Because women are not autonomous beings capable of using their own judgment to choose a candidate on any basis other than gender.
Because women routinely make their voting decisions based entirely on spite, or vengeance, or some other emotion.
Because a woman’s vote is never an actual vote for or against anything, but always just a reaction to what the real (read: men) voters think. (See? You were right, hon. Everything IS always about you!)
Minnesota Observer and Robin Marty get all credit for coming up with this wonderfully succinct and pithy comment on the hysteria over HRC’s “shocking” New Hampshire win. There’s only one thing wrong with it, imho: you can’t see the speaker rolling her eyes.
Without seeing that, or hearing the sweetly sarcastic tone, some people are bound to miss the irony completely and think it’s a serious statement. Or– a threat? Well, at any rate certainly just more “proof” that when it really gets down to it, women are always going to vote with their vaginas.
What’s this? Someone dares to malign, misrepresent, or even merely criticize a female candidate? Well! In that case screw all that ‘voting the issues’ crap! Rally ’round, sisters!
This past week I have accused a friend of channelling Sigmund Freud on this issue, wailing the nonsensical question ‘What do women want?” as if there is some monolithic single entity called “women” out there that has its own special list of answers to that question.
Instead, how about the questions posed by M. Le Blanc:
Where are all the women voters?
Last night, in my hours of MSNBC-viewing, I endured a shitload of conversation about how women were or weren’t voting for this or that candidate. The women came out for Hillary! Young women voted for Obama in Iowa, but now they’re voting for Hillary! How will the women vote? The women are voting for Hillary, and that’s why she won! But what about in the general election! Will the women vote then?!
This obsessive focus on how the women will vote makes me feel like I’m back in fucking 1920. You know, women have been voting for 87 years now. In fact, in the last few elections at least (I’m too lazy to do research at the moment), they have voted more than men. It’s kind of a thing, that we do, as members of this society. But pundits and other commentators insist on acting as if we’ve just admitted people with vaginas to the electorate, and it’s just so crazy because how will this affect the election?!
Given that Clinton had a 13% advantage with women, and Obama had a 13% advantage with men, it seems like hey, being a man can affect your vote, too. Imagine that! Especially given that more Republicans are men. And since 57% of the people who voted last night were women, it seems like we might give some attention to whether the men will come out, since they aren’t coming out as strong.
But no, we never talk about how men will vote, because it’s just not as interesting. Or scary. Men have been voting for years! They are the average voter! They don’t vote based on little things like crying episodes or whether someone is black. They vote the * issues*.
From now on, I will be presenting analysis of the man vote. Will they vote with their penises? Are they indignant? Do they want to see a man in the White House? [Italics mine]
That said, I still don’t know who I’m voting for in the primaries.
Oh you gals, never able to make up your minds!
~
Update: The talking dog has a few things to say to those who find HRC’s “calculatedness” so unacceptable (not to mention unladylike):
That is one very smart spotted pup.
~
Update:
~
[...] From Tild: Because women are not autonomous beings capable of using their own judgment to choose a candidate on any basis other than gender. [...]