# "Why women should vote for women." **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 6, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392 "2016-04-06T22:18:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/41 "2016-04-08T00:26:36Z")
Everyone is free to vote for **any** candidate for **any** reason. Probably Hitlery will win this election. I am not going to advice women how to vote. But as long as there is discrimination against men, men should look out for **their** interests. For those unfamiliar with discrimination: – There is very severe discrimination against male DV victims – Men are moderately discriminated in divorce cases – Male offenders get [63% more time](http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2144002) for the same offences – Extreme [male bashing](http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/03/marriage-declining-men-pigs) is acceptable in Mainstream Media ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/42 "2016-04-08T00:58:41Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > . . . – Male offenders get [63% more time](http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2144002) for the same offences . . . Men commit more crimes than women, and thus have (on the average) a higher record of prior offenses. Does the statistic remain true if you normalize on the basis of prior offenses? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/43 "2016-04-08T01:04:01Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Everyone is free to vote for **any** candidate for **any** reason. Probably Hitlery will win this election. I stopped reading right there. I knew at that point that anything you said past that would not only hold no interest, but would be completely uninformative. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/44 "2016-04-08T03:06:51Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > – Extreme [male bashing](http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/03/marriage-declining-men-pigs) is acceptable in Mainstream Media A) That’s a blog post. B) Mother Jones is utterly not part of the Mainstream Media. C) The truth is an absolute defense against libel. D) You think what you write here is acceptable. How do you justify that? ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/45 "2016-04-08T03:22:44Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > You think what you write here is acceptable. How do you justify that? Pointing out any discrimination and [undeserved hate](http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/03/marriage-declining-men-pigs) against anyone including the “privileged” gender has been acceptable since 1776. I can see nothing wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/46 "2016-04-08T04:38:11Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Funny, but I always thought it was the President (and, at least eventually, Congress) who went to war. Well, you can thank me for disabusing you of that ignorance! The constitution gives Congress that authority, not the president (despite some presidents ignoring that). > [@](#): > > The closest Hillary comes is one in 100 of one body. That’s a good point. No Senator should ever be held responsible for his or her votes. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/47 "2016-04-08T04:50:10Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Well, you can thank me for disabusing you of that ignorance! The constitution gives Congress that authority, not the president (despite some presidents ignoring that). Actually, you can thank me. I said ‘went to war,’ not ‘declared war.’ [http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/war-without-congress.html](http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/war-without-congress.html) > [@](#): > > That’s a good point. No Senator should ever be held responsible for his or her votes. It’s beyond disingenuous to claim that Hillary was the cause of a declaration of war made with 76 other Senators (77%-23%) and 297 Representatives (63%-37%). Nice try, though. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/48 "2016-04-08T07:48:44Z")
The flip side of this argument is that men should vote for male candidates. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/49 "2016-04-08T07:58:46Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > While I’m all for voting for my fellow women I won’t vote for someone _just because_ they’re a woman. I mean, I’m pretty sure Sarah Palin and I are 180 degrees apart on just about anything you care to name so it would be stupid for me to vote for her (or her for me, for that matter, **not that that is likely to happen!** ) Why is that not likely to happen? As you point out, it would be stupid of her, but given that she IS stupid, perhaps it should be viewed as expected. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/50 "2016-04-08T07:58:48Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The flip side of this argument is that men should vote for male candidates. /facepalm ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/51 "2016-04-08T10:00:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Actually, you can thank me. I said ‘went to war,’ not ‘declared war.’ > > [http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/war-without-congress.html](http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/war-without-congress.html) No thanks. > [@](#): > > It’s beyond disingenuous to claim that Hillary was the cause of a declaration of war made with 76 other Senators (77%-23%) and 297 Representatives (63%-37%). Nice try, though. Then I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t say that! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/52 "2016-04-08T10:15:20Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > While I’m all for voting for my fellow women I won’t vote for someone _just because_ they’re a woman. I mean, I’m pretty sure Sarah Palin and I are 180 degrees apart on just about anything you care to name so it would be stupid for me to vote for her (or her for me, for that matter, not that that is likely to happen!) > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Why is that not likely to happen? As you point out, it would be stupid of her, but given that she IS stupid, perhaps it should be viewed as expected. MIght be more likely if I ever actually ran for a public office. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/53 "2016-04-08T15:31:17Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The flip side of this argument is that men should vote for male candidates. In exactly the same way that the flip side of Black Lives Matter is White Lives Matter. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/54 "2016-04-08T15:38:12Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > No thanks. Yeah, I know it’s hard admitting you’re wrong. > [@](#): > > Then I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t say that! It’s what you and Sanders supporters intimate all the time. Oooh Hillary is a warmonger because she, along with a commanding majority of Congress, voted for the Iraq war! Nevermind that the entire country was fed a load of misinformation by the Bush administration. Yeahrite. ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/55 "2016-04-08T19:23:30Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > What evasion? You were using an extreme case to try to invalidate my point. And I contradicted yours as extreme. > > As to your subsequent question, I would probably bet on the conservative woman generally being more pro-woman, unless she’s of the brainwashed bent, **because she’s had the actual experiences,** whereas the male liberal candidate may be sympathetic but just doesn’t have the same feel. (Note that this is based on what they really think and how they use that, not what they mouth to get or stay in office.) I don’t think being a conservative would necessarily prevent a woman from offering up female-issue legislation, any more than being a liberal would cause the man to do the same. I won’t use extreme cases because they are very seldom illustrative. Emphasis added by me. All women have had the actual experience, it’s just that some have been taught from birth that that’s just the way it is, better get used to it. At least, that’s the only explanation I have for women voting for someone that they know is going to limit their rights as a human being, all for the sin of being born female. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/56 "2016-04-08T20:12:49Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Historically speaking, the odds are extremely high that a member of your minority will advocate for issues that are important to you. Johnny Ace cited this way back in post #3. > > The position of white, male, straight Christians is that all other things being equal you can vote for anybody. The position of everybody else is that other things are never equal and pretending that kind of equality exists in this world benefits only white, male, straight Christians since all good things flow toward them without the special pleading required of everyone else. > > If you are not a white, male, straight Christian you learn this in your bones because you encounter it every day of your lives, in an infinity of ways, subtle to blatant. If you are a white, male straight Christian it may become intellectually true but never viscerally crucial. > > Everybody else knows that voting for a fellow minority is equivalent to voting for one’s views unless specifically proven otherwise. Only white, male, straight Christians have the luxury of thinking otherwise. White Christian Males have the privilege of being able to think for themselves and everyone else should just get in line because their vote was decided for them when they were born. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/57 "2016-04-08T21:28:05Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > White Christian Males have the privilege of being able to think for themselves and everyone else should just get in line because their vote was decided for them when they were born. I’m just going to quote that and lay it out bare so that everybody can stare at it for a while and think about what it takes to be that oblivious to reality. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/58 "2016-04-08T22:41:42Z")
> [@OffByOne](#): > > Emphasis added by me. > > All women have had the actual experience, it’s just that some have been taught from birth that that’s just the way it is, better get used to it. At least, that’s the only explanation I have for women voting for someone that they know is going to limit their rights as a human being, all for the sin of being born female. Or perhaps an idea such as “woman’s interest” is very limited and women have like men their political views determined by other factors such as class, ethnicity, and religious belief/personal conviction. For example, in the struggle for guaranteed maternity leave, your female CEO is far less of a “sister” to a working-class woman then the woman’s own male relatives. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/59 "2016-04-08T22:47:13Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > What evasion? You were using an extreme case to try to invalidate my point. And I contradicted yours as extreme. It wasn’t “extreme” considering she was the only female presidential candidate in a recent election cycle. > [@](#): > > As to your subsequent question, I would probably bet on the conservative woman generally being more pro-woman, unless she’s of the brainwashed bent, because she’s had the actual experiences, whereas the male liberal candidate may be sympathetic but just doesn’t have the same feel. (Note that this is based on what they really think and how they use that, not what they mouth to get or stay in office.) I don’t think being a conservative would necessarily prevent a woman from offering up female-issue legislation, any more than being a liberal would cause the man to do the same. I won’t use extreme cases because they are very seldom illustrative. So please tell me why male Democrats are more likely to support things like paid maternity leave, universal health care, wage equality, universal daycare, legalized abortion, and the like compared to female Republicans. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392/60 "2016-04-08T22:50:27Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > For example, in the struggle for guaranteed maternity leave, your female CEO is far less of a “sister” to a working-class woman then the woman’s own male relatives. Nonsense. As has been readily proved in this thread, anyone who votes for someone who is not of their gender or race or sexuality is brainwashed. That means, of course, that someone like me is supposed to vote only for straight white male atheists. If only I could find one! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-women-should-vote-for-women/751392.md?page=4)