Super Buzz Tuesday
It's a bird, it's a weekday -- no, it's ... Super Tuesday! While I'm not sure that Super Tuesday is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, it does guarantee Super Buzz in the iVillage community. Politics are always fair game for frank and sometimes heated conversations on our debate and issues boards, but election season has everyone sharing their feelings on this year's candidates. From our expecting clubs and playgroups to our Home & Garden message boards, women are sounding off on what's important to them and how they're planning to vote. Even on our Remodel & Renovate community, there are some definite plans for remodeling and renovating the White House, and we're not talking interior design. A lot of women are trying to cut through the campaign rhetoric and plan to send a message to the candidates that they not only want a change in policy, but a change in the process; cl-thatyank sums up her thoughts on this year's crop of negative campaign tricks by saying, "negative television ads tend to make me angry at the person who approved the ad." In the same discussion, cl-joshndansmom echoes what we're seeing on many of our boards: "There are so many issues, but right now I think the biggest one is getting our soldiers out of Iraq safely."
So is Iraq the big issue for this election, when many voters are looking for a change in domestic policy as well as foreign affairs? The war in Iraq is always a hot subject of discussion on the Current Debates board and in many of our military communities, this issue hits closer to home than many of us can fathom. Although Iraq is a hot-button issue for many, the state of the U.S. healthcare system and the struggling economy have definitely become top of mind issues for many iVillage members, who feel the pinch of these for their families on a daily basis. On our Hot Topics in Health message board, member clear_victory laments:
"Health care seems to have slipped below the radar, all of a sudden it's "about the economy, stupid", you know? If we can't stay healthy, the economy has little meaning. I'm so sick of seeing overcrowded ERs because so many have no health insurance."
Our healthcare system is also in the crosshairs of the Stay at Home vs. Work debate board, where georgiana_jane asks "What's your solution?" She cheekily asks for others' answers "In a nutshell, if you will.", but the simple question spawned a complex and lengthy discussion of rights and responsibilities and the all-important question: who pays? Member jungle_girl has her own definite take on things, but I'm not sure this plan is going to fly too far with our pregnant mom base:
"I think the [government] should streamline what services it pays for: for example, it should not pay for epidurals. And it should focus on preventative care and wellness."
All in all it's a fascinating discussion with a lot of great points and ideas, but I'm not sure we've come to a consensus yet -- other than to (mostly) agree a change is needed. The availability and affordability of healthcare was also the focus during last week's "How She Will Decide" forum hosted by iVillage and AARP.
Some iVillagers are concerned with the role of the media in the political process and even how the primary structure may harm the selection process. On the Moms & Politics board amd1427 shares her view on the subject:
"It's actually nearly impossible to know whether or not the media is swaying your vote. That would be an interesting debate however. I think we are all swayed by a variety of factors, that no vote is ever cast purely for "the best candidate". There are a jumble of social, emotional, political, ecomonic, intellectual, and historical factors that influence our choices. That's probably best."
Of course, our Politics Today community is practically primary central, with daily discussions about the issues, candidates, latest developments and the process itself. The issues may be focused on what are generally perceived as more mature "hearth and home" topics, however there is quite a bit of interest around the youth vote and the engagement of first-time voters. Member imonmyway2000's son is participating in the election process for the first time:
"Barack Obama is speaking in Boston, Mass. tonight. He is not my candidate of choice, but he is my 18 year old son's candidate of choice. He is very excited to be able to see him and actually hear him speak and can't wait for his absentee ballot to arrive so he can vote. This will be the first election he can vote in as he just turned 18 last May."
Hillary Clinton has always been the subject of many a debate and now that she's a front-runner in this election, that's only added fuel to the already blazing fire that is a typical discussion on our Politics Today board. Recent Hillary moments include one iVillager pleading for others to give her a chance and another who's trying to figure out why she's so divisive. Meanwhile on the Feminism Today board, they're talking about gender roles and the presidency as cl-nellenelle wonders:
"We supposedly are ready for a woman as president... but are we ready for women taking a significant role across the board, even if said 'significant role' is still a great deal less than that of men in the past?"
So it's probably no surprise that Hillary is making up the bulk of the buzz on the boards, but in terms of sheer mentions, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are actually running neck and neck in our conversation count -- pretty much how they are going into what could eventually catapult one of them into nominee status. A quick scan of the heat map shows John McCain coming in a distant third in the race for buzz, followed by Romney, Edwards and Huckabee, respectively.
In the end, no matter what their party affiliation, pet issue or debate style may be, it's obvious that the women of iVillage are passionate about the future of the country and have a careful eye on the next few months of political decision-making. If you're headed out to your state's primary today, tell us what's on your mind, what the mood in your community is like and what your hope is for this November.
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How interesting that you only blogged about the dems.....seems one sided if you ask me.