Women take the long view, drop O in droves

The looming debt and entitlement disaster have women's attention. They are often the caregivers of the older and younger generation both, and it's no coincidence that a majority of the TEA party leaders are women, many involved in politics for the first time.

In the 2010 midterms their sway was evident, both at the polls and as citizen legislator candidates:

In 2008, women helped deliver the presidency to Mr. Obama, voting for the Democrat 56 percent to 43 percent over Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican. Men split their votes between the two candidates almost evenly.

Black and white women turned out to vote in substantially higher numbers than their male counterparts, also boosting Mr. Obama’s victory margin.

There was a startling turnaround two years later. Mr. Obama wasn’t on the 2010 midterm ballot, but his agenda was. Female voters defected from the Democratic Party in historic numbers. Postelection surveys found female voters preferred Republican congressional candidates over Democrats, 49 percent to 48 percent - the first time in at least 30 years that Republican candidates received a majority of women’s votes.

I suppose this is why the Dems and our President Barack Obama chose Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz as head of the DNC, but the tired old feminist playbook didn't work last fall and won't in 2012. And Wasserman-Schultz is becoming as gaffe-prone as Joe the Biden.

Women want solutions, not demagoguery, but the narrative is important. More from the Washington Times story:

Rep. Cynthia M. Lummis, Wyoming Republican, said years of studying voters’ habits in the Wyoming Legislature and in Washington have convinced her that female voters take a longer-range view than men.

“The candidate who will succeed with women in 2012 will be the candidate who appeals to the future of our country and economic stability,” she said. “It has less to do with political party than with the vision they paint.”

We need a Republican candidate who deals with issues honestly, understands what is at stake for every family, and leads with a sunny and grounded assurance.