How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
Michael Gerson's latest column notes that Mitt Romney has electoral trouble with women. He's trailing President Obama by 18 points among this group in Ohio, for instance. Gerson writes:
The media — ever drawn to simple explanations that reinforce their own cultural expectations — have diagnosed Romney’s gender-based electoral weakness as the result of his opposition to the contraceptive mandate. This is both initially plausible and demonstrably false. More than 60 percent of American voters don’t even know Romney’s position on the mandate — a topic they rank near the bottom of their political concerns. And when pressed, a majority of women affirm that religious institutions should be exempted from the mandate.
This is not particularly good news for Romney. His difficulties would not be solved by handing out the pill at his rallies or by a balloon drop of inflated condoms at the Republican convention in Tampa. The GOP’s main problem is not the contraceptive issue; it is the perception that it has become too ideological on many issues. Women and independent voters have seen a party enthusiastically confirming its most damaging stereotypes. The composite Republican candidate — reflecting the party’s ideological mean — has been harsh on immigration, confrontational on social issues, simplistic in condemning government and silent on the struggles of the poor. How many women would find this profile appealing on eHarmony?
Gerson goes on to mention some of the big government programs and so-called "compassionate" conservatism that the previous president employed to some electoral success.
And because I oppose these big government programs, I'd like to come up with some kind of alternative advice for Romney and how he might appeal to voters.
I wonder if Gerson's last sentence in the excerpt isn't more instructive than the rest. Or maybe we should focus on the words "harsh," "confrontational," "simplistic" and "silent." Maybe this has absolutely nothing to do with actual policy positions and more to do with communication style.
Or, as Gerson concludes:
A successful presidential candidate must have a compelling economic message. But he must also be able to stand before the nation and say: “I will serve all American citizens, whether they support me or not. My conscience, my faith, my view of America requires it. It hurts us all when any are hopeless.”
One of the best ways to appeal to women — and to humans, for that matter — is to show some humanity.
I hate to say it, but such language still leaves me cold. Gerson offers it as a corrective to Romney's "clumsy literalism" but it still seems very soulless to me. Or maybe I just can't imagine him selling it. When Paul Ryan talks about how the debt crisis hurts the elderly and poor the most, I buy it. That has as much to do with his history of work on the debt crisis as anything else.
Anyway, what's your advice for Romney? How should he bridge this gap with women voters?
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Sep '10
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
I have no advice for Romney. He has his own advisors and listenes to no one else. Gerson is an example of what is wrong with the GOP: Allow the left to define you and then react to that definition - a sure long-term loser while buying time till the next election, after which the GOP is in an even worse position.
Dec '10
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
From the book "Nice Guys Don't Get Laid" (you can read a few pages on Amazon, quite instructive):
If anything, Romney is just too good to be true. However, if he looks fake trying to look real, just imagine him in a leather biker jacket...
Feb '11
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
My first bit of advice to Romney would be to ignore anything Michael Gerson has to say.
Jan '11
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
Well, if Gerson wants to argue that women ("and to humans, for that matter" - whoa there) are emotional basket cases who need assurances from males that men "understand" and sympathize with women's feelings ... please stop this merry-go-round, I want to get off.
Respecting women and pandering to them are opposite responses.
Besides, if we advise Mitt Romney to start acting "dreamy," it'll be like giving Gerald Ford chewing gum.
Oct '10
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
Despite the spelling challenges, Franco clearly states the problem. The GOP, no matter who the candidate and no matter how he articulates his positions, will be characterized by the MSM as Gerson says.
It is the foolishness of buying into the idea of "compassionate conservatism" that gets Republicans like GWB elected, and the fiscal irresponsibility represented by his administration is the result.
Feb '11
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
My cynical reaction is that you go to war with the Mitt Romney you have, not the one likely to win the election.
But we were supposed to offer advice, weren't we?
My guess is that Romney's advisor's will eagerly read Gerson and set their gears a-grindin' to conjure up some sort of carefully calibrated policy prescription intended to appeal to women.
Message: Romney cares.
About you, ladies. Just read his 729-point plan about what he will do for you once he's elected.
Yawn. What- we were talking about Romney again?
Oh, all right. Seriously, my best advice for Romney is that he stop listening to all those advisors and show more of the hard edge he surely has.
He seems to be running for president as he would run a business. I. e., he has a plan and he's sticking to it- like any good CEO.
But that's a problem because he isn't running for CEO. He's running for president, which is different.
Show that hard edge, Mittens. You surely know what's coming. Tell people about it.
Make people too scared to vote for Obama.
Edited on April 10, 2012 at 5:35pmRe: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
It's funny how Mike Gerson's advice to Romney to get women to like him is that Romney should be more like Mike Gerson.
Apr '11
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
I'm not sure that Romney has all that unusual a woman problem. Chicks dig Dems. That said, King of Bain was unbelievably brutal to his approval ratings, particularly amongst women, and he still has not recovered.
If you look at partisan gender breakdowns, his approval is often not much different amongst women and men of the same partisan grouping. This one, in Michigan, for instance, says that Republican women and Independent women think more of him than Republican and Independent men, Dems feeling similarly across genders. In electoral terms, though, he's a bit strong on the defense and numbers side of things, a little light on the empathy.
Since, like you, he's not keen to respond to this with government programs, he's responded by including a lot of humanizing Anne stuff. Before that, there was this and this. Michigan, you may remember, saw this. Expect a lot more like this. My favorite Anne video is this fan submission, but that's a bit clunky for some. For now, Anne simply doesn't have the media support that Michelle gets, but I have hopes that that can change. Her MS and breast cancer, in particular, seem helpful.
Apr '11
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
That's exactly what I thought. It's a common phenomenon amongst pundits, but Gerson managed to formulate it in particularly explicit manner.
Jun '10
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
If you oppose Obama you're likely to be called a racist by someone, and women don't like being called bad names, because wearing negative labels is dangerous. I think it's just about that simple. Men are much more willing to wear the negative labels that our American left uses so deftly to control people.
Mar '12
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
Romney needs to show himself spending time with his wife, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters as much as possible. Actually showing his commitment and love for his family in general will do wonders for his image with women. I also think he should be couching his criticisms of Obama as well as his prescriptions for the country as our duty to our children and grandchildren, both because the irresponsible direction of our current path for our posterity is truly dangerous to them, and because it frames the issues in a way that appeals to the maternal nature.
Also, Romney should send Mollie a box of chocolate, a big bouquet of flowers, tickets to a Michael Buble concert, and gift certificate to her local spa to get her to cut him some slack.
Edited on April 10, 2012 at 4:37pmRe: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
James Of England
That's exactly what I thought. It's a common phenomenon amongst pundits, but Gerson managed to formulate it in particularly explicit manner. · 14 minutes ago
I think it's a common problem among everyone. Even my reaction was very narcissistic. I rejected Gerson's advice primarily because I didn't agree with it personally. But I have to admit that a candidate who appeals to me is not likely to appeal to many other people, female or otherwise.
Edited on April 10, 2012 at 4:44pmOct '10
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
I thought the trope of "it's not Romney's woman problem, it's Obama's man problem" was an interesting twist, and worth trying to see through those glasses for a while.
On the other hand, why is there a difference between the voting behaviour of men and women at all? Is it just a statistical artifact ('Romney is strong among likely voters whose telephone numbers end in even digits, but behind in the key odd digit demographic. Trudy Impair, national spokesperson for ODD (Odd Donors for Democracy) points to Romney's opposition to healthcare...')? Is it due to some infinitesimal difference in the distribution of some quality of men and women that just happens to show up as a big difference where the voting cut-off is? Or is there some reason women don't care about the liberty of future generations?
Mar '12
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
I thought liberals were the ones who thought that men and women are the same. ;)
Men and women, generally speaking, have very different natures, approach many problems very differently, and are swayed by different types of appeals. Again, generally speaking, emotion based appeals work much more effectively with women than they do with men. This is obvious, no?
Edited on April 10, 2012 at 4:57pmSep '10
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
That's probably your best bet. I don't know how indicative she is of the general case, but my wife has said she won't vote for Romney under any circumstances. She thinks he's a lying, greasy weasel. She's a Democrat who would be open to voting against Obama, but never for Romney.
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
Horace:
Also, Romney should send Mollie a box of chocolate, a big bouquet of flowers, tickets to a Michael Buble concert, and gift certificate to her local spa to get her to cut him some slack. · 35 minutes ago
Alas, you've pegged me wrong. These things would only serve to annoy me more. See, if he were to go for my vote, he'd have to show some history of commitment to principle under difficult circumstances. I realize that he's well aware of his problem with the "principles of liberty" contingent and, if the primary is any indication, it's not a big concern. That's disappointing to me but I assume he knows what he's doing better than I could.
Mar '12
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
Actually, I was trying to be as cliche and cloying as possible in an attempt at irony. So maybe I hit my target after all. As for standing for principle, you realize you're voting for a politician, not a religious leader, right? You get politicians to do what you want by creating the political environment that rewards doing the right thing, as Milton Friedman counseled. Creating that environment starts at the grass roots and requires influencing the entire culture. You don't elect a saint and expect the country to fall in line.
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
Good advice.
Oct '10
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
And here I ask myself what 'generally speaking' means. I can imagine someone saying:
Moving from this statement of scientific humility to actual tactical political advice seems fraught with difficulties.
Mar '11
Re: How To Solve Romney's Women Problem
Even for a politician, Romney seems to be lacking a tad in the principles department. No doubt his crack communications staff will be able to Etch-A-Sketch away that perception now that he's wrapped up the nomination.