the kicker

What the campaigns think "Women Want"

This morning, The New York Times’s Kate Zernike turns in a sillily even-handed paint-by-the-numbers story (“Both Sides Seeking to Be What Women Want”) on the Obama and McCain campaign’s outreach to women. Both campaigns would like to have the support of women. It’s a close election, in case you haven’t heard. They’d also like to […]

September 15, 2008

This morning, The New York Times’s Kate Zernike turns in a sillily even-handed paint-by-the-numbers story (“Both Sides Seeking to Be What Women Want”) on the Obama and McCain campaign’s outreach to women.

Both campaigns would like to have the support of women. It’s a close election, in case you haven’t heard. They’d also like to have the support of double-amputees, disk-jockeys, and Vespa-owners.

But to make that “women are a priority to both candidates” point, you need evidence. And two of Zernike’s examples for what McCain’s campaign is doing to play to women are a little absurd. Take this one, high in the story.

And both campaigns are trying to highlight the issues they think will draw more support from women, with Mr. Obama emphasizing pay equity and abortion rights and Mr. McCain playing up his “maverick” image and raising questions of respect.

So the whole maverick thing is about getting the votes from women? No, it’s sort of his main selling point, one that’s meant to appeal to vast, gender-neutral swaths of the electorate. A suggestion like that makes you wonder what demographic Obama’s “change thing” is meant to appeal to. (Hint: it’s not just women.)

Here’s another:

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Mr. McCain will continue to campaign this week with Ms. Palin, with a rally on Tuesday in Ohio, an important state for working-class women.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear Ohio, I think “working-class women.” Oh, no, wait. I think 20 electoral votes.

Yes, men and women have different voting priorities, and candidates will craft a multitude of messages to resonate with different portions of the electorate. But going to Ohio and talking about being a maverick are kind of just what McCain does.

What Zernike’s article does point out, if you read it closely, is that Obama’s appeal to women is based on policy issues—abortion, health insurance, financial security. McCain’s seems to be entirely symbolic: emphasizing Palin, charging sexism, and bringing family members along on the trail.

That sort of framing would have made for quite a different, and more valuable, story than pointing out that maverick McCain will soon campaign in mythic Amazon, Ohio.

Clint Hendler is the managing editor of Mother Jones, and a former deputy editor of CJR.