Good-bye Soccer Moms. Hello Security Moms. There is a new condescending way to talk about women with kids with political interests. [Well, maybe not so new. Everyone was talking about over the summer, but I was busy elsewhere.]
A Time magazine poll this week revealed a reversal in the traditional gender gap, with women now favouring Mr Bush over Mr Kerry by 45% to 44%.
The pollsters attribute the shift to “security mums”, women who set aside their reservations about the president’s conservative agenda because of their concern for their family’s safety.
Michele at a Small Victory wrote this nice piece about being a security mom.
I have a place this election. I have a stand to make. Remember soccer moms? I never understood that phrase nor did I understand what made the soccer moms such an appealing part of the constituency. What did they stand for? Better soccer fields? Nicer SUVs? More after school programs? It was disingenuous to describe young, suburban mothers in that way and frankly, it pissed me off. I felt it was an insult, that we were being thought of as no more than the appendage to the family, the cheerleader for the husband and kids. Looking at me in that light was no way to get my vote. I really don’t remember anyone liking the soccer mom label. It labeled us as passive observers to the political arena whose vote could be had by offering us free coupons for diapers. Condescending.
But, security mom. Now there’s a label I can sink my teeth into. It means something. It shows what I stand for. It shows where my vote is going and why. Security moms are not passive. We are knowledgeable. We are aware. We are active. Most of us were thrust into this role after 9/11 and we accepted it gladly.
Michelle Malkin describes herself the same way.
I’m not a security mom. Other political and social decisions will also be weighed before I go into the voting booth. But, as someone whose husband works in Times Square and someone who was in Manhattan during 9/11, you can be sure that security is a major family concern. Trouble is that I’m not sure that Kerry will do a better or worse job on that front than Bush. I wonder how the security mothers can be so sure of that fact.
Apt. 11d 
“Trouble is that I’m not sure that Kerry will do a better or worse job on that front than Bush.”
I’d say that Kerry has competence on his side; what worries you about his hypothetical administration?
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Security moms & dads
Security moms (and dads), think for yourselves — vote your hopes, not your fears. More importantly, vote for plans, not for scare tactics!!
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The trouble I have with both Malkin and Small Victory’s stances is that they are willing to throw away freedom for fear. They stand willing to submit to a martial state because they are afraid of what will happen if they don’t, but they fail to realize that freedom given away is never regained except through violence. So, are they willing to have to have their children die fighting a totalitarian regime here at home to regain the freedoms they so readily threw away?
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What Malkin fails to even ask is how Kerry could do worse than Bush?
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Security guard beaten to death, police firing on protestors
A private security guard was beaten to death by unidentified criminals under Mansi Bazar area in the district late last night. Police today said some anti-socials caught Raju Kumar Thapa, a private security guard of a local nursing home and lynched him…
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Security: Auto Vigil To Provide Security To Women Employees
India’s entrepreneurial acumen is recognised worldwide, especially in the IT sector. Now a Mumbai-based company, Mercury Infocomm Private Limited, which has come up with an innovative product called Auto Vigil, once more highlights this already well-kn…
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