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Professional Women: Palin Is An Insult
There wasn't anything subtle about John McCain's vice presidential selection. With the selection of Sarah Palin, Republicans clearly believe that adding a woman, any woman, to the ticket will lead women to vote for them. I decided to find out if they were right.
I interviewed professional women ranging in age from their mid thirties to late fifties. They are Democrats, lifelong Republicans, Independents, and women who aren't that interested in politics. They hail from different states and live in different economic circumstances. I won't tell you this is a scientific analysis of women voters. I'll just tell you what they told me.
First was Diane, a professional accountant in Lake Forest, California. Raised in a Republican household and a Hillary Clinton supporter, this fifty-two year old might be one of the women McCain was targeting when he selected a woman running mate. But if they thought picking Palin would convince her to vote McCain, they don't know Diane. "Palin's pro NRA, anti environment, anti choice, and doesn't support sex education.These are what the McCain camp view as her assets. I view them as her failures." Diane had a long list of reasons why she could never support Palin, including two statements she believes in unequivocally: " I believe in the separation of church and state. I believe in a woman's right to control her own body." Obama has her vote, Diane says, no question.
Karon, an entrepreneur from Everett, Washington, doesn't consider herself particularly political. "I'm just a common-sense kind of chick," says the fifty year old independent, raised by a Democratic Mom and Republican Dad. While she used to think of John McCain as "an OK kind of guy," she had nothing good to say about his vice presidential selection. "Are you kidding me? If this was supposed to pick up the female vote, they are way off the mark. Why would any sane woman vote for a woman that doesn't support women's issues?" Karon characterized the selection of Palin as "a strange and desperate attempt to pick up the Hillary voters - won't work though because it's not about 'a woman' - it's about issues - not just any woman will do." Although not avidly following the campaign, like Diane in California Karon's made up her mind and is voting for Obama. "His stance on the issues are in line with my concerns - we care about the same things and I believe he can make things happen."
If there's a vote that John McCain has to have to win, it's Erin from Houston, Texas. But so far the Republican nominee has failed to make his case. A registered Republican who supported Mitt Romney, she now considers herself undecided. She says she doesn't know Barack Obama but does know Joe Biden, and his selection as vice president made her excited. "I know Biden's record. I've heard his interviews and comments on issues over the years. I knew his story and I respected him." And though she's still split between the presidential candidates, she's not so sure about the Republican vice presidential choice, saying the selection "only muddied the waters for me." Erin certainly likes the idea of a working mother becoming president, but says doubtfully, "Palin? I'm not sure she is the right woman."
And then there's Tasha, a lab technician in Tucson, Arizona. Raised in a conservative household Tasha says she too leans conservative on local issues but considers herself a Democrat. Having lived in Arizona for many years, she once thought well of John McCain, adding: "I could have been persuaded to vote for him in 2000." Not now. "I cannot believe what he has become," Tasha said, adding simply; "I actually don't have a single good thing to say about him at this point." As a thirty eight year old woman, Tasha's "never really given a second thought to having the right to vote, having a full-time job while raising a family ,or many of the other issues I think women older than my generation often think about. Women my age and younger were given such great opportunities and shown how to 'bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan' by such fantastic role models, we often forget how hard the struggle was before us." And yet her reaction to McCain's selection was more furious than any other woman interviewed. "Sarah Palin? Really? If you were going to try to make history, this woman? Really? I am offended as a woman and as a voter. She CANNOT be the best choice. A creationist in this day and age? An abstinence-only believer with a pregnant 17-year old daughter? Really? REALLY? It's mind-boggling." Come November she'll be voting for Obama.
Meanwhile, in St. Paul, Minnesota, graduate student Erin Cheuvront reports that John McCain's pick for Vice President is very popular among the staunch Republican women gathered for the convention. "Oh, yes, they love Sarah Palin," Cheuvront reports. "One older woman told me she thought Palin was an inspiration to all women." But these are the votes the Republicans already have. If he hopes to win, John McCain has to reach far past that base and convince other women that his choice of Sarah Palin was a good one.
And if the women I've spoken to are any indication, that might not be possible.
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How any woman could vote for her is mind blowing.
all this anecdotal hand wringing doesn't change the fact that OUR Campaign got stuck on "let's play nice" , in a country that thinks Al Qaeda is down the street.
stupid in 2000
stupid in 2004
stupid in 2008
Well, I would certainly hope so, but the polls would have to reverse direction. As of today, McCain has overtaken Obama according to the Gallup tracking poll.
http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/whos-ahead/polling/index.html#US_6
I am glad to see that women aren't falling for this ridiculous and reckless decision of McSame.....open your eyes people.....
In the early 1960"s, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a race to be the first into space. The Soviets succeeded in launching the first unmanned and manned spacecraft. The
USA quickly countered each Soviet success with one of their own. The Soviet leadership looked to find a woman who could become the first woman in space.
A former textile worker from the Soviet Union had become the first woman in space. Her name was Valentina Tereshkova. She was a simple farm girl who had an interest in parachuting, and exhibited fierce loyalty to the party. However, there were others more qualified. She was held up as an example that the leaders of the party could be proud. Russian Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev had a radio conversation with the female cosmonaut. Thousands of jubilant women gathered in Red Square, Moscow, to celebrate the occasion.
This past week witnessed another first¦ selection and nomination of the first women Vice Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. One thing that stood out above anything else this week was Gov Palin"s fierce loyalty to the conservative social agenda of the right wing of the Republican Party. However, there were others more qualified.
Yea¦ for the Republicans another first based on ideological loyalty!
Incidentally, it was widely reported that Valentina had vomited while in space. Similarly, Sen. McCain"s selection of Gov. Palin leaves a familiar bad taste in my mouth. Excuse me while go I brush and floss!
http://michelle2005.wordpress.com
Question? How much education do these women have? You call them all professional women. Professional women are NOT the ones who will make or break either side in this election. WORKING CLASS WHITE WOMEN are the key and so your survey is not very comforting to me. Do another one with working class women and I bet your results will be a lot different.
The education level was mixed: never went to college, attended a 2 yr. community college, went but didn't graduate, graduated with a 4 yr. degree.
One working class white woman here and I look at Palin as a pandering move. As a working class woman, Palin does not represent one of the issues I hold dear as a woman. Her view on sex education is nothing short of abhorrent, as is her belief that abortion should be completely illegal, regardless of cases of rape or the life of the mother.
Professional women, working class women, all women regardless of age or color should be appalled by this pick. By the way, I thought working class meant working class and "professional" is still working class.
Talk about bitterness, the women posting here so far do not think women should be any different from their particular model: if mom, stay at home and wait til children are in school; birth control is mandatory; wear clothes that look like a part of the woodwork. I can't vote for Palin or McCain because of their particular positions but certainly not because Sarah Palin isn't in the straitjacket the overachievers on this blog believe in. I used to think that that kind of intolerance was pure Republican but then along came Obama. We just need to develop a cookie-cutter clone device and this country will be all set!
mjc, you know what jumps out at me? the juxtaposition of "stay at home mom" and straitjacketed "overachievers".
Maybe, just maybe you had the good fortune to be born into a class who doesn't need to work..........or you married into a class that permits you to stay home and birth babies.........good for you.....any other plans? volunteerism, maybe?
Most of your sisters have made other choice. I guess life in the ill-defined, non-offensive center is ok for some.
Can't say that we haven't been warned...Rick Davis told us that this election will be about personalities and not issues.
Isn't that sad?? It should be about issues that effect us. Money, lack of it. People losing their homes and the reasons why!! Jobs, lack of them and why. Two wars, one of which should of never of been started (based on lies). These are issues that McCain and Co don't want to talk about.
Im not a woman, but i feel insulted by them picking her. Only because her claims are horrendous lies and they stab at the heart of people who try to live by honesty.
Its also a bit outrageous to assume that this person has any significant qualifications.
Had she not gotten herself involved with helping Ted Steven's 527s, after she left her town wallowing in debts, no one would have cared about electing her. It actually appears that the Corrupt Republicans literally worked with her to get elected on cleaning up corruption of them, so they wouldnt lose power to a democrat.
Extremely well-written. Palin has only a basic education, no degree in law, public policy or business administration. Palin has had a colorful career, but it hardly meets the standards we would want in a VP, much less a President. No one outside of the RNC convention hall is fooled by her "experience." Mayor of a town of 5,500 and governor of a state with a population the size of Memphis, TN and coffers overflowing with Federal dollars and oil money is hardly an administrative challenge. Remember: Palin was the first mayor in Wasilla to hire a city manager. She couldn't even handle the whole job and had to pay someone else to do it.
I am a woman and Palin's example as a mother alarms and saddens me. She is putting her ambitions first - as other men and women do - but there will be a price to pay, as there always is. Hillary was a far better choice as a woman candidate: qualified and ready to lead (also with a grown child who may know more about reproductive choices than Bristol Palin). However, for the good of my country, I will vote for Obama - Biden.
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Palin opposes condoms and the birth control pill even within marriage. .........
That is extremely disturbing to me.
She is against polar bears being listed as an endangered species, simply because it would interfere with artic drilling!
OH, and she doesn't even know what a vice president does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9pnzQ96kWA
And if she found out just within this last month that sure as hell doesn't make me feel any better.
sarah palin right now is the most dangerous person in this country it is scary to think that a person with these viewpoints is this close to running this country very scary
I understand Sarah Palin was born in Idaho. Sounds like one of those northern Idaho Right wing Aryan Supremacist types that got too extreme even for northern Idaho and ended up moving to Alaska,"the last outpost of the radical right-winger".Understand she has been involved with this Alaska extremist group Alaska Independence or whatever. I think people have forgotten about Timothy McVeigh and his background. The world trade center was not the only victim of "Radical Fundamentalists" The Murrah Federal Building was also a victim , but apparently since McVeigh was not a "Radical MUSLIM Fundamentalist" we can forget about Oklahoma City. These right wing nut jobs scare me more than the Radical Muslims do because the self richeously cloak themselves in the American Flag!
Exactly, and why is the Anthrax investigation thwarted, that act of terrorism was not by Muslim extremists either and the official story is incomplete at best....
And it just so happens that all recent assasinations have been directed toward democrats rather than republicans. I think we have a continuation of the Civil War only this time the southerners are the christian fundies.
There are probably tens of thousands of top-flight professional women with strong political skills in this country - and yet McCain goes after a piece of white trash who conned enough ignorant people in a remote state to get elected ...
I would not be so sure this dog will not hunt. While it seems absurd to those that post on this site, history has shown that the American diet of slick image and lies sells. Keep those donations going in and go out and convince two other voters.
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Posted September 4, 2008 | 04:44 PM (EST)