No need to tell your husband: Harris banks on women’s votes

In an ad for Kamala Harris, a woman marks her ballot for the Democratic candidate while her husband thinks she’s voting for Republican Donald Trump: “What happens in the booth, stays in the booth” a voiceover says.

The 30-second-clip, narrated by actor Julia Roberts, shows the couple arriving at a polling station wearing baseball caps featuring the American flag, a symbol often sported by Trump supporters.

The ad, financed by a religious nonprofit, has elicited fury in the Trump camp, with the former president calling it “stupid” and asking “Can you imagine a wife not telling her husband who she’s voting for?”

In the ad, the wife exchanges knowing glances with another female voter, before filling in her choice for Harris.

“You can vote any way you want, and no one will ever know,” the voiceover says, before the husband asks “Did you make the right choice?”

“Sure did, honey,” the woman replies.

Unprecedented gender gap

On conservative Fox News, a host recently said his wife secretly voting for Harris would be “the same thing as having an affair,” while former Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich said the Harris spot was an example of the depth of her camp’s “corruption.”

Anti-Trump political group The Lincoln Project aired a similar ad showing two upper-middle class men who assure each other their wives are voting for Trump. The women — and other females at the voting precinct — then fill in their ballots for Harris.

The videos, and the furious reaction from Trump supporters, illustrate two key facets of the US presidential campaign.

One is that Trump and Harris are truly fighting for every last vote, in what is perhaps the most down-to-the-wire presidential race in modern US history.

The other is that Harris is counting heavily on mobilising women in the ultra-tight race that will see a gender gap in votes like never before.

According to a latest poll by NBC, there is a 34-percentage point difference between male and female intended voters.

Harris has a 16-point lead among women while Trump has an 18-point lead among men.

The unprecedented gap comes with Harris’s campaign having leaned heavily on reproductive and abortion rights, following the Supreme Court strike-down of the federal right to the procedure in 2022

Clooney surprise

More broadly, the election is a clash between the “traditional and kind of patriarchal masculinity” espoused by Trump and Harris’s policies which are “less aligned with stereotypical gender roles,” said Kelly Dittmar, a political science professor at Rutgers University.

Former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, who has stumped for Harris, is openly betting on “secret” votes for the Democrat.

“I think you’re going to have, frankly, a lot of men and women who will go into the voting booth and will vote their conscience and will vote for Vice President Harris,” Cheney said, who is the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney.

“They may not ever say anything publicly but the results will speak for themselves,” she said.

Former first lady Michelle Obama recently hammered home the point, reminding the female electorate: “If you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don’t listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter.”

The Harris campaign’s quest for “secret” voters doesn’t stop with women. The group that funded the Julia Roberts-narrated ad, Vote Common Good, recently released a second spot, this time featuring two male voters casting their ballots for her without telling their Trump-supporting buddies.

The ad is narrated by another star, George Clooney.



https://insiderpaper.com/


  • Related Posts

    What Ceasefire? ‘Heavy Clashes’ In South Lebanon As Beirut Buildings Leveled

    What Ceasefire? ‘Heavy Clashes’ In South Lebanon As Beirut Buildings Leveled

    Despite all the recent talk of a potential ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in the works, regional reports say that some of the fiercest ground fighting is currently taking place in southern Lebanon on Friday.

    Heavy Israeli aerial bombardments of the southern suburbs of Beirut have also continued with intensity. On Friday an Israeli missile completely leveled a residential multi-story in the neighborhood of Chiyah. Israel’s military reportedly issued a civilian evacuation alert shortly before, and terrifying video from the scene suggests locals knew it was about to be struck.

    In the south of Lebanon, near the border, UN peacekeeping forces say they are monitoring “heavy clashes” on Friday, saying most of the fighting is centered in the coastal town of Naqoura as well as the village of Chamaa.

    There are also emerging reports which say four Italian soldiers were injured after two rockets hit a UNIFIL base in Chamaa. Italy’s deputy prime minister has said Hezbollah was likely behind the rocket firing: “There were believed to be two missiles, from what it appears, they are believed to have been launched by Hezbollah.”

    Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a statement of “deep indignation and concern” over “new attacks suffered by the Italian headquarters of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon.”

    “These attacks are unacceptable,” she stated, adding that “the parties on the ground to guarantee, at all times, the safety of UNIFIL soldiers and to collaborate to quickly identify those responsible.”

    “We are aware of heavy shelling in the vicinity of our bases,” UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti has said, saying that since the incident all UN troops appear to be safe “for the moment”.

    Up until now, the UNIFIL has claimed its command posts came under attack by Israeli forces, including IDF tanks, several times. This appears to be the first time that Hezbollah fired on UN locations.

    IDF forces earlier this week reached their deepest point into Lebanon since the ground invasion began, in the countryside vicinity of the port city of Tyre, which has been pummeled by airstrikes.

    UNIFIL base (in the background) in Chamaa, Lebanon. Wiki Commons

    Israel has repeatedly demanded that the UNIFIL troops withdraw – requests which have been refused. This puts the UNIFIL outposts in the direct line of fire as the war encircles their positions.

    “UNIFIL strongly urges combating parties to avoid fighting next to its positions. Inviolability of UN premises and personnel must be respected at all times,” a Friday statement said.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 11/22/2024 – 18:00

    Ukraine seeking new air-defence systems after latest Russian strike: Zelensky

    Ukraine is asking its Western partners for updated air defence systems after Russia fired an ultra-fast ballistic missile at the city of Dnipro this week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday. “Ukraine’s defence minister is already holding meetings with our partners on new air defence systems — exactly the kind of systems that can protect lives […]

    The post Ukraine seeking new air-defence systems after latest Russian strike: Zelensky appeared first on Insider Paper.

    You Missed

    What Ceasefire? ‘Heavy Clashes’ In South Lebanon As Beirut Buildings Leveled

    What Ceasefire? ‘Heavy Clashes’ In South Lebanon As Beirut Buildings Leveled

    Ukraine seeking new air-defence systems after latest Russian strike: Zelensky

    Ukraine seeking new air-defence systems after latest Russian strike: Zelensky

    Trump Taps Pam Bondi for Attorney General Role After Matt Gaetz Withdraws

    Trump Taps Pam Bondi for Attorney General Role After Matt Gaetz Withdraws

    Utility Companies Are Not On Our Side

    Utility Companies Are Not On Our Side

    Yes Alexandria, No Means NO!

    Yes Alexandria, No Means NO!

    Russia says it needs migrants to fill labour shortage

    Russia says it needs migrants to fill labour shortage