Why Some Smart Women Think Palin is a Good Choice

I was at the dentist yesterday and the hygienist asked me what I thought of the upcoming election. I looked at this woman who had sharp objects in her hand and I thought it might be prudent to take the non-committal route.

"Wow! Sure is something, huh? Most exciting election in my lifetime," I said, eyeing those tools of doom carefully. "What do you think?" (Years of working in radio has taught me to turn the question back on the questioner.)

She told me that she didn't like Obama because he was "too slick, like a car salesman," but she showed disdain for John McCain's claim of 'I know how to do that.' She smirked at me "Well," she said "if you knew how to do it, why weren't you doing it? Why didn't you find bin Laden, and solve the financial mess?"

I nodded. (I couldn't really do much else). When she removed the buzz saw and pick axe from my mouth I said "What about Sarah Palin?"

"Oh, I like her."

Nowadays when people say that, I ask them why, largely because it is a concept that befuddles me.

"Well, she's gutsy. And I think she's probably dealt with the Russians, being as how they are right there."

We moved on to the economy with which EVERYone has a problem, so we were in safe territory, as least as far as my mouth and pain were concerned.

But the interchange brought forward something that had been niggling at the back of my brain. Why do some smart women think Sarah Palin is a good choice for Vice President? Why do some smart women like her?

This has been bothering me for some time. I have some very smart women friends and a few of them think Palin has what it takes. I don't get it. Why can't they see what I see and what many conservative pundits are falling all over themselves to say? Palin is not qualified.

I called my friend Betti Hoeppner, the therapist. She reminded me of a situation from over 10 years ago when I had worked for a man who was very smart about some things, but would not accept that he was a bad manager. Everyone told him he was a dreadful manager, and still he would not believe it. I was befuddled then, too.

In the course of our conversation she explained why. She told me that sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn't fit in with the core belief.

For example: You think you are an honest person. That is your core belief. But you cheat on your taxes. Cheating on your taxes goes against the idea of you being an honest person. This is a very uncomfortable feeling, the cognitive dissonance. You really want to continue believing that you are an honest person, so you may rationalize that the government "owes" you anyway.

But why do people hold the core belief that Palin is qualified in the first place? My friend Dr. Susan Bartell, the psychologist, was my next phone call.

"Think of it as a relationship," she told me. "Women are relationship-oriented, and many women feel that they are having one with the people they choose in the election. Some women say they could imagine themselves having coffee and pie with Palin around the dinner table."

All right. I get that. Not my thing, but I get that.

She told me that many women idealize their relationship partners. They see all the positive characteristics about that person and ignore the bad. This is especially true, Dr. Susan added, in the beginning of a relationship.

Okay. This I get. Who hasn't fallen in love with the "idea" that we have created of a person, instead of the actual person? And lots of really smart women have done that!

So for whatever reason they have chosen, some smart women have fallen in love with the "idea" of Sarah Palin. She's smart. She's gutsy. She's a woman. And she would be the first woman 'this close' to the Presidency.

And what happens when these smart women are presented with contradictory evidence? "Let's go back to the relationship analogy," Dr. Susan says. "When our eyes finally open to someone, we have choices. We can either get out of the relationship (divorce), or we stay and deal with the cognitive dissonance."

But Dr. Susan says that some women feel they don't have a choice. Their core belief is so strong that they don't believe they have an alternative. For example, perhaps they are strongly against pro-choice. Or they want a woman in the Executive Branch no matter what. Or they cannot subscribe to any of the democratic platform of ideas. At that point, they have no choice but to continue their idealization of Palin, thereby finding a way around their cognitive dissonance, albeit in an unhealthy way.

So in order to keep idealizing her, our smart friends either deny (that Alaskan report didn't find her guilty of doing anything unlawful), rationalize (and besides, they were partisan), or ignore (I never heard about any report. Besides, I just like her!).

The bottom line? When it comes to our smart women friends, we probably aren't going to be able to change their minds about Sarah Palin. They are either still idealizing her, or they have a core belief too strong to accept any alternatives. But at least now we know why these smart women are choosing to consider Palin qualified and will check the Republican box on the ballot. We just don't have to like it.

Comments

[Debbie1996]

Good article - replace Palin with Obama and you'll understand why many people see Obama as the ultimate Teflon man

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

Palin is as qualified as Obama? He holds degrees from some of the best institutions in this country, and she... Sure degrees aren't everything, as I've been reminded over and again, but the ability to think critically, analytically, the ability and willingness to LEARN and think beyond one's canned answers might possibly be considered a plus for the Presidency.

Palin is qualified to be the governor of Alaska..at least she's been elected...recent investigations might prove otherwise. She isn't qualified to run this nation by any stretch of the imagination.

[wilsontennis]

Sarah Palin is just is qualified if as Barack Obama. She has been involved in government longer and has actually held an executive office, unlike Obama who only votes and has never even introduced a piece of legislation.

[lesterbud]

Nice talking points wilsontennis.
No try placing the laminated cue card aside and cycle up at least a small portion of your brain.
Look up these items and then report back:
1) Where was Obama educated? Where was Palin educated?
2) What degrees, professorships and other academic honors does Obama hold? And Palin?
3) When did Obama start working in local politics in Chicago? When did Palin start in Wasilla?
4) How many peices of legislation did Obama author, co-author or sponsor while in the Illinois legislature or as US Senator (hint - a lot more than none).
5) How many countries has Obama visited and how many foreign dignitaries has he personally met? and for Palin (hint - fingers on one hand should suffice).
I could give you all the answers but you would only accuse me of lying and being an intellectual. And besides, it would deprive you of one of the most enlightening of all human activities - learning something important, all by yourself.

[FortuneTeller]

Very funny lesterbud. LOL...I say potato...and wilsontennis says potatoe....sorry all I just couldn't help myself.

[AnAverageAmerican]

At least Obama speaks in complete coherent sentences. The third grader she gave wrong information to-you know, about the VP being in charge of the Senate-I'm postitve can speak a sentence better than she can. She's not just an embarrassment to herself, she is also an embarrassment to our country. If McCain/Palin succeed we will be the laughingstock of the world.

Why would anyone in their right mind believe this woman has the qualifications to be president? After all that is the main role of VP. Duh!

[Oonagh]

If she is such a hot shot why have the McCain people kept her away from reporters... a good reason could be ... she is not too bright.... not too knowledgeable ... a loose cannon. As long as she reads the cue cards she is O.K. ... on her own brain.... it is hard to watch... she gets that whine and sing song voice and then it is hard to follow what she is trying to say.

[upside2themeltdown]

This is completely untrue. Obama authored or coauthored many bills, both in the Illinois house and the US Senate. Why do people persist in posting such outright untruths?

Holding an executive office as an honorary mayor doesn't mean much.

[nkhogan]

This is a great article. I have come to the same conclusion about smart friends and family members who are supporting the Republican ticket.

They actually cannot 'hear' or internalize any facts that contradict their core world view. To do so would be too threatening to them. Their world view predisposes them to believe the lies that McCain and Palin spout. And there is no convincing them no matter what. So, I have just had to agree to disagree.

It makes me nervous though, because I have my own core world view and as open and objective as I am, I wonder what facts I'm predisposed to discount! It works both ways....of course I believe Obama and Biden are more truthful and are conducting a better campaign. What reassures me in the end is which campaign is more about hope and less about fear? And which campaign breeds less division? It's sort of the biblical, 'by their fruits you will know them.'

Obama/Biden sow seeds of unity, want to bring hope and inspire through hope and positive things rather than through fear and mistrust. And the Obama rallies are full of joy, hope and optimism wheras I see more hate and fear and mistrust and negativity in the Palin and McCain rallies.

[wilsontennis]

anyone supporting Obama shouldn't use the Bible to justify themselves

[ProgressiveInAZ]

So Republicans have a monopoly on the Bible???
Sorry to inform you but Jesus was a liberal.
- He cared about the poor
- He said "blessed are the peacemakers"
- He said "love your neighbor"

[rock2casbah]

She has simply set women back 50 years easily. When someone this underqualified and unexceptional is seriously touted as a possible President, simply because she is a woman this does all women a disservice.

I am a woman and would be scared as hell in the future to hire or promote a woman who may turn out to yell foul and cry sexism and then sue just because I try and fire hire for valid claims of incompetance.

[bonchesva]

John McCain's selection of Gov. Palin is a slap in the face to all women. She is not ready to be in ANY position in the White House. McCain thought he could get Hillary Clinton supporters and female voters. It didn't work. McCain underestimated the intelligence of all women.

[rock2casbah]

Ver true, The great part is that Obama is winning in every demogrphic including women by huge margins. The truth that this writer can remind her friends is that she has unfavorables in the negatives and has only been around 7 weeks. Is everyone, including women, against her for no reason at all?

[ipaintgolf]

where are the medical records? one week to go. They had lawyers in Alaska taking care of troopergate, the records could easily have been here a long time ago, lets have them now, lets have them to set the record straight. and if she's coming back for more then lets see them now.

[mclarek]

Why is everyine interested in HER medical records?

[Debbie1996]

Where are Obama's medical records? He's so far released ONE page saying - he's healthy. For someone who keeps talking transparency he has a hard time actually executing it - I'm still waiting for his Occidental, Columbia and Harvard transcripts - as everyone keeps pointing to those pretty degrees to show how gosh darn smart he is.

[anney]

Pam

Thanks for taking the time to delve into this phenomenon. I understand it best in the context of a woman who is terribly mistreated by the man in her life and yet refuses to see him as a jerk and leave him. It has cost many women their lives.

Now, a politician and a voter certainly don't have a personal relationship to feed this tendency, but it seems that the tendency operates at even this distance. Maybe it has some survival benefit because none of us likes knowing we were fools in those cases where we manage to break the bond and then see it clearly in retrospect. Yet we may do it again!

I suspect it's like "falling in love", a powerful event in anybody's life. We invest parts of ourselves that we value in the other person. It certainly happens with parents and children as well as mates, and I suspect it can happen with political personalities, too. It's hardly controllable, though the bond can be broken under some circumstances in time. Seeing clearly doesn't seem to be one of humanity's foremost characteristics!

[almalexia]

We have to face it though, Obama supporters are the same way. If you strongly support anything, you're not going to change your mind no matter what somebody tells you. I have friends that have strong religious beliefs and are very Conservative, so I just stay away from the subject of politics with them because I know they'll get pissed off if I say anything bad about Palin.

It's hard to change someone's mind once they're that set in their beliefs. You could tell me that there is a god and that they'd found scientific evidence that Obama was the antichrist and I'd still want to vote for him.

[nkhogan]

LOL! See my post above. I wrote it before I read your post. I have to agree. It would take an awful lot for me to abandon my proObama/Biden stance!

[Shazzbot]

As much as I want to reflexively say 'No, you're wrong, she's an absolute horror!', I do appreciate the author's thoughtfulness in addressing this issue in this calm, measured manner.

And her ultimate point is correct, I know; we must understand people whose views differ from our own - which absolutely does not mean we have to agree with them to do that. Americans are going to have to live with each other after this election; the less rancour and disharmony that follows on from 4 November, the better.

Barack Obama, throughout his campaign, has showed that there is indeed a way to differ that doesn't spark hate, nastiness, and vilification.

[betabeta]

Good article, I have a friend that is strong right to life, and even though she has lost so much during the Bush years, she refuses to budge off or Plain for that one reason. Even though she admits she disagrees with McCain on every other platform. Now I have a little insight into why she has dug her heels in so.

[Frannyvida]

Very good article, but you still haven't brought me down. I have the same friend, except she takes it even a step further than the "life" argument and simply says I'm not ready for a black President, but proceeds to tell me she is not prejudice, she has black friends at work and a black brother-in-law. I have just decided to throw up my hands, not discuss, and swallow that big lump in my throat and let her know I still love her. I have known her for 38 years but other than that old time feelin, this is a different person than I befriended way back when.

[madisonhack]

I can't do that. I've grown distant from some friends that I once had that are dyed-in-the-wool Republican. I just don't like them any more because of their ideology. People must pay a price for their prejudice and the impact that they make on the rest of the world. This has become more than a war of words for me, I guess.

[dve2z]

but the point is "YOU CANNOT have coffee and pie with Sarah at a dinner table".

Come on. Woman or man, she is just a plainly bad person, and on top of that, unqualified.

Cold, predatory, smug, hypocritical, power hungry.

[AProudRepublican]

This is one of the most intelligent, mature articles I have read in a long time and so many of the ridiculous attacks out there made by "both" parties have their roots in "cognitive dissonance." I absolutely believe it to be true... for "both" sides of course. Democrats hold onto their ideas as well... cognitive dissonance does not only affect Republicans. ;) It's human nature to see what you "want" to see. Both parties are guilty of this. I really can't tell you how sick I am of this, because it's takes away one's ability to be fair and rational.... and what does that make us all? Children?? That's exactly how I've been seeing "both" parties lately... incredible!

[iluvsam]

The same can be said about religious people. They have a core belief and no matter what evidence is thrown their way that debunks that belief, they ignore the evidence and continue to believe.

[leecathryn]

People that hide behind religion scare me, since when does religion teach us to lie, to make false statements on others, to twist and contort things so badly that supposed allies distance themselves from these people???? There is nothing wrong with admitting you have made a mistake, I respect someone much more if an admission is made, this way we can work together with trust and succeed. Is this to much to ask of a leader?????

[kendal]

And scariest of all is the inflexible, derisive decision-maker who frequents church meetings where she is proclaimed a "modern-day biblical Queen Esther," ordained by God to lead the nation--according, of course, to her extreme beliefs--and for whom cognitive dissonance doesn't even exist. I wonder if she feels a direct connection to God's will each time she bags a trophy caribou, slaughters a defenseless wolf from the air, or abuses her privileges of office.
At least she’s a well-dressed Esther…!

[FreeExpression]

"Entrenched belief is NEVER altered by the facts" I don't know where I found this quote, but it is written on my whiteboard at home and I read it on a daily basis during this election to try to keep my sanity.