Palin’s Sudden Popularity has Feminists in a Snit
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by Bonnie Chernin Rogoff | September 9th, 2008

If you're a feminist in good standing and you've done your reading, you should know by now that Sarah Palin is more man than woman, that she gave birth to a child with Down Syndrome to curry favor with Evangelics, and, well, she can't debate, but she sure looks darn good in a swimsuit!

“Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society.”
– Rush Limbaugh’s Undeniable Truths of Life, #24.

Feminists have shown their true colors in response to Governor Sarah Palin.  They demeaned her family and accomplishments.  Any insult that would diminish her qualifications for Vice President was fair game.

Though Governor Palin’s speech was flawlessly delivered and received, a great speech does not guarantee a winning campaign.  However, it is significant that when the teleprompter failed, she didn’t miss a beat and came up with the unscripted “Read My Lipstick” line.  This shows that our GOP nominee has wit and poise.

Of Governor Palin’s views on abortion, a National Organization for Women spokeswoman told Politico in an interview:  “She’s more a conservative man than she is a woman on women’s issues. Very disappointing.”  In a press release, NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy said:  “Sadly, she is a woman who opposes women's rights, just like John McCain.”  The media zeroed in on the “conservative man” comparison, but what really happened is that the National Organization for Women was exposed for the hypocrites they are.  If Governor Palin did not believe in women’s rights she’d be a housewife instead of running a state.  If Governor Palin were as rabidly “pro-choice” as Kim Gandy, she’d be hailed by feminists as the best V.P. pick in GOP history and they’d all support her. 

Palin indicated she’d be a friend to women with special needs children and a foe to party special interests and corruption.  She’s an advocate for improving health care and education.  She is more in line with NOW’s founding principles than NOW is today, as evidenced by some of the organization’s early achievements.  These included equal pay for equal work, eliminating sex as a basis for employment discrimination, support for federally-funded child care centers, advancement of women’s participation in sports, and support for women who seek public office.   Does anyone believe Governor Palin does not believe in these things?  It is the National Organization for Women that has changed and gone militant, not America’s women.

Feminist author Gloria Steinem defends Palin’s “right to be wrong,” but she doesn’t explain why she is wrong.  Instead, Steinem provides a predictable list of contemporary social issues dividing liberals and conservatives, rebuking what she calls McCain’s appeal to “right-wing patriarchs.”  She writes: “Palin's value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality.”  Since this feminist “majority” seeks to exclude the increasing number of pro-life women in politics, the only way to dismiss them is to align their traditional values with all views patriarchal.  It seems credible until Ms. Steinem reverts to her fear about government’s intrusions into the “wombs of women.”  Then the issue becomes clear.  Militant feminists see an upsurge of pro-life Palin supporters as a threat to 35 years of judicial supremacy regarding Roe v. Wade

If the media had shown reticence regarding Governor Palin that would have been enough.  However, the vicious attacks continued.  Baltimore Sun columnist Susan Reimer penned an outrageous piece slamming Palin three times for her choice to bring her baby to term. “You want to look good to the evangelicals?  Choose a running mate with a Down syndrome child.”  Later:  “I don’t know what I’ll do if she trots out the story of her 5-month-old baby to shore up the Republican base.”  Reimer then sketches Palin as “a woman who made the decision to carry to term a baby she knew to be developmentally disabled.”

Reimer’s contempt for Governor Palin turned to pathetic pre-teen jealousy:  “She won’t be able to hold her own against Joe Biden in a vice presidential debate.  But wait until the swimsuit portion of the competition.”

In a follow-up article, Susan Reimer admitted she received thousands of angry comments.  She never offered any apology to Palin.  Instead, Reimer concludes:

The things that were said about me, my personal appearance and my children – as well as Barack Obama – were beyond the bounds of decency, and many were said in language that might only be seen in a bathroom stall.  So much pent-up anger, so much barely concealed hate was released in those e-mails and those postings. I wonder where next they will find a vent.

As if Reimer’s "swimsuit competition" jab was not personal.  As if all those comments about Palin’s infant son Trig were not personal.  No pent-up anger there.

For the first time I find myself in agreement with the pro-choicers.  Apparently life does not begin at conception.  In Susan Reimer’s case, it doesn’t even begin at the ripe old age of menopause.

Labels: Elections & Political Parties, Feminism, Abortion, Euthanasia

bcr1954@hotmail.com

Read more articles by Bonnie Chernin Rogoff on IntellectualConservative.com

 

 

Responses to "Palin’s Sudden Popularity has Feminists in a Snit"

  1. "…just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality."

    Well now, there is a strong statement. First, there is “Just about”. So how many does that make”? Is it 99% or is it 67%. We don’t know but I’m sure Steinem meant for us the think the former. Then there is “majority” that could be anywhere from 100% to 51%. Then she adds “plurality”, the real kicker. If 33% are pro-life, 33% are somewhere in the middle, and 34% are pro-abortion then the Steinem side of the women have a plurality. Of course that leaves out half the population, which I’m sure she would like to do. Anyway, if the “Keep Roe V Wade” people are so worried, why don’t they start a campaign to amend the constitution? Answer: Because that will take a little more than just about a plurality of half the population, and she knows it. Better to obfuscate profusely.

    Comment by Ivan Ivanovich | September 9, 2008

  2. If the pro-choicers hate Palin's choice so much, maybe they'd suggest that Trig Palin simply be aborted now. After all, the kid is "defective," he'll be a drain on society.

    Margaret Sanger's eugenics legacy is intact.

    Comment by Mountain Man | September 9, 2008

  3. Thanks to the suffragettes, women have voices and choices!

    Read this for your daughters!

    Gloria Steinem and Governor Palin are proof that women can and do diverge on important issues.

    Even on the question of whether women should vote!

    Most people are totally in the dark about HOW the suffragettes won votes for women, and what life was REALLY like for women before they did.

    Suffragettes were opposed by many women who were what was known as 'anti.'

    The most influential 'anti' lived in the White House. First Lady Edith Wilson was a Washington widow who married President Wilson in 1915, after the death of his pro-suffrage wife.

    The First Lady's role in Wilson's decision to jail and torture Alice Paul and hundreds of other suffragettes will never be fully known, but she was outraged that these women picketed her husband's White House.

    I'd like to share a women's history learning opportunity…

    "The Privilege of Voting" is a new free e-mail series that follows eight great women from 1912 – 1920 to reveal ALL that happened to set the stage for women to win the vote.

    It's a real-life soap opera! And it's ALL true!

    Powerful suffragettes Alice Paul and Emmeline Pankhurst are featured, along with TWO gorgeous presidential mistresses, First Lady Edith Wilson, Edith Wharton, Isadora Duncan and Alice Roosevelt.

    There are tons of heartache on the rocky road to the ballot box, but in the end, women WIN!

    Exciting, sequential episodes are great to read on coffeebreaks, or anytime.

    Subscribe free at

    http://www.CoffeebreakReaders.com/subscribe.html

    Comment by VirginiaHarris | September 9, 2008

  4. Odd. I cab think of numerous adult Liberals who are a "drain on society." Might I *terminate* them now?

    A "Drain on society." And what Marxist thought of THAT comment?

    Comment by Last Angry Man | September 9, 2008

  5. Sometimes we need to remind those pushing free abortion that they might not have been around to press their ideas if abortion had been legal.

    Beyond the emotional outbreaks and agenda pushing Palin is a threat to all politicians because she is willing to take on corruption. This means that all of their jobs are in jeopardy and they will stoop to any level to get rid of her.

    Comment by Mickey G | September 10, 2008

  6. Why are all her antagonists interfering with her reproductive choices?

    Comment by sedonaman | September 10, 2008

  7. Because they are the "wrong" reproductive choices in their minds. To them, the concept isn't a set of choices, it's one and only one choice, which just coincidentally happens to be theirs.

    Comment by Last Angry Man | September 14, 2008

  8. [...] Candidacy Stokes Debate Among Women." No , Bonnie Chernin Rogoff, it's not Palin's "sudden popularity" that has feminists in a "snit." Yes, various religion- and motherhood-focused bloggers, [...]

    Pingback by Britney Spears Database » Blog Archive » Palin fatigue | October 9, 2008

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