Monday, November 3, 2014
What We've Been Reading 10/31
With the midterm elections just around the corner we’re taking a look at the key role women will play in shaping the debate in the next few days.
The Washington Post: The Fix Blog, Aaron Blake, “Single women are turning into a huge question mark for Democrats” October 29, 2014
A recent WaPo-ABC poll found that 58 percent of registered single women voters are following the election closely. The blog post explains that this is lower than every demographic except unmarried men which came in at 57 percent. This is concerning news for Democrats, for whom single women are a key demographic based on turnout in recent elections.
NBC, Perry Bacon Jr, “Hillary Clinton Is Talking More About Women. Here's Why It Matters.” October 28, 2014
It matters because it signals a larger shift in our political climate. One towards the inclusion both of women’s voices and of issues facing women and children in national conversations. The article quotes Rebecca Traister, author of “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “It’s a very different cultural environment. You have a rise in the prominence of figures like [New York Senator Kirstin] Gillibrand, a growth in feminist media, you have more people who are writing as feminists,” Traister said. “This is a far friendlier environment to be talking about women-friendly social policy.”
CNN, Stephen Collision “How the 'war on women' is changing”
This article examined Republicans’ efforts to appeal to women voters and avoid controversies like those of the 2012 cycle such as the “binders full of women” gaffe.
According to Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for Women and Politics at Rutgers University, Democrats may not be doing enough to get women to the polls. Especially without a Presidential race to highlight the key differences, turnout should be focus for Democrats. "The bigger challenge that the Democrats are facing this time may or may not be about whether the Republicans are appealing more to women — but the Democrats are not inspiring or turning out the women," Walsh said.
