Palin…the hits just keep on coming
So I assume many of the readers of this blog have seen the reports that Gov. Palin has an abysmal stance on the environment. A few more people may have seen that under Palin’s leadership (and possibly prior to her leadership, the date this policy went into place has yet to be determined) the town of Wassila charged rape victims for their rape kits. Yes that’s right, women who had been raped had to pay for their own forensic exams or risk their assailant going free even if they were arrested. And lest you think that the town coffers just couldn’t support the expense, let’s not forget that she had no problem putting Wassila in debt. Nearly $20 million in debt as a matter of fact. Funny how while she was doing all of the lobbying for money to build that sports complex it never occurred to her that finding the money to avoid making rape victims pay for their kits was a priority. Yeah, that’s feminism. Or something.
And hey, we shouldn’t bat an eye at her charging the state a per diem to for 312 days she spent at home. Because she’s a woman and if we criticize her we’re sexist. Or racist (No really, I actually had someone offer up my critique of Palin as proof that I hate white people. Because that’s why I’m criticizing her. Not any you know…issues or scandals or anything pesky like actual concerns about her abilities.) or maybe classist or elitist. Here’s the thing, I’m sure there’s a host of reasons people like Sarah Palin as a person. In theory I suppose I can see the “She’s every woman” argument. But, I have a really hard time believing that every woman would make the choices to cut funding intended to help teen parents in need of a place to live while gaining necessary life skills when given the power to affect the lives of the people they’ve sworn to serve. I’d hope every woman (regardless of political leanings) would use such power to help their constituents when they’re at a low point, not make already troubled times even more difficult.
Karnythia is a writer, a historian, and occasionally a loud mouth. In between raising hell and raising kids she usually manages to find time to contemplate the meaning of life as a black woman in America. Her posts on any topic can be found at her Livejournal.
I think the only proper response to someone who claims criticism of Sarah Palin’s positions is sexist is a middle finger. And perhaps a kick in the junk, or junk equivalent.
Wouldn’t a perfectly apt respone to such logic be, “Your criticism of my criticism proves you are racist “(or sexist or maybe, let’s see, a blogger hater)?
Not to derail the dicussion on Palin, but I just read an article in the Chicago Tribune where Obama said, “You can put lipstick on a pig…and it is still a pig” to a crowd in Virginia.
No matter how he intended that statement to land, he may have gotten himself into a little mess. Given the crowd’s reaction to the statement, it seems clear how it was received.
Come check out our “Why Sarah Palin is bad for American women” post at the CA NOW blog: http://www.canow.org/canoworg/2008/09/why-sarah-palin.html
On the lipstick comment, it’s pretty clear Obama was referring to McCain, but yeah, it certainly sounds sexist, and will be spun that way. I guess one good thing to come out of this is that people are becoming sensitized to sexist language. Sadly it doesn’t seem to be having the same impact on racist language and imagery (ie McCain’s new sex ed ad). Now that they finally see sexism, I guess it will take a black Republican candidate for them to be able to see racism.
The Rovian Republicans deploy a very sophisticated form of bullying, and the intent, just like that of a 6th grade bully, is to madden their opponents to the point where they do something stupid.
They are trying to put Obama into a position in which he cannot avoid doing the wrong thing: either he responds to Spiro T. Agnew-style attacks from a v.p. candidate who has shown no substance so far on genuine issues (in which case he both looks like an angry black man and participates in this content-free sparring match), or he continues to discuss the very serious issues that could tear this country apart over the next few years (in which case he looks like a guy who can’t push back).
If the lipstick retort was intentional, it was clever and funny. (After all, Palin’s the one who brought up lipstick in the first place, and Obama managed to get in a jibe while making a serious point about the Republicans’ attempt to co-opt or devalue his claim of change.) However, it failed in that it provided another opportunity for the Republicans to derail any conversation about issues.
The more we chatter about this, the less attention we have for the serious matters. What is going to happen in this country as the world gets hotter and hotter and our debt — to other nations and to fat-cat military subcontractors — grows larger and larger? What is going to happen to people who are not already wealthy?
Scientific study is being pushed out of school curricula for creationism, much of the arctic will turn to mush over the next decade or two, as the permafrost thaws. Sarah Palin can do a lot of damage, even if she just stays in Alaska.
Karnythia, you bring up some excellent issues about Palin’s fitness to govern. Those issues and the larger issues about what this country should be doing to recover from the past eight years: these are the things we should be talking about. Not whether Obama insulted all women with a mild jibe at someone who’s been after him with a pike for the past week.
I’m not saying women should take insults or abuse from men because Obama’s got to win. I’m saying that we shouldn’t get caught up in the drama of personalities: let’s stick to the issues, and make the politicians address them.
Obama is trying to and, frankly, he needs our help there.
“lipstick on a pig” is a long time D.C. locution, particularly for economic bills and so on, which is what Obama was talking about, and which the ‘cain has employed often in that same context. So much for that.
the great white ‘laska gawdess is anti-semitic, racist and despises just about anyone and everyone that isn’t her. Period. Nuff said.
Let’s talk about Obama and his smart ideas for the economy and the evironment instead. His economic policies are entwined with his energy policies. His adminministration will actively promote and support alternative energy sources, researching, constructing and getting them up-an-running, which mean JOBS. INSIDE THIS VERY COUNTRY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE AND PAY THE TAXES. (Don’t forget that mz small town state first will see her position as how much she can pillage out of the lower 48 and bring back to ‘laska, as have all ‘laska politicians since statehood.)
Obama also wants to focus on our deteriorating infrastructure — rebuilding, replacing, renewal, modernizing, etc. Why yes! This also mean JOBS for the people who live in this very country.
He wants to impose some taxes on those very corporaristocrats who currently pay hardly anything or nothing. while employing our military and every other perk of being entities of this very nation we live in — and sending all their profits elsewhere (mostly their own pocketses). He’d like to reform NAFTA, which could bring back a certain amount of manufacturing JOBS this very country in which we are living.
My goodness, what a silly man he is, focusing on JOBS and Making Stuff that Endures and Serves Us All.
Yes, sarcasm. And yes, I am very bitter.
Love, C.
Nobody is talking about Obama anymore in the media. I think we all need to redirect the focus back to Obama! It’s like we have an amazing candidate and a sensational reality tv like stupid candidate and she is getting all the attention now because, at the end of the day, people love scandal more than they love hope. It’s depressing the shit out of me. If Obama loses I am going to fall into a very deep and dismal depression.
I’m with you, Davka. And it won’t be just you and me: Depression is the operative word : Foxessa’s point about jobs is well taken.
I have friends who are down on Obama because he works within the system, because he is not radical enough for them. I think the past 8 years have shown that who vote for DOES matter, and things CAN get worse. The wrong government in the US can make life harder, not only for us, but for the entire world.
We are not the “chattering classes,” as the right-wing pereers to label any intelligent discourse. We are the people of this country, and we have been slapped silly by the current administration.
It is time to reclaim our government, to take it back from the crooks who have taken it over. And to do so, we must force the media (especially the so-called TV “news” shows) to stop focusing on the circus performers, we must insist that they take the election seriously. It is reality: it is not a reality show.
The question is: how do we do that?
Choose the good candidate
Just saw the debate, she has been well prepared it seems.
But you have to remember thant a VP job is more than a well polished debate…
Check out what she’ve said and see if you’re compatible http://www.palin-compatible.com
Fred – not well prepared enough. She still danced around all those questions and whined about the questions that Gwen Ifill was asking her, largely because they didn’t stick to her talking points.