Masculinity and the Presidential Election

Women's E-News Commentary: New Brand of Masculinity Wins the Pro-Change Vote, by Rob Okun:

In the waning days of the presidential campaign, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are the leads in a gripping national drama about masculinity.

McCain has replaced George Bush as the standard bearer for conventional manhood: stubborn, controlling, shoot-from-the-hip, inflexible. John Wayne would be proud of his performance, from his sneering, angry attacks on Obama's character (labeling him either a Marxist or a socialist who is the enemy of every Joe the Plumber in the country) to his Marlboro Man response over the perilous financial calamity (blustering that he was single-handedly "suspending" his campaign to rush back to Washington to handle the economic crisis)...

Obama offers quite a contrast. In scores of newspaper endorsements, editors have described him as sensitive, thoughtful, composed and collaborative. All this reflects a new brand of masculinity. Obama's gains in the polls as the economic situation worsens suggest voters prefer his "let's stay calm" approach to the financial crisis than the McCain-Palin fear-mongering attempts to frighten voters with charges the Illinois senator is a closet socialist who wants "to spread the wealth around."