OBAMA AND THE "WOMEN'S" VOTE – AT 5:11 A.M. ET:  You've been reading in the last day or so that the president's support among women has declined.  This is critical political news.

The Democratic Party has, in recent decades, benefited from the so-called "gender gap."  The greater the gap, the greater the chances for a Democratic victory.  That gap is now narrowing. 

One of the great myths about the "women's vote" is that women vote for the most attractive man running, that their vote is frivolous.  That is profoundly untrue.  In 1960, the women's vote went to Nixon, not the far more attractive Kennedy.  Women, as all men know, tend to be more mature then men, especially in the younger age groups.

The decline in Obama's female support is probably due simply to his poor performance as president, and the impact that performance is having on families.  If the trend continues, Obama will have virtually no chance at reelection in 2012.  The key phrase is, "...if the trend continues."  Republicans have enormous opportunies with women this year because of the sheer number of GOP female candidates, many of them superb.  If the party can project itself as a place where women, and the views of women, are welcome, the gender gap may well take care of itself.

We say again, Republicans cannot depend only on Democratic failure.  The positive message must go out.

July 30, 2010