Carey Roberts
Men lead the conservative surge to retake Congress
By Carey Roberts
There's little doubt that November 2, 2010 will mark a historic realignment in American politics, as Democrats are predicted to endure painful losses in both the Senate and House. What is less appreciated is the fact that men, especially white men, will lead the way.
While it's true that women represent 53% of the national electorate, it's the 47% male vote that will make the difference on Election Day. That's because historically, the female vote tends to split between the two parties, casting men as electoral tie-breakers.
That's exactly what happened in January in Massachusetts. While 52% of white women voted for ultra-liberal Martha Coakley, 60% of men pulled the lever for candidate Scott Brown, handing the Republican upstart a stunning upset victory.
This same dynamic is now playing out across the nation, according to a recent Pew Research Center report, "Distrust, Discontent, Anger, and Partisan Rancor:" http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1569/trust-in-government-distrust-discontent-anger-partisan-rancor
The national poll of 2,500 Americans found seven out of 10 say government is wasteful and inefficient. A solid majority of citizens now believe the government "unfairly benefits some groups," "doesn't do enough to help average Americans," and "is too big and powerful." And nearly half — 47% — of Americans believe the government represents a threat to personal rights and freedoms.
But it's the male-female breakdowns where the numbers jump off the page and do somersaults and head-stands.
While 35% of women believe the government is pursuing the wrong priorities, 41% of men think the government has gone off the track, representing a six-point gender gap.
A minority of women (43%) believe the federal government threatens personal rights and freedoms, whereas a majority of men (52%) express this worry.
When asked whether government programs should be cut back, 52% of men, compared to 42% of women said "yes." (I suspect many of the gents used colorful language like, "h*ll yes," but the Pew report dutifully sanitizes that information.)
Not surprisingly, male anger over perceived government excess has translated into mushrooming support for the Tea Party movement. While 44% of female respondents indicated agreement with the Tea Party goals, 56% of males expressed such support, a landslide 12-point difference.
Pundit David Paul Kuhn believes these stark differences can be traced to underlying perceptions of what he calls the Mommy-Daddy Political Divide.
Maternal Democrats emphasize health care, the environment, and helping the poor. In contrast, the paternal Republicans view government primarily as a force for law and order. Hence, GOP priorities emphasize strengthening the military, illegal immigration, and moral breakdown.
(Ironically, Sarah Palin, courageous advocate for social conservativism, admits in her Going Rogue book to embracing nanny-state policies like Title IX, which imposes rigid gender quotas on college sports.)
As Kuhn notes, "Democrats saw an absent father who made a mess of the nation. The responsible mother was to take charge and make everything all right." That perception translated into sweeping Democratic victories in 2008.
But alas, Obama over-reached. While the $878 billion economic stimulus package was sold to the American public as a jobs bill, it was transmogrified behind the scenes into a social service entitlement bill. Then Obama became a stout defender of Wall Street and big business. "The president now personified the worst stereotypes of the mommy and daddy parties," Kuhn concludes.
Liberals read the polling numbers, too. Indeed, they tremble at the prospect of a mass exodus of the white male electorate, 41% of whom voted for Barack Obama in 2008.
But when push comes to shove, Democrats are firmly tied to the ideological apron-strings of radical feminism, as revealed by their unswerving positions on abortion, affirmative action, and the so-called "gender pay-gap."
So rather than accommodating the concerns of their male base, Democrats opted to caricature men, turning "White male" into a shame-inducing epithet.
Seeking to marginalize the rejuvenated political muscle of men, the Dems then accuse the Tea Party movement as being racist and sexist. As we know by now, liberal accusations of others are often a reflection of their own prejudices and biases.
So Tea Partiers — men and women, Black and White, young and old. I have some words of counsel: Stand tall, stand proud. If the lamestream media resorts to sneering stereotypes of angry White males, take them to task for their shameful and classless demagoguery.
And for good measure, ask them to explain how their family-destructive, nanny-state policies are helping women to become strong and independent.
On January 20, 2010, a remarkable political reversal took place in the least likely of venues, in ultra-liberal Massachusetts. Come November 2, history is destined to repeat itself.
© Carey Roberts
April 21, 2010
There's little doubt that November 2, 2010 will mark a historic realignment in American politics, as Democrats are predicted to endure painful losses in both the Senate and House. What is less appreciated is the fact that men, especially white men, will lead the way.
While it's true that women represent 53% of the national electorate, it's the 47% male vote that will make the difference on Election Day. That's because historically, the female vote tends to split between the two parties, casting men as electoral tie-breakers.
That's exactly what happened in January in Massachusetts. While 52% of white women voted for ultra-liberal Martha Coakley, 60% of men pulled the lever for candidate Scott Brown, handing the Republican upstart a stunning upset victory.
This same dynamic is now playing out across the nation, according to a recent Pew Research Center report, "Distrust, Discontent, Anger, and Partisan Rancor:" http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1569/trust-in-government-distrust-discontent-anger-partisan-rancor
The national poll of 2,500 Americans found seven out of 10 say government is wasteful and inefficient. A solid majority of citizens now believe the government "unfairly benefits some groups," "doesn't do enough to help average Americans," and "is too big and powerful." And nearly half — 47% — of Americans believe the government represents a threat to personal rights and freedoms.
But it's the male-female breakdowns where the numbers jump off the page and do somersaults and head-stands.
While 35% of women believe the government is pursuing the wrong priorities, 41% of men think the government has gone off the track, representing a six-point gender gap.
A minority of women (43%) believe the federal government threatens personal rights and freedoms, whereas a majority of men (52%) express this worry.
When asked whether government programs should be cut back, 52% of men, compared to 42% of women said "yes." (I suspect many of the gents used colorful language like, "h*ll yes," but the Pew report dutifully sanitizes that information.)
Not surprisingly, male anger over perceived government excess has translated into mushrooming support for the Tea Party movement. While 44% of female respondents indicated agreement with the Tea Party goals, 56% of males expressed such support, a landslide 12-point difference.
Pundit David Paul Kuhn believes these stark differences can be traced to underlying perceptions of what he calls the Mommy-Daddy Political Divide.
Maternal Democrats emphasize health care, the environment, and helping the poor. In contrast, the paternal Republicans view government primarily as a force for law and order. Hence, GOP priorities emphasize strengthening the military, illegal immigration, and moral breakdown.
(Ironically, Sarah Palin, courageous advocate for social conservativism, admits in her Going Rogue book to embracing nanny-state policies like Title IX, which imposes rigid gender quotas on college sports.)
As Kuhn notes, "Democrats saw an absent father who made a mess of the nation. The responsible mother was to take charge and make everything all right." That perception translated into sweeping Democratic victories in 2008.
But alas, Obama over-reached. While the $878 billion economic stimulus package was sold to the American public as a jobs bill, it was transmogrified behind the scenes into a social service entitlement bill. Then Obama became a stout defender of Wall Street and big business. "The president now personified the worst stereotypes of the mommy and daddy parties," Kuhn concludes.
Liberals read the polling numbers, too. Indeed, they tremble at the prospect of a mass exodus of the white male electorate, 41% of whom voted for Barack Obama in 2008.
But when push comes to shove, Democrats are firmly tied to the ideological apron-strings of radical feminism, as revealed by their unswerving positions on abortion, affirmative action, and the so-called "gender pay-gap."
So rather than accommodating the concerns of their male base, Democrats opted to caricature men, turning "White male" into a shame-inducing epithet.
Seeking to marginalize the rejuvenated political muscle of men, the Dems then accuse the Tea Party movement as being racist and sexist. As we know by now, liberal accusations of others are often a reflection of their own prejudices and biases.
So Tea Partiers — men and women, Black and White, young and old. I have some words of counsel: Stand tall, stand proud. If the lamestream media resorts to sneering stereotypes of angry White males, take them to task for their shameful and classless demagoguery.
And for good measure, ask them to explain how their family-destructive, nanny-state policies are helping women to become strong and independent.
On January 20, 2010, a remarkable political reversal took place in the least likely of venues, in ultra-liberal Massachusetts. Come November 2, history is destined to repeat itself.
© Carey Roberts
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(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
