"I am appalled by the Obama campaign's attempts to belittle Governor Sarah Palin’s experience. The facts are that Sarah Palin has made more executive decisions as a Mayor and Governor than Barack Obama has made in his life. Because of Hillary Clinton's historic run for the Presidency and the treatment she received, American women are more highly tuned than ever to recognize and decry sexism in all its forms. They will not tolerate sexist treatment of Governor Palin."
Here's my answer:
The Obama campaign has not in any way belittled Sarah Palin's experience, in any way that was unfair. In fact, the campaign itself has pretty much stayed away from taking that line, saying they trust the American people to decide. This is a straw man erected by the McCain campaign.
Funny, liberal women who have endured real sexism have been talking about the bad treatment of women for decades. And where have the Republicans been ? Many of them - especially the evangelical wingnuts - have been telling women their place was in the home and they needed to submit to their husbands and all male authority. Have they voted for equal pay for equal work? No. Has John McCain? No. And who defeated the Equal Rights Amendment? Those same wingnuts, including people like Phyllis Schaffley, who now thinks Sarah Palin is god's handmaiden. All of a sudden these people have been converted and want women to be equal? Please! Don't make me laugh.
Let's talk about Sarah and Hillary for a minute. Hillary lost because she ran a bad campaign, and while there may have been some sexism in the media, there was also plenty of racism against Obama. That's just how things are in this society. But most people who voted against Hillary did not do so because she was a woman. Some didn't like the Clintons and their behavior the last time around. Some just didn't like Hillary and thought riding your husband's coat tails to the White House wasn't really being a true feminist. Some just liked Obama better.
The frenzy around Sarah Palin right now has very little to do with her being a woman. It has to do with her being unknown, unvetted, and apparently unqualified. And that, my Republican friends, is not sexism, that is just common sense.
And one more thing. Senator McCain, by cyncially trying to maniplate people with lies and charges of sexism, rather than finding someone qualified to be a biopsy away from the presidency, has treated this selection as a joke. He has reached for the tabloid, low information voter. Therefore, he should not be at all surprised that the tabloids are running with stories about her mothering choices (goes to "judgment") and her pregnant daughter (goes to her promotion of abstinence only education) and her religious views (anyone remember Jeremiah Wright?)
John McCain sent her out there unvetted and unqualified and now he has to lie about both problems and accuse those who are now doing what he should have done of sexism.
John McCain played us, and played with our security and he no more deserves the presidency than my seven year old grandson. Come to think of it, my grandson has more integrity.
