The Republicans have a problem: they aren't attracting the female vote. House Speaker John Boehner thinks the solution is that Republican candidates need to be more "sensitive" to female voters. After Missouri GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin referred to "legitimate rape" and Richard Mourdock in Indiana suggested rape was "something God intended to happen," I agree that the republicans are facing a bit of a PR problem. Therefore, the National Republican Congressional Committee is teaching male candidates who are running against women how to respond to specific questions about rape as part of the NRCC's overall media training it conducts each cycle.
Monday, December 9, 2013
GOP tries to deal with damage done with women
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/06/politics/gop-house-women/index.html
The Republicans have a problem: they aren't attracting the female vote. House Speaker John Boehner thinks the solution is that Republican candidates need to be more "sensitive" to female voters. After Missouri GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin referred to "legitimate rape" and Richard Mourdock in Indiana suggested rape was "something God intended to happen," I agree that the republicans are facing a bit of a PR problem. Therefore, the National Republican Congressional Committee is teaching male candidates who are running against women how to respond to specific questions about rape as part of the NRCC's overall media training it conducts each cycle.
The Republicans have a problem: they aren't attracting the female vote. House Speaker John Boehner thinks the solution is that Republican candidates need to be more "sensitive" to female voters. After Missouri GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin referred to "legitimate rape" and Richard Mourdock in Indiana suggested rape was "something God intended to happen," I agree that the republicans are facing a bit of a PR problem. Therefore, the National Republican Congressional Committee is teaching male candidates who are running against women how to respond to specific questions about rape as part of the NRCC's overall media training it conducts each cycle.
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It is very important that the Republican Party learn to properly handle such a horrific (and sensitive) issue as rape. I applaud the NRCC’s efforts to educate candidates about how to respond to such questions—questions that have deeply damaged voters’ opinions about the party. I also believe, however, that the party cannot change its substance on the issue of abortion in cases of rape (which were where the rape comments were derived), which is that abortion is wrong including in the case of rape (I believe it is wrong in all cases).
ReplyDeleteI find it strange that candidates need to be taught how to respond to questions about rape. It makes the response less genuine since it was taught and practiced. The GOP does have a problem with the female vote, but finding better ways to respond to questions about sensitive issues is not going to increase female support. I'm surprised that the Republican Party is trying to recruit more female candidates, but I don't think such an endeavor will be successful. "The party also encourages GOP members to humanize themselves." That line made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Olivia that the fact that candidates have to be taught how to respond to questions and issues with sensitivity is baffling. And I also agree that it makes their responses less genuine. However, I don't think this is the best way to recruit female voters. If the GOP wants to maximize their females voter turnout, they have to adopt a more liberal stance on abortion and gay marriage. I realize this would never happen in the immediate future, but those are two issues women in particular find important, and which cause them to vote for Democrats. I don't think being sensitive to the topic of rape and talking about the "marriage penalty" for healthcare is going to level out the playing feild.
ReplyDeleteLike Emily, I don't think that the support from women for Republicans will change much until Republicans change their stance on issues like abortion and gay marriage. The House Republican's idea to have candidates discuss issues as a father shouldn't change anything if they still have a different opinion as the women they are trying to recruit. It's useless to go through all of this if at the end of the day the Republican candidate supports something different than the women they are trying to appeal to.
ReplyDeleteI am also going to agree with the three ladies above myself. The fact that a grown man would need sensitivity training for how to talk about a crime such as that is just astonishing. But that is besides the point. The real issue is the obvious distaste women have for the Republican Party. The thing is that I don't see any change in the near future unless the Republican Party changes its ideals. But if it does this it just becomes the Democratic Party, so the GOP can't win
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone but Andrew here. For me, it almost makes the Republican's case worse because they have to go through training to respond to rape questions. It should be a no brainer that rape is a sensitive topic. The fact that the GOP is told to "humanize" scares me. How do they expect me to trust and vote for a person to run the country if they can't see through to being a human. The fact that supposed "leaders" need help with responding to such an issue as rape is frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI personally think the best thing for the Republicans to do is to focus on how issues affect woman personally and addressing their concerns specifically. I do not think only adding in how these men are fathers and how they are sensitive people will have a significant affect on women. Some women may be against abortion, but the way many Republicans speak about the topic is very repellent for women. Overall changing the way their views are expressed, I think, will have a greater effect than speaking about their families.
ReplyDeleteI know it's not the nature of politics, but I sort of wish political candidates could be sensitive to important issues such as this one as a kind of moral guarantee rather than having to be taught to do so in order to strengthen a certain party. From an optimistic point of view, one might hope that changes in how Republicans present themselves on these sorts of issues could lead to actual change in their viewpoints and increases in their understanding, or at least lead their constituents to realize sensitivity is essential. I agree with approximately nothing of the traditional conservative position on abortion, and I wish the attitude about the right to have an abortion -- especially in the case of rape, which seems frustratingly obvious to me -- would change. Real change will come slowly though, so efforts by Republicans to appeal to women might be a good first step.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP will have this problem for years to come. Because they are pro-life in all circumstances, women will tend to vote democratic. I'm not sure how republicans are supposed to respond to questions about abortion and rape without contradicting what they believe in. The works of the NRCC is admirable, but all I think they will be able to accomplish is teaching a candidate to change the subject when questioned about these subjects.
ReplyDeleteAs we learned in class, women generally tend to be Democratic and not Republican. The Republicans can surely gain some of the female vote however, if they become more sensitive to the issues that women face. If the Republican party can move away from the image of being the party for old, white men, then maybe other groups in America will more seriously consider voting for the Republican party representatives.
ReplyDelete