sarah palin - welcome to the liberal blogosphere

Unpopular political opinion time:

You know, after what happened to Hillary Clinton during primaries, I kind of guessed what would happen when Sarah Palin was put up for the Republican VP candidate. I am very unsurprised to note the first things that occurred were mentions of the following things that apparently, are reasons she cannot possibly be a good president and/or comments on her:

1.) A beauty queen.

2.) References to her vagina.

3.) Hockey mom*. (not a quote from someone, but a quote of a quote made elsewhere)

4.) Number of children.

The really weird part? These were all from my flist.

I think this is great. Why discuss her anti-abortion, anti-gay-marriage, iffy environmental stance, or her ideology? Why discuss her own maverick status in Alaska when she opened ethics investigations? Why on earth would we be vaguely interested in the decisions she's made as Alaskan governor or anything she's done?

Yes, she's unknown. And Biden is not a household name. Shocker. Yes, she doesn't have a lot of experience. I swear I've heard this argument before. Yes, she could end up being the first female vice president, because the democrats chose another white male for the VP slot despite numerous very qualified female candidates, among which was Hillary Clinton. We can't complain about that. We had our chance and we missed it.

Yes, she's a conservative. A conservative with views and an ideology that is radically against what most of us believe. That is what we should be looking at, studying, what we should be discussing.

The blogosphere is a cesspool already with this, and the primaries were, for me, so offensive I couldn't talk about it and honestly, I still can't. I'm a democrat, and my party chose the candidates that will act, with any kind of luck, closest to the beliefs I hold dear. But I'm also a woman, and this is--I have no idea. Something is wrong with this, when we, who are many of us liberal women, choose this path twice against opponents.

I'm kind of expecting an unfriending for this one.

*clarification - this was not said by an ljer or used in a derogatory way by an ljer. it was quoted by an ljer about what the candidate said about herself and then I saw it elsewhere on the net used in a derogatory way. My apologies on not being clear.

Comments

Thank you!

[anarawells.livejournal.com]

It is nice to see another person who is actually addressing/mentioning the important issues.

Re: Thank you!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Exactly! These are *hugely important* and reasons I personally won't vote for her. But attacking her by way of her sex is basically going to turn off a lot of people. And frankly, it makes liberals look like huge hypocrites, which sadly, we really are.

[swanswan.livejournal.com]

I almost immediately got a sick feeling when I learned a bit about her, because I knew it would be overwhelmingly tempting to criticise her in ways that were all about her choices as a woman. It's all calculated to make people attack her in the laziest of ways. Which sucks when there are so many legitimate ways to attack her! God, watching her speak after watching Obama last night - he's in another freaking league. Doesn't mean she won't be very very popular with certain sections, though.

Oh - the "hockey mom" thing is her own terminology, though.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Yes, this. Gah.

Oh, I know, it was quoted on my lj, and I probably wouldn't have remembered it except it came up in blogosphere in a way that--well, not complimentary, let's put it that way.

[calligrafiti.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Daily Kos comment sections went from Obama Rocks to Stupid Bitch in 5 minutes flat this morning. I'll probably have to stop going there for the next several weeks or I'll find myself trying to register as a Whig in reaction. And what's more, I doubt the commentors get that insulting Palin based on her gender insults around half the readers of the site as well.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

God, don't remind me. I went in and ran out as quickly as I could before I read anything.

Well, as for gender insults--women do it as much as men do, without even thinking about it--the beauty queen bit was from a woman and *did* piss me off, because what the hell did that have to do with whether or not she could govern? Just--gah. No.

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

I've seen all those misogynistic points raised on Daily Kos, but pleasantly enough, I've seen almost none of it on my f'list (except in that "I hope we don't sink to that level" way). My objections to her are entirely based on her sucky political views. I can't see any reason why anybody would unfriend you for saying what you've said.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Yep. Her politics do nothing for me from what I've read so far. Being *more* conservative than McCain is not something I'd be thrilled about.

[winter-elf.livejournal.com]

I think I'd friend you twice if I could.

Actually what I was most unhappy about is her poor environmental record, and that was the comment I had with someone else on my FL. Because one of the biggest environmental charities I support - Defenders of Wildlife - is all about the slaughter of wolves in Alaska.

*sigh*

[seperis.livejournal.com]

God, the wolves, I saw that and flinched so hard. Of all the things...

[quinn222.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to unfriend over her. Change her name to Steve instead of Sarah and I'd dislike her just as much.

What really bugs me is I feel as though he picked her just because she's a woman and thinks we'll vote for him because he picked a woman. She has a history I despise so it wouldn't work with me anyway but just the idea of why he picked her is insulting. Every woman I spoke to today said the same thing.

Editing to add that I posted a silly post about her because I don't want to talk about serious issues on my blog.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*thoughtful* I don't particularly like it, but on the other hand, it was a pretty good move in some ways in more than her being female. I don't find it insulting, though, to be honest--irritating, yes, that the democrats didn't do it and we potentially have the first female VP and possible president be a Republican after liberal politics and liberal social movements made it possible.

[cofax7]

Not from me.

I fully expect the horror of the Democratic primary season to continue--that is, the thinly-veiled misogyny will continue, except now it will be extended to the left-wing side of the blogosphere (those that weren't already on that train). It makes me so very tired.

I think McCain's made a very strategic choice, except for the fact that he passed over multiple experienced female Republicans in order to choose Palin, and I'd love to know why. What makes Palin better than Hutchinson, or Janet Napolitano (she's Republican, isn't she?)?

[seperis.livejournal.com]

You know, that part throws me too. Hutchinson isn't actually a *bad* choice, speaking as a liberal--I do not love her nor would I vote for her, but I wouldn't fear waking up in A Handmaid's Tale with her either. However, and this is just the lightest gloss of reading so far, I think her status as a maverick attracted him--while conservative, she's not controlled by the party or its ideology, if what I read is anything to go by. So it should be interesting.

[sage]

Word.

The woman's societal/social currency encompasses her brain and beliefs and experience and political contacts *IN ADDITION TO* her ability to appear physically attractive and spawn offspring. And the latter have only a little bearing on the former.

I'm a liberal Texan, too, but I'm also a feminist, and, whether or not I agree with a word she says, I hate seeing the intense public focus on a smart, potentially very important woman reduced to a critical examination of her cunt.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

This, yes. Exactly. Exactly. I wish I'd been able to distill this into those two sentences.

[boji.livejournal.com]

You are totally right.

I'm guilty of posting a link to that faux Vogue Cover and of thinking that Mc Cain's choice will be spun and over-analysed in such a way that it's a slam-dunk for Obama but, it should be about the issues not the personality in front of the issues.

We're guilty of falling into main-media-pundit terminology and traps and we should be smarter than that. Not that it's my country or my election.

What I did learn, travelling round the blogsphere is that she stood up to big oil. Considering she's pro-drilling in Alaska I found that odd, interesting and of note. And damn if issues such as this shouldn't be more important than the fact that she named her daughter's Piper and Willow.

Someone from Alaska posted an interesting blog article on Daily Dish entitled The Alaska Angle (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/a-libertarian-a.html#more), but it seems as if Foreign Policy (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/in-over-her-hea.html#more) is going to get her.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

friendshipper has been doing some corrections and additions since she's from the area in one of my earlier posts. Thanks for the oil thing. I thought I saw that, but I could not remember where, so now I know yes, I did see something. I also liked what I read about her ethics investigations. She's not hugely popular with Republicans either.

[destina.livejournal.com]

I've reached the point in the year where I will begin automatic defriendings for political talk of any sort, pretty much, and this is why. Really, the ranty pseudo-ideological overreactions to things that are irrelevant - ie, things that have NOTHING TO DO WITH HER GODDAMNED POLITICS - just piss me off. But to be truthful, almost anything having to do with politics pisses me off this time of year.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Yes, this. Exactly.

I can't wait until the election is over. Can't. Wait.

[swordage]

I honestly can't imagine why you'd get unfriended for that post.

I'm in a kind of informational vacuum at the moment. I honestly hadn't heard anything other than that she was selected as his running-mate. I'd really like to hear more about her, quite frankly, because it sounds like she's actually a conservative instead of utterly insane, but stuff like that is why I'm afraid to go looking. Also there's no chance in hell I'm voting for McCain no matter who his running-mate is, so the point is a little moot, but still.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*nodding to all*

friendshipper did some clarification in an earlier post I made. I kind of want to know at least what we're looking at, because there's always the possibility she *could* be VP and I'd like to be forewarned on what to expect, you know?

[blueraccoon.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, the knee-jerk reaction I've seen on my flist is "Oh, hell, he picked a woman in his zeal to prove he's a maverick! The GOP is not the Old White Guys' Party! C'mon, ladies, let's not be stupid enough to fall for it. This is just insulting."

I think she's drastically unqualified for the position, and her personal ideology is so diametrically opposed from mine I'd be more likely to vote for Ralph Nader than her. But I haven't seen as much of the vitriol as you have.

Then again, I stay out of most of the blogosphere.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Smart woman. I glazed a couple of conservative blogs then hit a few liberal, flinched, and ran. I am just not up to dealing with that.

[apple-pi.livejournal.com]

I think I echo blueraccoon, mostly, in what I'm seeing on my flist.

My own feelings? Misogyny isn't okay, but I do feel a sort of black-humored need to make fun of the GOP for the choice. To me it smacks so strongly of "Hey, we better get a woman, since they have a minority" that I am repelled. (Well, more than I normally am repelled by the conservative idiocy of the GOP on any given day, I guess.) Palin's politics are atrocious in many ways - I mean, I've heard a few good things ("populist" is not a four-letter descriptive, in my book), but her anti-choice and creationism stances terrify me, and her environmental views are just - *waves arms* I can't even imagine how she can reconcile reality with the things that have come out of her mouth. (Polar bears aren't endangered! And putting them on the endangered species list makes life more difficult for drilling companies! Oh noes!)

So, am I making fun of the Republicans for this choice? Oh, hell yes. But am I horrified because she's a woman? Hell no. I do think "beauty queen" remarks are wayyyy out of line, but luckily I haven't seen too much of that on my flist today. (Ahhh, default view, you are a Good Thing.)

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*nods* Her environmental is *really* unhappy-making. I need to get better clarification on that and the aerial hunting of wolves thing, as both of those made me flinch *hard*.

The anti-choice is problematic to me. I'm very pro-choice, but I can't quite tell (yet) if she's actively anti-choice or passively so. Since she seems less influenced by the GOP than other candidates might be, it make sme wonder. Not thrilled with creationism at all.

OTOH, there was some talk about her going up against big oil and it's referred to here too, so I need to read up and find out specifics on that one.

The beauty queen remark--I had to read that three times to make sure I'd read that correctly. I mean, wow. Just wow.

[writinginct.livejournal.com]

I hated the fact that the first bits of info about her that everyone latched onto were personal and had no bearing on her politicial experience or issue position. You had to sort through all the beauty queen nonsense to find out where she stands on issues. And to me anyway, it's the issues that are important.

I want to let out a big hoorah that there is a woman on the ballot for Vice President because that is an accomplishment. And whether or not she's ever sworn in as VP this is, in my opinion, a step forward for women regardless.

On the other hand as an extremely liberal Democrat I hope that she and McCain are never sworn in. Her conservative position is practically the antithesis of my own political beliefs.

Politics and religion- arguments and hurt feelings over them have broken up families and friendships time after time. I wish folks could talk about them, debate them, and heck, even argue about them without turning things ugly and personal.

I hope you don't see a friend exodus over all this.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

God yes. Why the personal? Her politics were *plenty* to give us food for thought and protest. Gilding the lily with her sex and gender? Not necessary.

[droolfangrrl.livejournal.com]

Argh. I was kind of torn about the whole thing. The guy I liked was white and male, but I liked him because he was practical. He was a gov. and at the advice of this cops gave illegal immigrants driver licenses. With Obama vs. Clinton it was more a case of with him I'm worried that we'll have a repeat of the problems that Carter's inexperience brought. With her it's more complicated. I think Bill became prez because she wanted it. I don't really know _why_ my gut feelings about her are tweaking against here! So frustrating.

This other gal, never heard of her.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*nods* Yeah. Palin's ideology is very questionable to me.

[robotjen.livejournal.com]

I mentioned her vagina in a comment to my last post--I feel his decision-making came down to "She has a vagina! She's a member of the NRA and has a son in the military! SIGN HER UP!"--because I'm deeply offended by McCain's choice. Because he's pandering in the most obvious way. It's as if he thinks that because he trots out a woman (regardless of her qualifications) dumb middle American women will vote for her. I voted for Hillary in the primary because she espouses all of my beliefs, because her politics are the same as my own. The fact that she is a woman was a consideration; it did put her over the top for me, but only because of that first factor.

Palin is not only inexperienced, her positions on matters that impact women are wrong. She is anti-choice, she is anti-conservation, she is wrong on health care...

I wouldn't bring up her being a mom, because I don't see what it has to do with her candidacy. I don't see pundits prefacing their discussions of Biden by saying "basketball dad, father of blah blah blah." Pat Buchanon called her "McCain's new girl." I find that offensive. She's a 44 year old woman, a governor. No need to reduce her to her parts. Which is what I think McCain's done. I don't give him any credit on this. I think it was a desperate move; if he'd picked a Republican woman with real qualifications, I wouldn't be angry about it. But this is a man who, in public, called his wife a cunt. I can't abide him, and I don't trust that this wasn't more than a political volley.

[emgeetrek.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't bring up her being a mom, because I don't see what it has to do with her candidacy. I don't see pundits prefacing their discussions of Biden by saying "basketball dad, father of blah blah blah."

No, they don't, but that's at least in part because Biden doesn't describe himself that way. Palin referred to herself as a "hockey mom" in a TV interview just last month, when she was describing to reporters why she didn't think she was a serious contender for the VP slot. (I've only seen the clip once, so I'm sorry I can't remember too much more of what she said--I think she also mentioned that she thought the fact that she was from a small state, and I'm assuming she means electorially, worked against her as well.)

[logovo.livejournal.com]

Although I did not post about it, hearing that she was a one time Miss Alaska made me cringe so bad. It reminded immediately of so many discussions on the right wing on how if only more women were attractive, then we wouldn't need feminism :/

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*shudders*

[verr-phoenix.livejournal.com]

I have a vagina...she has a vagina...that's about all we have in common...

But…

Considering that on MSNBC Pat Buchanan just referred to Sarah Palin twice as “a fine gal" and once as "the girl" I say she's going to have it bad from both sides.

Do they really expect me to believe that some of these conservatives good old boys have respect for women when you have loud mouth Buchanan referring to the potential VP of the USA as "gal" on national television.

Yeah this is going to be fun.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

God, I know. This is going to be flinchworthy from both sides.

[kitestringer.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU. I've been getting more and more furious as the day has gone on.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

It's been a bad day for women and equality.

[mecurtin.livejournal.com]

Shakespeare's Sister is up to #3 on the Sarah Palin Sexism Watch (http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/08/sarah-palin-sexism-watch-3.html), in what? 12 hours?

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*facepalm*

[mrshamill.livejournal.com]

While I am carefully and completely staying thoroughly and entirely as far away from anything even remotely resembling an opinion as possible, I will go so far as to say that no one on my list said anything like that (that I read, at any rate); all comments were directed at the fact that she was a complete and total hand-up-the-back voice-boxed ultra-conservative noob who wouldn't understand an ethical dilemma if it bit her on the ass twice then trampled her in Wal-Mart heading for the special on tax-free Phillipino nanny-slaves.

Howsomever. We could have ended up with Ann Coulter so I think we should count it as a win.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Well, for ethics, she did lead an investigation into ethics and pissed off her party a great deal. So that, I'm not sure of. Her ideology is plenty to make me wary, though.

[huzzlewhat.livejournal.com]

Yep, it's going to be ugly. Melissa McEwan at Shakesville had three "Sarah Palin Sexism Watch" posts up within a few hours of the announcement.

She's an interesting choice, and was a huge gamble for McCain. And as with all such gambles, it'll either pay off huge or sink him. Palin reinforces McCain's reputation (deserved or not) as a "maverick," as she has the same reputation, and it certainly wasn't a safe choice. She's NRA, she's anti-corruption, she's anti-earmarks, she's the mother of five, and she's married to a man who is a member of the US Steelworkers union and who is one-eighth Yup'ik. She doesn't have much experience, but Obama's campaign can't criticize her for that without looking like hypocrites — and without further pissing off Clinton supporters who may see a reversal on that point as confirmation of the sexism in the primaries ("Oh, now you think experience matters...").

If the gamble works, this is a very, very dangerous choice to Dems. And after the battering that women took in the primary, no one should underestimate the lure of "identity politics" — and the more the supposedly liberal voices in the blogs and beyond descend into misogyny to counter her, the more dangerous she becomes. Because damn, if Sarah Palin's politics aren't contrary to practically every position I hold, but if McCain is elected, I can't say I won't get a bit teary-eyed when she's sworn in.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

You've said better what I was trying to work out too. From that standpoint, she does look good, and with very little baggage.

Argh!

[irishamber.livejournal.com]

Just saw that the WSJ has an article about her EXERCISE and EATING habits. Gah! I want to know when she gave all these interviews because she sure seems happy to disgorge all the personal not-job-relevant information thus reducing her stature as a serious politician....not that I'm upset about that for the election but geeze.

Re: Argh!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Men do casual interviews about their jogging and their dogs as well. Whether she did give her favorite cookie recipe or not, it's not part of her qualifications as VP.

[highd.livejournal.com]

McCain decided to pander, he decided to pick a grossly under qualified person for the second most powerful job on the planet. She is a pro life, pro drilling, anti-gay, creationist and she doesn't give a damn about the environment. She is for the big and rich and mighty she is a republican through and though and you know what I don't care what is between her legs she is against everything that I hold sacred.

To me, to my gay family members, to people I care about she is an enemy. I am not going to feel bad that I think it is odd that a woman that has a very young down syndrome child would decided to take a job that required her to make something other then that child her main priority. I don't want a hockey mom for a VP I want someone that actually knows what the job entails something that she admitted on tv that she didn't.

I didn't want Hillary apart of this election or in The White House because I found her to be part of old Washington, old ideas. That is why she lost, she played the same game that Bill and Al Gore did and it was old.

Also the last time I looked this was an America election not Chinese dinasty party. having 24 years of the same two families in office is dangerous, and doesn't show we are able to change. A fresh new voice is needed in office. One that doesn't count McCain as a friend and one that isn't so rich that they could afford to invest 6 million in their own campaign.One that doesn't lie through her teeth about cowering from bullets. Hillary was just NOT the right woman for me.

We need someone in office that knows struggle REAL struggle, a person that knows what it's like to have to go with out, much like thousands of children in the US are doing right now. Obama is the person for me. I don't care if he is a male, female, red or blue. I want a person in office that I can trust and I trust him.

I wish more people could see past vagina vs penis but I don't think that is even possible. Which is sad because so many people are so upset that Hillary didn't get the nomination that the bitterness over it is most likely going to make McCain the winner. To me that is much worse then having to wait for the right woman to come along and be nominated.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I can't take the underqualified as a bad thing, to be honest. The less time spent in the pockets of lobbyists and the party, the better.

Hillary was my first choice for president, so we'll have to agree to disagree on her accomplishments.

[emgeetrek.livejournal.com]

Yes, she's unknown. And Biden is not a household name.

Biden's been around a long time. He's run for president twice, and dropped out of the race the first time in a rather spectacular and highly public fashion. It shocked me to learn how many people hadn't heard of him before his VP nomination. I pay more attention to political matters than a lot of people (I'm a CSPAN junkie), but I'd never heard of Sarah Palin before this morning.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

He received a great deal fewer votes than Hillary did in the primaries as well. So it continues to be a mystery to me why Obama chose someone who is not well known to the non-politically inclined over many people of better qualification, experience, and with known names.