BlogHer - Pundits Ask: Where are the Feminists? Answer: Right here! - Comments

I Think Republicans Do Criticize Each Other, Only In Private

elbowgrease — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:18:20 -0500

" I was just talking to a friend and we were discussing how "on
message" Republicans are 100% of the time while the Dems are always
arguing with each other. "

I've thought about this as well and here's what I've come up with. I will use families as a metaphore for what I think is happening in the two parties.

I'll begin with the Democrates. Like most families do, we all have differences of opinon. We can debated issues openly and risk appearing that we have deep divides amounst ourselves. We know if we conduct ourselves openly in this way we risk looking divided and dysfunctional. Discussions, as we all know can be messy and emotional. I think free-thinkers are aware of how issues can become clouded and real solutions are difficult to be birthed when trying to come up with consensous.

On the other hand, the Repulican party chooses to keep their messy divisions hidden from view to give the appearance that all is well on the homefront. It's starting to sound as thought the Democrates are in psychotherapy and the Repulicans are in denial.

We all know damn well that moderate Republican values do not align with the fundamentalist religious right. however, they use the religious right to fire up their culture war so they have to appear as though they are aligned. I guess if one looks at it closely one doesn't really see a united front after all. Don't bend over too far, your crack is showing.

YUP Sarah u jumped the gun on this one.

KiwisCanFly — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:45:27 -0500

“And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves"

Obama wasn’t belittling your experience as Mayor in Wasilla. He was comparing the executive experience between you two. Contrasting the size (constituents and budgets). He has a legitimate argument.

Mr. Giuliani said, “Barack Obama has never led anything, nothing, nada,”

But he has.

Obama for America is the largest organization Obama has ever run.

Obama runs a tight ship with a drama-free campaign. Can u say the same Gov Palin?

Obama was drawing a comparison with his executive experience of leading a very successful campaign. Millions of constituents, payrolls, budget, scheduling over a 50 state strategy. His community organization experience (that u Sarah derided) has helped develop the foundation of his pragmatic, political style.

Obama’s early decision to hire political professional campaign operatives rather than surround himself with capitulators has been an unexpected success for its efficient functionality.

Palin has cited her mayoral work as a central part of her qualification to serve as governor. But at the beginning of her term, asked by the local newspaper how she would run the city without experienced department heads, she made the job sound like no big deal: "It's not rocket science. It's $6 million and 53 employees."

http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/story/8334949p-8231037c.html

I meant to add this, so u may compare the actual words of Sen Obama as opposed to the parsing of his statement.

“my understanding is that Governor Palin’s town of Wasilla has 50 employees, we’ve got 2500, in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. we have a budget of about three times that just for the month”

Great work, Suzanne.

Nordette — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:29:37 -0500

For the first time in a while I see a ticket, McCain/Palin, that makes me feel physically ill, but not because it's a man with a female running mate. It's the fact twisting, out-and-out lies, and hypocrisy that goes with the pair.

Thank you for this provocative and honest post.

Nordette is a Contributing Editor with BlogHer.com whose personal blog is hosted on another site at this link.

Feminist Who Stood Up For Palin Right Here

Sandradginzburg — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:50:07 -0500

The media want simple, tidy stories that fit predetermined narratives. Ms. Palin is a paradox - a woman living a full life made possible by traditional feminism who rejects everything feminism stands for. She has the right to do as she wishes with her life. Sexists and their double standards come in every political stripe. As feminists we have no choice but to stand up for her against these people.

But we don't have to vote for her.

http://sandradginzburg.typepad.com/inner_city_mama/

Sandy

Good point.

KiwisCanFly — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:38:25 -0500

Good point.

Having it both ways

mamiel — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:02:50 -0500

You can't have it both ways. You can't brag about your parenting and use being a mother as a selling point in your candidacy, then act insulted when people question what kind of mother you are.

Thanks for the post!

MMarquit — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:50:01 -0500

This is a great is that needs to be addressed. I'm getting more and more annoyed with MSM as this election progresses. The other thing I'm tired of hearing is "Where's Obama on this one?" He's emphatically stated that Palin's family is off limits. Yet another thing ignored as people rush to become indignant that no one, other than conservatives, is defending Sarah Palin. That's just not true. But it does tend to turn things around and try to make the Republican party look like the party encouraging women's rights to make their own choices about their lives...

This Time, It's Personal

YieldingWealth.com

Love that response unfit

phdinparenting — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:35:23 -0500

Love that response unfit mutha!

PhD in Parenting - http://phdinparenting.wordpress.com

I feel both ways

Graceful Parenting — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:28:18 -0500

I was excited abour Sarah Polin's speech last night because she was strong and powerful and it is great to see a woman as the Republican VP nominee.

I agree that the can-she-be-a-Mom and is-she-a-good-Mom aruments aren't relevant.

I disagree with her policies and some of her attacks last night were untrue and nasty.

I'm glad to see her where she is, but I hope I don't see too much of her! I wrote more about this here.

Carol Marie Ramsey
Finding balance and peace in parenting at Graceful Parenting

These are interesting

miteegirl — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:21:38 -0500

These are interesting points, and I just want to clarify that my question was:

Why do Republicans that I converse with never admit to the wrong doings of one of their own politicians? (And rarely admit to their popular pundits being wrong?)

For example, if a Republican colleague and I are talking and we are discussing my representative in the House of Reps. Who I generally agree with. She thinks he/she made a foolish decision on a vote and, after thinking about it, I do think she may have a point.

So I say so.

But if this same Republican colleague in my shoes or confronted with a Republican saying one thing and the completely opposite thing the next week, she would just change the subject, refuse to answer, or divert the topic to something else.

This isn't an isolated incident. It happens to me a lot. It shuts down dialogue. It shuts down talking through middle ground. And I want to understand it.

I really, really do.

Yoo Hoo

weemsrj — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:10:05 -0500

We are right here.

Standing up for Palin's right to choose. Not to have an abortion and not to force her unwed, pregnant teenage daughter to have one.

Standing up for Palin's right to juggle motherhood and family in the way she sees fit.

Standing up for Palin's right to accept the nomination of her party, despite the criticism of some that she's a thinly qualified woman.

Like I said, feminists are standing up for Palin. Even Christian feminists (womanists), like myself.

What we are not doing is letting others make us think that to raise questions about Palin's stand on abortion and what that might mean if the GOP wins, that questioning her budget cuts against pregnant teens in her state, and that shining light on duplicitous flip flopping on her part-- is to be sexist, anti-woman, and unfeminist- like.

(Excuse for double-posting this comment here and on a similar thread. I think I posted it in the wrong thread before.)

Read Renita's Blog Something Within Since She Spends Way More Time on It Than She Should: http://www.somethingwithin.com/blog.

Why Republicans Don't Criticize Each Oter

unfit mutha — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:47:50 -0500

I was just talking to a friend and we were discussing how "on message" Republicans are 100% of the time while the Dems are always arguing with each other. Case in point -- Hillary supporters continue to hog the news to state why they aren't supporting Obama despite the call for unity from their party. I haven't noticed any Romney or Guiliani supporters hogging the cameras to bemoan their loss.

Why is that? I've decided that the reason why Democrats are critical of each other has everything to do with choice and freedom. The Republicans only believe in both of those concepts when the choices and freedom are in line with the party platform (Case in point -- Palin said she was proud her daughter "chose" to keep her baby. Well, that choice is in line with the pro-life platform therefore it's an acceptable choice and one to be waved in front of the country or cheered for at a convention. HMMM would everyone be touting Bristol's "choice" if it had been to terminate her pregnancy -- no the word's morally wrong would be used to describe that particular choice. By using the word choice to describe her adulation of her daughter's response to this predicament, Palin suggests that her 17 year-old daughter actually had a choice in the matter. If we hold Palin to her past policies -- the only choice she had was to abstain from sex, in the first place. All other methods of birth control were out of the question.)

The Dems are more accepting of different opinions (hmmm -- some call that free-thinking.) Fortunately or unfortunately (it depends on how I'm feeling at the moment,) with free thinking everything can't be scripted out to fit a party's platform. I may be a pro-choice mother but that doesn't mean I have to turn my back or not accept my pro-life sisters. I understand that we all are "thinking" individuals and I respect others' opinions. I also like listening to the other side of the coin. (I don't know, call me naive but I find that debatig my beliefs helps me define them better or discover how narrow they may be. I believe we call this process self-actualization -- becoming the most evolved person one can become.)

That's not what we're seeing at the Republican Convention. We're seeing the same old toe-the-line of the party platform, criticize and ridicule those who have different opinions all for the sake of winning. And if you have something different to say, you are not welcome (anyone see Ron Paul amidst all these festivities? No, he's having his own convention so that his message won't be muzzled by the "toe-the-party-line-security team.)

Does it drive me crazy that the Dems can never get together and display a unified front -- YES - indeed it does. But, the alternative scares me even more; I'd rather have a party who values everyone rather than just those who look like me, talk like me, have the same religious beliefs as me and toe the same narrow (yet, crooked) line that we've been forced fed for the past 8 years.

unfit mutha

because motherhood should not have to be a onesize fits all job description

masters of the double speak

Suzanne Reisman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:13:53 -0500

I was just thinking about good old Foley today because someone once again said that Palin cannot possibly be corrupt since she served on an ethics committee. For those whose minds need refreshing, Foley "chaired the House caucus on missing and exploited children and was credited with writing the sexual-predator provisions of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006" (WaPo.) Nope, no one who ever serves on some sort of committee would do anything unethical! I'll just bury my head back in the sand. It's dark, but pleasantly quiet there.

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Oth

Glad to be of service!

Suzanne Reisman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:08:38 -0500

Having lived under the Giuliani tyranny for many years, the one thing I can say about him is that he's pro-choice and pro-gay rights. Oh, and don't forget that he was here on Sept. 11! We should mention that as often as possible. Forget that it was his brilliant idea to build an emergency command center in a building that was previously targeted by terrorists. Or that the Bushies didn't capture anyone responsible for the attack. He was here that day! On Sept. 11! We have a lot in common, me and Rudy.

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants

Seriously, why is that?

miteegirl — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:45:24 -0500

My question was not rhetorical.

Why do Republicans that I converse with never admit to the wrong doings of one of their own politicians? (The exception being Mark Foley and ilk.)

Because I think that this denial and willingness to defend someone for an issue that you formerly trashed someone over is what is really fueling the partisan divide in this country.

This kind of "You suck! But we NEVER suck! And we are NEVER wrong!", high school, immature, well, crap!

Pundits Ask: Where are the Feminists? Answer: Right here!

Suzanne Reisman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:56:24 -0500

My plan was not to write about politics today, as much ink has already been spilled on the topic and there is ever more to come. However, last night, after watching Gov. Sarah Palin's well delivered speech at the Republican convention, one of the many talking heads looked right at me through my new HDTV asked why feminists are not defending Gov. Palin against sexist attacks by the (mythical) "liberal media" that is out to destroy her. This is one of the few times I've laughed my head off because we are right here. I know that it would be annoying for a comfortable conservative commentator to bother to read any blogs written by feminists, but even a cursory stop at BlogHer would reveal much feminist defending of Palin in the hundreds of comments that have been left on the site.

Even beyond BlogHer, which is a nonpartisan organization, "traditional" feminist blogs have posted about their disgust at sexist attacks on Palin herself, rather than the issues. In the UK, The F Word has a lively discussion on the situation and how feminists are doing their part. At GlobalComment, Renee Martin points to multiple early feminist responses to how people react to Palin:

Sarah Palin has been on the national stage for less than twenty-four hours and already feminists are rushing to her defence. The rallying cry of the day is, attack the issues not the woman. Shakesville, Feministe, Alas, a blog, and Feministing all have posts attacking the media for its willingness to reduce the Governor based in obvious anti-woman rhetoric and misogyny. Many other feminist blogs have today issued the same sort of rallying statement, whether or not they agree with Palin’s political leanings. Melissa at Shakesville states, “I will defend Sarah Palin against misogynist smears not because I like or support her, but because that’s how feminism works.”

Martin goes on to note that feminists, for the most part, did/do not rally around Michelle Obama with the same force. (Ironic that none of the talking heads seems to care about that, though...)

Verite Parlant at Whose shoes are these anyway? looks at the flip side of the coin, asking whether those who launch sexist attacks on Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton are using sexism against Palin as a diversion from the real issues:

In addition, Republicans idolize a misogynistic candidate [McCain referred to his wife as a "cunt" when speaking with reporters] yet call others sexist who ask legitimate questions about Palin's record and credentials. If you suggest Palin's a puppet, mouthing a speech that was posted in advance, then of course you only think that because she's a woman, right? As though men have never been accused of being pawns and puppets. Republicans are attempting to label people who don't like Palin as sexist, while they refer to this VP nominee as "cute" and "hot."

Yes, I've got issues with Palin, but I guarantee you my concerns about her being on the ticket have nothing to do with either her womanhood or motherhood or her daughter's pregnancy. I've got issues because the entire nomination smacks of hypocrisy and she's carrying enough baggage (Trooper Gate and more) to be the sister line of a slow train to Arkansas.

I agree with Melissa at Shakesville that it is critical to call out actual misogynist attacks (as opposed to those that are labeled offensive for merely asking a question one would ask of any political candidate) on Palin "because that's how feminism works," but the whole situation is lose-lose for women who care about equal rights and self-autonomy. Allowing the media and the public (including women, who have been lobbing some of the fiercest criticism out there) to continue unfettered attacks on a woman for choosing to run for office at the expense of her family creates a hostile environment for all women whose decisions are not traditional. At the same time, defending Palin means that feminists are helping a woman who, if elected, will take away our rights. She tried to ban books that she disagreed with while she was mayor; she believes that all abortion should be illegal unless the mother is in imminent danger of death; she supports abstinence-only education; and on and on. Further, it is hard to defend Palin against some of the attacks made against her as a woman because she pushes traditional "family values" as an issue. I don't support that special card (my family values are dear to me and they have almost no relation to hers), so how can I defend her without defending her beliefs with which I do not agree? Very tricky.

Still, whether we like her or what she stands for, whether it hurts us in the long run, feminists are out here defending her. I welcome the pundits and talking heads to look beyond their usual media outlets and see what we have to say. We are all around you. (Wave to the cameras, feminists!)

Updated to add: For a famous feminist's take on the Palin/sexism situation, please read Palin: Wrong Woman, Wrong Message by Gloria Steinem in today's LA Times. The second to last paragraph gave me goosebumps. (Hat tip to Pam at Nerd's Eye View.)

Suzanne also blogs about life at Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants, about yogurt at Live Active Cultures, and about politics (along with many other fine women) at Political Voices of Women. She is putting together an anthology of stories about menstruation and begs you to submit yours at Congratulations, You're a Woman Now!. Her first book, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track, is a funny take on eclectic things in NYC, and has nothing to do with politics, feminism, or gender.