THE YEAR OF ANGRY WOMEN

  

“Angry Women Will Change the World”: Empowered Women's Notebook

Over the past two years, voters have been bombarded with news of a deadly pandemic, loss of abortion rights, loss of voting rights, an insurrection at the capital, rising inflation, a war in Ukraine, and all too often, gun violence, including mass murder in our schools and other public places.  All of the above topics have been politicalized to the point where there is little agreement between Congressional elected officials (only 27% of which are women) on how to address each crisis. To exasperate the problem, when it comes to electioneering, it is expedient for the party out-of-power in Washington (Republicans) to take no action. Instead, it blames the party in power for the present conditions and for a lack of positive results.

With this onerous backdrop, the nation is facing an important midterm election this November that will determine whether President Biden and the Democrats are able to maintain a slim majority in Congress. Overall, in the post-World War II era, the president’s party has performed an average of 7.4 points worse in the House popular vote in midterm elections than it did two years prior in the national presidential election. If this holds true for Democrats, who now hold just four more than a majority, they would easily lose the House in November.

The Senate midterm elections pose their own problems for Democrats. However, the Senate contests are not as susceptible to the negative  electoral environment that affect the House. Nonetheless, which party will control the Senate after the November midterms is an open question.

Many political observers believe that the Democrats’ secret weapon in this year’s midterms are women voters who are angry at recent political events. According to Alan Lambert, a specialist on the shaping of political judgment, “when anger is focused on a particular set of perceived wrongdoings by a group or a person, this is the feeling that motivates people to vote.” Conversely, registered voters who are pleased with the status quo are more likely to ignore the midterm elections. In the 2018 midterms, women angry at the Trump administration’s policies and the then president’s behavior favored Democrats by 18%, insuring them a solid majority in the House.

Several recent anger-producing events have encouraged Democrats to believe there may be an opportunity to maintain control of Congress this November. First, a majority draft Supreme Court opinion authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, overturning Roe v. Wade, was clandestinely released to the media. The draft was a blunt, unpolished document that negatively impacted generations of pro-choice adherents. Immediate anger was directed against Republicans for the abrupt loss of access to abortion for tens of millions of women, with 62% believing it should be legal according to a recent poll.

The final abortion opinion will be released before the November midterms. There is a slim chance that the Supreme Court will abandon the draft opinion and adopt a more centrist approach. This result would not formally overturn Roe, but instead uphold Mississippi’s 15-week cut off for performing most abortions. Many women would oppose this more moderate outcome and remain committed against conservative candidates.

The second anger-inducing event has been the steady stream of mass shootings, including the recent murder of 19 young students in Texas. Gallup polls have indicated for years that women are more pro-gun control than men. Researchers found that 69% of women support stricter gun laws. This is no surprise when one considers that 33% of American men own guns compared with 12% of women. To emphasize gun control issues before the midterms, Democrats plan to introduce a series of bills, forcing Republicans to go on the record against each gun control measure.

Lastly, Democrats are hopeful that the prime time public hearings held by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection will influence women voters. Any new revelations that Trump and his followers attempted to subvert democracy may be an additional catalyst to anger enough women to make a difference in the midterms.

Republicans have their own reasons to view “angry women” as a political advantage in the upcoming midterms. They are attacking Democrats for “Biden-flation,” blaming his administration for the sharp spike in prices.  As a result, polls are showing dismal ratings among women for Biden’s economic policies.

Women make up 57% of workers who earn less than $25,000 annually. They also do a majority of the grocery and retail shopping.  The price of grocery items has risen above 10% since March of last year, with many staples such as eggs, flour, and milk up even more. The sudden and unexpected rise in inflation has affected them the most and has forced women to make difficult budgetary choices.    

Republicans are gleefully pointing to the baby formula shortage as another example of bad planning on the part of the president’s administration. Every new mother trying to feed her infant was given another reason to be angry with the party in power.

Of all the anger issues, the state of the economy is probably most important to women. Thankfully, for Democrats, economic issues have multiple causes and are problems that could fade or disappear prior to the midterms.

Whatever the outcome of this year’s important November elections, one factor is already a given. Angry women will have a major say in determining the winners.