Is Gov. Sarah Palin running for President or running alongside John McCain as his VP pick? It’s hard for me to tell anymore since the media has been slamming the governor left and right (but the attacks mostly come from the left). Why hasn’t Joe Biden been under such scrutiny? He’ll only be a heartbeat away from the Presidency if Barack Obama wins the election, yet he can make stupid statements until the cows come home and it’s barely a blip on the political scene.
Yet Sarah Palin is being ripped apart, and some say, she’s just got to toughen up and take it like a man. But the problem is that she’s not a man; she’s a woman. And I believe that because she’s a woman–a conservative woman at that–that she is arguably enduring harsher criticism than any other candidate. Take the informative news clips (teasers) on AOL.com’s main page, two articles on Sarah Palin–one about her interview with Katie Couric and another about how she was blessed by a witch hunter. There’s also a teaser regarding David Letterman’s rant against McCain for ditching Letterman to head to Washington to deal with the budget crisis (I’ve already dealt with Letterman’s nonsense…read post). Whoa, a politician acting political! Now if only we could get a late-night talk show host that’s actually funny…
Initially, Palin seemed to be a media darling, but all that has changed. I even heard a “comedian” suggest that Palin’s husband is molesting her teenage daughters (“doing those girls” was how he delicately phrased it). Umm, on what planet is that deemed acceptable?
One Fox News pundit suggested that being a woman in politics is hard and Sarah Palin needs to learn to suck it up. However, is asking what size bra cup she wears really politics as usual? I don’t mean to be crass, but when was the last time we ask how big Obama’s you-know-what is? Just typing that caused my gag reflex to hop into action.
It is right to question Gov. Palin’s experience–does she have what it takes to be a heartbeat away from the presidency? Is she a good diplomat? Will she be able to handle herself with foreign leaders? Or maybe we should ask, are foreign leaders ready to handle her? Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari called Palin “gorgeous” and is also quoted in Newsday as saying, “Now I know why all of American is crazy about you.” Sorry, Mr. Pakistani President, all of America is not crazy about Palin (video below. I think she handles herself masterfully! What would *you* say if you were hit on by the President of Pakistan?) Of course, being as Zardari is the widower of the dazzling Benazir Bhutto (read my posts: “The Beauty of Benazir Bhutto” and “The Woman Who the Terrorists Feared Most“), he’s not one to be intimidated by beautiful or powerful women.
However, it’s the other rhetoric regarding Sarah Palin that makes me angry. Yes, she’s beautiful and she’s from Alaska. So what? Growing up in a small town doesn’t diminish her intelligence (though some have suggested otherwise) and “straight talk” actually endears her to the people. Generally, political speeches engage me for the first ten minutes then my mind starts to wander. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, fascinated me. She engaged me. She made everyone care about presidential race again. But that was so last week.
As soon as she was viewed a viable threat to the potential Obama presidency, the media turned on Palin–viciously. They make pitbulls and hockey moms with or without lipstick look scary. While Sarah Palin may be used to such attacks, I’m taking it personally. I’m so tired of the media telling me who I should or should not vote for when clearly Obama is the favorite–his face is plastered all over Facebook and AOL and the news. His associations with folks like Rev. Wright and others is just dust under the rug. His qualifications are called into question, but Palin’s resume seems to be getting a tougher critique, which makes me wonder–Palin’s only the VP pick, right?
Read “I Hate You Sarah Palin” by the National Review’s self-proclaimed liberal writer David Kahane. It’s a very interesting column. Here’s an excerpt: “So that’s why we hate you, Sarah Marshall Palin. We hate you because you remind the other side of their wives, their girlfriends, their daughters, and make them want to fight for you against our sneers and our smears.”
She is Beloved 
Well said, and I’m equally frustrated with the behavior of the media and others. If one wants to talk VP politics, have at it with Sarah AND Joe. But the nasty comments and innuendo in regard to Palin APART from politics says something about our country that bothers me. We’re no where near as racist, as we are anti woman. I guess that’s nothing new, but that some would stoop so low as to remove a perceived political threat that they would resort to such lengths– sheer nastiness, lies, spin, innuendo rather than political fact– is pathetic.
Well said, and I’m equally frustrated with the behavior of the media and others. If one wants to talk VP politics, have at it with Sarah AND Joe. But the nasty comments and innuendo in regard to Palin APART from politics says something about our country that bothers me. We’re no where near as racist, as we are anti woman. I guess that’s nothing new, but that some would stoop so low as to remove a perceived political threat that they would resort to such lengths– sheer nastiness, lies, spin, innuendo rather than political fact– is pathetic.
Right on, Ruth! You are absolutely right–it’s more acceptable to make sexual innuendos about Palin than to say anything racist about Obama. But, you know what? Both tactics are from the “dirty play book.” Fortunately, neither campaign seems to be putting these messages out there about their opponents.
Right on, Ruth! You are absolutely right–it’s more acceptable to make sexual innuendos about Palin than to say anything racist about Obama. But, you know what? Both tactics are from the “dirty play book.” Fortunately, neither campaign seems to be putting these messages out there about their opponents.
Are you kidding? She is not fit to be President. I have no idea what McCain was thinking.
Are you kidding? She is not fit to be President. I have no idea what McCain was thinking.