Has Trump really lost the female vote?

Throughout this election the media has used all of Trump’s demeaning rhetoric to shape his narrative. However, over the past few days Trump has engaged in silence to prevent further upset with potential female voters.

Silence is Goldensponsoredsilence-icon-300x300

Since his “nasty women” comment, Trump has made a large effort to transform his rhetoric from denial to what he considers to be the real issues. By the end of October Trump adopted the strategy to ignore the allegations and focus on the issues he knows best such as jobs and the economy. Initially I felt that this was a poor strategy and felt that a large majority of America wouldn’t see this as a campaign strategy, but rather a “dismissive attitude towards the concerns of women” (Adamczyk). I personally feel  that this is just a diversion tactic to take the focus off of Trump and his demeaning rhetoric used towards women. However, the longer I thought, I began to realize that this was a smart strategy for Trump because he doesn’t do well when he goes off script.

Is there proof?

According to an article published by The Daily Caller News Foundation on November 7th, Trump has made a rather large gain in the polls with female voters (Stucky). In fact the author claims that Trump now has a two point lead over Clinton which is primarily due to his “increasing support from women voters.” According to Investor’s Business Daily IBD tracking poll shpoll5-gender-110116-640x360ows that Trump’s crude language and actions involving women appear to not have hurt his standing against Clinton. The poll shows that 39% of women have announced their support for Trump, which is the same percentage of su
pport Mitt Romney received in 2012 from women voters.

However, there are still many polls that predict that Trump has in fact lost the educated women vote (Purcell). Nonetheless, the real question of whether or not Trump has greatly lost the female vote will ultimately be seen in the election results.

Now we wait…

At this point it can swing either way. However, I personally believe that the media have used all of Trump’s demeaning comments to shape his narrative. Rhetoric is called into being by the situation and Trumps previous actions have ultimately allowed for this negative narrative to be created. The public often chooses from a small set of stories and this is perfectly seen by how America simply sees Trump as a womanizer. The media and the voters have chosen to remember all the demeaning rhetoric Trump has engaged in. Over the course of this election the media has rightfully persuaded the American women that Trump is a man unworthy of presidency, which I believe will be seen in the election results

The Surprises Continue

Donald Trumps support among the female population has taken a large hit with all the recent October surprises. However, the decline in his support among women is simply a result from his past rhetoric. The most recent example of this is seen in an article published by The Huffington Post. Trump’s votes among women will continue to decline with the release of another video clip.

The Video

The clip uploaded to this article is from 2007 and shows Donald Trump once again addressing women in an inappropriate manner. In the clip Trump is seen in front of a large audience where he calls all the women “girls.” Not only does this highlight the lack of respect he has for women, but he takes it a step farther by admitting that he refuses to call them women: “The girls– we’re supposed to call them women, but they’re girls to me —  the girls…” (Arthur Delaney). The unprofessional language he uses towards women only furthers to contradict with his recent statement, “Nobody has more respect for women than I do” (Bloomberg Politics)

In the video he also makes a comment in regards to all the beautiful women who surrounded him at the workplace. He highlights the lack of control he has as he states, “girls, get off the stage right now. You’ll get me in trouble” (Arthur Delaney) The recent allegations against him in regards to sexual assault is supported by the rhetoric he uses in this video.

Significance

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump responds to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's closing remarks during the first Republican presidential debate at the Quicken Loans Arena Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

On its own this clip holds no real significance, however Trump has created a rhetorical situation in which this has a negative impact on his own campaign. Since the release of the “locker room talk” video, Trump has continued to claim he has great respect for women. However, the immature and insensitive rhetoric used in this video only continues to prove that he has zero respect for females

Throughout the past few weeks it has become increasingly evident that the female “tribe” is becoming stronger than ever.  In the Political Campaign Communication textbook it stated that people don’t experience things through actions, but rather words. Not every woman in American has made an allegation of sexual assault, nonetheless countless women have supported the victims by withdrawing their vote for Trump. The continual release of videos such as this only increases the unity and opposition of women against Trump.

The Attacks Continue

Donald Trump has been unsuccessful in winning the female vote simply because of his behavior and attitude towards women. Over the course of this election we have heard verbal assaults, claims of sexual assault, and most recently his announcement of financial assault.

His solution for everything.napoleontrump

Trump is a business man at heart so his most recent remarks in regards to suing his accusers is far from a surprise.  During a recent visit to Gettysburg, Pa, Trump told his audience that “the women accusing him of sexual assault will be sued after the election” (Los Angeles Times). Despite the well written speech, the good aspects within it were quickly overshadowed by these comments. Not only did he violate the sacred nature of Gettysburg with this comment, but he also continues to push away the female audience. However, the most significant aspect of this situation can be seen in how Secretary Clinton uses Trumps rhetoric for her benefit.

The hero swings in

Through much of this election, Clinton has spent time using Trump’s rhetoric to further her own campaign. Shortly after Trump made this announcement, Clinton quickly told the press that if Trump was elected president, he would spend his time suing women. She ultimately uses Trump’s own words against him in an attempt to further the gap between  Trump and his distant female voters. This all allows Clinton to create the narrative that Trump is a bully and he will attack women verbally, sexually, and financially.

The hypocritical nature

In a response to the lewd 2005 video, Trump announced that he had the most respect for women. However, this whole situation continues to prove otherwise. Rather than simply ignoring the allegations, he has gone out of his way to threaten all these women. In fact, many women across the country believe Trump is using this possible lawsuit as a way to conceal the truth and silence the women who have come forward (Temple Taggart). Women all across the country continue to feel threaten by both Trump’s actions and rhetoric allowing us to conclude that very few women will be supporting him this election day. However, with only two weeks until election day, there is very little Trump can do to mend the distant relationship he has created with women.

 

 

Third Presidential Debate: Use of Storytelling, Emotions, and Framing with The 2ndAmendment

On Wednesday October 20 in Las Vegas Nevada, the third presidential debate of 2016 took place. The past two time Hillary and Donald, heated arguments dominated the conversations. This time was no different.

Moderator, Chris Wallace, started the candidates on some controversial topics, such as The Supreme Court and The Constitution.

Clinton had the stage first, saying she wants a supreme court that will stand up for women’s rights and the LBGT community, and stand against Citizen’s United.

Next, Trump took an opportunity to pivot away from matters, such as women’s rights, that make him look unpresidential, to talk about the 2nd Amendment.

“We need a Supreme Court that in my opinion is going to uphold the second amendment and all amendments, but the second amendment which is under absolute siege.”

This began the conversation (which was surprisingly tame).

Clinton rebutted saying,

“I understand and respect the tradition of gun ownership that goes back to the founding of our country, but I also believe that there can be and must be reasonable regulation.”

Each candidate made their stance, but how did they do it?

Clinton talked about gun control through storytelling and appealed to the emotions of her audience. Similar to the My Mom political ad on gun violence. She began her statement by saying, “I lived in Arkansas for 18 wonderful years.” This is very typical of a fairytale which often begins with A long time ago in a land far far away.

She also appeals to emotions later after Wallace mentions the Heller Decision. She says, “Well, I was upset because unfortunately, dozens of toddlers injure themselves, even kill people with guns because unfortunately, not everyone who has loaded guns in their homes takes appropriate precautions.” Here Clinton identifies her anger that will resonate with others who felt upset about the court’s decision. She then allows for others to understand her emotion with the information on toddlers.

What do you think? How do you think that Trump’s argument stood up to Clinton’s?

Click here to see a full transcript of the debate.

Click here to watch the debate.

FINISH THE DRILL

In the upcoming debate, Clinton will be looking to solidify the nation’s vote. In doing so, Clinton will be focusing hard on locking in the votes of minorities and immigrants who are directly affected by racial injustice. During this debate I expect Clinton to lay out the plan she has to bring about racial equality in all aspects of life in this country, she needs to be very specific and straight to the point to give the American people belief in her and what direction she is going to head upon entering the presidential office. Right now, Clinton has tons of momentum heading into the last debate and needs to keep rolling to solidify her spot as the nation’s top presidential nominee.

There are two pieces of presidential debate that Clinton will be honing in on. They are “stated proposition” being racial injustice, and “intent to gain the attention of an audience” by gaining the attention of all people directly affected by the racial injustices that take place in this country. Clinton has pulled away substantially in the last two debates, as they say “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it”. Clinton needs to continue to hammer down the topics she has been which include racial injustice and much more.

Presidential debate predictions: What to expect from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

Clinton stated in the last debate that Trump owed an apology to America for the alienation and verbal abuse of minority groups which has divided America which he was apart of. This accusation further separated herself from Trump and has helped her gain momentum with the minority and immigrant vote. I look for her to continue with these tactics to solidify her vote with the people directly affected with racial injustices.

Political Campaign Advertisements: Framing of Hillary Clinton in regards to Gun Control

Although the 2016 presidential campaign differs from traditional campaigns, one thing remains constant, the effect political ads have on voter decisions.

Just like artists frame their pieces, campaigns aim to frame candidates. Rhetorical framing happens when an object, situation, or person has been described in a way that leads the audience to believe a certain way. In this campaign, Trump frames Clinton as untrustworthy, hypocritical, untransformative, and weak. While she tries to frame herself as nurturing, knowledgeable, relatable, and strong.

Nurturing, Protective Mother

Hillary Clinton informs her audience of her stance through the use of positive, story-telling ads. In one ad title My Mom, the daughter of a victim of the Sandy Hook Shooting describes the loss of her mother, the principle of the school. It starts with wedding pictures and the daughter telling the story of planning her wedding with her mother. Scenes of ambulance lights and a news article covering the shooting appear on screen. Next the daughter says,

“No one is fighting harder to reform our gun laws than Hillary Clinton”

The narration continues with the daughter stating that Clinton “reminds me of my mother”.

In this ad, Clinton uses testimonial to reach her target audience of younger, college educated women. Hillary frames herself as a loving caring motherly figure. This ad extols Hillary virtues through the use of narrative and story-telling.

Hypocrite Hillary

While Clinton frames herself as protective and nurturing in her gun control political ads, Trump attacks her practices during his speeches.

 

Because harsh backlash happened after Trump’s comment, “2nd Amendment people” should “take care” of Hillary, the NRA, The National Rifle Association, decided that they should intervene and distribute an attack ad instead of doing something more extreme (which could have been implied with Trump’s controversial quote).

In this particular ad, the NRA focuses on framing Hillary as a “hypocrite”. The ad starts with black SUVs escorted by police vehicles pulling up to a private jet. Hillary steps out of the SUV and armed guard walk her to the plane. The ad says that Hillary “tours on private jets protected by guards for thirty years, but she doesn’t believe in your right to keep a gun at home for self defense”. Because Trump did not attach his approval, this ad has the ability to attack Clinton as hard as it wants. PACs do not abide by the same rules as candidates. In fact, most attack ads which occur during a normal political campaign are paid for and distributed by PACs.

What does framing mean for the election?

With citizens already heading to the polls for early voting to elect the next president, it is important to understand how framing effects their decisions. For those who watch NRA’s ad, they could see Hillary as a hypocrite or untrustworthy. For those who watched the My Mom ad, they could see Hillary as someone who will nurture The United States of America back to health after the gun violence occurring across the country.

Attempts to Win Back the Female Vote


160819195354-kellyanne-conway-donald-trump-split-large-169Trump’s Campaign Manager to the Rescue

In August it became evident that something had changed in the Donald Trump campaign. Trump shocked people across the nation as he began to appear more presidential than ever before.  Trump himself has not changed, but rather his campaign manager. His new manager, Kellyanne Conway has a tough road ahead of her as she tries to help Trump “woo women” voters.

Conway Manages Trump’s Crises

Conway has not been successful in changing Trump’s attitude nor comments towards women, but she has worked to counteract them. The most recent crisis Conway has managed occurred six days after the first presidential debate, where Trump once again isolated possible women voters as he attacked former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado.  The campaign tried to counteract his comments with the release of a new ad, “Motherhood,” starring Ivanka Trump. To see the ad click here. The Washington Post describes this latest ad as, “the most overt appeal yet to women voters…”

Trump’s Latest Ad

This ad mainly targets female voters as it shows Ivanka taking on the task of being both a provider and a mother. She uses powerful language such as, “the most important job any woman can have is being a mother, and it shouldn’t mean taking a tax cut,” and “he will provide tax credits for child care, paid maternity leave, and dependent-care savings accounts,”
screen-shot-2016-10-04-at-10-21-10-am to appeal to the women voters. Whether you believe her comments or not, you can’t deny that the adorable children appeal to your emotions. According to Trent and Friedenberg political ads often serve a variety of functions, but I believe that this ads’ main objective is to redefine Trump’s image. This is supported by  both the timing of the ad and the rhetoric used within it. Ivanka successfully fulfills her role as a surrogate in this ad, however this one ad can’t undo every sexist comment or action Trump has made. But the creation of this ad is a good first step in appealing to women voters.

 

sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/09/30/ivanka-trump-stars-in-new-campaign-ad-to-help-her-father-appeal-to-women/

https://thinkprogress.org/kellyanne-conway-trump-c6b04fba7c12#.6qvsvfk4l

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/09/meet_the_nj_native_whos_running_donald_trumps_camp.html

www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/us/politics/alicia-machado-donald-trump.html

Trump’s Rapport with Women is About to be Nonexistent

How far will he go?

At the rate this campaign keeps going, it’ll be shocking if Trump can win over the hearts and votes of women. As a male outsider looking in, it’s pretty astonishing seeing some of the things that have come out of Trump’s mouth so far pertaining to women. I am no moral compass or ethics administrator by any means, but I’d say it’s becoming a safe bet that the vote count coming from Women in November for the ole Donald may be pretty slim. For example, voters such as Patricia Bennett from Pennsylvania commented on Trump’s comment on Hillary’s stamina from the most recent debate quoting that “Why doesn’t he just say she needs more testosterone…..it’s incredibly distasteful and it doesn’t stop.”  As all the cool kids seem to say these days, Trump literally has “no chill.” He’s a loose cannon, especially on his twitter page:

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But it doesn’t stop there, friends. 

Demeaning female ‘Apprentice’ Contestants

We could talk for hours about countless more examples of ways that Trump has dug his own grave pertaining to women. I’d love to talk about the whole Alicia Machado scenario, but let’s leave that for another day. As of today, October 3rd, one of the hot topics coming from the Associated Press is that Donald Trump Demeaned female “Apprentice” Contestants. We all know that Trump was quite the reality TV star for a portion of his career (I’ll shamefully admit my mom and I used to watch that show pretty religiously), but what seems to have gone on behind the curtain and off the record is what news outlets and the media are raging about right now. According to an article published by the Associated Press today, “Trump called for female contestants to wear shorter dresses that also showed more cleavage, according to contestant Gene Folkes. Several cast members said Trump had one female contestant twirl before him so he could ogle her figure.” One woman contestant even stated that “We were in the boardroom one time figuring out who to blame for the task, and he just stopped in the middle and pointed to someone and said, ‘You’d f*** her, wouldn’t you? I’d f*** her. C’mon, wouldn’t you?’…….

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Should we overlook it?

Folks I’m in no way trying to say what you should and shouldn’t believe, but those reports above coming from the “Apprentice” might raise your eyebrows a little higher. Even before this report, 27 percent think less of Trump after the first debate took place. I think Trump has himself a big mountain to climb here, but let’s face it, if he keeps tweeting this kind of stuff, it’s gonna be a high climb.

 

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