Goodbye, Soccer Mom. Hello, Security Mom

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But is this skirmishing the kind of talk women want to hear? Republican pollster David Winston was one of the first to identify the shift from Soccer Mom to Security Mom, and he warns: "What these women are looking for are solutions to make their families and children safer. It's about solutions; it's not about partisan bickering." Democratic political consultant Rachel Gorlin agrees: "We can't criticize what the Bush Administration is doing unless we make it clear that the criticism is toward a new and improved approach--we're turning people off." It's that kind of impatience with point-scoring politics that nettles women like 31-year-old Stacy McDaniel, who stockpiles water and canned goods in San Diego, and plans her exit route when she goes to a ball game. "I expect our leaders to get more done now," she says. "I'm less tolerant of inefficiency. I'm less tolerant of poor decision making." For their own security, both parties are scrambling to listen--and respond--to women like her. --With reporting by Steve Barnes/Little Rock, Matt Baron/Chicago, Amanda Bower/New York, James Carney/Washington, Rita Healy/Denver, Maggie Sieger/Grand Rapids and Jill Underwood/San Diego