Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Sarah Palin: the Anti-Feminist


Sarah Palin blah, blah, media hype, blah, blah, blah, snappy soundbite, blah. Ever since her scathing pit bull speech last week at the Republican National Convention, I have been mulling over my blog comments regarding the new VP candidate.

I have been a Hillary supporter for a very long time. I believe that many people thought we were supporting Hillary because she is a woman. To me, that shows a lack of understanding and an unwillingness to look at issues--not just at personalities and gender. I supported Hillary because she is and has always been a strong support of women's issues (ie, choice, health care, education, equal rights, equal pay, etc.) She was (and still is) my gal.

When she lost the primary, many pundits said Hillary supporters would vote for McCain. I thought that this was a crock. Obviously, their policies are about as far apart as humanly possible. Apparently, the McCain camp believes that having a woman on the ticket may bring some Hillary supporters over to their side. (We just voted for Hillary because she was a woman, right? Wrong!)

Since the close of the Republican National Conventions, there has been a flood of media coverage about the McCain/Palin ticket-- the illegitimate child, the down syndrome baby, the pentecostal beliefs, the earmarks, the bridge to nowhere, etc. Here is a sampling of my favorite articles and videos.

I see Sarah Palin's nomination as pandering to women voters, and red neck men who voted for Hillary. In The Mirrored Ceiling, Judith Warner talks about Palin's nomination and the trend in American politics to cast votes based upon feelings and likability rather than issues, policies, and what is best for our country. Arianna Huffington also had a great article, Sarah Palin: A Trojan Moose Concealing Four More Years of George Bush. This article focuses on how the Palin media hype has distracted the media and the American people from the fact that the McCain/Palin is more of the same, not change.

In Sarah Palin Gender Card, Jon Stewart shows how the Republicans slammed Hillary when she said she was being unfairly treated by the media, but now say that people are being sexist when they raise questions about Palin.

The maverick/reformer label for the McCain/Palin ticket is ludicrous. In Palin and McCain's Shotgun Marriage, Frank Rich shoots holes in the maverick/reformer lies. Palin is a reformer who hired a lobbyist for her small town; this resulted in $27 million in earmarks. Hmmmm.... someone should ask her what the American people bought for that $27 million investment in Wasila, Alaska. Another part of the Republican shtick is that she "took on big oil" in Alaska. On the radio today, they said that her gubernatorial inaugural ball was paid for my oil companies. Where is the "taking on big oil" part? Maybe she took them as dance partners?

In John McCain's Big Acceptance Speech , Jon Stewart compares McCain's campaign promises to George Bush's 2000 campaign speech. In some cases, they used the same words! It is amazing that people are buying these lies again. McCain has been in the Senate for more than 25 years; he voted with George Bush 90% of the time. Change??? B.S.

In Then There was One, Thomas Freidman reveals the McCain/Palin ticket's anti-environmental policies. I almost puked when the convention goers cheered, "Drill, baby, drill." I also was appalled to learn that Palin sued the feds to take polar bears off the endanger species list. What happened to the all God's children of Christianity? Animals are part of God's kingdom.

Finally, I believe that this presidential election season will change American politics forever. It will no longer be a rarity for a woman or a person of any color besides white to be a viable candidate for president or vice president. Hurray! Maybe we have moved beyond rule by old white men.

All I can say is, Vote Obama! Stop the war. Save our country from irresponsible Republican spending and kick-backs to the rich.

Photo credit: Kodiak Konfidential (Check this blog out to hear what one Alaskan blogger thinks about his governor.)

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very good, Pam. The best reason - among 100s to vote for the Democrat for President - is that the next President will probably get to appoint 2-3 more Supreme Court Justices and we need those to be Pro-Choice! McCan't won't do that!

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is VERY SCARY that the Republicans may be able to appoint more radical conservative judges. Elected officials come and go, but judges have a long-term impact on our society and our lives. Yikes.

Anonymous said...

i find it hard to believe you would vote for obama just because he is a democrat, he doesnt support our country he hates the United States. he wouldnt wear an American flag lapel pin and wouldnt put his hand over his heart during the pledge of alliegence. his wife said she has never been proud of the United States Of America. so you would rather have a muslum president Barak Husain Obama for a president then vote for a real American. after all the only difference between Obama and Osama is BS. do you think he really has the best intrest of Americans in mind? dont be retarded. do us all a favore, VOTE McCAIN 2008!!! or dont vote

Pamela said...

Well, maybe if your fellow Republicans had fully funded education, you would have learned punctuation and capitalization.

I'm not voting for Obama just because he's a Democrat. I'm voting for him because I support his policies.

Anonymous said...

I believe like most people you are scared of a genuine article a real woman like Palin. As a soldier to me it is not about man or woman it is about authenticity. We want real people not career lawyers/politicians. Weather you agree with Sarah or not she does move woman's right a step in the right direction. She is the right choice for America.

Anonymous said...

You are blogging how can you talk a bouth punctuation in a world with no rule like a blog? I am sure that would be our world in an Obama presidency too but do some research before you go poking out eyes.
http://www.lingo2word.com/index.php

Anonymous said...

Jeff, While it's great that the Republican Party has finally acknowledged the existance of female politicians, Palin herself does nothing for women's rights. Except for being an ambitious working mom, she is opposed to all women's rights issues. She's against reproductive freedom, against abortion, against choice, against birth control. Although we have heard nothing about her stands on universial health care and education (also women's issues), I'm assuming she agrees with the current Republican status quo, since that is what she and McCain stand for -- status quo, not change.

Anonymous said...

ya know, most of us republicans aren't so anti choice as we are, please don't use our money, tax dollars to fix your less than honorable sexual endeavors,k? drill, yes drill in the Vast Endless sqaure miles of alaska to make energy cheap to keep my loved ones warm???? Yes.

Anonymous said...

and scary judges? ones that might be familiar with the Constitution? The document that framed our great, not evil country. The same Constitution that allowed us to END SLAVERY?. scary? lol I wonder how things would be if Al Gore had stood on the rubble in NY, and said things like, it's our fault, us evil americans.

Anonymous said...

and the Republican Party, just now discovering women? lol, i can't go ant further on that one, laughing to herd. Thing is, Sarah is a strong women, comfortable with her comfidence, and comfortable with the truth. she will surprise a lot of you, cuz it's so easy for her to handle the truth, but for a lot of us, she just reminds us of pther strong women who have had a positive influence on our lives. That simple.

Anonymous said...

she's such a bitch

Anonymous said...

I would really like for someone to really define a Feminist? I think that Sarah Palin's life and the way she lives it, follows a free form, "I can do anything" attitude with moral and good ethics behind her. The problem I see with Feminists are that If you disagree at all with any of the very short sided liberal Idea's, you are now branded a Anti-Feminist. It's Black and White. I think Sara Palin would run circles around most Feminists who are stuck in there hateful one sided views.

Anonymous said...

Funny when a rep. scores a hit on a dem. the ignorant dem. starts insulting intelligence which in kind delivers the ture color of themself.
Whining, elitist, better then you BS....which is why it will be funny..no matter how much you hate George Bush, Americans are going to elect another republican.
PS its a online blog...stick your proper punctuation in your anal retentive ass.

deme said...

I think the person who is writing anonymously should put a name to his/her posts. That way I don't feel like I am just speaking to some random idiot. Of course from reading the posts, it seems that I am.
When Palin was announced to be McCains running mate, the biggest achievement that the media could report was that she played basketball in high school. She has no real experience at all. She doesn't know what she is talking about half the time. She choose to insult the opponent instead of address issues because she is too much of an airhead to understand what the issues are. She is just a plastic barbie doll that McCain chose because he didn't want to be told what to do when his constituents advised him to choose someone more experience and more capable. He probably saw a pretty face and thought this could be his third wife.
As for the military man who commented, do you wish to stay in Iraq for the rest of your life. Well, that is where you will remain if you vote for McCain/Palin.
I know this post is old, but after the stunts that Palin has been pulling in the last week or so I figured I would contribute my loathing for this horrible representation for the American female.

Anonymous said...

It is funny how open minded people immediately turn to personal insults when they don't wish to address facts. Leave petty insults behind and look at facts.

Anonymous said...

I hate you feminazis!

I'm a chick.

Pamela said...

A "chick"? Well, there lies a philosophical difference. I am a woman-- not a chick.

I find it ironic that all of you SP fans choose to be anonymous. Where is your true loyalty to her? Huh? Or perhaps all of these anonymous posts are by one or two person who don't have a life and like to spread negativity.

Namaste. Peace out. Have fun on 1/20/09! I know I will.
p