Posted on 09/02/2008 9:11:22 PM PDT by goldstategop
"There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once remarked.
Where, then, are the liberal women when it comes to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin?
Palin became the first woman to grace a Republican ticket on Friday, August 29, when Senator John McCain selected her as his running mate. The following day, a diarist at the mainstream left-wing Daily Kos (Barack Obama himself appeared as a Kos diarist back in 2005) suggested without any evidence whatsoever that Sarah Palin's son, Trig, recently born and with Down syndrome, was birthed not by Palin but by her daughter. Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic jumped on the bandwagon, demanding that the McCain campaign release Trig's medical records.
The rumor, of course, was demonstrably false -- Kos took down the post. Sullivan, however, stubbornly claimed that the questions about Palin's pregnancy were legitimate. And certain deranged leftist bloggers continue to speculate that Palin wore a padded suit in order to disguise her supposed non-pregnancy.
On Monday, September 1, Palin released the news that her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, was pregnant, and that she would have the baby and marry the father. To Barack Obama's credit, he quickly condemned the focus on Bristol's pregnancy, noting that he was born when his mother was 18. But that made little difference to his followers. The Left was already trembling with new paroxysms of delight. They immediately blamed Palin for her daughter's pregnancy.
"Sarah Palin opposes programs that teach teenagers anything about contraception," complained Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post. Max Blumenthal of The Nation obnoxiously wrote, "Could Bristol Palin have benefited from the sex education and contraceptives the GOP seeks to deny to public school students?" The New York Times writes that some wonder if Palin should have stayed out of politics in order to raise her family: "With five children, including an infant with Down syndrome and, as the country learned Monday, a pregnant 17-year-old, Ms. Palin has set off a fierce argument among women about whether there are enough hours in the day for her to take on the vice presidency, and whether she is right to try." A few commentators on the left have written that Palin should have told Bristol to consider abortion.
There is no question that the Left's attachment to both the Trig Palin non-story and the Bristol Palin story are dramatic examples of sexism. Attacking a female politician's pregnancy without any evidence -- accusing her of lying about her own baby -- is simply sickening. Exposing a female politician's 17-year-old pregnant daughter and then implying that the politician is an unfit mother and should have stayed at home to tend to the children is simply discriminatory. Liberal women should feel free to oppose Palin's candidacy on policy grounds -- but they have the moral obligation to defend Palin from such sexist attacks.
When Palin accepted McCain's offer, she thanked Hillary Clinton for her breakthrough candidacy. Where is Hillary Clinton, defending Palin against such blatant sexism? After all, Clinton recognizes that sexism remains a prevalent force in American politics, saying: "The manifestation of some of the sexism that has gone on in this campaign is somehow more respectable, or at least more accepted, and ... there should be equal rejection of the sexism and the racism when it raises its ugly head." How about rejecting sexism when it raises its ugly head, Senator Clinton?
Where is Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House? "I'm a victim of sexism myself all the time," Pelosi recently stated. How about confronting sexism in its tracks, Madam Speaker?
Where is Katie Couric? "Like [Hillary] or not, one of the great lessons of that campaign is the continued -- and accepted -- role of sexism in American life, particularly in the media," Couric stated about Hillary's failed presidential bid. How about standing up against the continued role of sexism in American life with regard to a vice presidential nominee, Katie?
The Democrats' support of women's rights, it seems, is restricted only to the most convenient political situation: liberal women versus white males. When it's liberal women versus black males -- see Clinton vs. Obama -- the Left dumps women's rights in favor of racial gains. When it's conservative women versus anybody, the Left ignores women's rights completely.
For Sarah Palin, according to the Left, it's back to the kitchen and the minivan. And for liberal women who sit by idly as Palin is excoriated for her gender, there's a special place in hell. At least according to Madeleine Albright. Who, so far, has said nothing.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel< II Palelologus
BUMP
Bunch of PUMAs out there who would beg to disagree. The libs are done, finished.
I haven’t the stomach to watch any of this on the MSM; all I know is what I get here. All I can say is this: the left must be absolutely terrified of Sarah Palin.
It's a sad world when the "empowerment" of a woman means killing her child.
They hate women who don’t consider themselves victims.
To a liberal - the only unforgivable sin is being Conservative.
If Sarah Palin were a Democrat, we’d never be hearing these ridiculosuly demeaning questions. She’d be championed like no politician in history. But she’s a conservative so she’s derided.
The thought that the left would have a “moral obligation” to defend Palin’s acceptance of the VP nod is ridiculous too. That would require them to have morals in the first place.
The only moral the left has is “Win”
I beg to differ with your assessment.
From what I’m reading on their websites, the PUMAs are PO’ed. Bigtime.
And that’s 18 million potential votes. And polls indicate that about a third of those are seriously disaffected with Obama/Biden and the left-wing ad hominem (wait? ad feminem?) attacks on Palin.
If half of those disaffected PUMAs vote McCain/Palin, that’s THREE MILLION VOTES.
Obama is toast without them, and his advisors know it.
I should have said the far-far leftist women. I too have been reading the Hillary forums and know that they are fully for Sarah.
Thanks for posting this. The left is sexist and racist.
That is EXACTLY how I did the math on the possible crossover votes McCain/Palin might get from the Po’d Hillary loyalists. I think it’s correct to assume that at least NOW, those Hillary voters will be the “swing vote” come Election Day. How Sarah does tomorrow night might determine a lot. I am sure she won’t pander to them, and I don’t think she was pandering to Hillary or Gerry Ferraro when she mentioned them last week. I have gotta say, the ups and downs, the pirouettes, the retreats and upended assumptions, of this entire Presidential Election Cycle has been the most fascinating thing I have EVER watched, or witnessed in politics.
Just heard Susan Estrich (!) say that some attacks on Palin were sexist and over the top.
ABDNC is lynching a scared 17 yr old girl and are gleeful about it. At a time they are bleeding customers their thuggish tactics are going to cost them their jobs.
PRay for W, the Palins and Our Freedom Fighters
Once again the left is happy only when babies are aborted.
Two abortions in the Palin family were required to appease the Liberal God. They were not given - and that is the sin of Sarah.
She said that it was the first time in 25 years that anyone had thanked her.
As for Palin's authenticity, well, as my grandmamma used to say, "Class will tell".
And I'm not talking about tea with your pinky extended.
I'm talking about CHARACTER.
Very TRUE. They are scared $h#tless that a CONSERVATIVE woman is about to become America's political darling.
Like the NOW nags who never did a thing to help the women of Afghanistan who were being oppressed by the Taliban? Or how about Not-At-All-Bright herself and the rest of the Clinton Administration, who happily allowed the Taliban to remain in power?
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