans are organizing and motivating women voters in
a way the Democrats' "largely male group of advisors " seem afraid to.

This would seem like a plausible explanation for the drift away from Kerry
as well.

joe