The Choice Is Yours…
February 4th, 2008 @ 5:49 pm by Ms. Dahlia
I must confess- I’m a political junkie.
Not only do I watch the returns for the US presidential primaries come in (on CNN online, since Mr. Dahlia and I have the most basic cable package ever), but I have watched ::ahem:: caucusing on ::cough cough:: C-SPAN. (That’s what happens when you get 10 or so like minded grad students in the room. We’re surprisingly apolitical, and spend more time analyzing the analysis- “That’s what the polls say, but are they looking at likely voters? In what states? What’s the margin of error?”- than we do about rooting for the victory of one candidate over another.)
Needless to say, I am very interested in the results of “Super Tuesday”, or if you will, “Super Duper Tuesday.” And I’m all for getting people out to vote.
But Brides Decide? Um, no. It just doesn’t make sense to me to view “brides” as a specific demographic within the electorate. Gender, race and income- those demographics make sense. But getting married? I see no common thread at all between women getting married, except that they are women.
While the site has some information about the candidates (as well as some wedding pictures; noticeably absent are Barack Obama and John McCain), it just strikes me as, well, a little bit silly. Why would I turn to Brides Decide when I could check out CNN or the New York Times?
And I really disagree with their advice to pay attention to the articles and polls dealing with issues “concerning women voters.” First of all, while some issues are often considered women’s issues (such as abortion), the ones that the article cites are the war in Iraq, healthcare, and taxes. Last time I checked, those issues were gender neutral.
I don’t buy the whole “Bride Decide” thing. But I am incredibly fascinated by politics. So:
Is there anyone else out there more interested in the latest political analysis than invitation colors? (And anyone have any predictions for Super Tuesday?)
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28 Responses to “The Choice Is Yours…”
Wait, I actually could have watched caucuses on CSPAN?! 
Probably better that I didn’t know…
I just absentee voted on Friday for Super Tuesday so I am very interested
And I agree, it seems that Brides Decide is biased towards one canidate in particular.
Call me cynical… but I don’t really understand the “bride decide” thing either. Sounds like a backhanded marketing strategy by the knot/nest/weddingchannel to me.
Of course, I’m already married so I better have more on my mind than wedding stuff, right?! I am certainly paying CLOSE attention to all things election related.
Though, I must confess that the Radishes are registered Green Party members so we don’t get to vote in the IL primary for any presidential candidates. Obama’s got it in the bag for Illinois anyway.
I think McCain is going to be the Republican nominee… but the Democratic race still seems so close. I can’t wait to see what happens! The suspense is killing me.
Not sure about that whole brides decide thing too….
I’m all for Obama, but it’s a close race for sure. I’m guessing McCain will be the Republican nominee.
If you’re an Obama supporter you might appreciate this video produced by will.i.am
yeswecansong.com
I find it pretty moving.
Brides Decide seems a little first wave to me… but like first wave minus common sense.
I’m REALLY super excited to vote in the primary tomorrow. I’m on the democrat side and it’s really still anybody’s race in NJ. Clinton has had a lead all along - and still does - but Obama has gained significantly. I know I will be GLUED to the primary results tomorrow night! It’s probably a really good thing that I have to teach tomorrow from 1:30 - 6 otherwise I’d probably “waste” my whole day watching MSNBC (waste only b/c then I wouldn’t get any schoolwork done).
I even sent an email out to my students today urging them to go to the polls tomorrow b/c it should be apparant how much of a difference they really CAN make this time. I hope the youth vote turns out in droves.
admittedly i already had my super day this week [yesterday...during the super bowl] so i’m pretty neutral about super tuesday. i’ve never really been into politics though i did send in my absentee ballot last week. i’m not the one to sit and wait for the results, i’m perfectly fine finding out the next day.
I am really looking forward to tomorrow. Out here in California, we finally feel like we make some kind of difference!! I went to a wedding this weekend and the rule was - no political arguments at the wedding. It was tough!! Make a difference - VOTE!!
Amen Bride4Hillary! We in California haven’t influenced a primary since Bobby Kennedy, and we all know what happened to him. I already know who I’m voting for, now I just have to decide which of my classes to ditch to get to the polls!
I am also extremely interested in what happens tomorrow (will definitely watch the results) - and am psyched to be involved in a primary where my vote will be influential.
As for the “brides decide” website, it at first struck me as a little strange as well. But an article in this week’s new york times magazine points out that women are actually significantly less interested in - and knowledgeable about - politics (especially national politics) than men. So maybe it’s a good thing to introduce politics to women in less traditional forums? I don’t know.
ChicagoSarah, you can actually watch most (if not all) the caucuses on CSPAN. I highly recommend it- it really is a fascinating process.
I’m in TX, and our primaries aren’t until March. It will be interesting to see if we actually get to matter! Mardi Gras and Super Tuesday! Anyone else going to be flipping pancakes while watching the returns come in?
i LOVE cspan. i also get really excited when new weddingbee bloggers say that they like politics… mixing two of my current favorite interests.
i think that romney is the likely winner of super tuesday, mostly because he can unite the entire base. the republican base right now is very opposed to mccain, though i do think he’s a stronger nominee.
i think that hillary will also be the winner of the democrats, though obama will be very close. obama’s support in the other states seemed to be mostly strongly concentrated in the areas he spent the most time and money on, and it’s impossible to be everywhere at once tomorrow.
and brides decide: everytime i look at it i just feel offended. as though wedding pictures would sway my vote from one nominee to another! yuck.
I am very excited and nervous for tomorrow. It’s been a long time since my vote mattered in a primary, and I’m amped to see what the outcome will be. While a clear front runner could emerge on the republican side, I have a feeling the democratic nomination is going to come down to the last few states. As much as I would like Obama to pull out a decisive victory tomorrow, I think Hillary will take New York, Obama will take Illinois and they’ll be in a dead heat in the rest of the states. And move on to the next primary.
I agree with Radish, its just targeted marketing. Its too bad that they didn’t do a better job with it because it could have been a great opportunity for GOTV.
And Obama is going to Barack Illinois tomorrow! I just love saying that. I say him and McCain in the end, but that might just be wishful thinking.
oh yeah! I am TOTALLY excited for tomorrow. I am for Obama and hope Cali pulls through I also e-mailed my students to go vote and think I will let us watch a little CSPAN during my evening class. haha.
Am super-psyched about Super Tuesday. More excited about it than wedding planning, by far.
BridesDecide is one of the lamest and least inviting/interesting/substantive political websites I have ever seen.
Also, JD - this woman can win a political debate with anyone, be they male, female, or transgender. My friends who are most passionate about politics are women. (Mostly supporting Edwards, and now Obama.)
My prediction: I think Hillary wins more delegates but Obama is more electable in the general. Plus he brings out all sorts of people who don’t normally vote.
I’m obsessively interested in this year’s race and the Brides Decide thing sounds . . . meh.
However, I would argue that (although they probably didn’t mean in in this way) health care can most certainly be cast as a gender issue as women (namely lower-income) women are typically most negatively impacted by a lack of health care coverage, especially children’s health care.
Brides Decide? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sorry for the outburst; I just think it’s very silly.
I get my information from watching (and reading!) the news.
I love voting days — better than my birthday and christmas combined. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. I live in Wisconsin, so we don’t vote until the 19th, but it’s been a long time since this primary mattered so much so that’s GREAT!
I’m a Barack girl all the way, and have been since I lived in IL and he was elected to state government. Although I do think Dems have a great choice between two strong candidates, my hope is that (a) my guy wins, and (b) young people really do get out and VOTE. It’s such an amazing and inspiring process. Let’s go people! Make some change!
My husband, incidentally, vote for Gore in the last election but is a registered Republican. We see eye to eye on a lot of things but are VERY opposed on others. He’s never been very into politics but I’ve been so glued to the debates that he’s definitely much more engaged this year.
And for the record, bridesdecide is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen…
In response to JD’s post, I’m interested to know why the NYT thinks women are “less interested” in politics. Is it because we’re only interested in shopping and jewelry (anyone else get nauseous when she sees Valentine’s Day commercials?)?! I know JD isn’t the one who made that claim, but I’m intrigued to know more.
Like Caroline, my friends and I are passionate about politics. I remember watching the debates in our rental house our senior year of college, yelling at the screen when we disagreed with points and cheering when we agreed
Now my SIL? She happily admits to being completely naive about all things politics and would rather discuss colors and favors…hearing that makes me a little ill. Your wedding is one day; your president can impact your entire life. Get out and vote, ladies!
I love all of the coverage. This is such an exciting year! I’m so inspired by all of the attention the election is getting. Regardless of the content of Brides Decide, at least its getting people to think about our election… which is a step in the right direction… at the very least.
It’s good to see that Weddingbee community is more interested and informed that the apparent target audience of Brides Decide!
And it’s too bad that that site really does nothing to help the uninformed. 
Yeah, how random is that? Sounds like someone thought of the URL and whipped up a site around it.
And I 2nd what Penguin said. Amen, birdsister.
Re: the NYT article that I mentioned:
Apparently, when surveyed on the topic, women indicate less interest in “government and public affairs” than men do. The article also mentions a 1996 study were women didn’t do as well as men on a political quiz and a more recent survey that revealed the same disparity (participants were asked to name the current speaker of the House and other similar questions).
I wasn’t trying to imply that I think that women should get their information from Brides Decide, that’s certainly not where I have been getting my info. I also wasn’t trying to say that brides are less likely to know about politics than any other group (I agree that brides do not constitute a demographic). Just thought that it was interesting, and unfortunate, that surveys indicate that women are more uninformed than men when it comes to politics (although as many have commented, I definitely do not consider myself or my female friends less informed in this area than the average man). If that’s the case, then I guess I can see why someone might think that the concept of targeted political information at bridges is a good idea.
oops I meant brides in the last sentence…
I agree with you exactly - I thought it lacked substance and glossed over the issues in favor of the fluff.
Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/Cleveland
Age and Occupation: 24, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System Administrator
Engagement Date: December 31, 2006
Wedding Date: May 2008
Blogging Since: September 19, 2007
Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in Cleveland
About Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
there is nothing wrong with CSPAN
I have also watch british paraliment on there, now thats entertaining.