Political ad fuels conservative anger at women likely hiding their votes from husbands – NBC New York

A. Political video reminded women The fact that they could vote for Vice President Kamala Harris without telling their husbands is angering prominent conservatives and reigniting heated rhetoric emphasizing the central role of gender in this year’s election.

VideoThe story, which began circulating last week, opens with a woman about to enter the voting booth after her husband, looking at him with concern before making her choice. She locks eyes with another woman while filling out ballots for Harris.

Addressing the ongoing partisan fight over reproductive rights, actor Julia Roberts says, “In the one place in America where women still have the right to vote, you can vote any way you want and no one will know.”

The women then leave the polls to meet their husbands, who presumably voted for former President Donald Trump.

“Did you make the right choice?” one of the husbands asks.

“Of course it was, honey,” his wife replied with a smile and sharing a knowing look with the woman next to her.

Although Harris I avoided talking too much about Video highlights her potential to become the first female president gender gap widened between him and trump latest polls Notable leads shown by Harris among women and Trump among men.

Harris’ opponents used her gender to question her qualifications throughout her campaign. Trump said in July that world leaders would see Harris:like a toy” based on her appearance and her allies have suggested that Harris’s political success is significant. can be linked to diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign embraced the image of traditional masculinity and actively courted influencers and comedians popular with young men.

Gender also underpins many important issues motivating voters’ choices this election season, including abortion, in vitro fertilization, child care and transgender rights.

The campaign spot, created by Vote Common Good, a progressive nonprofit group that works to mobilize religious voters, triggered outrage from Trump and some of his allies.

Although the organization never paid to promote or broadcast the video, its chief executive, Doug Pagitt, said the traction it gained online meant many households were benefiting from an experience familiar to them.

“A lot of people in the world that I come from and the political world that surrounds it believe that women’s responsibility to vote is not to have their own voice in the first place,” said Pagitt, a pastor and social activist. “Repeating what their husbands told them.”

One Phone interview with Fox News On Saturday, Trump said he was “very disappointed in Julia Roberts” and would one day look at the ad and be “embarrassed.” He added that he did not believe the video depicted a realistic marriage dynamic and called it “ridiculous.”

“I mean, can you imagine a wife not telling her husband who she voted for?” Trump said. “Even if you have a very bad relationship, if you have a bad relationship, you will tell your husband about it.”

Fox News host Jesse Watters said on air last week that if his wife did the same to the women in the ad, it would violate “the sanctity of our marriage.”

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“If I find out that Emma walked into the voting booth and pulled the lever for Harris, that’s the same as having an affair,” Watters said, prompting many online to take action. call him The marital affair he confessed to in 2018.

Charlie Kirk, founder of conservative podcast host Turning Point USA called the ad “disgusting” He criticized his wife for lying to her “sweet husband who is probably doing whatever he can so she can go and live a good life and provide for the family.”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. He joined the criticism on Thursday: I’m telling Fox News Democrats tell women to lie to their husbands: “What kind of immoral, corrupt, sick system have Democrats developed?”

While some conservative men expressed their disbelief and disapproval, many online contributed to the debate by sharing their views. experiences with women WHO We secretly support the Democrats Saying they fear for the welfare of women in Republican households whose husbands insist It’s about checking or monitoring their votes.

In recent months, sticky notes have been surreptitiously appearing in public restroom stalls and tampon containers across the country, reminding women that no one can see whether they voted for Harris.

There are many women participating in grassroots campaigns in more conservative areas he told NBC News He said participating in the sticky note campaign was a way for them to be politically active without dealing with backlash from the Republican-majority districts where they live.

Controversy over the ad led some websites to draw parallels with Margaret Atwood’s classic novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which depicts a dystopian theocratic regime that forcibly categorizes women and deprives them of their personal autonomy. After the speech, Atwood He shared a political cartoon Women entering the voting booth wearing maid uniforms and taking off their red uniforms when leaving.

According to Pagitt, the angry reactions of some men online reinforce the need for the video’s message.

“They took the sanctity of a person on the ballot and turned it into a conversation about men owning the actions of the women in their lives,” Pagitt said. “And I didn’t think you’d explain our idea for us. We are so grateful that you did this.”

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