Posted elsewhere, but my words:
Okay, as a gal, I’ll give my $0.02, though I’m not sure its worth even that.
I’d suggest we look at the gender gap from the other direction. Rather than ask, “Why do women approve of Obama?” lets ask, “Why don’t men approve of Obama?” Frankly, I think its easier to answer. After all, Obama is a MAN.
I find it interesting that men are rejecting a man, particularly because men were more supportive of GBush than women. In other words, something about Obama turns men off — and something about Bush attracted men. What could it be?
Bush seemed masculine — at least from a woman’s perspective — and comfortable being masculine. He did guy stuff like clearing out the brush at his ranch. Can you imagine Obama clearing brush? Can you imagine him doing any physical labor? Something about Obama doesn’t seem right and men are picking up that off-scent. He’s just not comfortably male. Even his basketball playing seems … stilted.
Remember watching Bush walk to the presidential plane? He had a commanding walk. He oozed confidence. Masculinity. I think he drove the metrosexual media mad when he jumped from planes or showed up in Iraq.
Now note Obama’s walk. He seems to be trying to be authoritative. Trying too hard. He walks fast, but not confidently. Its more like he’s prancing than commanding.
As a woman, I rather like powerful, confident men. I remember watching Bush on tv and thinking he had a Reagan-like, genuine masculinity. I am blessed, however, by postive experiences with men. I’ve never been physically abused or mishandled and the few bad apples in my life were usually emotionally needy, not abusive. In short, I like men as men.
Many women don’t have such positive experiences with men. For them, a powerful man is threatening. They’d rather see a pseudo-male with a dominant/big wife than a strong man with a wife who knows to love him as he is. I see the support for Obama, among women, as an indicator of social dis-ease.
Although I don’t have any statistics to back up this claim, I’d wager that women who were raised in divorced homes, or with abusive parents, are most supportive of Obama. Conversely, women who were raised in happier, intact homes probably support a Bush-like president.
Similarly, women who are divorced, separated, abused, single or absent a good man in their lives will vote for the weakened male, the controllable Obama.
Remember when the MSM swooned over Obama? The most urban, divorced and metro reporters thought he was sexy, not slimy.
I’ve got a doctorate in history and am not a shrink, so take my psycho-babble with a grain of salt.
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