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A Voter Subset Ignored So Far?

We've seen the candidates appeal to old voters, young voters, female voters in general, Hispanic and African American voters, rural voters, and just about every other demographic there is. Have they overlooked anyone? Apparently, yes. Unmarried Women.

A new poll will be released next week. Shorter version: Candidates Need to Reach Across the Marriage Gap. I just received this e-mailed press release:

Unmarried Women Expected to Vote in Record Numbers in ’08; Rank the Economy as #1 Concern But Don’t Hear Their Needs Reflected in Candidates’ Plans

More...

Stan Greenberg and Anna Greenberg of Greenberg, Qunilan, Rosner Research will release a new poll Tuesday demonstrating a significant gap between married and unmarried women in how they view the candidates, the issues, and the choices America faces.

While both groups prioritize economic issues, unmarried women say they are not hearing their real-life needs from candidates , including pay equity, a higher minimum wage, and paid family leave – addressed by any of the candidates.

With a population now equal in size to that of married women (53 million), unmarried women make up 26% of the electorate, yet in the past have been 13 percentage points less likely to register and 9 percentage points less likely to vote.

But according to the poll, this year unmarried women are likely to vote at nearly the same levels as married women.

So, the question is, which candidate offers more to unmarried women? Do they differ in any significant way?

As to the graphic, I loved this movie back in the 70's -- I probably watched it five times. The cheating husband saying he met his new fling buying a shirt at Bloomingdales (she worked there), how Jill Clayburgh threw up on the street when he told her, the lower Manhattan art scene at the time, Alan Bates as the very sexy new boyfriend, the dumb "Charlie", the girlfriend in their gang of four who so matter- of- factly describes how lithium has taken away her highs -- anyway, if you haven't ever seen it, I highly recommend it.

As for whether Hillary or Obama should make a pitch specifically to this group, I highly recommend that too.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Universal health care (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by madamab on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:18:53 PM EST
    is very important to unmarried women.

    If I were not married to a man who has a regular job, I would not be covered - and for many years, I wasn't.

    So in that respect, I think HRC offers more to unmarried women.

    Neither candidate (none / 0) (#5)
    by BlacknBlue on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:27:48 PM EST
    Offers universal health coverage.

    Clinton stretches things a bit, too. Even her plan - which, unlike Obama's, includes a mandate for individuals to get insurance - would leave out a million people or perhaps more, depending on how severe the penalties would be for those who don't comply. She won't say how her mandate would be enforced, but has said that she was open to the possibility of garnishing wages.

    http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/theyve_got_you_covered.html

    Parent
    Since you are going to cherry pick... (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by Josmt on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:44:32 PM EST
    From the same link you just posted...

    Obama is being misleading when he says his proposal would "cover everyone." It would make coverage available to all, but experts we consulted estimate that 15 million to 26 million wouldn't take it up unless required to do so.


    Parent
    A twofer (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by badger on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:53:16 PM EST
    False equivalence and selective quoting.

    Your link says that as many as 26 million wouldn't opt for coverage under Obama's plan - 26 million is bigger than 1 million (about 26 times bigger). That in turn has a substantial effect on the cost of insurance for people who do take it.

    Your link also says this:

    Which one would cover everyone? Studies and experts say an individual mandate would lead to universal or near universal coverage and a plan without such a mandate would cover substantially less of the currently uninsured.

    "I hear Obama saying he's got universal coverage, he's just wrong," says John Sheils, senior vice president of The Lewin Group, a politically neutral health care research organization. "I don't know of anyone who studies this issue that would consider his plan to be universal coverage. You might call it universal access to coverage ... but the distinction Clinton is drawing here is correct."




    Parent
    completely false (none / 0) (#24)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:59:36 PM EST
    her plan offers it and mandates it. Your quote pertains to those who might not comply. Don't post false information here.

    Parent
    False info? (none / 0) (#32)
    by BlacknBlue on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:10:06 PM EST
    I trust factcheck.org's opinion over yours. Fact is, the only true universal health coverage is single payer.

    Parent
    As an unmarried woman myself (none / 0) (#27)
    by echinopsia on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:03:30 PM EST
    I am in doubt as to which candidate cares about my issues:

    Hillary Clinton.

    No fargin' contest.

    Parent

    should be no doubt (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by echinopsia on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:05:38 PM EST
    Above.

    And Obama can forget get about getting my vote with a kiss, sweetie.

    I don't find him likeable enough.

    Parent

    It's hard for me to understand (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by nemo52 on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:10:06 PM EST
    Obama's appeal to single women -- unless they are part of the young, new-voter cohort.  Middle-aged single women like me know what Hillary has been fighting for.

    Parent
    And many of us have met (5.00 / 2) (#38)
    by nycstray on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:18:03 PM EST
    an Obama or three in our lives. Either on the personal level or professional one  ;)

    Parent
    As any married women may be, at any time (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by Cream City on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:40:27 PM EST
    an umarried woman again -- well, ever since I found myself suddenly unmarried again once before, I find that I still vote like an unmarried woman.

    Years of work, years of establishing credit, years of self-sufficiency within marriage are not seen that way by employers, banks, etc., when you are on your own again.  I want the progress that Clinton wants for women, including unmarried women, just in case.

    I mean, I married wisely this time -- but that is as of today, folks.  I know now that, as Scarlett said so well, tomorrow is always another day.

    Parent

    Universal healthcare is just one.... (none / 0) (#53)
    by workingclass artist on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 05:16:37 AM EST
    of the problems she will address. HRC has been an advocate for women's rights for most of her adult life. I'm unmarried and I think it's a rabbit trail as most concerns of unmarried women are in line with married women. Most married women work, so pay equity is important and most unmarried women support family leave. Unmarried women support the rights of children. Devisive and manipulative tactic used by OBAMEDIA. Must be slow news day. I'm not judgin'...I'm just sayin'.

    Parent
    I love that movie, too! As an (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Joan in VA on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:21:04 PM EST
    unmarried woman, my issue is healthcare. I think pay issues are important but I don't really understand the importance of paid family leave. Is that because of older unmarried woman taking care of parents?

    Family leave (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by stillife on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:25:37 PM EST
    is important to unmarried women with kids, I would think.  It's important to me as a married women with semi-grown kids.  

    I loved "An Unmarried Woman" too.  Haven't seen it in years.  I need to add it to my Netflix queue.

    Parent

    queue (none / 0) (#13)
    by NYMARJ on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:42:56 PM EST
    Can still picture Jill Clayburgh carrying that large canvas away at the end of the film -  a tip the flim is probably one that of the "watch instantly" films.

    Parent
    Family leave was crucial (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by kmblue on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:36:14 PM EST
    while both of my parents were succumbing to cancer.
    It meant I could take unpaid leave from my job to help care for them.  My siblings and I all did.
    It saved us.

    Parent
    Fyi, 9 to 5 has a paid sick day (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Cream City on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:45:49 PM EST
    campaign underway.  This is a crucial issue for the "sandwich generation," whether for mothers when both their parents and children are ill -- been there, done that, and I was the lunch meat.  Why?  Because I was the only daughter.

    That holds even more, even today, for the single women I know; the daughter still is expected to do more/is socialized to do more for ill parents.

    Parent

    Has to be part of it (5.00 / 2) (#35)
    by gyrfalcon on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:13:03 PM EST
    If there are numerous siblings, who's going to have primary responsibility for looking after elderly Mom and Dad?  Always, always ends up being the unmarried female because, after all, they say, she doesn't have her own family to look after.

    Been there, done that.

    Parent

    Healthcare for me! (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by kmblue on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:34:17 PM EST
    I'm paying big bucks, as a happily unmarried woman.
    I was tempted to lasso my boyfriend into unholy matrimony just to get his benefits, but I talked myself out of it. ;)

    Honestly (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by madamab on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:38:03 PM EST
    that was one of the reasons my then-boyfriend and I got married. He was declaring me his beneficiary as a domestic partner, and then he kind of blurted out, "Well, since we're saying it on the health insurance forms..."

    Romantic, eh? :-) But still, it's a big concern.

    Parent

    I know any number of (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by gyrfalcon on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:15:31 PM EST
    low-wage single women who've done just that, ended up marrying boyfriends for the health insurance and ultimately higher SS benefits.

    Parent
    Domestic partnership (5.00 / 2) (#40)
    by QuakerInABasement on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:18:28 PM EST
    I agree that domestic partnership rights are probably important for this group of voters. The demographic "unmarried women" includes very nearly all lesbians (I couldn't guess what percentage of the total, but I'd guess it's signifigant). As long as they're locked out of the benefits of traditional marriage, domestic partnership issues will remain important. Straight women stand to gain as well.

    Parent
    marriage and votes (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by Molly Pitcher on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:35:37 PM EST
    Personally, I can't see how an unmarried woman (mentally underline 'woman') could stomach a campaign of implicit and explicit sexism.  "Want a kiss, sweetie?"  I suppose if a girl looking for a guy figured she could take BO away from Michelle, then maybe she'd join the cheerleaders.  But by definition 'girl' is not equivalent to 'woman.'

    Beyond that, women alone do have different concerns from married women.  In some respects, HRC offers a pretty good role model--tho she does have the secret service protection.  But so far as I am concerned, the sooner the 'little woman' stereotype gets dumped, the better.  Want to go live in a nice compound in Texas, young lady?

    Finally! Somebody noticed. (5.00 / 3) (#14)
    by nycstray on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:43:23 PM EST
    In my circle of friends, only one is married. In my family, only my mother.

    We need pay equity. It takes us, iirc, 10+yrs longer to save for retirement, just for starters. Many times I'll see plans that benefit families, couples etc, but they tend to skip single folks. Or they start out by saying "everyone will benefit" and as the get farther into the plan, not so much.

    Woo Hoo - someone might finally pay attention! (5.00 / 2) (#20)
    by cmugirl on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:47:53 PM EST
    I've been harping about this for years!  My issues are health insurance (I pay over $500 a month and it still doesn't cover everything), and the economy (jobs - I'm a contract attorney who needs a real job!)

    I guess I also like to drink clean water, breathe fresh air and I want better public schools because those little buggers are going to have to work to pay into my Social Security since I don't have the luxury of a second income! ;)

    The biggest issue will be for most Americans (5.00 / 2) (#30)
    by athyrio on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:06:33 PM EST
    (they don't realize it yet) when your insurance reaches that cap and you are no longer eligible for any other....with the cost of Cancer treatments etc doesnt really take long...My last open heart surgery was 108,000 bucks....not to mention the cost of chemo etc etc....the cancer "industry" is booming and expensive...and you can quickly run out the cap on the insurance....happens alot.....It is disgraceful...

    Some of us (5.00 / 2) (#33)
    by madamab on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:12:12 PM EST
    have been through that with our parents, even if not with ourselves. I'm so sorry you have had such serious health problems. :-(

    My father had great medical insurance, which is what allowed my mother to get the treatment she got. Otherwise, I have no idea what we would have done. Chemo, surgery, radiation...it's unreal how much it all costs.

    Parent

    It may be to late for the primary (none / 0) (#3)
    by Jgarza on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:22:22 PM EST
    but I think Dems need to start with getting this subset registered to vote in greater numbers.

    Do I remember correctly (none / 0) (#6)
    by madamab on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:28:57 PM EST
    that this subset is one of the least participatory in terms of coming out to vote?

    Maybe because they don't see their needs being addressed enough...hmmm.....

    Parent

    unmarried... (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by kredwyn on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:48:20 PM EST
    and I've voted in every election since I turned 18.

    Parent
    Good for you! (none / 0) (#23)
    by madamab on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:57:58 PM EST
    I did the same, before I was married. :-)

    I'm glad to hear that more single women are participating in the democratic process.

    Parent

    Me, too (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by nemo52 on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:04:59 PM EST
    Unmarried, female, and voted in every election since 1970.

    Parent
    Not this year; their numbers are up (none / 0) (#19)
    by Cream City on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:47:28 PM EST
    as I've seen in discussions where single women certainly have not been ignored as a voting subset; see pollster.com.

    Btw, a lot of it has to do with economic class, not just gender.  Per the studies, class may have more to do with it for single, working-class women.

    Parent

    Hey.... (none / 0) (#11)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:39:10 PM EST
    they have also ignored the "young male degenerate gamblers who like to get high and only want liberty" demographic.

    Ron Paul's got 'em. (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by madamab on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:42:28 PM EST
    ;-)

    Parent
    He had us..... (none / 0) (#17)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:46:26 PM EST
    Liberty's only friend is out of the race, with no one to pick up the slack:(

    Parent
    Alas. (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by madamab on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:02:01 PM EST
    Who will destroy the public library system and disband the army now?

    ;-)

    Sorry, couldn't resist the snark.

    OTOH, I hear Bob Barr may decide to run...he's a libertarian.

    Parent

    It's cool.... (none / 0) (#47)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 05:39:53 PM EST
    Nobody thinks I'm a bigger knucklehead than me...and I'm here to read snarky truth:)

    Stuff like that is what always stopped me from going full on libertarian in my more liberal days...public shools, medicaid, social security, etc.

    Somewhat recently it hit me though...the cost is too great, the state asks too much in return.  The wars, the taxes, the laws, the corruption, the rigging of the marketplace, and of course the sacrifices of liberty...its too much for me to stomach anymore.  

    If I starve to death in a ditch without health insurance, so be it...just let me be free, just let me be free. And if I see someone in need I'll help them.

    Barr has a good shot at my vote if he's on my  ballot....but don't worry, I'll lay 10,000-1 that whoever I vote for doesn't win:)

    Parent

    domestic partner thing would work, madamab (none / 0) (#18)
    by kmblue on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:46:48 PM EST
    except we don't live together.
    Odd relationship, but it works for us. ;)

    OMG! (none / 0) (#25)
    by madamab on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:00:21 PM EST
    [clutches pearls, faints]

    :-)


    Parent

    Quick! (none / 0) (#34)
    by kmblue on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:12:22 PM EST
    Somebody fetch the fainting couch and a fan!
    (and some whiskey!)

    Parent
    MmmmmMMMMmmmm, (none / 0) (#36)
    by madamab on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:15:16 PM EST
    whiskey. :-)

    Parent
    For medicinal purposes only, (none / 0) (#42)
    by Cream City on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:43:24 PM EST
    we may presume, madame?


    Parent
    Women on Charlie Rose last night (none / 0) (#39)
    by Josey on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 04:18:17 PM EST
    well known women promoting their new site about culture, politics, etc - http://www.wowowow.com/
    Has bunches of info and I hope it succeeds.

    Speaking of "telling her" (none / 0) (#43)
    by Fabian on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 05:02:03 PM EST
    My sis-in-law was told by her long time BF that he met the woman he wanted to marry(not her)....
    .
    .
    .
    when her took her out to dinner for her birthday.

    (BTW - yes, that was the phrase he used.)


    Unmarried woman here (none / 0) (#44)
    by ruffian on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 05:12:09 PM EST
    My number one issue is competency.  

    I chose Hillary based on that.  Love her stand in the issues too, but I think she should hit the competency theme harder, especially after 8 years of Bush, the polar opposite.

    I think she has tried to use experience as a synonym for competency, but that word has baggage.   Bust as I watch her in the debates and in the Senate hearings, I am more and more convinced that competency is her main strength, as hard as it is to define.

    Competence is sexy (none / 0) (#45)
    by kmblue on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 05:14:11 PM EST
    Extreme competence is extremely sexy.

    And this phrase is copyrighted, so no stealing please! ;)

    Parent

    You are so right (none / 0) (#46)
    by ruffian on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 05:19:28 PM EST
    That is my number one quality I look for in all areas of my life - I don't care what you do, just do it well!!!   (I know, hard to believe I'm not married - so easy to please ;-)   )

    Parent
    mmmmmm, just unmarried women? (none / 0) (#48)
    by pluege on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 05:52:07 PM EST
    Assuming the population is roughly 50% women and 50% men, and polygamy too insignificant to consider, then for every unmarried women there is also an unmarried man. If the candidates should be appealing to unmarried women shouldn't they also appeal (perhaps in a different way) to unmarried men?


    Maybe they are just as likely to (none / 0) (#49)
    by ruffian on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 07:44:32 PM EST
    vote as they have always been, and are not looked at as a new demographic to bag.

    Parent
    who would know (none / 0) (#52)
    by pluege on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 09:11:35 PM EST
    unmarried men (or any male demographic other than tendencies by age groups) are never studied.

    Parent
    i'm not real clear on (none / 0) (#50)
    by cpinva on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 08:36:58 PM EST
    specifically which group of single women they're talking about: single w/children women, or single, unfettered women?

    as well, how are their health concerns radically different from everyone else's, that they would be a special "subset"? unless you're suggesting that, by being single, they somehow have different anatomical structures than everyone else, and i kind of doubt that's true.

    by all means, attempt to draw these women into the political process, get them into the voting booth, etc., but i'm not convinced their concerns are somehow unique, by comparison to the concerns of every other voting group.

    most issues addressed by Clinton (none / 0) (#51)
    by Truth Partisan on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 08:41:10 PM EST
    If the issues are:
    pay equity, a higher minimum wage, and paid family leave
    for unmarried women, than Clinton has addressed most or all of these. She has said on the stump a number of times she's for higher minimum wages. As far as pay equity, she's been really good on this, including the Pay Fairness Act.
    "The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338 and S.766) was introduced March 6, 2007 by Sen. Hillary Clinton and Rep. Rosa DeLauro to strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963." http://www.pay-equity.org/info-leg.html
    Go Hill!

    most issues... (none / 0) (#54)
    by workingclass artist on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 05:23:35 AM EST
    Well said truth partisan. Unless a woman is an ANTI-FEMINIST, I think it's incredible how many women are simply in denial. Being a second class citizen is getting really old and in many parts of the world demonstrably dangerous.

    Parent
    You've missed the one largest demographic of all (none / 0) (#55)
    by SeeEmDee on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 12:19:29 PM EST
    And one that has scores of millions of people, that crosses just about every demographic of race, sex, creed, etc.

    Cannabis users.

    Who've been savaged for decades by both party's indifference to the suffering that both parties have caused to scores of millions of cannabis users for many years. (The present huge upswing in arrests - over 800,000 in this country last year alone - began during Bill Clinton's supposedly 'liberal' tenure.) We've already been the recipients of the unConstitutional treatment many here grouse about as if it was something new; the Bill of Rights-destroying War on Drugs presaged and acted as midwife for all the present abominations such as the so-called Patriot Act.

    Juggernaut ran over us before you even saw it coming. And our warnings about lost rights and liberties went unheeded because many 'progressives' felt it was all hunkey-dorey since they mistakenly believed that it was 'just the druggies' getting ground up in its' treads. Now everyone who isn't to the far right of Atilla the Hun is facing the disaster we've been living with for years; nothin' new to us.

    You want to talk 'swing voters'? You want to talk about a huge bloc that could undermine any voting machine chicanery through sheer numbers? Give them some hope of reforming the idiotic laws oppressing  the millions of peaceful cannabis consumers, and there won't be any doubt about which party wins in November. If you want that help, it's there, but we won't be doing it on a handshake and a verbal promise easily denied anymore; we want it in writing: a promise to end the damnable DrugWar.

    A prediction: the chickensh!t Dems won't, as they bear part of the responsibility for the pointless continuance of a flawed policy. I wish, I really do, that I could believe otherwise, but drug law reformers been the victims of bait-and-switch before, and have become very cynical, indeed. Like I said, what's been going on in this country is nothin' new to us. We're already in the stew-pot; all we'd be doing is making room for more. So, you can sit on that carrot over there, but I have squatter's rights on the potato.