We Like Your Style

            The families of politicians, especially women politicians, are at one point or another going to be under the scrutiny of the media. Many voters believe that a person’s ability to manage their home life extends to their capability in as a leader. The home lives of Women politicians are typically under greater inquiry because critics are often put a lot of importance on women’s role as a mother, wife and general homemaker. They seem to be under the impression that parents have complete control over the actions of their children (because children never disobeyed his or her parents…).

Flashback to Sarah Palin. We all remember many of the “misinformed” statements she made during her 2008 with John McCain. One of the most ironic points of their campaign was her daughters unwed, teenage pregnancy. This delegitimized her stance against sex education in which she promised to fund only pro-abstinence in 2006 (Stein, 2008). Did Bristol’s teen pregnancy show the gaps in Palin’s policies? Many say yes. This is an extreme case that shows how a politician’s family life can determine the way the general public views them as a leader or potential leader. Most people know that while parents can push their ideologies on their children day in and day out but they will still most likely rebel.

In contrast with Bristol Palin, McCaskill’s daughters are a blessing to her image. McCaskill has actually gartered more support because of her daughters, their perceived sophistication paints McCaskill as a great mother which many transfer to her ability as a Senator.

There has been a lot of positive media surrounding McCaskill’s family, more so than Todd Akin’s. Many constituents empathized with the loss of her mother she was dealing with just a week before Election Day. After the election the media focused on the style of her daughters and heartfelt story of the loss of her mother.

Maddie and Lily on Left. Picture courtesy of Huffington Post

The way the media was talking about Maddie and Lily Esposito (sharing their father’s last name) you would think they are moving in and replacing Malia and Sasha Obama in the White House. Huffington Post’s style blog featured the McCaskill girls when their mother was accepting her reelection as Missouri’s Senate, calling them “on trend”. Luckily for McCaskill, their fashion choices reflected well on her. Huffington Post’s caption that the girls were a “pleasant surprise”. The red lips, Dutch braid, collared shirt and belted dress were mostly praised by the media, making them overnight political celebrities. One of McCaskill’s feats as a politician is she was a single mother, which was well received from women voters

The same night another one of McCaskill’s family members took the limelight. Her mother passed away on October. 29th and when accepting her win she stated, “There is one person missing and I just gotta tell you, Mom, this one’s for you!”₁ All the positive media surrounding her family puts a positive spin on McCaskill’s win. It takes away from those saying that she won by default because of Akin’s legitimate rape comment.

1.                    Reese, D. (2012). Claire McCaskill legitimately shuts down Todd Akin in Missouri Senate race. The Washington Post. Retrieved from  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/11/07/claire-mccaskill-legitimately-shuts-down-todd-akin-in-missouri-senate-race/

Works Cited

Bash, D. (2008). Palin’s teen daughter is pregnant. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/01/palin.daughter/index.html

Lieb, D. (2012). Betty Anne Ward McCaskill, Claire McCaskill’s Mother, Dies at 84. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/betty-anne-ward-mccaskill-dead-dies_n_2041854.html

Reese, D. (2012). Claire McCaskill legitimately shuts down Todd Akin in Missouri Senate race. The Washington Post. Retrieved from  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/11/07/claire-mccaskill-legitimately-shuts-down-todd-akin-in-missouri-senate-race/

Stein, S. (2008). Palin On Abortion: I’d Oppose Even If My Own Daughter Was Raped. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/01/palin-on-abortion-id-oppo_n_122924.html

Don't Ask McCaskill, Cause She Won't Tell.

            Democrats have a strong voting record in favor of gay marriage. York wrote about the Democrats that have separated themselves from gay rights. A gallup poll found that 65 percent of Democrats support. However, that leaves 34 percent who vote at odds with their party (2012). Claire McCaskill is one of Democrats who is distancing herself from the issue because of the ideologies of those in her state of Missouri. She has not put out a direct statement on her official Senate site. On Votesmart her stance on same-sex marriage remains “unknown”. Pennsylvania's Bob Casey, Florida's Bill Nelson and West Virginia's Joe Manchin are other Senators running for reelection who have generally ignored the topic when asked (York, 2012). They are torn between staying loyal to their party ideologies or their voter demographics.

One of the reasons that McCaskills stance on same-sex marriage was ignored was likely because of her candidate Akin. Many voters assumed that McCaskill and Akin took polarizing positions on most issues. Akin was quoted as saying that, "Anybody who knows something about the history of the human race knows that there is no civilization which has condoned homosexual marriage widely and openly that has long survived" in late August (Signorile, 2012). Akin’s strong position on the matter, painting it out to be the end of civilization, took a lot of pressure off of McCaskill to take a strong stance on either side. Of the news stories I have found about Akin’s comment about same-sex marriage, none of them mention the other candidate’s position on the matter. The stories are too focused on the controversy surrounding Akin. Once again, McCaskill has been able to sit back and allow her candidate to dig himself a hole and leave her as the default winner.  In actuality, both candidates repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

McCaskills separation from same-sex marriage and other gay rights issues was a strategic move. Unlike her opponent, she did not let her emotions get the best of her on the issues. By not speaking out directly she maintained her role as the stable candidate of the two despite her silence on the issue.

Works Cited

Project Vote Smart. (2012). Senator Claire McCaskill’s Political Positions. Vote Smart. Retrieved from http://votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/2109/claire-mccaskill/#.UKxA245c_dk

York, B. (2012). York: GOP sees opportunity in Dems’ support of gay marriage. The Washington Examiner Online. Retrieved from http://washingtonexaminer.com/york-gop-sees-opportunity-in-dems-support-of-gay-marriage/article/2503550#.UKwy3Y5c_dk

VoteMatch. (2012). Claire McCaskill on SenateMatch. On The Issues. Retrieved from http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Claire_McCaskill_SenateMatch.htm

McCaskill Takes Aim at China

            When it comes to foreign policy, McCaskill is firm in ensuring that no country can exploit America. China’s trade practices and monetary policies in the recent years have arisen as a concern for the U.S., especially considering their trade imbalance and the threat of high growth rates. It comes as a breath of fresh air to see the topic of debate move from her opponent, Akin, to her stance on foreign relations. This time her opponent is China’s currency manipulation. Many American manufacturers and their employees are happy to see McCaskill’s policy agenda address the trade deficit with China, which caused the loss of 2.8 million jobs in the last decade (Lambrecht, 2011). This campaign move has won the support of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, despite their strong ties to Republican candidates (Donia, L., 2012). This support could prove helpful for McCaskill campaign, as she is vying for the votes despite the tough Republican opposition. The Republican Party, who see a defeat as necessary to recapturing chamber, have already spent $15.2 million on an “anti-McCaskill” activism (Steinhauer, J., 2012). The Democrats have returned this sentiment with a slew of attack ads and comments about the offside remarks of her opponent, Todd Akin. He has gotten a break from the Democrat’s scrutiny as McCaskill’s latest advertisement, named “China”, focuses on her legislation that is committed to stopping Chinese companies from evading U.S. trade laws.

            McCaskill has been tough on China since 2011, when she introduced legislation that would penalize foreign companies and shippers using unfair trading advantages such as evading duties (Lambrecht, 2011). This is a smart move for McCaskill since job creation is a top priority for many voters, many of whom believe America is losing jobs to China. In 2011 she began creating a bill to curb duty evasion from foreign companies. On her website she states, “When Missouri businesses compete on a level playing field, they win—and that means more jobs for Missourians,” showing that she views foreign policy in the same way as most citizens.

            Getting tough on China is not only a tactic to win votes; it is also a matter of funding. Berry, Goldman, Hula & Janda found that trade associations donated around 100 million dollars in the 2008 Election, second only to corporations. It is large donation that will gain attention from members of Congress making it difficult for them to ignore a lobbyist’s requests (p. 249, 2010). The same sort of funding and support from groups like the Alliance for American Manufacturing means that voting against China obligatory for their continued backing.

            McCaskill’s commitment to stopping unfair trading practices from foreign traders shows how international relations can directly influence domestic issues. Formal and fair business is a matter of pride for Americans. It is also a problem area that necessitates government support. She states on her website that her foreign policy role targets constructively dealing with external threats. Her tactic for foreign relations is ensuring America is a safe and stable environment with “expanded trade opportunities, safe borders and a healthier population” (2012). Emphasis on unfair trade practices from the Chinese is a way to justify and explain high rates of unemployment to undecided voters. Since the U.S. economy and unemployment are key issues in this election it is a smart move from the Democrats to blame the Chinese in part.

Works Cited 

           Berry, J., Goldman, J., Hula, K. & Janda, K. (2012). The Challenge of Democracy in American Government in Global Politics. Boston: Wadsworth.

          McCaskill, C. (2012). Foreign Policy. Missouri’s Senator Claire McCaskill, Issues, National Security. Retrieved from: http://mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=issue&id=319

          McCaskill, C. (2012). McCaskill cracks down on unfair trade practices, boosts jobs. Missouri’s Senator Claire McCaskill. Retrieved from: http://mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=1337

           McCaskill, C. (2012). China [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlpIuI0vDbA

           Donia, L. (2012). McCaskill’s tough on China’s stance with odds with her voting record. The Blog for the Alliance for American Manufacturing.  Retrieved from: http://americanmanufacturing.org/blog/mccaskills-tough-china-stance-odds-her-voting-record

           Lambrecht, B. (2011). McCaskill will introduce bill to tackle tariff scofflaws as Congress ponders trade policies, she targets foreign firms, shippers that evade customs duties. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=11810&sr=HLEAD(McCaskill+will+introduce+bill+to+tackle+tariff+scofflaws)+and+date+is+September+20%2C+2011

           Steinhauer, J. (2012). Missouri Congressman to Take On McCaskill in Senate Race. The New York Times. Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic: http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=6742&sr=HLEAD(Missouri+Congressman+to+Take+On+McCaskill+in+Senate+Race)+and+date+is+August+8%2C+2012

          Denesha, J. [Photographer] (2012). Sen. Claire McCaskill speaks to constituents during a roundtable discussion [Photograph], Retrieved November 6, 2012, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sen-claire-mccaskill-takes-fight-to-super-pacs-as-missouri-swings-farther-right/2012/04/22/gIQAqoAmaT_story.html