Women's War on Democrats

Back in chains? Back, in chains. Painting by Ellen Su.

A new poll by ABC News/Washington Post has turned up a surprising result. Just as the Democrats have been hitting the Republicans for a supposed “War on Women,” and despite benefitting from an unearned error by Todd Akin in Missouri, Obama’s standing among women has actually suddenly dropped. A lot. Like a stone. A heavy one.

“The decline has occurred entirely among women registered voters – from 57-39 percent favorable-unfavorable in April to a numerically negative 46-50 percent now. That’s Obama’s lowest score among women voters – a focus of recent political positioning – in ABC/Post polls since he took office. Unusually, his rating among men, 50-47 percent favorable-unfavorable, is numerically better than it is among women, albeit not by a significant margin.”

What can it mean? I think it means conning or patronizing the average voter no longer works. It worked in the days before the Internet, before so much information was available to so many so easily. It no doubt would have worked even better before the invention of print, and before most folks could read. No longer.

Instead of buying the rap that the Republicans hated women, it looks as though women have reacted in anger to the absurdity of the charge, feeling there was an attempt to manipulate them, and/or that their intelligence was being insulted.

This bodes ill for the Democratic Party, and for “progressive” groups everywhere, because their electoral model depended on the formation and combination of client groups who could be led: grievance groups like gays, women, blacks, immigrants, Jews, Catholics, “the poor,” and so forth. Led by mad, patronizing statements like “They want to put y’all back in chains!” Republicans have more often addressed voters as individuals, and on the basis of reason.

If this is right, the current apparent Obama tactic of over-the-top attacks on the Republican ticket may be a very bad idea.