The mother “realignment”
There seems to be something of a political change in some mothers:
“Those on the left keep ignoring parental concerns and diminishing them,” Steinkamp says. “All it does is radicalize people and foster realignment.”
Radicalize is another way of saying “reconsider one’s tribe.” Burns, like Steinkamp, like Maron— like all of them—isn’t sure which tribe she belongs to. She belongs to the Kids Tribe. She likens herself to Glenn Youngkin, the surprise Republican victor in Virginia’s recent gubernatorial race, who rode to victory on a wave of angry parents fed up with the status quo. “Every Republican who misses that message of the betrayal of our kids—and there are a lot who are not fully engaged on this—is leaving votes on the table,” Burns says…
“I’ve seen movements rise and fall,” Maron tells me. “Occupy Wall Street was so omnipresent in this city, until it was completely gone.” She says she’s not interested in being a one-hit wonder. She sees herself as part of a new, emergent center, one interested in fixing the supply chain, having a functional police force, and treating the opioid epidemic. But before all that—the kids.
“When I saw my seven year-old’s backpack hanging at the door for months at a time, it broke my heart,” Murakhver says. “That’s what started all this.”
The article features women who previously were mostly liberal Democrats and a NeverTrump Republican. They are mothers activated to new awareness. They haven’t made the transition to Republican (except for one who started out as one), and that doesn’t surprise me. I doubt they ever will, although it’s possible. But they say they’ll vote for whoever helps their kids:
These women don’t really care about The Big Lie or Russiagate or filibuster reform. They could not care less about Big Abstract Theories Of Government. They traffic in hashtags like #TeamReality, #RationalGround and #SmilesMatter. After so many years of endless yammering about conservatives, neoliberals, progressives, alt-righters, the woke, the anti-woke, the only thing they really care about is what works. What is actually happening in the real world. What is being done to their children. And they are willing to vote for whoever can actually bring a return to normal.
I would ask them whether they think all these things are separate. Why is Russiagate and the deceptions involved with it not related to the lies that kept their children at home all this time? Wasn’t one party mainly involved – the party that most of them used to support? The same party that’s trying to get more and more power over their lives by (among other things) ending the filibuster?
“Abstract Theories of Government” end up being operationalized in the real world as policies – decisions and rules and edicts that affect you and me and your children and your children’s children.
I understand that children are the focus and that a lot of women – and a lot of people – hate politics. But, to paraphrase a remark attributed to Leon Trotsky, a man who was very in interested indeed in politics and Big Abstract Theories of Government, “You might not be interested in Big Abstract Theories of Government, but Government is interested in you.”
I will believe it when I see it in the votes.
SHIREHOME:
I think it’s the main reason Youngkin won – at least, something related to it concerning parents and their children’s education.
“Russiagate and the deceptions involved with it not related to the lies that kept their children at home all this time?”
I very much doubt that many (or most) of them know anything about Russiagate. In fact if they heard about it at all it was probably in the context of “Trumpian Conspiracy Theory”.
Ditto the manipulation of Jan. 6.
Ditto the manipulation of the 2020 election.
Ditto Hunter Biden and “Mr. Big” and all the other myriad scandals.
Ditto for inflation (though that, too, is hard to hide, and it’s even harder to stop it—though the tactic of blaming greedy store and business owners seems to be an effective deflection…)
The ONLY reason these people are waking up is that their children have been suffering greatly (and perhaps relatives who have suffered)—and this suffering has been increased at the same time that it’s existence is being generally denied (by the very same people, of course). In fact their suffering is the new normal. And a necessity (for all kinds of reasons, but let’s call it what it is: necessary to keep the Democrats in power. Though if the Democrats come to believe that calling off the suffering—ending it in an instant—is necessary to keep them in power then that’s what they’ll do. In an instant.)
But in this case, the TRUTH is in front of their eyes. They’re living with it. These people have discovered (unless they’re wildly fanatical fellow travelers…or unless they hate Trump more than they love their kids, which is always a possibility) that they have been lied to incessantly and that the lying continues.
And it will continue and get even worse as long as the Democrats have any power that they are desperate of losing.
“I would ask them whether they think all these things are separate. . . . Wasn’t one party mainly involved – the party that most of them used to support? The same party trying that’s to get more and more power over their lives . . . ?”
Who is it that’s been fond of pointing out that “a mind is a difficult thing to change?”
(Hint: https://www.thenewneo.com/category/a-mind-is-a-difficult-thing-to-change/)
Neo, yes I understand how and why Youngkin won. I guess I am just too pessimistic about what will happen in 2022 and 2024. I am not talking about voting machines. I think that people should give it a rest about the last election and to temper it for the next elections. Just say Trump lost because of only the voting machines is really not being realistic.
Vote by mail, voting machines, fraudulent counting methods, ineligible voters, suppression of facts adverse to Democrats, exaggeration of facts adverse to Republicans, manipulation of voting processes and practices to favor Democrats (Zucker bucks), partisan court practices (PA). Yes, it was a simple problem in the election of 2020 ……
SHIREHOME:
I make no rosy predictions about 2022. But I retain hope.
Barry Meislin:
Agreed.
But I would point it out to them to underscore that there are other things they apparently don’t know about or care about that are related and that form an even bigger picture, and that they might want to pay more attention in the future to such things even though they’re not as obviously up close and personal as their children’s treatment.
“Though if the Democrats come to believe that calling off the suffering—ending it in an instant—is necessary to keep them in power then that’s what they’ll do. In an instant.)”
And right on cue, Barry, they start to pull back all the masks mandates. As I’ve said for almost a month now as the omicron started to disappear, that the Ds would immediately take credit for the “success”. Of course, most on the right immediately recognize the gaslighting going on, but will these soccer moms? I doubt it.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2022/02/09/conservatives-warn-of-democrat-gaslighting-on-covid-restrictions-n2603054
True, but I’m not even sure that they have to connect those dots.
I.e., I’m not even sure that connecting the dots is even necessary (even if it would be “nice” to see them “appreciate” the broader picture…).
It’s the kids.
The KIDS and their education—actually, the abuse, and endangerment, of their kids and the professional malpractice surrounding their education—is a huge issue and may well be enough to get these “Mothers of intervention” trucking.
The mother of all realignments?
Losing moms, blacks and hispanics…
Danger, danger, Will Democrat!
Why I read neo:
I would ask them whether they think all these things are separate. Why is Russiagate and the deceptions involved with it not related to the lies that kept their children at home all this time? Wasn’t one party mainly involved – the party that most of them used to support? The same party trying that’s to get more and more power over their lives by (among other things) ending the filibuster?
That was my thought reading the previous quoted paragraph. And that’s at the surface level of just recognizing that 3 years of “Russian dossier” was a hoax. I wouldn’t expect them to realize that the “Russian dossier” was both a ruse to tie-up Trump’s agenda and provide cover for spying on the opposition party using government means and methods. The latter continues today under the “Insurrection Investigation”. The simple suggestion of doing something like that was enough to force Richard Nixon to resign. And besides the spying on political opponents, real people are being arrested and imprisoned for their political beliefs with faked evidence.
Your kids mean nothing to such people. If they realized this, it wouldn’t be just truckers in Canada protesting the seat of government.
I do believe a significant percentage of these mothers will leave the Democrat party. Once one opens one’s eyes and becomes actively engaged in researching this stuff the plethora of sources online cogently outlining Democrat deception and corruption is abundant.
If they genuinely look for resources aligned with their cause they will learn the truth.
No matter one’s views, opinions or politics it quickly becomes apparent that one side stifles discussion and debate.
Neo: “…“Abstract Theories of Government” end up being operationalized in the real world as policies – decisions and rules and edicts that effect you and me and your children and your children’s children.”
(1) This is so true. I think we have a series of overlapping but largely concentric loyalties to various “tribes.” (We try to avoid overlapping loyalties because those force us to choose one loyalty over another.)
(2) Of our tribal loyalties, I think kin comes first. And within kin, children. Because we are wired to protect, defend and support the next generation with the maximum DNA correspondence to our own. Real life is never that simple but that is the deep drive.
(3) Therefore (old rule): DO NOT GET BETWEEN MAMA BEAR AND THE CUBS.
I think these new political players are tapping into a very strong and durable emotional base but one that is not yet (maybe never will be) highly organized. Hard to say how it will play out but right now it’s jump ball.
(4) You wrote “effect” in the bit that I quote: when I am pretty sure you meant “affect.” Agh.
“ending the filibuter?”
What is a filibuter?
Wait until her daughter comes home in 8th grade and tells her she’s a Lesbian or a Tranny. This magical mystery just add water ConservaMomBot will flip on a dime. Again. Because that’s what she does.
Or myriad of Michelle Malkins will sprout from the manure pile and conquer wokeness in a giant Panzerarmee of X5s.
Which way would you bet money? Real money. Your money.
Owen:
Thanks, will fix. Haste definitely makes waste.
Because Z knows all about American women.
neo wonders, “Why is Russiagate and the deceptions involved with it not related to the lies that kept their children at home all this time?”
Because Russiagate and a stolen election didn’t personally affect them. Lockdowns did affect them but not to the extent to generate revolt.
These mothers, like all liberals are about virtue signaling, as much to themselves as to others. Continued toleration of what’s being done to children reflects poorly upon them as parents. It’s not possible to continue to imagine yourself to be a caring parent when you support drilling into your child that just the color of their skin makes them an evil, irredeemable racist. That they must live with that guilt for the rest of their lives.
And that does profoundly affect them personally.
The democrats simply made the mistake of promulgating policies that personally and profoundly affect the self-image of these mothers.
For many, at base it’s not about their children. It’s about them.
@GB:
“The democrats simply made the mistake of promulgating policies that personally and profoundly affect the self-image of these mothers.
For many, at base it’s not about their children. It’s about them.”
A thousand times yes!
Life for far too many of them is what they post in FB and IG. They’ll do ridiculous @#$% just for kudos points from the virtual hen house…
Frankly the smart way to have at them politically is to paint compliance with Woke Agenda as being a Bad Mother. And be relentless about it. No back downs, no apologies. Astro turf ‘Good Mothers’ to herd the herd if necessary
Women on the average vote Democrat more than men and to be more aligned with ‘woke’ beliefs. This has real policy implications. As an example, women–young women in particular–are more likely than men to be extremely concerned about ‘climate change’, sometimes to the point of depressive behavior…and are also much less-likely to support nuclear power. Republicans…conservatives…the anti-Woke, which category should include classical liberals…need to devote a lot of thought to this problem.
Very related discussion at Ricochet:
https://ricochet.com/1134365/men-women-and-emotions-reprise/
…including my comments and links at #8, #11, #19, and especially #14.
“Very related discussion at Ricochet:”
Tired: Ricochet
Wired: Pinochet
Republican politicians should be repeating –
Republicans want your kids in good schools – learning how to read, write and do math.
The Democrats care more about the teachers than about the kids.
Democrats care about getting power, and are willing to lie about it.
They they lie about school curriculum, lie about white oppression, they lie about the Russia hoax, they lie about crime and how to reduce crime.
They lie about how to be a Good Mother.
—
But Reps also need a better vision of what a Good Mother is, and what she does.
The pandemic and school closure is not where the Democrats began hurting children. These newly aware mothers don’t have a clue. Where were they when the NEA and other teacher groups were pushing radical leftist theory; that Gramsian march many of us are aware of. They are working on at least the second generation of school children, the first probably these same mothers gvetching about the past 2 years or so…..
I’m glad that at least today they are paying some attention, instead of watching
The View and slurping down $6 lattes. I hope they shed the blinders and take in what’s been going on around them for decades….
Many were not paying attention to what the woke school boards and their minions were up to. Mama Bears were hibernating. The wokesters and the minions may learn it was not a good idea to poke a Mama Bear.
Today I started hearing ads on the conservative talk radio station from a group calling itself “Pastors for education” or some such deceptive name. The add was warning that , que horror, politicians were wanting to divert funds from public schools to charter and private schools. Basically, it was an anti school choice voucher add. Hopefully they will waste their money on the conservative radio.
Republicans need to go full bore on school choice vouchers.
Ray:
Thanks. Fixed the typo.
We have a nice bunch of grandkids, my oldest daughter and her husband who live in our town here in Texas with two sons in their 20’s adopted a relative of her husband, he is an eight year old boy who they are home schooling, oldest daughter has a math tutoring business and is a degreed elementary teacher. Out son who turns 50 this year has a ten year old daughter and seven years ago son and his wife moved from Denver to Gunnison to get their daughter in a better school system and that has worked out well for them. Youngest daughter in her mid 40’s has a 19 year old daughter in college, an 11 year old son and 4 year old daughter. They live in an excellent school district in Michigan and our daughter has become so fed up with the schools and COVID that she enrolled grandson in a Catholic school last month and he loves it, no masking and they make grandson work hard for his grades. We are fortunate that our three grown kids are smart hard working parents married to hard working spouses and they take raising children as an important part of their lives.
I dunno.
We all know different people and different proportions of various types. I know a depressing number of people who are all about nothing except mean tweets. Maybe some of you are more fortunate.
The question for these newly-found allies is do they even know how to vote for a school board? Do they know anything about who’s running? I’d guess they know more about the dog catcher.
Now that the masks may be ending, what’s the problem? Figuring out what to do is complicated. Figuring out that the same jerks are going to screw over your kids next chance they get is not going to occur to these folks.
Our local school system just discovered that an assistant super scammed $950k over the years, mostly by setting up a shell company which kept sending bills to the system for work–which, it should go without saying, wasn’t done, hadn’t been contracted for, and the powers that be kept paying him.
Just died in prison of heart disease.
I’m going to try to find out what, if anything, is being done internally about this. Likely nothing. And our school system is terrific, scoring well in the Science Olympiad annually.
Point is, it’s not a scandal, it’s a curiosity, including among the mothers whose kids could have used a bit of the million dollars worth of education.
@ Neo > “I would ask them whether they think all these things are separate.”
And having followed the comments on that point, my answer is: some of them genuinely have no clue about the connectedness of the Administrative State.
One of our sons recently had the opportunity to visit with an Aunt who is a Virginia Democrat. Make a note: she and her husband have worked in political and military circles all their professional lives.
The topic of healthcare came up, and she was very assertive that government-run health care and insurance was the the only rational way to go; although our son did try to present some alternative information, she was unreceptive.
Then, within the exact same conversation, she started complaining about the lousy operation and deficient service of the Veteran’s Administration hospitals.
Not only could she not connect the dots, I don’t think she even SAW the dots.
AesopFan:
That’s why I would ask the question, and then I would try to point out the connection. If they reject it, they reject it – but I assume they’re not making it themselves or they would already care about the bigger picture.
The schools are a real nightmare.
–Sexualization of kids, down to pre-schoolers is disgusting. Kids don’t need to think or know about sex until they approach puberty, and then it is the parents’ rights to decide how, what and when.
–Made worse by the LGBTQ crap, where they are pushing kids to adopt non-heterosexual identities and normalizing pedophilia, child porn, sexting, etc.
–Made even worse by the transgender insanity. I just saw an article about a FL school “counselor” who tried in secret to convince a 12yo girl that she was a boy and traumatized her so much she tried to commit suicide — at school — TWICE. Of course the school is pulling the Loudoun Country play and denying everything.
–And the racism, racism, racism.
When do they ever actually teach anything? Schools have no business teaching any of this socio-cultural junk. They should only be teaching reading, writing, math, science, etc. Real skills and knowledge the kids need to know to function in the world and become productive members of society. Oh, wait, yeah…
Delilah, I hear you. My heart cries about this, a lot. In both anguish and anger.
It’s a tough fight I would never have guessed we’d be in, say 20 years ago.
My sisters homeschooled their children. Not easy at all, but I’m so glad they sacrificed.
Hoping more people wake up.
No doubt these women will cast about for candidates who opposed school enforced masking, shots. Then they’ll want that same candidate to be pro CRT, LGBLT, welfare, redistribution, single payer universal health care, gun control, mail-in voting, open border, windmill and solar farm pols. They’re single issue, part time-temporary conservatives.
They haven’t made the transition to Republican (except for one who started out as one)
They will have to give up their progressive religion before they can be of any long-term help. They might think things have gone too far and should back up a little, but if they don’t totally renounce progressivism we’ll be right back here again in another generation, and they will be wondering “Didn’t we stop this the first time? Why don’t these folks remember that?”
SHIREHOME on February 9, 2022 at 2:48 pm said:
I will believe it when I see it in the votes.
—
Votes by the mom’s or the pols? For example, this discontent (and the pols reading the tea leaves) have lead to :
“By a vote of 21-17, with several Democrats joining all Republicans, the Senate passed SB739, which lets parents “elect for [their child] to not wear a mask on school property.”
In that case, the moms are pushing the (D) to the liberty side. In effect, it doesn’t matter if the representative is (R) or (D) as long as the policy is proper. In that respect, we are already seeing ‘the votes’
This is a difficult subject for me, because I really enjoy the company of smart women, and most of my professional relationships have been with them. Unfortunately, in my family I simply have 100% liberal women who are totally at the command of the latest Democrat propaganda! It has ruined my family life, and left me intellectually lonely. And I am sure there are millions of men like me!
Ray Van Dune:
It’s a hard situation to be in.
In my family, the tension I’ve had with some family members doesn’t follow any male/female pattern, though.
There are two acquaintances…both women…who are leftist, not by philosophy but because they just believe any nonsense that the left comes out with.
One posts on FB, and the other is like her; so dumb it’s not going to help the social relationship to mention anything logical.
Mentioned energy independence. The FB poster, when we were at dinner, looked entirely blank, until she said with satisfaction, “no war for oil.”
And that was the limit of her understanding of the subject and what she thought was an apt answer.
She has no kids in school, so her connection to the current issues is second-hand at best. No opinion that I could discern without bringing up the subject, which I preferred not to do.
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I read that description as positional not characteristic – i.e. they’re not about big abstract theories of government ( publicly ) because addressing that topic would only undermine their objectives.
FWIW Maud had been interviewed by Benjamin Boyce about a year ago. You can find that on YouTube if you’re interested – she discusses what’s been occurring in NYC schools, how it came about and who is behind the take-over that has taken place under de Blasio. She’s politically astute and understands the ideologies and powers at play. But I think she also understands that she has to be careful with her criticism, knowing that her local audience isn’t ready to confront certain issues head on.