It's the economy, stupid.
Or is it?
That now-famous and overused phrase is popping up in articles everywhere as GOP leaders urge Americans to view the economy, jobs, the national deficit, and our foreign policy as the critical issues in this campaign. There are many in this country who believe that the Romney/Ryan ticket will solve the problems, whereas President Obama, if given a second term, would drive us further into the ground. However, based on his speech at the Republican National Convention, Romney seems surer about how President Obama failed than about how the Republican Party is going to succeed.
Going on the assumption that the economy is the number-one issue confronting America, here's what I want to know (and I'm sure both parties would like to know, too): Can a feminist put the principles and ideals of feminism aside if he or she believes that Mitt Romney is the one who can get the job done? Can men and women who support equal rights for all, who are pro-choice, and who demand equal pay vote for a candidate who supports none of these? Can a feminist be a social Democrat but a fiscal Republican? Will those who define themselves as feminists vote for Mitt Romney if they believe he can create jobs and jumpstart the economy, knowing that they might be voting against their personal moral compass for the collective "greater good"? And if they do, will they tell?
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright weighed in on the conversation during an exclusive interview with The Huffington Post this weekend, saying, "I can't understand why any woman would want to vote for Mitt Romney, except maybe Mrs. Romney." Even though she rhetorically asked about women in general and not feminists in particular, her outspoken support of women's rights, especially in the workplace, would indicate that she's asking how anyone who truly believes in the rights of women could vote for Romney.
Always eager to hear directly from all of you instead of through the filter of the media, I put this question out to friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter immediately after viewing Romney's speech: "Can a feminist vote for Romney?" The response was fast and furious. Here are a few snippets (reprinted with their permission):
- "Of course. A feminist is first and foremost in favor of economic opportunity. For women as well as men. Everything else is just window dressing." (Mary Linthicum)
Many men and women I know who consider themselves to be feminists and who work hard to promote true equality between the sexes are worried that President Obama may not be able to turn things around. At the same time they can't imagine supporting the Romney/Ryan ticket. It's become a political, social, economic, philosophical, and personal quagmire. What's a feminist to do?
Where do you stand on this question? Please take my poll and join the debate by leaving a comment.
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Barbara Hannah Grufferman is the president of Best of Everything Media, Inc. She is the author of The Best of Everything After 50, a guide to positive aging, and is at work on her second book, Fifty Rules: What Every Woman Needs to Know Before Turning 50, which will be published in late 2012. Barbara is a columnist for AARP and Chief Pundit at FOF (FabOverFifty), one of the largest websites for women over 45. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.