Make Her Whine

Already the Democratic pundits are worrying about whether to attack Sarah Palin -- will it look like bullying? Will it make voters sympathize with her? Will it make voters identify with her and vote for her? Women are supposed to lay off her because -- she is a woman! The thinking goes that we can't question her choices because women's choices are sacrosanct. Nor can we investigate her life (beauty queen, Christian Dominionist, links to Ted Stevens, childbearing history) because those are private issues. But what Sarah Palin shows is that once again, the right wing is adept at turning the women's movement upside down and offering us a woman who reinforces patriarchal power rather than challenges it. Palin is another Margaret Thatcher or Ann Coulter, a woman who attaches herself to men in power and then does them one better. She uses the freedom that the women's movement has brought her quash the liberation of women with other views than hers. The bitch is in there, as it is with Coulter and Thatcher and Katherine Harris. The Democrats have to bring that bitch out and she has given us the right to do it.

Did she really accuse Hillary Clinton of "whining?" Then she's already told us that she won't mind any challenge -- that she can rise to any question. I want to see her do it. The personal is political, after all. Here are some issues she has to explain: What is her religion and who is her pastor? Is she a Christian Dominionist and how does she feel about the separation of church and state? How does she square her roles as mother and politican? Who is taking care of the kids while she is away, including the baby? If it's the husband, I'm glad. If it's a nanny and always has been, then I want to know how a wealthy woman with a nanny helps women in general -- wealthy women with nannies are nothing new. If she's into "family values," I want to know what they are, and how the nanny views Palin's "family values." If she produced a child at 44, I want to know if she believes in birth control, because birth control is a political issue. I also want to know her views on the government's obligations to the disabled. Do the disabled children of rich people get special treatments that their parents can afford, while the disabled children of poor people get nothing? Who is the boss in her family? If it's her, then I want to know how that squares with Christian notions of patriarchy. If it's the husband, then I want to know his values and beliefs about all the issues that face the nation, and I want to know who will actually be the vice president. I want to see her tax returns. I want to see his tax returns.

About the breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a political issue because the baby formula companies have promoted baby formula all over the world, much to the detriment of babies. If she's a family values right winger, I would expect her to back those values up by breastfeeding for six months to a year, at least. If she's not breastfeeding, frankly, and she doesn't believe in birth control, then she's a hypocrite. She has to run as a right wing family values soccer mom or she has to run as a woman who has gained freedoms through the efforts of other women. She can't do both.

Is she really a gun-toting moose-killer, or is this a pose? What are her ties to the oil and gas industries -- and I don't mean her beliefs. I want to know who paid her and when and how much. She says she doesn't know what the vice president does, so I want to know what she thinks about Dick Cheney and the unitary executive. I want to know if she understands the Constitution and what the limits of the executive branch are. I want to know if she's ever been abroad, if she has ever written anything about the Iraq war, or if she's just a follower with a pretty smile, who goes along with the big boys in order to get a little something for herself. I want to know how she treats her children, what kind of mom she is, because I want to know about her personal morality. This is a valid issue, because in the last eight years we discovered with George Bush that once a bully, always a bully. I want those kids from her high school to come forward and tell me what she was like back then.

We had years to relate to HIllary Clinton. We saw her through good times and bad. We saw her do things we didn't agree with, and we saw her do things we did agree with. She was an open book in many ways. Sarah Palin accused her of "whining." I didn't agree with Clinton, and I didn't support her, but I never accused her of whining. That "whining" remark is the hallmark of a bitchy and and arrogant point of view -- a characteristic of all conservative women politicians. So, Sarah thinks she can take it. I say we give it to her good.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate

Comments

[kVk]

Great comments, but I don't think equating Margaret Thatcher with Ann Coulter, Katherine Harris or Sarah Palin is on the money. Agree or not with Thatcher and what she did as the leader of the UK, it's a pretty unfair comparison.

As to tactics, I say Dems need to keep the focus on the presidential candidates. Responding strong to the person or political beliefs of Sarah Palin is exactly what the GOP wants. It's a no-win battle.

[PALinda]

Excellent post and you are spot on, Jane. If she wants to swim with sharks, then let's see her strokes.

Biden has soooo much experience debating and answering questions, he'll know how to handle this.
Should make for excellent television ratings on the night of the debate.

BIden's my man ... but the debate I REALLY want to see is a HILLARY - PALIN debate. Heck, I'd pay to see that one!!

[jayburd]

Much as I may disagree with her politics, I don't believe Margaret Thatcher deserves to be compared with or even have her name mentioned in the same sentence as Ann Coulter. Thatcher has a lifetime of achievement and has secured a place in the history books. Coulter has yet to even achieve adulthood.

[CharlottesvilleVA]

Very true that. However, Thatcher did as much damage to the United Kingdom as her buddy Reagan did to the United States. The luster is dulling for both of them, except in the eyes of their most committed acolytes.

[huffblow]

ANY strong woman who is not a democrat will never get any credit here.

Could someone please EXPLAIN what in Palin's life make you hate her so much? What?

[cog1000]

Excellent post. But I'm not sure I agree with the family part. Americans obsession with the personal details of a candidate's family is getting a bit out of control. But that doesn't mean she can't be asked about her OWN family values and how they correlate with her personal actions and responsibilities. She seems to have the classic political ego so she probably really believes she is ready to be VP. And it's interesting how little we have heard from Hillary Clinton so far.... But I'm not sure Dems need to go on the attack immediately. The Republicans know how to use the media to backfire on "picking on" the female candidate. Her supporters are exactly the type of people who will buy into that kind of "how dare they" approach to legitimate questioning of her credentials. I think she is likely to appeal to a certain demographic of people who don't read newspapers and know very little about ANY issues. Unfortunately, Rove knows this group inside and out, those who agree they'd like to have a beer with Bush. And they do vote unfortunat­ely--espec­ially after their pastor uges them to do so.

[Farrapo]

It's amusing to see the right wing media bend into contorted positions to justify the selection of Palin. My favorite was the guy at Fox who said she has foreign policy experience because Alaska is near Russia.

But the important story here is not that Palin is so obviously unqualified. It's the cynicism and intemperate judgment of McCain in picking her. In this selection he demonstrates that he's all about ambition and not putting the country first. He confuses doing something unexpected with doing something smart, no doubt in accordance with how he behaved in his youth. He insults women by choosing one who is on the wrong side of the issues women care about. By this choice McCain reveals himself as merely an older, more intemperate, more desperate and unpredictable version of Bush. His Rovian advisors made this pick, just as they have guided his offensive ads.

So I agree that there should be no kid glove treatment of Palin, but let's keep the focus on McCain's judgment. And let's find out if Vicky Iseman is hiding in Alaska.

[TakLoufer]

Too many questions with too many big words, Jane. Remember that Palin was a former basketball player and beauty queen wannabe. I.e. not exactly intellectual territory.

Still I would love to see her answer each and every one of these thoroughly thought out questions. Especially the ones about how you can be a devoted mother to a special needs child while concurrently running the country if (God forbid) McCain is 'unavailable'.

[JJK]

Palin is on the ticket for many reasons, some of which are:

1) To help McCain in western states that are in play, viz., Colorado, Nevada as well as in central/western Ohio.

2) To generate enthusiasm among the Republican base and bring out conservative women.

3) To throw the Obama campaign off kilter and force it to keep addressing Hillary's voters

4) To pick up a (very) few disaffected Hillary voters who are willing to overlook her "night and day" differences in views.

5) To cause other disaffected Hillary voters to sit this one out or vote for Nader.

6) To encourage the Obama campaign to keep raising the "experience" issue. People generally vote for the top of the ticket. Any discussion of relative experience ultimately nets out as a positive for McCain. The Obama campaign should stop taking the bait.

7) To incite articles like this (and what appeared in the Daily Kos yesterday) which drive the Right nuts and get them all revved up to organize and vote.

[dadw5boys]

GOT TO HAVE THOSE TAX CUTS !!!!

No we will not support the Foster Care system with our taxes!

No we do not care if the anit- abortion program fill Foster Homes with disabled and hanicapped kids their parent can't support.

We need tax cuts so we can fight abortion.

There are not enough poor kids in the world.

[Zeusthunderbolt]

If being an Evangelical Christian is synonymous with religious fantasism, then how do we explain the failure of re-election of the Judge in Alabama, who hung the amendments in his courthouse? How come he could never capitalize on his bible touting credentials to advance his political career? And why is it that the family unit has to stop functioning in order to satisfy the blood thirsty feminists? Why not a man who is a leader to the world, not let the wife run the household, like senator obama or Vice versa? Under what rules should a woman who believes not to have an abortion, defend her right to balance a leadership role and motherly duties? Why should she have to explain her use of nanny or the arrangements in her house hold? Does she not live in this society? Does she not deal with the problems that we all deal with? It is at times like these that one realizes what nerves of steel it must take, to run for public office

[Paxhope]

Wow! ..toughest blog post I've read in a while!
(and it doesn't even address gay rights.)
Thanks, Jane.
I want answers to all these questions.
Don't whine, Sara.

[rextrek]

She's like McCain's very own Anita Bryant....­.against women's rights, anti-gay..­.a GOP right wing dream.....­..Im surprised no one else noticed how much she looks like the 1970's Anita Bryant.

[AntiFederalist00]

I don't think we have to worry about democats attacking the lady.

I think it is going to be very funny to watch the facial contortions of 60+ days of talk out of both sides of the mouth.

Especially the MSM which can't help to get off their knees from Obama worship.

[jfor]

If she really is an Alaskan then the last place on earth she will live is Washington DC. McCain is about to go in the record books as the biggest loser ever in American politics. He more than any other presidential contender has worked the hardest at becoming a part of history. Children for generations will come to know his name as the worst canddate in the world who made the most blatently ignorant deciisions any candidate has ever made.

mission accomplished.

[huffblow]

"If she really is an Alaskan" ????????

What have you heard or are you just making that up? Where will your side get talking like that?
WHO EVER claimed she is NOT a "real Alaskan"? What nonsense.

[jfor]

My side? oh brother. She could be like Bush, who is NOT a real Texan.

[peachfuzz]

great job Jane

[MNmommy]

Thanks for the great post Jane!

Important points to consider, one would hope that the press would ask these important questions, but it's doubtful that they will.