Chick Voters

There's been a lot of talk in the blogosphere and elsewhere this season about the appropriateness (or lack of appropriateness) of criticizing Kerry/the DNC/anyone left of Pat Buchanan. The basic argument seems to be: "Hey, the repubbbs never criticize one another, and look where their solidarity has gotten them." Or, in a similar vein: "We liberals are so caught up in being moralistic and self-critical that we lose sight of the big picture: getting our man in the White House!" While I'm sympathetic to the need to present a united front to the opposition, it's also true that one of the reasons I'm a liberal is precisely because liberals have the humility to question the motives and positions of their elected officials. One critique of particular interest to me is the feminist one. I don't think there's been enough questioning of either candidate at the Janet Jackson level: What have you done for me lately? A recent Economist article by Katha Pollitt summarizes the problem:

And what of those women voters both parties are supposedly so eager to woo? Bush has done so little for women--and so much against them--that Laura had to reach all the way to Afghanistan to find some women whose lives have arguably been bettered by her husband. Kerry's positions on issues women care about are good, but you have to read about them on his website: He has yet to make a direct appeal for women's votes.

Now, unless you're a card carrying member of Ladies Against Women, you know that Dubya is just a lost cause. I mean, I'm sure Laura Bush is a nice woman, but "W" stands for "woman" kind of like "intestinal flu" stands for "orgasm." Which is why John Kerry's lack of attention hurts. Even worse, as Pollitt reports, is Kerry's statement to a roomful of women during the primaries that "he didn't want to single out female voters because that would be 'pandering' to a special interest." (Ouch.) Pollitt responds,

Since when are women--51 percent of the population--a special interest? Kerry, after all, has no problem appealing directly to veterans, to hunters, to NASCAR fans. What are those if not special interests? Why is it OK to sidle up to gun-owners but not to talk about your support for battered women?

That, indeed, is the question. And for all that I'm 100% positive that a Kerry presidency will be better for women than Bush: the Empire Strikes Back, it still really pisses me off that in this day and age speaking to "female voters" can be considered a liability. Anyway. Go read the article.