Last night's episode of Mad Men on AMC featured a plot line which included a team of neanderthalesque ad account executives explaining to their sole female colleague that women wear bras solely to please men, fit and comfort be damned, and that all women can be neatly categorized as either "Jackies" or "Marilyns." When she suggests there may be women who don't fit into either group, they shoot her patronizing looks that indicate how little she understands her own gender. The scene is entertaining in the sheer level of ridiculousness. Can you believe people ever thought this way?, the writers seem to ask.
There is much speculation that John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate as a strategy to pick up disenfranchised Hillary Clinton supporters. The idea here being that regardless of political views or experience, in the minds of female voters across the country, one woman is as good as another. That women are so intent on helping one of their own get into the White House they would do so at the expense of their own convictions and values. If McCain is hoping to engage social conservative women, then perhaps he is on the right track, though the news that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is 5 months pregnant can't be good on that front. But the idea that Hillary supporters will jump on the Palin bandwagon simply because she is a woman brings that Mad Men strategy room to mind. Can't you just picture it: "Hey guys, at the end of the day, all women are either Hillarys or Sarahs. They just want to see another girl up there."
The biggest block of women voters are those who don't identify strongly with either Clinton or Palin. These women are looking for answers on key issues such as the economy, healthcare, energy and national security and they'll vote for the candidate who makes the best case.
Recent Comments