The lack of a Democratic message for young people and single women is finally catching up with them. A Harvard poll finds that more than half of likely young voters prefer a Republican-controlled Congress. And the gap is closing for single women as well – the latest WaPo/ABC poll finds a 48-43 edge for Democrats among unmarried women, a far cry from the 25-41 point margin that has been the rule for the past four cycles. Unmarried women are about a quarter of the electorate, yet few are interested or engaged in this election, as Aaron Blake notes.
“In addition, the WaPo-ABC poll suggests this group is really not that interested in the election, with 58 percent of registered single women voters following it very closely. That’s lower than every demographic tested except one – unmarried men (57 percent). If these numbers are close to accurate, they’re a troubling development for Democrats, who have spent much of the past two years emphasizing the GOP’s so-called “war on women” for the purpose of turning out this particular demographic.”
So what’s the answer to keep these Millennials and single women in the fold? Perhaps a policy solution directed at the many economic and social challenges facing young people, higher education reforms, issues to boost the sharing economy or create more paths to success or addressing the challenges of student debt? Well, NARAL has a better idea: claim that Republicans are going to ban all forms of birth control, sparking a nationwide run on condoms. Here’s the transcript:
Man: They’re all out.
Woman: Did you try the corner market?
Man: Of course.
Woman: Grocery store?
Man: Sold out?
Woman: Drug store?
Man: Come on.
Woman: So *everyone’s* sold out of condoms? Hmm. How did this happen?
Man: Cory Gardner banned birth control. And now, it’s all on us guys. And you can’t find a condom *anywhere*. And the pill was just the start. Pell grants my little brother was counting on for college? Cory cut them. Climate change that *everyone* knows is weirding our weather, Cory flat-out denies it. Sweet Pea, Cory denies science.
Woman: Come on!
Man: This guy has no idea what’s going on in the real world.
Sweet pea indeed. Sean Davis finds that Tom Steyer’s group apparently funded the ad. I can’t help but feel this is the shark-jumping “we have no message” moment of this cycle, both for the sheer comedy of it and of the particular comedy when it comes directed at Gardner, given his (ahem) personal experience. “For his part, Gardner says he fully supports women’s access to birth control. Gardner argued in one debate that he used to pick up his wife’s prescription, and he’s open about the fact that their first child was born before they were married.”
You got that? Cory Gardner hates condoms so much he thinks no one else should have access to them! I can’t wait for the condom supply question on the debate stage in 2016 (Trojan rationing is a dealbreaker for those prudish socons, after all). And wait until you read the listicle about the top ten other things you didn’t know Cory Gardner wants to ban:
- Puppies
- Bacon
- That Bass
- Awesome Mix Vol. 1
- Yoga Pants
- Pumpkin Spice Lattes
- Victoria’s Secret
- Uber Kittens
- Food Trucks
- Orgasms (duh – except female ones, since those are mythical)
The best part of the NARAL ad: the unsubtle mansplaining to a woman who doesn’t know what’s going on. “Sorry, sweet pea, I’d totally be about foreplay, but Cory Gardner banned that too.”
