I watched the McCain ad making a play for Hillary voters. I guess Republicans are so out of touch with women that they don't realize that most women know when they are being played and nothing is more of a turn off than a man taking advantage of your sorrow. Nothing.
There are scores of women and men who stood behind Hillary, and who are justifiably upset that she didn't win. I tend to divide them into four categories.
- I have a dream- voters: Women who for years have been given the short end of the stick in their lives and jobs, will want a woman to succeed and make it to the white house. These women have seen Hillary's life where she has been beaten, and mocked and seen her personal toughness so want her desperately to succeed.
Did they get played a little? I think so. IMO the Hillary camp did fuel that dream consciously or subconsciously wherein they feel the nomination was taken from them by the young guy whom they see as having relatively little experience.
These are the women who will most likely see the McCain ad as a personal insult. I will call upon as evidence one single person- my grandmother in law- who has been wanting Hillary to run for the past 8 years. When Obama ran, she locked herself up in her room refusing to meet with anyone. She dabbled with the idea of PUMA and the like but eventually remained uncommitted. I sent her the ad last night and I got a single sentence response. "McCain= POW (Piece of Work)" which was not meant as a compliment. Later I spoke to her, and she said "Yeah, McCain totally sympathizes- the womanizing, lowbagging, user of women bastard".
I must point out, this lady NEVER swears.
- The "better for me" voter: These are the ones who remember how much better life was for them during the Clinton years and Clinton is the way to go to solve the problems- whether Bill or Hillary. Barack- seen as the relatively inexperienced guy does not mean that much. Too mired in their daily struggles, they do not know hope. They cannot be sold on a promise. And when they see these ads, they wonder if there is truth to it. Was Barack to scared to lose the spotlight by putting some one with Hillary's star power on his ticket, they wonder.
These people are not unreasonable. These are the people who can be spoken to with reason and logic. Break down McCain's economic policy for them so that they understand that it will never translate in their lives being easier. Remind them that he has seven houses, and of his record on minimum wage and tax cuts.
- Known devil vs. Unknown angel: A lot of Hillary voters actually like Obama well enough. They just wonder if he is "ready". Biden has already helped a lot, but this ad may hurt a tad. Here was a known devil I already voter for. Why didn't he pick her? And since McCain is already a known devil, would he be safer than an unknown quantity?
I can't tell you how many people are absolutely sure that things cannot get any worse under a McCain presidency. And that Maverick label that used to be his monicker in 2000 still has its fading echoes. The message that he is just like Bush does not resonate as strongly with these folks. They actually think McCain is going to be around for just four years making the environment prime for a qualified, experienced democrat in 2012, or maybe- and more likely- they are not enthused to vote for EITHER McCain OR Obama.
If you know a person like this, understand that they get the hope, they get the change, they just don't get what the big deal is about McCain. These are the guys who need to be told what is at stake. Speak of the mortgage crisis and how McCain fails to solve it. Show them in language that they can understand that Barack's policy has heft in both foreign policy and economic platforms. Remind them that there are Supreme Judge positions up at stake.
- I hate him, I don't know why voters: This is complex. This includes women who dislike Obama for daring to challenge their gal, or because they are using Hillary as a smokescreen for their own prejudices. Bottom line- these are the people this ad speaks to most powerfully- the people who want an excuse to NOT vote for Obama.
And you cannot speak to them. You simply can't. I tried talking to one of them, but they called me a N**er lover who loves my race more than I love my gender- which is kinda wierd because I am female, but not African American. (My race voted overwhelmingly for Hillary anyway)
But for everyone else, I can guarantee this. A woman, especially a woman who has a lower income, a high school education, and who has had to truly struggle in life has been played enough to know when a man is playing her. And maybe McCain has forgotten that. For this woman, the fact that he was a POW doesn't matter. His "faked" sympathy for Hillary does not matter.
And unfortunately for McCain : the fact that he was crappy to his women matters. That he is crappy on women's issues matter. That he is crappy on the economy, crappy about the war in Iraq, and has the crappy audacity to use Hillary as a pawn for votes matter.
They know that McCain is playing them. And they will hate him for it.
And if they have any ambiguity about any of these things, there are enough Democrats serious enough about this election to remind them of it by telling them and showing them.