Posted by
Reeson on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 8:06:08 AM
This is an interesting take. Excerpts from
OpinionEditorials.com:
Carey Roberts
A few years ago Democratic pollster Celinda Lake sounded the alarm that the Dems needed to reach out to male voters, or else resign itself to becoming a party of the perpetual minority. At first everyone laughed her off.
Then candidate John Kerry disastrously admitted in the 2004 campaign that his wife and daughters “kick me around,” and New York Times writer Frank Rich accused Kerry of being a Girlie-Man.
So after the Dems counted their losses and licked their wounds, Representative Rahm Emanuel, Senator Charles Schumer, and John Lapp, former director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, sat down for a long, hard talk. They decided to put together a new game plan -- one that would feature new faces, all men – check that, macho men.
Why? Because “Presidential politics, but also the rest of national political leadership, has a lot to do with the understandable desire of voters for leadership, strength, clarity, and sureness,” according to Jim Jordan, John’s Kerry’s first presidential campaign manager. [www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/weekinreview/07lizza.html]
So what about the muscularity quotient of the Republican Party?
Honestly, we’d have to say it’s a mixed bag. President Bush certainly comes across as courageous, resolute, and steady at the helm. Maybe not in the same league as a Brett Favre or John Elway, but certainly stands tall in the pocket.
It’s no secret, men and women view the world through a different prism. Men value self-reliance, risk-taking, and action. Men are put off by the primping, pouting, and pontificating of celebrity-types like Rosie and Roseanne.
In contrast, women are more interested in safety and security, even if it means an occasional intrusion of the Nanny State. As columnist Allison Brown put it, “Most women are natural socialists.”
Yes, we want women to support our issues. But if you lean too far in casting your message to the members of the fairer sex, you risk betraying your core principles as the standard-bearer of limited government and fiscal restraint.
It’s no secret that the Republican party is in disarray. Its conservative base is in revolt, a front-runner for the 2008 race has yet to emerge, and the president’s governing strategy with the Dems remains in flux.
So Republicans, it’s time to field your veteran players.
Carey Roberts analyzes and lampoons political correctness. His best-known work is an exposé on Marxism and radical feminism. Mr. Roberts’ work has been cited on the Rush Limbaugh show and has been published regularly in The Washington Times. Besides serving as a Guest Writer for OpinionEditorials.com, he has published at LewRockwell.com, ifeminists.net, Men’s News Daily, and elsewhere.
CareyRoberts@comcast.net