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.