This past week I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time finding myself in discussions about “suburban women” and 2020.
My bride, a broadcaster I consult, angry feminists on Twitter, journalists from three separate but significant publications, and contributors to my show all somehow snagged me into giving opinions about the specific demographic.
That surprised me somewhat.
Surprised me on two levels.
- That it’s such an “urgent” discussion now.
- That I hadn’t looked at the data better before now.
So I’ve done a lot more of the latter. Turns out it’s a somewhat fascinating demographic.
Suburban women aren’t really considered suburban. Oh many of them are, but the common usage more refers to white, highly educated, women of means.
They also tend to be peculiarly fickle. They voted for both Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton in the last two presidential cycles. Of course they lost both times. They did however help Nancy Pelosi reclaim her Speakership in 2018.
The question is, “What will they do in 2020?”
And it’s a fair question because if Donald Trump were to cut his losses with them in 2016 in merely half essentially 5-6% more of them vote for him than the Democratic nominee, he will have a very early night.
Now that somewhere around 17 states have addressed abortion issues on the state level, now that no less than six women are running for the Democratic nomination, and now that women are largely the face of an in effective and defunct House of Representatives it seems a valid concern.
I also believe there are some assumptions about “Suburban Women” that are just unfounded—beyond that even unfair.
Suburban women aren’t monolithic. One of the more infuriating observations about researching how suburban women voted in 2012-2018 is the way the press, in general, would broad brush the demo. The New York Times et al would have you believe that they are universally college educated (read that: elitist) and that because they are, their voice (when siding with progressive candidates) must be given credence. Hardly a mention goes by without referring to the importance they reserve for health care (read that: legal abortion) and how they will bear down with fury any time it is messed with. This ignores the fact that pretty much every major pro-life activist organization is headed by women. One group specifically, Concerned Women For America, not only has a much larger constituency than the National Organization for Women, but is the single largest pro-woman group in the nation.
Suburban women are vital. There is little need to even explain this, but without them the nation ceases to exist. They keep homes organized, schedules memorized, details mastered, kids nurtured, menus planned and most of that before 7:00 am. Many of them work additionally outside the home as well. Increasingly more of them are having to do all of this without the aid of a partner. Those who are married also find a miraculous way to feed intimacy, affirmation, and vulnerability into a relationship. The world would literally spin off its axis if this group of super-humans flittered away like particles of dust in the wind.
Suburban women are constantly lied to/about, used, and betrayed. When Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 she literally tried to blame this group for the outcome. Keep in mind she won the demographic. But in her books, public appearances, and press avails she did then and is still doing so today claiming that women who voted for Trump didn’t actually do so because he put better policies in front of them. Nope in her mind it was that these women were so weak, and that the misogyny of their husbands was so overwhelming that women were practically threatened with harm if they didn’t vote the way their man told them to. Since then raging angry former Hillary supporters on social media make frequent usage of the idea that anyone who merely disagrees with them must be “affiliated with the patriarchy.” Ironically it is these exact same types that have pushed the transgender crisis in sports and other areas that are taking scholarships from their daughters. Where they are literally defending biological males competing with and against biological girls.
Suburban women deserve the truth. Women are not raging monsters demanding the right to kill their babies. This is what Kristin Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren would like you to believe. Women actually are much more adherent to God, Faith, and moral rightness than men. And what the six female candidates for President will never tell you is that most abortions do not occur because the woman seeks it. Rather, overwhelming majorities of them occur at the behest of some male in the woman’s sphere pressuring her to go through with it. That Planned Parenthood has been rendered essentially unneeded by women in society at all, for any reason, sans abortion will also not be admitted — even though it is true in large respect to the advancement of free health clinics. The media refuses to tell you how well your daughter is doing by way of available jobs (more available than people to fill them). Nor that she’s making more money than ever before. There is no gender wage gap, and women have greater opportunities at education than men. The media refuses to tell any of this. But you deserve to know it.
In short, the Democrat party and progressives in general don’t value your opinion, perspective, experience or choice — as long as you vote with them.
Choose to not do so and they literally attempt to erase you.
Because of some of this reality, I’ve redoubled my commitment to make my show a place where the underrepresented female voice not only has a place at the table—but—on-the-air. (And I started that long before the great debate of “suburban women of 2020.”)
Because while the left is busy telling you how to vote and then telling you to sit down, I’d like to see you be given not just the permission but the access to kick the door wide open on what women truly think, feel, and believe as 2020 approaches.
My mic is open, access granted, let's do it!