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Note: This session moved really fast, but I found it important enough to cover this that I'm willing to post this liveblog in its fully imperfect glory. I'll be cleaning it up today, with links, so you'll all have access to some great perspectives from smart women on some of our most pressing issues related to the upcoming election.
Lisa Stone introduced Morra Aarons, the moderator for today and Blogher's political director. Lisa is the timekeeper.
Morra is so honored by the women who have come to this panel and the women in the room. She will start with pollsters and strategists.
Sarah Simmons, GOP political strategist
Anita Sharma, Lake Research Partner, specialist in education and women's issues.
Jen Hogg, will lead Iraq breakout group. She is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War
Mary Catherine Hamm, videoblogger and blogger at townhall.com
Dr. Val Jones at Revolution Health will be leading the healthcare section.
Closing speakers will be Gina Cooper, executive director of yearlykos.com, Jennifer Posner, founder of Women in Media and News.
Morra handed it over to Sarah Simmons to talk about women voters. She says she always gets invited to these things because there aren't a lot of "Republican chicks out there". That's wrong. She would counsel you to remember that women are a diverse group of people. There are no "women's issues" - all issues impact women.
Who are women voters?
58 percent of women work outside the home. 52 percent are between 45-54,
62 percent are married, 35 are moms, 37 are single, and 27 are married moms.
In 2006, 55 percent voted Democrat, 43 percent GOP. In 2004, 51 percent voted Bush, 48 percent Kerry.
What do women care about?
She thinks Republicans did a great job in 2004, bad job in 2006 of figuring out what specific voters care about, and talking to them about it so they'll get up and vote.
Number one issue we think candidates should be talking about is Iraq. What's interesting is looking at the comparison of younger to older women. Women under 50 are much more concerned about healthcare. 30-60 have figured out how to do healthcare forms for children as well as parents.
Issues from most to least important according to polls.
Iraq
Health Care
Job creation/Economic growth
Illegal immigration
Terrorism
Environment
Older women are more likely to think that the situation has gotten worse than younger. Younger women are more likely to say that it's stayed the same. Older women are more likely to be home during the day, she says, more likely to watch the news?
Men believe that illegal immigrants help much more than it hurts, whereas women believe the opposite. Men: 50 percent believe it helps, 41 percent believe it hurts
Women: 43 percent helps, 47 percent hurts.
Women are much more likely to talk about how the kids get less attention at school because of focus on second language issues, or less service at the emergency room. Women personalize issues: environmental health means, "do my kids have access to clean drinking water?" or "can my family go on a hike." Politicians can personalize issues to talk to women in a more effective manner, rather than talking globally on a "plain paper" sort of issue.
Anita Sharma will echo Sara's statements about women voters. She'll recap women's vote in 2006.
Women decided in 2006 that the country needed a new agenda. Women's vote was key in the three Senate races in VA, MO and MT - the gender gap is how women and men vote for a candidate.
With each passing year America becomes more "unmarried". 2005 - 45 % of Americans were unmarried vs. 32 percent in 1960. Turnout in unmarried women shot up in 2002 and 2006. Unmarried women were more likely to vote for Democrats in the next election.
Women's agenda much broader - goes beyond Iraq to health care, education, environment, women's rights. Environment is a "second tier" issue for women. Why? It's a local issue where you can see the impact you can have yourself. Also some women tend to believe that we've made progress on the environment where we haven't on prescription drug costs or equal pay for women. If you use the word "environment" you won't link them in, but connect it to a broader platform, and you'll see more emphasis on women.
2006 as the year of the women leader. We asked voters on election day how they would rate women's issues. Over half said having a woman speaker was important. How do you think more women in Congress would impact growing scandal and corruption there?
Will 2008 be the year of the woman President?
A July New York
