Let’s drop in on a big party. We see a mob of guys gathered around the barbeque on the patio. There’s a bouquet of women relaxing under the big tree. Now let’s toss the subject of weddings into each group. Suddenly, we hear chatter about dresses and hair styles. And shoes and bridesmaids. […]
Get Instant Access to This Article
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Central New York business news and analysis updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Get a year's worth of the Print Edition of The Central New York Business Journal.
- Special Feature Publications such as the Book of Lists and Revitalize Greater Binghamton, Mohawk Valley, and Syracuse Magazines
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Let’s drop in on a big party. We see a mob of guys gathered around the barbeque on the patio. There’s a bouquet of women relaxing under the big tree.
Now let’s toss the subject of weddings into each group.
Suddenly, we hear chatter about dresses and hair styles. And shoes and bridesmaids. And bridal showers and flowers and music. From which group would you expect most of these comments?
Yes, there are women who know all the linebackers in the NFL. And men who rise to raptures over the wallpaper in powder rooms. But they are the exceptions. If we peer at issues through certain lenses, we will more likely get the attention of women. When we change lenses, we will more likely win the attention of men.
Let’s look at the 2016 presidential election campaign. The successful candidates will shape their messages with women uppermost in their minds.
Women outnumber men in the U.S. and women vote at higher rates than men. Put these ingredients together and the result is women may make up 55 percent of the upcoming electorate or more.
So, all candidates will hone their messages with women in mind. It looks to me as if Hillary Clinton will go them one better. Her strategy will be to present everything and anything in women’s terms. Through women’s lenses to appeal to the large base of women voters. Her messaging is likely to resonate more with women, since she is a woman and because she could become our first woman president.
Clinton is banking on something like this: She will say we need more jobs that offer childcare. Jobs that offer wages enough to support families. And jobs that insure good health coverage, while providing maternity benefits. Her male opponent may deliver a similar message. Hers will resonate more with women voters than his. Because she is a woman. That is what her bet is. And if she gains a high percentage of women’s votes, victory is a cinch.
Hillary knows millions of women will vote for her because she is a woman. No matter her flaws or failures. These voters want a woman president, come hell or high water.
She knows millions of women may not be so extreme. But, for the same reasons, they lean toward her. With them, it may come to mentally flipping a coin before voting. If so, they will use a Susan B. Anthony dollar. And if Susan does not come up, they will flip a few more times.
We will see this strategy at work from now until November next year. We have seen it already. Hillary updated her latest book — to add that the birth of her granddaughter inspired her to seek the White House. The campaign already brought daughter Chelsea front and center. And left ole’ Bill in the background.
You can expect the influence of women, women, and more women in all presidential campaigns from now on. And this time around, in Hillary’s campaign, you will
see it in spades, capital letters, 3-D, Google vision, high-definition, and more.
From Tom...as in Morgan.
Tom Morgan writes about political, financial, and other subjects from his home near Oneonta, in addition to his radio shows and TV show. Contact him at tomasinmorgan@yahoo.com