Discussing poll, Dick Morris claimed “weak[]” Obama won “female” virtues while McCain won “male” virtues

Written by Matthew Biedlingmaier

Published

Discussing the results of a USA Today/Gallup poll in a column posted on The Hill's website on April 8, Fox News contributor Dick Morris wrote: “So [Sen. Barack] Obama won the traditional Democratic (and female) virtues of understanding problems and caring about people. [Sen. John] McCain won the usual Republican (and male) virtues of strong leadership and efficient management.” In the column, headlined “Obama's weakness is weakness,” Morris noted that based on the results of the poll, a higher percentage of respondents thought Obama "[c]ares about the needs of people like you," "[s]hares your values," and "[u]nderstands the problems Americans face in their daily lives," while a higher percentage of respondents thought McCain "[i]s a strong, decisive leader," "[i]s honest and trustworthy," and "[c]an manage the government efficiently" (the poll uses the word “effectively”). Morris is therefore making the following assertions: the qualities of strength, decisiveness, and efficiency are male and Republican; the qualities in which Obama outpolls McCain are female and Democratic; Obama is “weak[]”; and women are weak.

Media Matters for America has documented numerous instances in which media figures characterized Obama (here and here) and former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) (here, here, here, and here) as feminine during the 2008 presidential campaign, or reinforced the characterization of the Democratic and Republican parties as the “Mommy” and “Daddy” parties, respectively.

From Morris' April 8 column:

The USA Today/Gallup Poll of late March suggests a strategy for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the general election. The poll compared Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and McCain on certain key variables. Here were the results:

Obama won:

  • Cares about the needs of people like you, 66% to 54%
  • Shares your values, 51% to 46%
  • Understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives, 67% to 55%

McCain won:

  • Is a strong, decisive leader, 56% to 69%
  • Is honest and trustworthy, 63% to 67%
  • Can manage the government efficiently, 48% to 60%

Neither won:

  • Has a clear plan for solving the country's problems, 41% to 42%
  • Has a clear vision for the country's future, 67% to 65%
  • Would work well with both parties in Washington to get things done, 62% to 61%
  • Is someone you would be proud to have as president, 57% to 55%

So Obama won the traditional Democratic (and female) virtues of understanding problems and caring about people. McCain won the usual Republican (and male) virtues of strong leadership and efficient management.