Unmarried Women: This Election's Holy Grail
During the run-up to the 2004 election, I traveled around the country in support of John Kerry. Day after day on the road, I was blown away by the unbelievable women I met. From Hollywood to Hoboken, I saw first hand that this country is made-up of amazing women who do their best to make their lives and the lives of those around them better. These women care deeply about health care, the War, national security, education and the environment, and they have the potential to bring these issues to the forefront of political debate.
Yet, in the last presidential election, 20 million eligible unmarried women did not vote, making unmarried women the largest group of non-voters in the country. For whatever reason (and there are many) they have opted out of the electoral process. In part I think this is because they do not feel that those running for office are communicating with them. In part it is because these women do not realize the power they have to communicate with those seeking higher office by voting in large numbers. If they use their voices they will have a profound effect on who becomes the next resident of this country.
The truth is these 20 million women have become the Holy Grail for both parties. For the first time in history, the majority of US households are headed by someone who is not married and a whopping 24% of the US population is unmarried women. The face of our nation is truly changing.
Everyone is talking to them now. But are they listening?
Women's Voices. Women Vote has been listening to these women and finding innovative ways to motivate them since 2000 when they began trying to understand why so many single women weren't voting. This year I took part in their new voter mobilization PSA campaign called "20 Million Reasons".
Today we are one year, almost to the day, away from the '08 presidential election and Women's Voices Women Vote is kicking off this national campaign to inspire and activate unmarried women to register and vote.
Watch the first in a series of provocative and patriotic public service announcements I participated in from WVWV here:
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
We're voting for Hillary. I agree with a poster the other day who said the Clintons are tiptoeing through a minefield. I truly believe they have pursued power and money in pursuit of their political goals. PS. Wonderful to see Christine Lahti involved in this endeavor. A comment directly to Ms. Lahti: "What do we have to do to get your movie "Housekeeping" released to DVD?"
These are my thoughts on the topic:
1) The Anita Hill hearings motivated so many women and what happened after that? The issue of sexual harassment died because the Democrats, who held hearings - literally made a federal case - about a man saying "Who has put pubic hair on my coke can?" THE DEMOCRATS went silent on accusations that the leader of their party, Bill Clinton, when he was governor of Arkansas sent a state trooper to fetch a young state employee to a hotel room so that he could proposition her to perform a sex act. Also silent were the major "women's" organizations. Neither party is on the side of women, obviously, but you might want to be wary that the Democrats will try to use women for electoral advantage as Hillary Clinton is trying to do now. Down the memory hole that she and her party were silent about that accusation, an accusation with far more corroboration - the state trooper - than Anita Hill ever had.
2) What issue takes the place of sexual harassment to motivate those women to vote? If they already have health insurance, what is it that a politician can offer them? And by and large they do have health insurance. Unmarried women might be more likely to work for corporations that have health insurance.
3)A blatant us vs. them appeal to unmarried women is likely to backfire for any candidate as the unmarried women are still not going to vote because they are not motivated but being targets of a politician will strongly motivate others.
4) Promoting women over men is foolish and dishonest at its core. Democrats dropped the ball on bad men like Bill Clinton so now they should go after men as a whole gender??? Dumb and dishonest. There are men who go down in coal mines to work for money to feed wives and children. Men who work for their families do more for women than any government program ever could or would.
Any woman in this country who votes for a Republican is begging to be put back in the kitchen. I hope women vote---but I hope they vote responsibly and take the time to find out the facts about what truly lies beneath the Republican party.
The Republican oil barons have put judges on the Supreme Court who rule against equal pay for women and this angers me, considering the fact that women in this country still earn 23 percent less income in the same job as a man on average.
The Republican oil barons refuse to sign legislation that would require all countries on this earth to treat women like human being---yea---can you believe it?
On the other hand, the Democractic candidate of my choice, Hillary Clinton, has been endorsed by NOW, the National Organization for Women, which cares about all the rights of women in this country and in the world.
I'm not voting for Hillary because she's married to Bill or because she's a woman---that's just icing on the cake. I'm voting for Hillary because she will end the war in Iraq responsibly, she will end the cronism in Washington, she will support alternative energy and healthcare for children (and all of us) and she supports women's rights. She gives a damn about the fact that every 15 seconds a woman in this country is beaten by a man and every 90 seconds a woman is raped. She also won't be like the Republicans who have tried to rule our country like the Middle Eastern bastards who misuse religion but who only worship oil. Go Hillary.
Readers of these comments will understand, I hope, that Hillary Clinton will never get the women voters needed to seize the Presidency.
There is too much negativity about her. Christine, if you reading this, please help Hollywood to see that John and Elizabeth Edwards will get women to the polls and can change this country.
I'm one of those 20 million unmarried working women. I exercise my right ~ nay, obligation ~ to vote. I have a voice.
(1) I don't have children, but I think I share the same concerns about education as any mom. The quality of our educational system is out there; but the money doesn't trickle down from administration to teachers and students.
(2) Health CARE in our country is excellent. If you can get. Right now the issue of governmental health care support for uninsured children is a hot topic. Why, oh why! do we hold out our hands to the government (which is still a fancy name for TAXPAYER) to dole out more pocket money towards a program that won't solve a thing? Why aren't we focusing on the SOURCE of unaffordable health care and coverage? Pharmaceuticals and insurance companies have got us by the b*lls, and we do nothing about it.
(3) War...is not healthy for children and other living things. But ain't it a great source of revenue for some? How much is a dead soldier worth? Take the sum of the spent dollars on the war in Iraq, divide it by the number of bodies we've brought home in boxes. Pretty impressive. Now take the sum of profits that have found their way into the pockets of select few, divide that by the same number of bodies. It's mind-boggling.
Yes, Christine, the female voter is an untapped source ~ married OR unmarried. Unfortunately. My sisters of suffrage gave their blood, sweat and tears for me to gain the "right" to vote. I'm not about to let their work be in vain.
We (ALL the people) have one year to make the decision about who we want to lead our nation. I only hope that before the clock stops ticking, we get a better field of candidates from which to choose. Hillary is the first in the existing pack that should go home. She's WRONG for the U.S., she's definitely wrong for the women of our nation. (Married or Unmarried.)
If you owned 24% of the shares of a public corporation, you could influence who sits on the board. You could prevent the company from engaging in deals you think are not in the best interests of the shareholders. This is a powerful bloc - well done to Ms. Lahti and the Huffington Post for bringing it to the wider audience's attention.
In 2000, I remember contemplating that no one seeking office appealed to my interests as a single, working woman, but I voted nonetheless in an effort to prevent the unthinkable - the election of George Bush.
Good luck with continuing to communicate this message to the wider public - I'll certainly do my part. Hope the other women on this post will do the same to the extent their respective schedules will allow - even 15 minutes a day to learn about what issues affect each of us can do miracles.
At 49, I've never even come close to being married - not by choice, just the way life has gone. This single woman will NEVER support Hillary Clinton. I will fight to retain the Democratic majority in Congress but, unless Giuliani is the GOP nominee, I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, though I've been a Democrat since HRC was a Goldwater Girl.
Her arrogance in stating that she is the most experienced candidate for the job flabbergasts me. It proves her willing delusion as she shares a stage with Sens. Biden and Dodd, Gov. Richardson and Rep. Kucinich.
She exudes an air of entitlement, simply due to her marriage. Though she is not unaccomplished, there are many women far more qualified for the job as President than herself. (We can start with all those fine women representing California in Congress.)
This is the ultimate case of riding one's husband's coattails. On her own, it's questionable that HRC would find herself in her present position. I do not question her smarts but I seriously doubt she could have gained the support, especially financial, necessary to run for President.
I find troubling the secrecy in which HRC lives her life. If elected, her first act will be to cloak herself in the Mantel of Executive Privilege, woven so well by Cheney and Addington.
Most of all, I believe that, though well-intentioned, the Clintons' personal power will always take priority over the good of the country.
Single women do not vote. They are too egotistical.
There are exceptions, but these smarter women have already made their decisions.
She might not get this single women vote-- especially the educated ones-- and let's face it-- they're the ones who go out to vote!
Common ladies- We are THEE major force Around the world!! We must make them finally feel our power. We've been led by men, or those few females who warped enough to play I their game (Hill,Diane,Nan,Barb....what a disgrace they have become).
The World relies on US. Not just our getting up and being productive- but everyone we live with (may never marry-but still ahve kids, or significant other-"Wheres my..." "Can You pick up....." "Do you know if..." whether or not you like it - you are Female so you are a caregiver. But Who better to run the world than the ones who run daily life? I have no small children, but I'm married, have 3 dogs, a cat, a boss and involved in the political blogesphere (and othe social groups)... I'm taking care of the needs of someone all day long . A woman touches the lives of all others at least once a day- in some way, shape or form. WE ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH !!!!
'Hell haveth no fury like a woman scorned', "When momma's not happy, nobody's happy'
And if what women have done- without rewards- for man kind means 'the souls of a woman is created below" then it's time to prove them right. I'm one Pissed off Momma and I don't count to ten!!!
Currently our female Representative have been playing that game, just the way they have been taught to do.. by the corrupt boys- they are weak.We need to show them, a good man is better than a mere vigina in office(better, Feingold than Feinstien:better, Durbin than Boxer: Better, Kucinich than Clinton)Your going to have to work for my vote too ladies. Unfortunatley it appears you have all brought your knee pads along.
Have no doubt I'm encouraging all to vote- Women men married unmarried gay straight...But reminding them that complacency has it's costs (Iraq, layoff, Rights, humanity).
Pay Attention and participate!!!
When women enter the voting booth they will ask themselves one question. Who do I want to protect me, Hillary Clinton or the Republican candidate? They will vote for the Republican candidate then walk out of the voting booth and lie to the exit pollster saying that they voted for Hillary Clinton. For several hours the media will trumpet a landslide victory for the first woman President. Then around 10PM or 11PM they will figure out that it's oops time again. The Democrats will be stunned and confused, again, trying to figure out why women didn't vote the way the Democrats thought they should have voted. They will shout about voter surpression or how Hillary was swiftboated. The simple truth will be that on matters of national security the majority of Americans, both women and men, will tag the Democrats for the weak, whining, hand wringing, cowards, and quitters they are.
Way to go, Christine. In the last election I worked for a dynamo of a single woman, a union organizer, who works harder every day than I do in a week. Growing up poor motivated her to care about what happens to the people who clean our hotels and schools and nursing homes. But one day she said to me, "You know, if I didn't do this and I were just a single woman working in an office, I'm not sure any of these candidates would speak to me. In fact, they don't speak to me now, to my real life." I haven't spoken to her since her union endorsed Edwards, but I wonder what she would say now.
Coultergiest worst nightmare...women today will surprise you. My only hope is that they vote on the issues not on the person.
For me as a single female, Hillary is still not
my choice for President. She is connected to
lobbiiest, and has no concept of what it means
to be a woman out here in the real world. And
for my money, single men have it hard too,
although most of them make 20% higher wages
than I do.
The reason it has been a male dominated violent society based upon aggression and conquest to 'TAKE' from others (women, children, nations, U.S. treasury, etc.) to solidify their power and control is
BECAUSE WOMEN NEVER WANTED TO GET INVOLVED IN THE 'DIRTY WORKS' OF POLITICS AND, THEREBY, WOMEN BECAME BRUISED, USED AND ABUSED BY THE MEN WHO 'RIGGED' THE VOTES.....
When American females want to change America to be more supportive of our children's future,
more responsible for our children's health and
more equitable for our children's opportunities
THEY WILL BECAUSE THEY CAN---IF THEY WANT TO....
WOMEN, DO YOU WANT TO....?
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
