As the msm tittered around about John Edwards $400.00 haircut, John McCain's leisurely stroll through the markets of Baghdad, whether Fred Thompson's role as a racist attorney would effect his campaign or that Hillary was singing off-key to some rap song, mothers like myself were doing more important things...some news worthy and other's not so news worthy...
In 1943, Abraham Maslow released his paper, A Theory of Human Motivation, in which he projected that humans are motivated by various levels of needs, in which the lower levels must be fulfilled before being able to advance to the next level (thus known as the Hierarchy of Needs). For decades, many of those in the fields of psychology, sociology, acadamia and even in the business world, have embraced this theory and applied it.
So if we agree that the average human being is motivated by needs, then we must agree that it is our individual needs and our perceptions of needs that motivates us to chose party and/or candidates during an election. And it's those needs to prioritize the importants of issues for the individual voters. We also have to agree that as we grow, our needs and the importance of issues are subject to change.
For example:
- A single mother of 3 small children who is struggling to feed and clothe her family may not find the war in Iraq as important as, say, a single mother of 3 teenagers who are approaching the age where they are able to enlist in the military.
- A mother who's child is entering their first year in a public school system may be less worried about effects of the Patriot Act, then, lets say, a mother of an opinionated teenager who's about to enter college.
With this, we must throw out the perception as to what drives women to vote as they do. No longer does the majority of wives vote lock step with their husbands, nor do the majority daughters conceed to their parents ideas, no matter how much pressure is placed upon them. We're no longer afraid to gently remind our spouses six and seven years later that we weren't the one who voted for a particular President in the year 2000.
We must also throw out the notion that women will likely vote for a female candidate based on the sole fact that that candidate is female. We must remember that we are likely to have more faith in our choice of candidates and thus, have no problems loudly voicing our disatisfaction when they fail us. We expect our elected officials to act in our best interest and address those areas that concern us, especially when it comes to our children.
We also seem to have no issues, if need be to cross party lines, and vote for the candidate who reflects our views on what we feel is important, rather then voting straight ticket. It's no longer just about Roe v Wade and equal rights but what is best for us, our children and our country.
As the month of May comes to an end, many mothers are adjusting what has become important to them. Cindy Sheehan, thought it was important enough for her to ensure that her son Casey didn't die in vain and devoted her energy in trying to end a war that took her son's life. She was villanized by both sides. To her, ending the war wasn't to enhance one political parties stance over another, it was important to her to speak out against it regardless of those who were against her. In the end, she resigned, disgusted and let down.
In the month of May, at least 115 mothers joined 3400+ mothers in their silent grieving as they had to redefine what was important to them now that they said their final goodbyes to their sons and daughters who would not becoming back from Iraq.
In the month of May, mothers around the country were struggling to figure out how to feed their children, how to ensure they're children would get the health and dental care they need with limited funds in the bank, and concerned about an education system that may have been failing their child.
In the month of May, while diarists on DKos and other blogs were touting have patience and it will take time, many mothers weren't worried about towing the party line but defining what was important in their lives.
For many women, it's not about getting the power and controlling the government, but for finding the right candidate who reflects what is important to them. So do not villanize them if they choose to become disgusted with the current process and refuse to wait for two years for changes. Do not villanize them because they feel they've been betrayed and vocalize their disappointment and want to hold our officials accountable. Remember, it's not about rhetoric, but what's important.
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UPDATE: Clarification on the title. It's what really matters does not refer to the fact that women's opinions are the only one's that matters. As laid out in the diary, women tend to vote on issues that are important to them and not on what candidates represents their parties. Sorry for the confusion.