Mandy Connell, host of her eponymous radio show on Denver’s KHOW (630 am), along with Russell M. Nelson, the President of the Church of Latter Day Saints, made statements this week which reveal their concerns about women voters and the influence of their emotions in elections.
And Connell and Russell are not the only conservatives with similar concerns.
Last week, the Colorado Times Recorder reported on a controversial viewpoint provided by a caller to two different radio shows on KNUS (710 am), where a caller identified as “Ferris” and “Mike” cited Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter in his argument that recognizing American women’s right to vote — as granted by the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — was “the beginning of the end of [our] republic.”
His viewpoint was challenged on the air by the hosts who engaged him in debate.
Yesterday, in her daily blog post which identifies topics of discussion for her show, Mandy Connell expressed her own concerns about “emotional” women voting, and points the finger particularly at Democratic women who are opposed to President Trump:
WOMEN JUST MAY CONFIRM THE NOTION THAT THEY ARE TOO EMOTIONAL TO VOTE THIS NOVEMBER. I am seeing more and more stories like this one talking about women coming out to vote for Democrats this November. Check out the good part:
‘Last week, the two women sat in the second row at a campaign event in a martial arts studio listening to the Democrat running against Brat, Abigail Spanberger. They nodded in agreement with much of what she had to say.
‘But the real reason they were there was basic: Donald Trump. They don’t like the president, and they were not about to vote for anyone, like Brat, who supports him.
‘“More than the policy, it’s the animosity he is fostering within the country,” Sneed said of Trump.’
Get that? They don’t like animosity. And they blame Trump. Not the Democrats, but Trump. So they aren’t voting on policy, they are fully voting on emotion. Because all good decisions are based on emotion, right? Right? Anyone? I didn’t think so either.
Connell links to an article published by Reuters, entitled “Republicans fear Democratic ‘blue wave’ spreading to once safe districts” for her blog entry opinion.
While she denigrates the women quoted in article for voting based on their dislike for Trump — and ignores their stated consideration of Trump’s policies — Connell does not comment on the article’s claim that an emotional fear of surging Democratic voter participation is driving Republican campaign strategy.
Last weekend, in a statement Mormon followers issued from the LDS semiannual conference, Nelson “invited” women to voluntarily refrain from engaging with social media for 10 days, at a time that corresponds with the lead-up to Election Day.
According to a story in The Salt Lake Tribune today, Nelson’s invitation to women of faith is rooted in a concern for their mental and emotional well-being, particularly the threat of depression and “negative thoughts.”
Women candidates from Utah who were interviewed for the Tribune story describe their concerns about restricting access to information to women so soon before the election.
They also discuss how they intend to interpret and adhere to Nelson’s “invitation” so as not to hinder their campaigns, since social media is widely recognized as an increasingly effective platform for campaign messaging and voter education.
It is estimated that approximately 60% of LDS adherents are conservative voters.