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Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and other Senate Republican leaders, Washington, D.C., Nov. 14, 2018.(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP)

What do women want? The political answer to Freud's famous question, judging by the midterm Republican wipeout, can be summed up in a word: Democrats.

The good news for Republicans is they now have women leading their national party and their Senate campaign committee, and Rep. Liz Cheney will soon bethe No. 3 Republican in the House.

The good news for Democrats is there'sno sign the GOP plans to make any substantive changes that could turn this "year of the Democratic woman" into some future year forwomen of both parties.

"We are doing great work for women, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, the new chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said recently on CNN. We need to do a better job at communicating why we are the choice for women and encouraging women to run for elected office.

These were the right words after a midterm election that produced a record gender gapand dramatically shrank the ranks of Republican women in Congress.But Ernst then went on to say that of course, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is better for our families. We see more of them keeping that income in their own pockets.We see a lot of deregulation and companies that are able to expand and provide opportunities for women.

If she and other Republicans stick to this script and these policies, not to mention to this president, its hard to envision female votersfinding much to like. On almost every issue of the day, most women have different views and priorities than conservatives and Donald Trump.

Unpackingthat one CNN appearance by Ernst is instructive. First of all, exit polls last month show that mostRepublicans don't consider it important for women to run for office.Two-thirds of Democrats said it was important, compared with only one-third of Republicans.

In perhaps a self-fulfilling prophesy, Republicans elected very few women. Next year they'll drop from 23 women in the House to 13. Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith managed to keep her seat in last week'srunoff despite a campaign riddled with racial gaffes, but that still leaves the GOP with just seven women senators less than halfthe Democrats'17.

Ernst'sfocus on tax cuts, deregulation and private-sector opportunities does not seem helpful. The benefits of the tax-cut law, the GOP's major accomplishment, did not trickle down to many voters. In October, for instance, nearly two-thirds in a Gallup poll said they had not seen an increase in take-home pay, and half said the cuts had not helped them financially.

As for businesses expanding and providing opportunities for women, one study found that the nation's 1,000 largest public companiesreduced employment after the tax cuts passed. The corporate gains from the law have largely benefited shareholders through rising buybacks and dividends, The New York Times reported. They're expected to beup 28 percent this year over 2017, compared with 0.5 percent growth in wages over 2017.

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A Quinnipiac Poll in July illustratedthe gulf between women and the GOP.Only 7 percent of women named taxes as their top election issue. But 14 percent chose gun policy, 24 percent chose health care and, perhaps because the poll was taken at the time family separations were in the news, 29 percent chose immigration. Most women disagree with Trump, the GOP or both on those issues.

There's no ignoring the Trump drag, of course.In thatsame poll, 43 percent of women said their vote would be meant to express opposition to Trump (only 22 percent said it would be a show of support).Women do not like his behavior, his character or his policies.

In July, two-thirds of women disapproved of Trump's immigration policies.OnElection Day, 55 percent of women said Trumps immigration policies were too tough. As for trade, half of women judged Trumps policies bad for their personal financesand even more, 56 percent, said they are bad for the economy.

Then there's Trump's treatment of women who accuse men of sexual misconduct. After the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation battle centered on Christine Blasey Ford's testimony that he had sexually assaulted her inhigh school, Trump defended his Supreme Court nomineeand said it was a scary time for men. But in a poll later that month, only 36 percent of women said the #MeToo movement had gone too far.

This type of behavior won't be in the spotlight, one hopes, when Trump is no longer president. Likewise, his views on immigration and trade depart from traditional Republican positionsand could fade with time. But what about thepolicies Republicanshave been pushing for decades, many of them since Ronald Reagan was commander in chief?

After the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, a frequent swing vote on cultural issues and author of the decision legalizing gay marriage, only a quarter of women (but 68 percent of Republicans) said they wanted a more conservative Supreme Court. Seven in 10 women support stricter gun laws(more than twice the share of GOP). More than half (54 percent)worry about global warming and think human activity causes it (most Republicans say it's exaggerated).Six in 10 women say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while six in 10 Republicans say the opposite.Andin a poll last month, health care was the issue that mattered most to 28 percent of women but only 14 percent of Republicans.

These are disconnects that will not go away with Trump. They will not be fixed by having a few women in high party positions. They will not be fixed if, as defeated Utah Rep. Mia Love put it,Republicans "actually let people know that we care. They will be fixed if and when Republicans recognize that better communicatingwithout better ideas is no change at all.

Jill Lawrence is the commentary editor of USA TODAY and author of"The Art of the Political Deal: How Congress Beat the Odds and Broke Through Gridlock."Follow her on Twitter:@JillDLawrence

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