Kerry's Once Sizable Lead With Female Voters Slips

Women's rights activists have grown increasingly anxious that Sen. John F. Kerry (news, bio, voting record) is failing to shore up a key constituency after recent polls showed that female voters are backing him by just a small margin.

But the recent surveys have found Kerry up by as little as four percentage points over President Bush (news - web sites). In 2000, by comparison, Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites) beat Bush by 11 points among female voters — which was precisely Bush's margin over Gore among male voters.

The worried women's rights leaders say that Kerry's campaign has all but ignored female voters in its organizing and in its message. In recent days, campaign officials have acknowledged that they need to bolster Kerry's standing with women.

Several of the women activists said that as Kerry has tried to move to the political center and to project strength on national security, he had given short shrift to issues such as equal benefits and abortion rights.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/20040919/ts_latimes/kerrysoncesizableleadwithfemalevotersslips

Another for the "bad news" file from the LA Times.

Vote for W.rong?

It's not like HE is championing the party of women's rights.

Only women who are total and complete morons (my mother) or self-hating, psychologically damaged creatures who believe that they are secondary beings who live only to incubate babies and be stupid slaves for others, will vote for *. Everyone else has only one real choice: Kerry.

While the GOP catered to its base during the RNC, the Democrats have done nothing but to shit on theirs. The "where are they going to go" mentality that has infected those that have adopted the DLC philosophy. It goes something like this: Gays want to get married? Fuck them! Where are they going to go?

And you wonder why the polls show that most voters are voting for the Democratic ticket because they hate Bush, not out of commitment to the Democratic Party. This will spell trouble down the road when Kerry tries to implement his DLC agenda only to find out that he had no mandate. People didn't vote for him because they agreed with his agenda, they voted for him despite his agenda because they hated Bush more.

...wedges throughout the left and that identiy politics has become more important to people, and they don't realize that there are things all people on the left can rally arround, and that you don't need to have your issues front and center to still win when a person like Kerry wins the presidency (and that getting your issues front and center sometimes ensures that the other side wins).

prisoners that they only know from letter writing. Seriously self-destructive.

policies. I don't buy this at all. Unless it's just a means to achieve more political leverage with the Kerry campaign.

because women are afraid of terrorism, & Bush will keep them safer.

And because of the school children being killed by terrorists in Russia.

Seems to me, if women want to keep their abortion rights, they would stick with Kerry.

Bush will keep them safer because he knows all the best hidey holes. Ladies, I hate to break it to you, but he's not going to let you join him in his hidey holes when the terra-ists attack us again. Those hidey holes are strictly for him and his rich, pasty friends.

I have had it with women (I am referring to another poster) that talk about abortion rights at the same time they tell they don't care about equal rights for gays and lesbians. This poster, who is not the first one to have said the same thing, stated that she wasn't affected by the same sex marriage issue, therefore she didn't care about it. Well, I am past PMS, so using her rationale, I don't care about abortion rights.

If people don't care about everyone's rights, including the right of gays and lesbians to marry people they love, then why should we care about their personal agenda.

They'd better vote for Kerry - after in effect outlawing abortion the religious right will (and is) going after any effective form of contraception.

If it happens on his watch?

from a pro-Bush newspaper.

:headbang:
rocknation

Let us know because from what we've seen in the last few years, almost all U.S. newspapers seem to be pro-Bush and anti-Kerry. :(

:)

But so many DUer's would say that it's wrong for a paper to be pro or anti a certain candidate. No wonder we are always fighting an uphill battle. Damn IT!!! :grr: I want a BIASED PRO-DEMOCRATIC National Newspapers!!!

These women are whiners,imv.. bush is out there taking us back to the cavemen days and Kerry is fighting for his and our lives on the freakin' "national security" issue and they're complaining about "short shrift to issues such as equal benefits and abortion rights".

Please tell me they have more vision than that and that they know what's really at stake here?

Maybe they should read Kerry's stance on these issues instead of buying into the zealots' framing of Kerry.

affiliation is?

<http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Matea+Gold+&btnG=Google+Search>

So spoke my former supervisor, back in 2000. She was a woman of limited intellectual gifts, but she did get that right.

Her mother (Pennsylvania), however, and one of my co-workers' mothers (NJ) did just that.

As I told a Bush supporter trying to convince me, I'd never vote for someone who didn't consider all human beings human beings. From Bush's point of view, most of humanity fails for at least one reason.

I'd prefer to vote for someone who considered all beings as having value (hello, Dennis Kucinich!), but that's not gonna happen for quite some time to come.

I bet he doesn't consider anyone a decent human being that doesn't have AT least a million in their bank account.

When I went to Al Gore's campaign website the top issues I sought - reproduction rights and pro-choice - were not the choices available. The campaign was not geared to single women or divorced women, or women alone raising children at all.

Gore failed to energize his base among women who weren't married.


I didn't work for his campaign for that reason. Yes, I voted for him, but didn't work.

I read that in 2000, 22 million single women did not vote!

Amazing.

But imagine if single women had voted their own interests in some close states.

Gore might be in the White House.

and if you read the whole story, there are a lot of significant women's rights activists quoted in it as expressing dissatisfaction. Plus, the LATimes has not been particularly partisan.

Kerry's campaign has faltered because he can't find his core & start enjoying what he's doing again. He needs to begin to feel it again, rather than just thinking it. Personally, I think he needs Edwards around again for a bit.

He'll find his legs, I believe, and when he does, * is gone. But he probably needs to hear some of these women right now, too. Because Gore won women's votes overwhelming. If a Dem fails to do that, there is no way they can win. That's just the facts.

"Personally, I think he needs Edwards around again for a bit."

From what I've read and heard, Edwards is very much going out into communities and connecting with people. It gets local coverage but not top billing on the nightly newscasts and not front page pictures in the national newspapers.

For a good many reasons, I think Edwards will help with the female vote, especially since Elizabeth Edwards is so level-headed and down to earth. The last cable news item I saw with E. Edwards was a two-night segment with Keith Olbermann on "Countdown," and Olbermann made it abundantly clear he respected Elizabeth Edwards a lot. She and her husband need more segments like that.

What was Clinton's focus and response in 92/96?

for your groups lately ladies? I'm so sick of this business that the candidate has to address each and every group.

Unless you're a very wealthy white woman there should be no dispute as to who is better for women. The alternative is unthinkable for regular women.

At least for the ones smart enough to know their quality of life is about more than just how much money they have - or manage to keep.

I still don't get the whole money logic of Republicans. Historically, the economy is better and people make more money during democratic administrations. So why not just make the money and pay the taxes. One would still be out ahead. I dare say most of these republicans trying to hold onto their $ made lots more under Clinton than they now save under Bush - especially if you factor in market losses over the past 3 years.

I am happy to pay my share of taxes. I look at it as a measurement of my company's success. Certainly don't want to revert back to the days when I paid $1500.

Sure, there's work to be done but it's not near as dire as this article suggests. Consider the data that they use in selling the "shrinking gender gap" thesis --- the known-to-be-flawed and repuglican-leaning GALLUP!

Grain o' salt...

What the hell do they want? does Kerry need to parade around in a dress to satisfy these whining yentas?

I'm sorry but when I saw this story I wanted to puke. Though not as extreme before I offend anybody, this to me is ALMOST like a Jew or a Pole in 1940 saying "well you know the guy running against Hitler, well ya know he's not quite connecting with us, I don't think he understands our needs"

WAHHHHH!??

You know what you whiny biii---I won't say it I won't say it, but seriously what the hell do you want huh? Kerry loudly stands with Planned Parenthood, supports abortion rights, Elizabeth Edwards even has going around campuses talking about how thanks to Bush funding cuts to women's athletics have occurred, but no no we want more dammit we're just not satisfied I am Woman hear me bitch and moan and threaten to vote for Bush haha!!

Yea go ahead honey, sit the vote out, or pull the lever for Bush and when Bush wins and enacts his own version of Sharia law because his Saudi friends order him to, I will refuse to defend you. Hope you can find a good burka to go with that 5th avenue purse.

Seriously...do they?

On Friday, Bush had his W is for Women rally with redmeat rabid dog Liddy Dole at the podium.
"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 (news - web sites) and Iraq (news - web sites) had improved conditions for women in those countries. "

On Sunday we have article(s) planting anti-Kerry seeds about women's issues. The majority of that article is 'Kerry hasn't done enough'. Over and over and over. :puke:

There's your answer.

begged to differ. It's just that the media doesn't 'pro-choose' to cover any real events that really display Bush in a poor light.

Bush is purely pro rich white males, period.

I know too many suburban women who are for Bush.

And single women aren't energized AS A GROUP for Kerry.

This is about the 6th article I've seen over the past 3 months that suggests that Kerry is missing an opportunity to pick up some serious votes among undecided/non-political women.

It is not negative to understand this reality. Bush has manipulated fear of terror to immobilize a significant portion of WHAT SHOULD BE part of the democratic base. By logic and reason, women should vote for Bush at least 3 to 1.

It is very disheartening and I intend to find out why they support him because these are women who I know to be kind, generous, generally intelligent, professional women and moms. I think that generally they are not informed. I also think if their boys were about 17, they would get informed.

RE: single women vote. In an organizing volunteer convention for the Kerry Campaign they talked about that as a group single women will be targeted here in Central Florida with phone calls.

When I tell that to the suburban moms I know their eyes get huge. I tell them there is legislation that is in the works and it's being kept a secret.

They ARE uninformed. Most of them just follow their husbands. Tell them about what Bush has done/will done in terms that matter to THEM. And, beyond that, it IS the single female vote that Kerry needs to motivate. It is not that many of them are pro-Bush, IMO, as it is that the vast majority are simply are uninspired to vote. They need to know that if they DON'T get Bush out, their rights will be obliterated and, moreover, their medical records will be fair game for Ashcroft.

I think the bigger issue is fear of terrorism. And somehow they've bought into the concept that Bush will protect them better (no matter how nonsensical that may seem to all of us). I think at a primitive, reptilian-brain level, the feeling that Bush will bomb the shit out of things makes them feel better. Again, nonsensical, but it appeals to a deep-seated desire for revenge against the bastards who would kill scores (hundreds?) of children in a school (eg Russia).

This is very fear-inducing stuff. And Bush, Cheney and Hastert are playing it for all it's worth.

Kerry needs to address terrorism to reach suburban moms.

One point of disagreement -- I don't think most of them are just following their husbands -- I give them a little more credit (but not much more -- they really need to be thinking beyond their fears).

down for everything - if takes communion or doesn't, if he votes for something or against it - they have nothing nice to say - so they should shut up

You know, the one who stayed home and pretended to be in the National Guard while our guy put his ass on the line.

I am getting so sick of this shit.

Do you HONESTLY think that women voters, who are unhappy with Kerry's lack of emphasis (supposed) on choice are going to vote for a man that is pretty open about outlawing choice?? Do you really think so? That makes NO sense... I absolutely HATE when some people try to speak for all of us, because THEY have some agenda. Do these women think that they are helping to get KErry elected by whining to the media about him? Is THAT going to preserve our rights? And who, exactly, do they think these women will be voting for instead? Bush? That is preposterous! Everyone acts like Kerry needs to address THEIR pet issues exclusively.. and that's ridiculous. They criticize him for being JUST LIKE BUSH, then they whine that Kerry's campaign is NOT ENOUGH LIKE BUSH. WTF do they want? If they keep this shit up, we will have NO CHOICE. Would that be preferable? Or should they continue feeding the media their grievances. Unbelievable.

I don't think Kerry is slipping with women. I have met tons of women supporting Kerry.. tons. When I wear my "women for kerry" dogtag, I am asked at almost every business I frequent, where I got the the cool dogtag, and how can THEY get one. This is just filler.

Today I saw a woman handing out Grandparents for Kerry Rally fliers.
The Flier says:

GRANDPARENTS DAY RALLY

SAVE YOUR GRANDCHILDREN FROM:
- Overwhelming Debt
- Unattainable Health Care
- Dying in an Unnecessary War

Grandparents love nothing more than giving gifts to their Grandchildren

Give your grandchildren the greatest gift of all:

A NEW ADMINISTRATION-----come and show America what love can do!

Give your grandchildren the greatest gift of all:
YOUR VOTE FOR JOHN KERRY
------------------------

Pretty neat idea for getting grandmothers and grandfathers together to raise discussion about the Bush administration. Women may get angry about their own lives but they sure has hell want better for their children and grandchildren.

What "recent surveys" show Kerry losing support among women? The same ones that show shrub-boy up by 13? We all know how reliable they are.

After wading through the generalizations in the article, we finally get to the point: NOW is mad at Kerry for not promoting abortion rights. Well, boo hoo.

Maybe if NOW broadened their own agenda a little to include more issues that matter a lot to women - like health insurance, living wages, child care, family leave - they might be a little more relevant themselves these days.

..We should send them your ideas!!

This shit has to stop! This crap does not create constructiveness.

<Virginia Akins, a retired schoolteacher in Bonne Terre, Mo., said she disagreed with the president's policies on the environment and education. Despite that, she still plans to vote for Bush because she said she was turned off by Kerry's assaults on the incumbent.

"I don't like the attack attitude he has," said Akins, 63, an independent voter who grew up in a Democratic family. "I think he acts very hateful.">

But of course she have no reservations voting for a guy who tries to discredit a war hero's military service, whose party used its whole convention to hurl epithets and insults at legitimate political dissenters and whose campaign has spread vicious rumors and innuendo about the opposing side.

But ask legitimate questions about the failed record of an Administration and, oh no, you're being hateful.

These people really make me furious

That Akins dame is dumber than the chair I'm sitting on. What planet is she from? Wasn't she aware of the Hate Fest in NY? Zell Miller was nice? Cheney is nice? Idiots like this woman aren't worth the powder to blow them to hell.

I only wish Kerry would get mean.

It's sending a red flag to me that they want Kerry to lay off holding the idiot responsible!

of the Neocons. Independent thinking women know that John Kerry doesn't approve of abortion himself that this decision should be between a woman, her spouse and the doctor and therefor he is Prochoice.

Kerry also has two very intelligent daughters with professions of their own, and he is married to a well educated professional woman. It would not be very hard to determine who is more aware of woman's issues. George Bush has two daughters that have received the best education that money can buy yet remain with immature personalities.


It's the family values, just like George says.

The Stepford wives will vote whoever their husbands tell them to.
Smart independent thinking women will vote for Kerry. They know that he will do whatever it takes to lead this nation for all it's citizens men, woman, and children.

Has she heard fuckhead talk about Kerry, lately?

I bet they could get a million quotes from women who thought bush was the lowest form of vermin but they're not lookin' for that.

They're lookin' for just that quote or they made it up.

Propoganda that's getting way out of hand..hands down!!

PROVE I AM WRONG!!!

BETTER BE ARMED,...'CAUSE,...I DEMAND PREPONDERANCE!!!

but there hasn't been much coverage of Theresa lately.

There will always be nutso bible thumper wives whose husbands use them for cumdumpsters and incubators for God who will vote for the shrub and there will always be the rich uppercrusty ones guarding their husbands wealth who will vote for the shrub.

All the pro choice women I know understand all too well the difference between the shrub and Kerry and where they stand on their core issue. All of the women who support gay rights, the same. Don't sell women short. Just get them to vote.

Our job as Kerry supporters is to get the message to the rest of the females out there. Grass roots politics.

Although I wish someone would have warned me that this site is like CRACK. arghhhhhhhhhh HOW DO YOU STOP?

I just emailed Kim Gandy, President NOW and told her to stop bitching and whining and get up off their collective asses and help get kerry elected. I don't expect a reply.

<snip>

Aside from moms who are handcuffed at Bush events and the Jersey 9/11 moms who are supporting John Kerry after growing disillusioned with White House attempts to suppress the 9/11 investigation, the president is doing very well with women. The so-called security moms, who have replaced soccer moms as a desirable demographic, are now flocking to Mr. Bush over Mr. Kerry, believing he can better protect their kids from scary terrorists.

In the new Times poll, 48 percent of women supported the president, compared with Mr. Kerry's 43 percent - a reversal from July, when Mr. Kerry had the women's vote 52 to 40 percent. This is an ominous sign for the Democrat, who lost his gender gap advantage after his listless summer and the G.O.P.'s convention swagger.

How did the president who has caused so much insecurity in the world become the hero of security moms? He was, after all, in charge when Al Qaeda struck, and he was the one to send off Mrs. Niederer's son and other kids to die in a war sold on a false premise. And that conflict has, despite what Mr. Bush claims, spurred more acts of terror and been a recruiting bonanza for Osama bin Laden.

In the Times poll, half of all registered voters said they had a lot of confidence in Mr. Bush's ability to protect the nation from another terrorist attack, compared with 26 percent who felt that way about Mr. Kerry.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/19/opinion/19dowd.html?hp

We all know that no one can protect
everyone in the country from a crime...
and that's what terrorism is. Quit using
terrorism as a word...make it smaller,
more definable, less scary. Empower people.
Point out what Bush Inc. has not done to protect
resources, infrastructure etc. Remind
women that Bush makes women less safe.
John, write your State of the Union speech
to everyone and give it now.

Frankly, driving around the construction in
Boston is more frustrating than any "terrorist"
act.
:-)

in a bushlike taliban fundamentalist society is certainly preferable to kerry and his loudmouth wife (did yu notice what she was wearing?) Come on peoples lets be for real!!!

Lagoon in Bolinas, CA, over 500 women and their families gathered for a picnic and voters "fair" to talk about all the great work and projects that the "Mainstreet Moms Opposed to Bush - aka theMMOB at http://www.theMMOB.com" and groups like "1000flowers.org - http://www.1000flowers.org " have organized in their letter writing efforts to swing states and "Adopt-a-Swing-State" programs etc.....

That's why various women/feminist activist from the Bay Area communities and others stood up and continued to talk about their efforts and continuing and relentless plans not just through election day, but beyond, in supporting John Kerry for President.

That's why over 200,000 letters have been written and will continue to be written along with planned visits to the swing states. That's why this Mom, Pachamama, along with a group of other Mom's plan on going to several of the swing states in the coming weeks to actively target the 22 Million unregistered single women who didn't vote in the 2000 elections. That's why we are turning in our absentee ballots in our states and plan to be driving people to polls in the swing states on election day and getting out the vote....

Our committment and support of John Kerry is as strong as ever, if not stronger...."W" does not stand for "Women"...it stands for everything that is "Wrong for Women".....

Don't believe these BS stories for even a second...its all noise and mistruths....the Bushites fear the truth.....and that is that Women are going to change the World - starting with this election....say goodbye George.....

:kick:

How can any woman overlook that, especially when you compare it to bush's record of doing absloutely nothing for women?

...for pointing out reason #1,999,995 of why Kerry is better for Women than Bush.....

I actually had heard that from someone else recently and thought "wow, another great pro-woman thing he has done".....

:hi:

from a Sleepless Mommy in CA!

Lets get bush out so we can all sleep better! LOL! But honestly, what has bush done for women? I can't think of one thing!

OR my sister, OR my lady friends, OR my daughters.....

You have to be smarter than a box of rocks to Vote for Kerry. This election IS NOT ABOUT ONE ISSUE. Fercrissakes!!!

There are a PLETHORA problems and a democracy at stake here. All of us are on this sinking titanic together.. and people are running around bitching because their life-boat doesn't have the right kind of cushions or it's the wrong size or it's the wrong color so they aren't getting into them...GEEEZUS!

Snap the hell out of it, all you self serving clones (not DUers). Put the wine down and THINK. :nuke:

Smarter than a box of rocks- I love it when my community speaks HEHEHE!!!
Great metapore about the titanic.

No woman in her right mind would allow Bu$h to remain in power for 4 more years.

who was raised in a seriously Republican family with a very overbearing father (a sheriff of a small rural town), recently had a baby with a guy (not her husband). This guy is about to be deployed to Iraq, leaving her and her infant son alone for who knows how long...Her comment was that it "gives you a different appreciation for the military". I told her that I appreciated the ones who said "fuck this, this is UNWINNABLE and I refuse to cooperate". I told her that I would support him by voting for John Kerry, who has promised to get us out of there. She said she was voting for Kerry, too. I think any woman who is faced with the very real possibility of losing someone she loves, whether a brother, son, husband or the father of her child, will vote for a leader who will fight to keep them out of harm's way or, at the very least, one who will not willfully and with malice of forethought deliberately send them to fight in an illegal and immoral war, particularly when their service to the country is so poorly recognized and so poorly rewarded by this country.