Bachmann and the "99%"

The Occupy Wall Street movement has resonated strongly throughout the United States, and it will most likely play a large role in the upcoming election in 2012. Obama has placed himself on the side of the protesters, and therefore has presumably gained some support both from some protesters and supporters of the movement.

On the other hand, Michele Bachmann is facing some animosity from protesters, and as you can see in the video above, she is having to deal with some very forward acts of confrontation on behalf of the "99%". While the event may have been disrespectful in the light of the occasion (a Veteran's Day parade), Bachmann handled the uprising rather gracefully, but still looked somewhat irked.

When she returned to the podium, she said with some chagrin, "Isn't the First Amendment great?", getting a laugh out of her audience, but snide comments like those will likely alienate her from the "99%", a movement on behalf of the American people, supposedly her voter base. Granted, she has made it clear that she has a very specific voting bloc that she is gearing toward, and granted, the position she was put in was understandably irritating, from her point of view, however, she will not be able to gain the support of the "masses" if she continues with this anti-protester attitude in accordance with many other GOP candidates.

While, unfortunately, she may not need the "99%" to get a win by playing politics and dominating a solid voting bloc, it looks like that bloc is not doing too well for her, as a recent Gallup poll put her at 5% with Perry in the lead,  Romney in second, and Ron Paul in third. This should be a rough estimate of what her game plan has done for her so far, so it will be interesting to see if she decides to reach out to that "99%", or more likely, independent yet silent supporters of the Occupy movement.

Women in Power Positions

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/06/hail_to_the_housewife.html


The role of women in politics has been a growing one ever since the acceptance of women into the political process since the ratification of the nineteenth amendment in the early twentieth century. Religion has recently started to play an important and highly publicized role in the political process because of female candidates of the past two elections alignment with the GOP and the prevalence of religion among some of their supporters. 


Both during the 2008 election and so far on the road to the 2012 election, the role of the woman in an evangelist Christian home has been a widely publicized point of discussion between Bachmann and Palin critics alike. Their critics are both women who are against the submissive role politicians like Bachmann and Palin are expected to fill according to strict Christians, and members of branches of highly traditional/conservative Christianity who think that women would be abandoning their posts as women if they were to run for public office. 


The article writes that, "Reverend Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said that while he liked Palin's political views, he worried about the effect of her candidacy on her domestic priorities." Ideas like these are likely to face Bachmann again if she ever shies away from her already established claim that she would remain a submissive wife in the White House, though she believes that she and her husband respect each other, so it won't be a problem. However, feminists and women supporters of an egalitarian approach to religion will not be won over with that kind of talk. While Bachmann may be gaining favor with prominent men and other submissive women like herself, she will continue receiving opposition from women who believe the opposite on the role of women in the family. 


This dichotomy is sure to divide a majority of women, whether it be in support of Bachmann's respect for family and duty on the home front, or challenge against Bachmann's passive attitude while she runs for arguably the highest position of power in our country. The problem that comes with evangelists supporting Bachmann's quest to be a powerful woman, yet still second in command in her own home originates from the idea that, "If his fellow Christians supported a woman in a position of civic leadership, they should logically support the notion of women exercising leadership in church and at home—but most of them don't."


Christian voters will have to decide whether they are willing to abandon the strict interpretation of the Bible which asserts that women be quiet and remain subservient to their husband, or if they will seek a new interpretation that allows women to compete with men in positions of power without abandoning their families or duties as women. 

On the Fence

Last Saturday, Michele Bachmann addressed Perry, Iowa, a town which has a 32% population of Hispanic residents. Throughout the race, the Hispanic vote has been acknowledged as a very important factor in the upcoming election. At the beginning of the Obama administration, Hispanics gave Obama a 60% approval rating which has dropped to about 49% in recent months. While Hispanic voters have usually voted blue, the increasing dissatisfaction with Obama may cause Hispanic voters to search for another leader.



While most Hispanics are either Catholic or some other form of Christian, they are considered swing voters because their minority status draws them to a party which outwardly encourages welfare, equality, and general support for the underdog. However, as the Obama administration is proven to be increasingly inefficient, the capacity of the Democratic party to engage support and incite this kind of welfare-based change is likely to decrease.


For Bachmann to say that she will build a double fence along the entire Mexican border with the U.S., as this articlein the Huffington Post Latino Voices section writes, does not appear to be a move that would bring Hispanic voters over to the GOP. Many questioned the motive behind making a speech like this in a town where a third of the residents are Hispanic. However, Bachmann may have a wiser goal behind this action; during the address she "rejected suggestions that talking about cracking down on undocumented immigrants is racist or anti-Hispanic" (Glover). By dividing the illegal immigration issue from attitude toward Hispanic voters, she is almost asking Hispanic voters to detach themselves from the illegal immigration issue as it does not affect them directly and is an issue that affects all Americans; Hispanic, Asian, African, what have you.



As we learned through Fowler's writing on Latinos and African Americans, Latinos are divided into many small groups depending on their religion and background, and within these groups, ideologies remain fairly consistent. In my opinion, Bachmann is trying to gain the Hispanic vote by appealing to those second-generation Hispanics who identify more as Americans than as Salvadorians, Cubans, or Venezuelans. These young Americans are more likely to appreciate solving an issue that will affect them as Americans, rather than fastening their political beliefs to an old identification to which they no longer have any connection outside of their family. 



It will be interesting to see how many Hispanic voters start to think as Americans rather than as a minority group leaning on the Democratic Party.