The Broad-ly Effect

There's been some chat in the media about the Bradley Effect - the tendency of racist voters to lie to pollsters by claiming they'll vote for a black candidate, but then vote for a white candidate in the privacy of the voting booth.

I'm sure it exists, although I doubt it's as prevalent today as it was years ago.

But it occurs to me that there's another "effect" which may play a role in this election, one that as far as I know hasn't been named: the reluctance of sexists (both men and possible women) to vote for a woman.

It may sound crazy, but I can imagine that some unreconstructed good-ol'-boy rednecks who would normally vote Republican without a second thought (or a first, for that matter) might actually hesitate to vote for a ticket with a woman, even one in second place - particularly when it looks as if there's a pretty good chance that McCain could fall over dead before the end of his first term. He didn't look too good in the last debate!

I'd guess that the Broad-ly effect (as I'm calling it) is nowhere near as powerful as the Bradley Effect. But no one has ever studied it, I believe, so I just don't know.

The Broad-ly Effect

There's been some chat in the media about the Bradley Effect - the tendency of racist voters to lie to pollsters by claiming they'll vote for a black candidate, but then vote for a white candidate in the privacy of the voting booth.

I'm sure it exists, although I doubt it's as prevalent today as it was years ago.

But it occurs to me that there's another "effect" which may play a role in this election, one that as far as I know hasn't been named: the reluctance of sexists (both men and possible women) to vote for a woman.

It may sound crazy, but I can imagine that some unreconstructed good-ol'-boy rednecks who would normally vote Republican without a second thought (or a first, for that matter) might actually hesitate to vote for a ticket with a woman, even one in second place - particularly when it looks as if there's a pretty good chance that McCain could fall over dead before the end of his first term. He didn't look too good in the last debate!

I'd guess that the Broad-ly effect (as I'm calling it) is nowhere near as powerful as the Bradley Effect. But no one has ever studied it, I believe, so I just don't know.

The Ayers Connection

The latest thing that Palin and the Republicans have been screeching about is Obama's connection to former Weatherman bomber Bil Ayers. He's a professor now, and they apparently sat on some school board together or something. Apparently this proves that Obama is a bomb-throwing terrorist.

Republicans have been fussing a fuming about it incessantly. In fact, they seem to be on overdrive in general; the number of "push-poll" questions that have been posted by right-wingers on Askville lately is truly astonishing.

As you may know, I'm not supporting Obama. But I find the hypocrisy of the Republicans in this to be extreme, even for them. They claim that Obama is responsible for acts committed by someone else when he was eight years old. Why is it, then, that they never have the slightest criticism to make of Donald Rumsfeld and other high-level Republicans who not only "palled around" with people like Saddam Hussein, but actually sold him weapons - after he had already committed atrocities on his own people?

The answer, of course, is a resounding silence.

The Ayers Connection

The latest thing that Palin and the Republicans have been screeching about is Obama's connection to former Weatherman bomber Bil Ayers. He's a professor now, and they apparently sat on some school board together or something. Apparently this proves that Obama is a bomb-throwing terrorist.

Republicans have been fussing a fuming about it incessantly. In fact, they seem to be on overdrive in general; the number of "push-poll" questions that have been posted by right-wingers on Askville lately is truly astonishing.

As you may know, I'm not supporting Obama. But I find the hypocrisy of the Republicans in this to be extreme, even for them. They claim that Obama is responsible for acts committed by someone else when he was eight years old. Why is it, then, that they never have the slightest criticism to make of Donald Rumsfeld and other high-level Republicans who not only "palled around" with people like Saddam Hussein, but actually sold him weapons - after he had already committed atrocities on his own people?

The answer, of course, is a resounding silence.

"That One"

About that "That one" remark from McCain? I don't think it was racist. No, I think it was totally old-person-speak. He either forgot Obama's name for a minute, or was in such a state of high dudgeon that he simply wasn't able to bring himself to say his name.

"That One"

About that "That one" remark from McCain? I don't think it was racist. No, I think it was totally old-person-speak. He either forgot Obama's name for a minute, or was in such a state of high dudgeon that he simply wasn't able to bring himself to say his name.