It's a flat out Cival War now (re: Newsweek Poll)

[troublemaker]

Men Bush 45 Kerry 47
Women Bush 44 Kerry 48

What's missing? The gender gap! This is, unfortunately, an honest to God civil war along racial, regional, ideological, generational and most especially religious lines. I don't think it's as much about class as the usual American election and apparently not nearly as much about gender either. Presumably because whether Mom and Dad are Democrats or Republicans they both feel this is a battle for the very survival of their communities. (It's increasingly likely that junior disagrees, though.)

IMO believer vs. non-believer has become a de facto racial divide. (And gender issues have, at least temporarily, suffered roughly the same fate met by socialism at the advent of WWI. Many socialists believed that French workers would not take up arms against German workers (and visa-versa) since they were oppressed by the same over-class. D'oh! When the chips are down primal identifications can swamp more abstract commonalities of interest.)

Here's an unrelated but cool item from the same poll. Check out how Nader does within the parties:

Independents for Nader 4%
Republicans for Nader 2%
Democrats for Nader 0%

That does NOT mean Nader is hurting Bush more than Kerry, but it does mean there's no Democratic protest vote left within the party. Any Democrat so pissed he would vote for Nader now considers himself an independent or third party. (But he still *might* vote Kerry 11/2 in a fit of conscience or paranoia, particularly if Nader's not on the ballot.) Meanwhile there's a sliver of Tucker Carlson Republicans who might vote Nader as a cosmic-joke protest.

[Carla in Ca]

1. I'm feeling a little less fearful of Nader as time goes on.

Iraq and the economy are too important. If Nader made this mess, he probably would have sent the troops in driving Corvairs!

[WI_DEM]

2. I'm honestly surprised that Women are not stronger for Kerry

In some primative way I can see why some men may be drawn to Bush, but for the life of me I can't understand what women see in him. Even this "Security Mom" silliness (there has to be a slogan for everything). Do these people actually think Bush will keep this nation and world safer? If I were a parent I'd be afraid that under Bush my kid would be drafted.

[Hello_Kitty]

4. I don't think the poll is accurate on that

I realize this is anecdotal, but I personally know too many women who are going for Kerry while their husbands are for Bush, for me to believe there isn't a gender gap anymore. And don't count us single gals out yet, either. I've seen an awful lot of new registrations from among that group.

[alcuno]

10. Women are more likely to be undecided.

If you look at the #'s, * is at 44% among women. There are 8% undecided. If the election were held today, most(3/4) of them would break for Kerry - that's what undecideds do, break for the challenger. In that case, Kerry would be at 54% and * at 46%.

[arewenotdemo]

12. I agree. Polls have to be skewed.

Men and women equally for Kerry and Bush?

There's just no frickin way that the gender gap is gone. Besides, there are plenty of issues other than the terra threat.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

5. I think the fear factor is what is driving women to Bush

My ex-wife swallows the whole terror alert system hook line and sinker. She's probably going to vote repug for the first time in her life.

[troublemaker]

8. That's interesting. I never know whether some of these "security mom" type

things are real or TV fantasy. On some level our perspectives are limited to the people we know.

[alcuno]

14. It's spin.

[NightOwwl]

18. Oh, that's awful!

Have you pointed out that the last two terra threats were:

1) 2 days after Kerry nominated Edwards and
2) 2 days after the DNC

and since then there have been none?

Do you think she would consider the possibility the alerts were politically motivated?

ETA: I just noticed you said ex-wife, so maybe you don't communicate that much.

[yardwork]

9. I am a parent with teen boys and that's exactly what I fear

But as a parent, I'm even angrier and more disturbed by what we are doing to people's children in Iraq. I cried constantly during F9/11. I couldn't see how anybody thought it was funny at all.

As a parent I know that if another country invaded the United States and tore my children's bodies to pieces, as we have done to the Iraqi people, I would not rest until I had revenge.

[AndyTiedye]

13. Don't The Moms Worry about Roe v. Wade?

Abortion rights and even birth control would be on the table
in a second Booosh administration. He would be more beholden
to the Fundies than ever, and there would be nothing to stop
them from overturning Roe v. Wade and even banning birth control.

[Arugula Latte]

17. The women I know are PISSED

They are the ones out there putting bumper stickers on the family cars, for example. The men are more, Oh honey, a bumper sticker? Really? Must we? and the women say: Damn straight! Suck it up! This is war!

(except my great husband -- he's all out for our side)

[rumguy]

3. believer vs. non-believer is the line?

no way - I know plenty of repukes who don't give a rat's ass about religion and I know Democrats who are believers (but not fundy)....

I think you're right though we are divided along some kind of line - some kind of metaphysical/psychological line(s) that is hard define.

Regional is to easy an answer as well - the reddest state out there has plenty of dems - I know because I was born and raised in one...

[troublemaker]

6. Agreed. I wanted to say Ideotheological, but it's probably not a word yet

Republican ideology has become a religion. I don't see much difference between Rush Limbaugh and a comparable Radio evangelist.

There's a combined Judeo-Christian-Nationalist religion that includes a lot of people who don't go to church. It's that Neo-Con/Straussian thing... where even if you're an atheist you still defend things like "under God" in the pledge because religious tradition is a civic virtue even if it's all bullshit.

[rumguy]

11. Right - it's like a myth of sorts - that combines elements of

religion, nationalism, and militarism with a big helping of corporate support.

I think there's something to what Clinton said a while back. If you think the 60s were a good thing you're probably a Democrat. If you think what happened domestically during the 60s was a disaster you're probably a repuke. So what does that mean exactly? I don't know yet.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

16. It's the Theocrats Vs. the Democrats

You don't have to be a registered Democrat to know it's un-American to merge church and state. And you don't have to be a snake-handling cultist to call yourself Christian. So I think it's the people who want to preserve our democracy, no matter what their religious beliefs, against the people who want replace the stars on our flag with 50 little crosses.

[ZombieNixon]

7. Believe me...

Presumably because whether Mom and Dad are Democrats or Republicans they both feel this is a battle for the very survival of their communities. (It's increasingly likely that junior disagrees, though.)

Believe me, Mom, Dad and Junior are in agreement on this one!

[Quixote1818]

15. Looks like we need to get Nader on the Ballot in all the states!