UNITED STATES—Well last week was a big win for presidential hopeful Donald Trump in his battle to secure the nomination for the Republican Party. On the other ticket, Hillary Clinton, while the presumptive nominee, still has to secure the nomination from the Democratic Party while doing battle with Bernie Sanders who isn’t ready to exit the race.
There have been discussions for years about this possible showdown, a female candidate doing battle with a male candidate for the vote to enter The White House. Could 2016 be a historic moment where for the first time ever, a female US president is elected by the American public? It could happen, but the female vote is the key to making that happen.
People need to be aware that just because a female could be the presumptive candidate for the Democratic Party does not guarantee that Hillary will win the female vote just because she is a woman. Plenty of women that I have spoken to are quite offended of the notion that people suspect solely because of their gender that they will automatically vote for that particular candidate. Yes, it’s quite crazy to expect that assumption, but so many people think that.
People thought automatically that every Black person would vote for Barack Obama because he was Black. It’s silly and quite rude to hear such a thing. Why? Well for starters, I had no idea who Barack Obama was when he first threw his hat into the presidential race back in 2008. I voted for Hillary Clinton during the primaries because I felt she was more experienced and I knew a ton more about her than Mr. Obama. So why do so many people expect women to vote for a female simply because she’s a female. It’s a ploy in my opinion.
It’s another way political pundits can explain how things turned out the way they turned out. Speculation is very bad, especially when the assumption has already been made without considering all other outcomes. This raises the question of the hour, just how important is the female vote in the 2016 presidential election? In all honesty, I think it’s critical, very critical. Women who do or who don’t turn out in my opinion could be a deciding factor in terms of what candidate will reign supreme come November 2016. Is it enough to say that you’re all for female rights, equal pay for women compared to their male counterparts, addressing issues of concern that impact women directly, yes, but also no. Saying the right things can work to some degree, but as all politicians should be aware, talk is cheap, actions say everything.
Americans are becoming so much wiser to not only listening to what presumptive candidates say, but what they’ve done in the past. Don’t say you’re going to do something when your actions in the past appear to negate what you are claiming in the present. Deception is not a good thing to the American people, and when it comes to the female vote, nothing is guaranteed based on gender people. It’s a misconception, one that so many politicians make time and time again.
Is it very possible that Donald Trump has a chunk of the female vote? Without a doubt. Is it also possible that Hillary Clinton could nab the female vote? Yes, but she shouldn’t automatically bank on it because she is a female. Connecting to women is just as important, as the visual blueprint that you are a woman.
It will become so much easier to pinpoint just where women stand when it becomes official who the Republican candidate and Democratic candidates are for the big dance. More crucial will be that first debate which will give Americans a chance to really understand precisely where each candidate stands on certain issues and precisely what agenda they have in place for the America and Americans. Nothing is guaranteed based on race, and a lot of people are starting to realize that the same applies to gender. Not all men vote for men, not all women vote for women. So be cautious!
