I'm neither a woman nor a Democrat...but I'd think a pro-choice & pro-gun woman would lean toward the left, as the right has taken and continues to try and take away freedoms around abortion while the left has done f*ck all to take away gun rights.
You're right. Women shouldn't expect you to go to them. You shouldn't expect women to come to you either. However, political candidates seeking votes should very much go to the voters and earn their votes. That was Bridget's point. This goes for the Harris campaign too. Although TBF, they have been trying to go to the men. They just don't seem to know WTH they're doing or how to talk to men.
I do want to point out the flip side of what you said. IRL women generally do not want men to abandon masculinity as far as the good parts go. The whole "toxic masculinity" is something pushed by the political/managerial class and people online, and they're very skilled at conflating some actual concerns women have (eg physical safety) and using those concerns to fuel their various insane agenda. A major problem also is people don't have a uniformed understanding or definition of what "masculinity" and "feminism" mean. I'm a GenXer and feminism means equal opportunity at work and education, equal treatment under the law, and laws against sexual assault, spousal abuse, and sexual harassment that are stronger than those before the 1990s. I don't recognize the kind of "feminism" being touted today. If it's what I think it means, then I find it petty, trivial, and highly destructive. I also find it perplexing and even frustrating when the political/managerial class talk about "masculinity" as they seem to be talking about only trashy behaviors. But the traditional moral codes of honor among men like the kind valued during WW2 seem to have all but disappeared. I don't really know why they all suddenly decided to pretend certain age-old values don't exist. The only reason I can see is they just want to sow discourse.
I don't agree that women want "feminism" from political parties. Women who support "feminism" have always been a small selected group. By and large, women as voters care first and foremost about the economy. As for the current so-called gender divide, on the women's side a lot of it is driven by the abortion issue. It's not women wanting men to abandon masculinity that stop them from voting GOP. If the GOP drops their anti-abortion stance, they'd have opened themselves to a wide swath of female voters. But the GOP are not willing to let go of their anti-abortion voters who form a core part of their base.
(And no, Trump and Vance keep saying it's back to the states is not enough. At least not for this election cycle. For one thing, it's hard for women to trust Trump on this issue after he caused the overturn of Roe v Wade. I happen to think that Trump actually finally ended this awful toxic stalemate holding female votes hostage to the Democrats, and the end of Roe is ushering in the inevitable win of the pro-choice side. But it'll take time before women voters can admit that and feel secure in this new reality. JD Vance knows that and it's why he keeps talking about his party needing to earn back voters' trust. Plus the red states with super stringent anti-abortion laws still stand as the great barrier against women voting GOP.)
I also don't see appealing to female voters having to necessarily mean appealing to "feminist" issues. Back in the 80s and 90s I called myself a feminist. Today, even I balk at the term and no way in hell would I call myself one, as everything they do is insane woke shit. Because the left has gone insane over cultural issues, the GOP has been handed women's votes on a golden platter if they wanted to take them. All they need is to show and signal that they care about women's welfare. For example, Trump is absolute right on the devastating problem of human sex trafficking resulting from open border. Why aren't more GOP party agents and his surrogates talking more about that? Domestically, they can talk more about making schools stronger again on teaching kids the basics.They could also press the issue on Biden's disastrous Afghanistan pull out, and the resulting horrific relegation of Afghan women to inhuman treatment by the Talibans. They can blame this entirely on Biden and Harris. They can point to Obama/Biden/Harris naively supporting Iran and tie in their failures and silence in supporting Iranian women during their attempted uprising 2 years ago. None of any of this has to do with abandoning masculinity. In fact, speaking to these problems would've been examples of what men who take charge to protect the world do. But for inexplicable reasons, the GOP seems incapable of it. I think there's a huge reluctance on their part because they're afraid talking about any women's issue at all might invite sneers and accusations from their base that they're pandering to leftists and "feminists". And so they cede all women's issues to the Democrats.
Great episode, Bridget! WOMAN!!!!! Megyn Kelly should've had you on her show when she scolded the Trump campaign about this very same thing too.
I'm neither a woman nor a Democrat...but I'd think a pro-choice & pro-gun woman would lean toward the left, as the right has taken and continues to try and take away freedoms around abortion while the left has done f*ck all to take away gun rights.
You're right. Women shouldn't expect you to go to them. You shouldn't expect women to come to you either. However, political candidates seeking votes should very much go to the voters and earn their votes. That was Bridget's point. This goes for the Harris campaign too. Although TBF, they have been trying to go to the men. They just don't seem to know WTH they're doing or how to talk to men.
Thanks for your sincere reply. I appreciate it.
I do want to point out the flip side of what you said. IRL women generally do not want men to abandon masculinity as far as the good parts go. The whole "toxic masculinity" is something pushed by the political/managerial class and people online, and they're very skilled at conflating some actual concerns women have (eg physical safety) and using those concerns to fuel their various insane agenda. A major problem also is people don't have a uniformed understanding or definition of what "masculinity" and "feminism" mean. I'm a GenXer and feminism means equal opportunity at work and education, equal treatment under the law, and laws against sexual assault, spousal abuse, and sexual harassment that are stronger than those before the 1990s. I don't recognize the kind of "feminism" being touted today. If it's what I think it means, then I find it petty, trivial, and highly destructive. I also find it perplexing and even frustrating when the political/managerial class talk about "masculinity" as they seem to be talking about only trashy behaviors. But the traditional moral codes of honor among men like the kind valued during WW2 seem to have all but disappeared. I don't really know why they all suddenly decided to pretend certain age-old values don't exist. The only reason I can see is they just want to sow discourse.
I don't agree that women want "feminism" from political parties. Women who support "feminism" have always been a small selected group. By and large, women as voters care first and foremost about the economy. As for the current so-called gender divide, on the women's side a lot of it is driven by the abortion issue. It's not women wanting men to abandon masculinity that stop them from voting GOP. If the GOP drops their anti-abortion stance, they'd have opened themselves to a wide swath of female voters. But the GOP are not willing to let go of their anti-abortion voters who form a core part of their base.
(And no, Trump and Vance keep saying it's back to the states is not enough. At least not for this election cycle. For one thing, it's hard for women to trust Trump on this issue after he caused the overturn of Roe v Wade. I happen to think that Trump actually finally ended this awful toxic stalemate holding female votes hostage to the Democrats, and the end of Roe is ushering in the inevitable win of the pro-choice side. But it'll take time before women voters can admit that and feel secure in this new reality. JD Vance knows that and it's why he keeps talking about his party needing to earn back voters' trust. Plus the red states with super stringent anti-abortion laws still stand as the great barrier against women voting GOP.)
I also don't see appealing to female voters having to necessarily mean appealing to "feminist" issues. Back in the 80s and 90s I called myself a feminist. Today, even I balk at the term and no way in hell would I call myself one, as everything they do is insane woke shit. Because the left has gone insane over cultural issues, the GOP has been handed women's votes on a golden platter if they wanted to take them. All they need is to show and signal that they care about women's welfare. For example, Trump is absolute right on the devastating problem of human sex trafficking resulting from open border. Why aren't more GOP party agents and his surrogates talking more about that? Domestically, they can talk more about making schools stronger again on teaching kids the basics.They could also press the issue on Biden's disastrous Afghanistan pull out, and the resulting horrific relegation of Afghan women to inhuman treatment by the Talibans. They can blame this entirely on Biden and Harris. They can point to Obama/Biden/Harris naively supporting Iran and tie in their failures and silence in supporting Iranian women during their attempted uprising 2 years ago. None of any of this has to do with abandoning masculinity. In fact, speaking to these problems would've been examples of what men who take charge to protect the world do. But for inexplicable reasons, the GOP seems incapable of it. I think there's a huge reluctance on their part because they're afraid talking about any women's issue at all might invite sneers and accusations from their base that they're pandering to leftists and "feminists". And so they cede all women's issues to the Democrats.