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Mercedes Viana Schlapp on whether the Obama re-election campaign is taking advantage of their support
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Welcome back everybody we are gonna be talking a little bit about the female vote.
And how the breakdown is right now in terms of gender in the upcoming general election and to do that -- that's.
Mercedes -- -- co-founder of code strategies.
They have a website to -- strategies dot com welcome Mercedes hi Jamie how are you great to see you I see Richard didn't get up an out of the chair to make room for you nice to see you from Washington.
Let's start and talk about whether or not the candidates.
For the party C band are approaching women in the right way.
Well I think what you're starting to see is with President Obama he began this.
Suppose in GOP war on women and started to listen to his with feminist you know the liberals saying.
Focus on the reproductive rights and on contraception and this will surely help you get the women vote so back in April.
He was up by about six -- sat between Obama and Romney.
But don't we have found is that the -- and are not really responding to that message.
They want to be taken seriously so I think Romney has been able to close the gap.
When it comes to women voters because he's focusing on the economic.
Message on these women who are really suffering -- really concerned about what's happening with our economic future and that's where I think Obama is really dropping the ball.
What can we learn from this poll that talks about the gender breakdown.
Basically to me it seems like a dead heat at this time.
Women are pretty much split by 2%.
46% for Romney 44%.
For a President Obama there's a little bigger spread it winds up.
Men but still within the margin fair.
True but I mean what's been fascinating is that no one thought that Romney could close this gap and that's why this poll is so surprising.
You're talking that it's -- CBS New York Times poll and it was skewed towards the Democrats -- is more Democrat.
Respondents in this poll so it does help Romney I I believe when it comes to this particular poll again.
This -- this might be the -- at a dead heat right now come Labor Day and come after the debates we'll see where the women stand.
But I think when you look at the economic picture for women right now.
You're talking that their unemployment rate has gone up since Obama's been in office from seven point one to eight point line.
You're talking that the poverty rate has -- out precisely for women up to fourteen over 14%.
The labor participation rate for women has gone up it's the highest it's been over a decade.
You look at those facts and what we're looking at is that these women are just mainly concerned about the economy.
And how this is gonna impact their families and whether they can have jobs and if they're going to be able to pay their bills.
And that's where Romney has a real great opportunity.
Two -- hone in on this group and say.
Here you go I got an economic plan we're not going back to the days of just reckless spending and just stimulus spending we need to rein in government.
As well as help create jobs this is what the women why well yeah.
-- Jessica Parker that's not what she wants yeah a lot of big -- fund raiser let me flip -- -- what percentage of men.
Turned to their significant other female partner if that's the case and say what you think -- -- I think I think most do it.
I think it's hard to.
-- -- -- the female vote is that what you're saying sir he certainly can't ignore the funeral though but I think.
In in attempts to not ignore it you run the greater risk of of being seen this coddling and her or over managing it right -- -- pander exactly and -- in the Hulu like this are most comical.
Outreach of the life of -- slide show from a few weeks ago from the Obama campaign showing how.
A woman under Obama if Obama were to be present for 67 years.
Can be treated to a lifelong cradle to grave coddling by the government and and never want for anything because of all of the the special care that the Obama administration is going to take a view.
And and I don't think.
The female vote.
-- certainly not monolith that I think I think it it.
To the to a large extent.
Considers itself to be an equal footing with men and and and and just voters and generally and -- their force not surprising are going to react.
Broadly -- leaked it to men and and voters in general.
When the economy is is is issues one through three.
And the economy's not doing well today it's no surprise to say that men and women are both reacting poorly to to the incumbent rather than men saying well we're -- we understand the economy we don't like Obama that's why we're -- for Romney.
But the women can be.
Sort of spoken to in their in their other year by the administration telling them all the special things are gonna do for them and those other guys wanna take -- contraception and other things that are.
You know at at best.
That's how they could patronizing and and -- worse you know and misleading or downright deceptive side and I think women are Smart enough to see through it.
Mercedes -- what was your reaction.
I'm not -- campaign.
Well I sighed again it was sort of like -- the one thing they did not mention in the -- campaign is whether Julia has a husband or not they're actually trying to.
The -- and trying to gain.
The core court I shall say the unmarried women I mean what we're saying is when you look at the census.
The majority of American households are growing into this sort of single parent -- -- parenting.
And so you find that they are trying to court that young.
Unmarried woman.
Which in many cases a lot of these single mothers and -- depend on these government programs.
But again I think what you're finding is is that that group of women that -- group of women are usually are not the ones are going out and voting.
-- and if they do married at what we have seen in polling is that they do shift their vote from being hit Democrats of being Republicans.
So again I think that you know when you look at the life of -- was you know just this one of these another one of these political gimmicks and is trying to say.
The government's gonna take care of you the government is your husband.
As opposed to saying.
Look you -- we want to create opportunities for you we want you to move ahead and get a job and not necessarily be so dependent on government to get I mean what we want is.
Women's to women to be contributors to our society women to be contributors to our economy.
That's what we want and that is that is what does that what would be a successful economic message as opposed to just saying the government's gonna take care of you for the moment -- born.
-- the moment that you go work at.
A community garden.
