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Is it women’s issues or the bathing suit competition after all?

On Sunday, May 18, Melinda Henneberger cleared up some misconceptions about women voters. And she should know, as she has traveled the U.S. for two years to find an answer to the question: How do women voters chose their candidate?

She boiled her findings into a dense speech at a political conference held by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Berlin. In her travels, she has talked to “hundreds of ordinary people,” she explained, and found some truths that contradicted her own beliefs. For example, she said that many women she met had never discussed politics before, not even with their closest friends. So when she sat down with them, “it was like a dam breaking.” And in the flood of thoughts coming to the surface, some seemed to flow through many of the women she talked to.

Misconception No. 1.: Women generally vote for the female candidate.

If it were that easy, Hillary Clinton’s campaign wouldn’t be in so much trouble right now. Instead, Melinda Henneberger stressed that it depends on the woman running whether she can build onto that gender-based voter group. Clinton has used the argument that she is being pushed out of the nomination on a “sexist” basis – even though, paradox enough, she has portrayed herself as the “better man” in this campaign, even the better commander-in-chief. Which raises the question: Does a woman have to stress so-called male qualities to run for a public office? Hillary Clinton certainly has, but women who follow her might chose a different path.

2. The spouse of a candidate doesn’t matter

Not much needs to be said to prove this misconception wrong. The campaign season holds many examples of how important spouses have become. They often add a human, likeable factor to a candidate (which Tarah Donoghue spoke on at the same conference). On the contrary, they can also be damaging. This is apparently more of a Democrats-problem, with Theresa Heinz (wife of John Kerry) and Bill Clinton showing how a spouse can add a negative perception.

3. Women vote based on women’s issues

Henneberger struck this proposition down at its core, saying that there was no such thing as a “women’s issue.” Women represent a rather accurate picture of what the population in general cares about in an election. The economy, the war, taxes, all these are “women’s issues” as much as general issues. A perceived women’s issues like the wage gap between men and women is of much less interest to female voters than one might think.

4. “Security moms” favored George W. Bush in 2004

The soccer moms who were worried about their safety swayed the vote for Bush four years ago, along with the value voters: That is an explanation often heard for the 2004 presidential election. But it is not true, according to Henneberger, at least not in general. Security was a very important issue for women who were leaning Republican, but, as she puts it, “they would’ve voted for [Bush] for a hundred other reasons.” Democrat-leaning women voted for Bush despite the war theme. A factor in that was a strong dislike of John Kerry, which leads to the next truth about women voters.

5. Women vote on rational arguments only

Many women Henneberger talked to appeared to have voted against their own interests. But when they explained their choice, it was often based on a personal feeling about the candidate. Women did not vote for someone whom they felt they couldn’t trust. It was important for them to believe the candidate was honest with them. This, she said, applied to the population in general: if they feel a candidate is not being truthful to them, they don’t vote for that person even if many rational reasons would favor that.

Henneberger even compared choosing a candidate to choosing a date. You have certain qualities in mind that envision that person to have, but if you fall in love with someone, they might not have any of these “musts.” Honesty, authenticity – these traits appeal to women, and voters in general. Often, they’re much more important than specific issues.

As insightful as her speech was, it left me a little doubtful. Do Women voters not differ from other voters at all? Can they not be pinned on a planning chart and marked a sure bet if one supports “their” causes?

To clear up this confusion, a second opinion should be solicited. And who better to consolidate on how women decide than the stars of modern day phenomenon Sex and the City. They should know what women want in a politician, as they cover every other area of life with such wit and charme. What do Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda have to say on this matter?

Unfortunately the clip of the episode, which is fittingly called “Politically Erect” isn’t available online, so let’s just say this:

Charlotte always votes for (someone like) her father,

Samantha goes by looks (“The country is better off with a good-looking man in charge! Just think about Richard Nixon. Nobody wanted to have sex with him, and in the end, we were all screwed!”)

Miranda comes to the rescue of smart women (“I’m glad you three weren’t around during the original thirteen colonies,” she says to the other ladies, “I don’t think our founding fathers were very f***able”)

… and for Carrie?

She jokingly points to the bathing suit competition. When it gets really close toward the end, someone should toss this idea into the ring. If not a deciding factor, maybe it would spice up the race. That would surely grab women’s attention.

By Jessica Binsch