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DEL.ICIO.USCherchez les femmes
Is it true that soccer moms are more frustrated by traffic than commuting dads, and is there power in that?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Legislature abandoned Atlanta last week. Hundreds of political candidates have been set loose to roam the landscape.
It’s no secret what comes next. A lot of skirt-chasing.
Private lives are private lives. We’re talking demographics. Both Democrats and Republicans are signaling that they believe women hold the key to victory in November.
State Rep. DuBose Porter of Dublin is the leader of 79 Democrats in the 180-member state House. The topic of conversation was his caucus’ strategy for preserving itself this election year. Of what he would reveal, more than half is devoted to womenfolk.
Democrats in the House were able to piece together a trio of victories this year, their first real wins as a minority. They softened a new program that subjects the homes of Medicaid nursing home patients to confiscation, after they die.
They defeated two proposed constitutional amendments proposed by Gov. Sonny Perdue: One to restrict state lottery funds used for the HOPE scholarship, and another to underline the legality of state contracts with religious groups that provide social services.
Both were unnecessary, they argued.
In an election year, acts of the Legislature aren’t just laws and resolutions that, upon a governor’s signature, bind the body politic. They are direct mail pieces. Bombs with postage stamps that land in tens of thousands of mailboxes two weeks before the vote.
For rallying against those two constitutional amendments, Perdue and his GOP will accuse Democrats of voting against “HOPE and faith.”
Porter knows this. His counterattack lies in a warehouse somewhere in Georgia, where Confederate enthusiasts tell him they have stored 300,000 signs saying “Sonny Lied.”
It’s not an outright alliance with the anachronistic, male-dominated, movement to restore the ’56 battle emblem to the state flag, whose members think Perdue reneged on promises made during his 2002 campaign.
Consider it a bit of jujitsu that a now-economically challenged political party must use to take advantage of a message that — regardless of what Democrats do — will be hammered into every other tree in rural Georgia.
So Democrats will attempt to take the flaggers’ message for men, and use it to discredit the governor on topics such as transportation and education — issues that resonate particularly among women.
Did you know, Porter asked, that polls show women are much more ticked off about metro Atlanta traffic than men? Men who work experience it only twice a day. Women toting children hither and yon, from appointment to appointment, are in it all day long.
Even in rural Georgia, the need to focus on women is obvious. Porter himself represents a district that, under the right circumstances, could go Republican.
But white women voters outnumber white male voters by 20 percent in his district. The number of black women voters is double that of black men. (In the Democratic primary, Porter leans toward Cathy Cox for governor. But common sense says that Mark Taylor’s strategy is similarly gender specific.)
Through their actions, Republicans admit that the Democratic emphasis on women is rightly placed. The most telling bit of news last week came from Perdue’s office. A spokeswoman for the governor said he would take his time deciding whether to sign a bill changing the formula for child support in Georgia.
State Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs), sponsor of the measure, became a subject for demonization by the state’s army of divorced women.
Perhaps recognizing the governor’s November concerns, Ehrhart let it be known last Friday that the governor played a key role in eliminating the most controversial part of his bill.
That’s the bit that would have allowed many dads to reduce their child support payments, based on time spent with their children.
According to Republican lawmakers, the governor has no choice but to sign the bill — else Georgia won’t have any guidelines at all for making sure parents support their off-spring.
But get ready to meet Sonny Perdue, noble defender of the cast-aside spouse.
Comments
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By debbie
April 3, 2006 06:40 AM | Link to this
Gov. Perdue will be making a huge political mistake if he does not sign that child support bill. Even Alabama is ahead of Georgia in their child support guidelines. Jduges should be required to look at both incomes not jus the one of the non custodial spouse. Many women are married to men that have child support obligations to a previous spouse. They know the inequity of the system now. The custodial sposue lives very well while the non custodial parent’s family struggles. As for the cast aside spouse part, that does not jibe with divorce statistics. Many women were the plaintiff in the divorce and they were the ones that committed adultry.
By Gracey Dee
April 3, 2006 11:53 AM | Link to this
Moms may be more mad about traffic now, but think of all the PO’ed, didn’t-want-to-be-one-in-the-first-place dads there will be when Republicans criminalize abortion in GA!
Not only will droves of guys then have to pay 18 years of child support they never factored into their budgets, they’ll have to battle 23 lanes of Sonny-supported traffic for their every-other-weekend visitation rights they all will pretend to care a whole lot about.
Surely a CF in the making! http://spaceygreview.blogspot.com
By Justin
April 3, 2006 05:16 PM | Link to this
Women of Georgia and the female legislators constantly pull the gender card. The child support and child custody issue is not about the child. It is about control. It is about controlling another person. It gives custodial parents a high to wield the power over the non-custodial parent. Let’s tell it like it really is… a form of indentured servitude.
By Justin
April 3, 2006 05:19 PM | Link to this
Women of America who support inequity in divorce and family law, gear up for the marriage strike and the anti-American woman backlash that is about to take place.
And when you want to find a man to marry, blame the men-hating radical feminists! Oh, you can always just marry each other.
Men of America, work to legalize the world’s oldest profession and boycott marriage!
By Justin
April 3, 2006 05:22 PM | Link to this
The polls show that women are ticked off more than traffic because men have better things to do than answer polls. Give me a break!
And, there are just as many men who take their children to school, daycare, and after school activities. Who in the heck do you think are most of the coaches of organized sport teams? Non-custodial fathers even take their girls to ballet classes. AJC, let’s stop with the liberal, show only one side, bias!
By Vallencia
April 5, 2006 12:57 AM | Link to this
The big issue with the child support bill is that the noncustodial parents who are not taking of their responsibility, get off big time!! Who is the parent that has to miss work when the children are sick or miss hours of sleep….custodial? Who is the parent who gets the call from the school and is expected to reply….custodial? Who is the parent that has to always consider the children before any decision is made….custodial? Who is the parent that has to spend what little money is available on the child, food, and shelter…..custodial? So for all of the people who believe that the new support law is fair, THINK AGAIN. The custodial parent has to take the bulk of everything while the non custodial parent can do whatever, whenever and with whoever without any thought of the day to day lives of the children. Oh yeah, what about the social life of the custodial…..what social life? If any revisions should be done it should be to increase the amount for the custodial parents when the noncustodial parent does not understand the value of being a parent. It is not all about the money. I salute the noncustodial parents who are mature enough to take care of the responsibilities of being the absent parent. Parents, we have an important job of ensuring that our children grow to be productive citizens and make all of us proud that we took the time while they were growing to invest.
By Debbie
April 5, 2006 06:11 AM | Link to this
If things are so bad, the custodial parent could give up custody. The custodial parent has the control over the child, receives child support and claims a big deductiton on their taxes. I have a co worker that keeps his child 60 % of the time. His ex will not give up custody and still expects child support. Most Fathers do assist wit doctor’s appiontment, etc. For every man that is a deadbeat Dad, you have a woman that is a parasitic leach when it comes to child support. There are always two sides to every story. Both incomes should be looked at , not just one.
By CaSanndra
April 17, 2006 08:38 AM | Link to this
Vallencia:
(yawn)
You made the choice of being a custodial parent. As a non-custodial parent, there is not one single day that goes by that I don’t wish I could come home and help with the homework, cook the meals, go to track practice, take her to the dentist etc etc. I would gladly give up any time to be with her and do all the day to day activities…however, I am too busy working to pay my child support, that I CAN’T.
So I have a few words for you: “I’ll trade ya”.
By the way, statistics show that by 2006, more women will be non-custodial parents. So while you defend (or complain about) your role as a custodial parent, think about how it would feel to have the shoe on the other foot. Would you feel the same about the laws then?
If Perdue does not sign this bill, Georgia won’t have a child support guideline. He did sign HB 221 last year, which including a parenting time adjustment. Not sure what was different this year…(oh! Its an election year).