Women’s panel spreads the word for Trump, female conservatism

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Mercedes Schlapp on Oct. 23,2020. Photo/Andrew Sylvia

MANCHESTER, N.H. – One recurring narrative this campaign season has been the widening gap in the polls between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in terms of support among female voters. On Friday, a panel of Republican women gathered on South Willow Street to challenge the perceived wideness of that gap while also touching on a variety of other conservative topics.

Moderated by New Hampshire Republican Party Vice Chairman Pam Tucker, State Representative Deborah Hobson (R-East Kingston), Women for Trump Advisory Board Member Lynne Blankenbeker and Trump Campaign 2020 Senior Advisor Mercedes Schlapp asked the largely female crowd to spread the word about conservatism through their circles and add female conservative voices to local government in their communities.

Schlapp pushed back on the theory that feminism was synonymous with liberalism, using Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett as an example.

“What I love about her is that she’s such an inspiration for my girls, and I think she’s a perfect example of the new feminist, of the new voices out there that we so desperately need,  “The Democrats say, no we have the women vote, but they don’t understand that there’s a whole world of women out there.”

Schlapp later added that issues that have been priorities for women in previous years such as reproductive rights have been pushed to the background as the spectrum of female viewpoints continues to become more diverse.

“I’ve met a mix of women who are pro-life and women who are pro-choice,” she said. “I find that when I’m out in the field, the big issues that stand out (for women) are definitely the economy, tacking the COVID-19 crisis, and security.”

The panel also believed that the biggest obstacle to tackling the pandemic was overcoming fear and managing to balance safety with continuing a normal life.

Blankenbeker contracted COVID-19 earlier this year, noting from her experiences that it is something that can be overcome.

“Most of the people who get COVID aren’t going to get really super sick and are definitely not going to die from it,” she said. “This is not a death sentence. I think we’ve put that fear out there, like I’ve said that it’s a virus with a publicist, that we’re going to all die from this when that’s really not the case.”

The panel also agreed that teachers should be considered essential workers and provide in-person instruction, citing the impact of remote learning on students. One member of the audience urging lawsuits against school districts that provide remote learning.

Other topics discussed included partisanship in schools, how the free market can obtain the goals of the Green New Deal more efficiently, building communities and internet censorship.

 

About this Author

Andrew Sylvia

Assistant EditorManchester Ink Link

Born and raised in the Granite State, Andrew Sylvia has written approximately 10,000 pieces over his career for outlets across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. On top of that, he's a licensed notary and licensed to sell property, casualty and life insurance, he's been a USSF trained youth soccer and futsal referee for the past six years and he can name over 60 national flags in under 60 seconds according to that flag game app he has on his phone, which makes sense because he also has a bachelor's degree in geography (like Michael Jordan). He can also type over 100 words a minute on a good day.