[quote]The women’s vote is just as much the human’s vote. They will decide based on the issues that matter to them, not who is targeting them more during campaign season.[/quote]
Women, the 2012 candidates are after you. Whether it’s the “Moms for Mitt” Facebook page or the “Women for Obama Party Pack,” available for purchase on the president’s website, there is tangible proof that politicians are trying to single women out as a special group.
Would we ever see “Men for Romney” or “Guys for Obama” merchandise? Probably not, but there are racially targeted products like “Hispanics for Obama” shirts available online. With this logic, one would think that women are a minority group, when in fact, they are slightly more than half of the population.
It is as though all women have the same beliefs, and the candidates (or their strategists) think they can draw them all in at once with some magic words.
In a nation where “feminist” has become a dirty word for many, it is apparent that women aren’t always wooed by the crusaders for women’s rights.
Some care more about birth control, some care more about the economy and there will never be any kind of consensus reached among every female American.
The women’s vote is just as much the human’s vote. They will decide based on the issues that matter to them, not who is targeting them more during campaign season. Also, let’s give women some credit; they know that once the president is elected come November, most of these promises, if not all of them, are conveniently forgotten.
In addition, it is juvenile to think that the women’s vote is based on the issues alone. Sometimes a person simply does not like or trust the candidate, regardless of their platform. Both Romney and Obama have been in the public eye for several years, plenty of time to make gaffes and get on peoples' nerves. The likeability factor should not be underestimated, because not everyone is rigidly adhering to a political party.
Also, one cannot discount religion in the decision-making process. If voters disapprove of Mormonism, they might choose Obama, whereas the people who believe Obama is actually a Muslim – and have a problem with that, for whatever reason — will more likely vote for Romney.
The media an individual consumes is powerful enough that one candidate may be favored over another based on conscious or unconscious biases.
With the magic of the Internet, a person can seek out the information desired rather than the information needed to make a fair decision. Then there are those who vote for whomever their family wants them to. Women can be influenced by any or none of the above factors, just as men can.
Politicians’ attempts at seducing women to their side are somewhat akin to retailers making their products pink so that girls or women buy them. This is 21st century sexism, folks. Women have ideas of their own, and they can take their opinions to the polls. They can change their minds just as easily as men do.
The women’s vote is not “a sure thing.” Go find a real interest group.