Campaigns and Elections
10-25-07
Clinton Pursuing Women With Subtle Strategy
By, Justin Schardin
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has been dexterously practicing a strategy that
only she can pull off. Her efforts to appeal to women recently seemed to have
stepped up, and at a speech last night in Ames, she showed just how the ace up
her sleeve can be played.
Clinton delivered the annual Smith Chair lecture on women in politics to well over
1000 in attendance at Iowa State University. It was largely a recounting of the
political achievements of women since the 19th century, as well as an
exhortation to keep up the fight. The clear message was that there was much
work yet to be done.
Hillary Clinton
Few would argue Clinton's subject matter, but her rhetoric bestowed upon her a
bonus. Saying that women's achievement has many obstacles yet to overcome,
the narrative practically screams that electing Clinton to the White House is the
next logical step in the struggle for gender equity. And yet she need say nothing
of the sort for voters caught up in the message to come to that conclusion
themselves.
Iowa State University Professor Jim Hutter agreed, and said yesterday's
speech gave Clinton a perfect opportunity to do just that. "I thought it was a
spectacular performance," he said. "I think she probably won more votes and
support in that audience yesterday by giving a non-campaign speech than she
does giving a blatant campaign speech."
Why? "We're all programmed to resist advertising," he said, so when we reach
conclusions ourselves, they're more likely to stick. Hutter added that the speech
also "showed another side of her, among other things that [she] can give a bangup good speech without having to read it."
University of Iowa professor Tracy Osborn said lately Clinton has been targeting
Iowa women more than she previously was. In part, this has been through being
seen more often with the wives of prominent Iowa politicians, and tailoring her
messages more specifically to women.
"[S]he's definitely put other issues of the election [like] the economic middle-class
issue, in a frame of gender. So for instance she's talked about specifically a
woman waitress she met, and...mixing together [her] economic situation and
gender."
It may to be working to some extent, as Clinton collects significantly more
support from Iowa women than men. Last week's Des Moines Register poll
showed her 34 percent support among the state's women beating U.S. Sen.
Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., who had 21
and 20 percent, respectively.
Clinton's 21 percent support among men, however, trails Edwards' 27 percent
and Obama's 25 percent.
Though Clinton may have a natural edge competing for Iowa women, Hutter said
she had one disadvantage in that "older women are somewhat more resistant to
her than younger." Older voters are the most likely to participate in the caucuses.
Osborn said Clinton's opponents can take at least two approaches to level the
playing field.
Option one would be to "push the same issues" and try to neutralize Clinton's
advantage by agreeing with her on key points.
The second would be to "put their wives very prominently out in the campaign [to]
speak on those issues and...give their husbands credibility." She mentioned
Elizabeth Edwards and Michelle Obama as two who have so far been pursuing
that strategy.
"Appear in front of as many people as you possibly can and make people know
you as a person," is the advice Hutter gave to Clinton's rivals. "People vote
based on issues, they vote based on political parties, but more than anything
else they vote on two things: I don't like so-and-so, and I do like so-and-so."
Liking someone can stem from one's personal character and issues, but it can
also come from a compelling idea that person represents. For some, the
prospect of electing the first woman president is just such an idea.
Justin Schardin can be reached at jschardin@politicsiowa.com