http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/33319499.html

the Inquirer is a very liberal newspaper. I am curious as to how women feel about this issue.

Please keep your negative, liberal attitudes off this thread. This is to discuss the article and not to a platform to discuss your political beliefs.

Palin deserves our respect

Helen McCaffrey
is the director of Women's Watch Inc., a nonprofit women's advocacy group based in Cape May

I cannot predict who will win the presidential campaign, but I already know who will lose big: all women.

I realized this when I saw a 20-something male student who attends a class in the community college where I teach, wearing a T-shirt that read, "Sarah Palin is a C-." He wore it in public, in broad daylight, and without shame or even consciousness of what he was doing.

I took the time to advise him of the "error of his ways" and informed him of the consequences if he wore it to my class.

This encounter shook me right down to my socks.

Most of my adult life has been spent working for civil rights for all Americans, as a lawyer defending constitutional rights and now as a college teacher and director of a nonprofit advocating for the rights of women.

Not since I told myself I could lose weight on the pizza and cheesecake diet have I been so self-deluded. This election cycle has been like stepping on the scale.

It was the encounter with the young man that woke me up, but there were signs all along the campaign trail. First, with the candidacy of Sen. Hillary Clinton, who won 18 million popular votes from the people of the United States and was ridiculed, marginalized, and put in her place when she wasn't even offered the vice presidency slot.

But the really big attack on women occurred when John McCain selected only the second woman in history to be on a major-party ticket. He chose a governor of a state critical to our energy crisis. She is a very popular governor with an 80-percent approval rate. She was elected on her own merit without previous political ties. She is her own political creation, not the wife, daughter, sister or mistress of a politician.

I thought Americans would be proud of her nomination, whether we agreed or disagreed with her on the issues. Was I in for a shock.

The sexism that I believed had been eradicated was lurking, like some creature from the black lagoon, just below the surface. Suddenly it erupted and in some unexpected places.

Instead of engaging Palin on the issues, critics attacked attributes that are specifically female. It is Hillary's pantsuit drama to the power of 10. Palin's hair, her voice, her motherhood, and her personal hygiene were substituted for substance. That's when it was nice.

The hatred escalated to performers advocating Palin be "gang raped," to suggestions that her husband had had sex with their young daughters, and reports that her Down syndrome child really was that of her teenage daughter. One columnist even called for her to submit to DNA testing to prove her virtue. Smells a little like Salem to me. I was present at an Obama rally at which the mention of Palin's name drew shouts of "stone her."

"Stone her"? How biblical.

All this is at a time when women are regularly being raped as they try to cross the border into the United States; bloody, broken women haunt the emergency rooms of hospitals; and abuse and disrespect for women and girls is rising faster than bank bailouts. That is the atmosphere in which people, including women, choose to attempt to destroy a woman who is a legitimate political leader.

Agreement on issues is not required, but Palin merits respect.

It is dismaying that misogyny and sexism are so excessively marbleized into our daily interactions that some of us cannot even recognize their existence when confronted with it or when staring at it directly in the mirror.

It is my fervent hope that those who purport to be intellectuals begin to engage in argument and not resort to their baser selves or the easy exercise of personal and biology-based attacks.

Mockery and vilification of women such as Palin should become just as taboo as race-based slams. Until then, women are the real losers.

What can I say except that I agree very much with the author. I detested the way the Democratic party handled Hillary Clinton. I don't care for the way either the Democrats or the Republicans are handling Palin. You can be sure that if McCain loses (and it certainly starting to look as if he will), that the blame for his loss will be put squarely on her shoulders. That is absolutely ridiculous when you consider that McCain and his advisors micro-managed her from the very beginning.

But now you're hearing from McCain's advisors about how she's "going rogue" by admitting on the campaign trail that robo-calls are a bad idea....which they most certainly are. They're setting her up to take the fall, IMHO.

Misogyny....the last acceptable refuge for bigots of both genders.

Personally I think politics bring out the "worst" in ALL of us regardless of what side you are on.

I disagree wholeheartedly. I think she will be one of the faces of the Republican party moving forward. I do not think McCain will cast her as the reason the campaign failed. In fact, I see her as someone they will rally around.

IF it is truly McCain's camp calling her actions "rogue" (can never be sure with the liberal media running their exceptionally partisan mouths), from McCain's camp, this would be seen as a strength and not something to be "controlled."

I think politics (or what people have manipulated others into thinking are political issues when they are really about morals) gives me a great opportunity to get to know people better.

It helps me "weed the garden."

I've largely given up discussing politics. Most folks don't understand how our system works. (Example, folks blaming the president on the budget deficit or crediting a president for balancing the budget. Since the constitution clearly states the budget originates in the house, is also voted on by the senate before being sent to the president, how could anyone possibly put all of that on the president good or bad?)

Since folks really don't understand (and apparently politicos on both sides of the aisle don't either) it seems pointless to discuss the issues.

With a few exceptions, there are no significant differences between McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden.

The president is the public show and we are told to pay no attention to the men and women behind the curtain. Those 535 folks who comprise the house and senate are a far more important issue today than are who will be president and vp.

Whatever. It was a CNN story yesterday. They have confirmed their sources today as being inside the campaign. What that means is that the McCain camp wants the story to come out; it's hardly liberal media spin. This kind of a story NEEDS no spin.

And maverick is all well and good - unless you're disagreeing with the top part of the maverick ticket. That's frowned upon. But the thought is that both sides of the ticket are distancing themselves from the other. Palin, because she doesn't want to be associated with a sinking ship, and she wants to salvage her career when it's over, McCain because Palin has become a lightning rod with all of the negative campaigning.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the dust settles.

He may not do it publicly, but in his mind I believe that is exactly what he is thinking. She completely dominated the interview with Brian Williams the other night. You could obviously see the tension between the two candidates. Her selection and the way the McCain campaign DID micromanage her is what called into question whether or not she was qualified to be VP.

I don't see it as Palin is unqualifed so much as she was "green" to national politics. She will most likely go on to a very successful political career and I do suspect that the Republican party will rally behind her.

Want2Stay

I am assuming that the word was not spelled out.

A while back, I was standing in line at a food court with my son and in front of us was a "goth" looking idiot. On the back of his shirt, in 5-6 inch letters was the phrase
"Jesus is a c###" SPELLED OUT for all to see.

I calmly told my son to go sit down and got real close to the guy and whispered a STRONG suggestion that he would be much better off leaving the place immediately. Thankfully he complied.

If I were out with my child, I would confront any person wearing such profanity for all (including young kids) to read. I would use force if necessary. People put up with too much stuff because they are afraid to confront abuse head on.

CNN....the liberal biased CNN???

Come on Penalty, you can't really believe that CNN isn't spinning this story to further the destruction of Sarah Palin? That when they are sayingh "someone inside the campaign that they're not full of it....

That this isn't just another way for them to Further put down John McCain....this time saying that he's throwing his running mate under the bus??

CNN, NBC, and the rest of the liberal leaning media SPIN EVERYTHING they say....including comments about Obama.

The only difference is CNN and the rest of them Spins it in favor of Obama and against anything Republican.

while I understand your angst, please try and keep on topic.

any comments on the article???

JoJo:

Yes, actually I do believe it, very much so. You would have heard some strongly worded denials by now from the McCain camp had it been false. Also, do you think it was just coincidence that we now hearing who the most highly paid McCain staff worker is? (The person who does Palin's hair/makeup.)
Palin may or may not be the Republican's next rising star. She is not without liabilities and in-party detractors, to be sure, but she has charisma and will only improve with time. Much depends on the direction that the Republican party chooses to take after the election.

I agree whole heartedly. Anyone who thinks the president can CHANGE the world does not understand politics. They can only try to get congress moving. Remember Bill Clinton's platform of changing Social Security and Medicare. That was over 15 years ago and guess what? Not a whole lot has changed with SS and Medicare...they will still be bankrupt in the near future. Politicians are like Waywards, in fact a lot are waywards. When their lips are moving they are lying! Asking what Obama will do when he gets elected his the funniest thing I have ever heard. They are both senators and both had plenty of time to institute change but guess what? They only want to get elected and they will be right back to party politics.

this thread is for comments about the article. It is not for liberals to come here and spout their ideas.

If you don't have a comment on the article, please move on.

Could the conservative tin foil hats be any tighter? Next thing you know, Obama will be advocating orange jumpsuits and barcodes for everyone.

You can deny the tensions between McCain and Palin all you want, but they are right there for everyone to see. Just because they are being reported by the MSM doesn't mean they aren't true.

Want2Stay

from the article:


Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman nominated for VP, a Dem. This year, the Dems for Obama chewed her up and spit her out for speaking something quite obvious. They called Ferraro a RACIST ! That woman a racist ???? If they call Ferraro a racist, there is no hope for the rest of us.

misogyny? - yes, when it is politically expedient.

Penaltykill - you mean the same CNN who 'ambushed' Sarah Palin with the New Republic article, twisting it and leaving out the most relevant part of the quote? The same CNN who tried, and appears to be still trying, to make it 'appear' as though Conservatives are in some way 'against' Sarah Palin?

Yep, it's "hardly liberal media spin," again.

Let's get back to basics, penaltykill, there is a HUGE difference between McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden and the far left Socialism of the current Democrat party.

Regardless, only a child would think that the Democrats are not "slinging mud" of the most vile kind and try to justify it by saying, "see, the Republicans are slinging mud by asking about Obama's beliefs, votes, pro-aborion-infanticide, Socialistic view of 'spread the wealth around', you know, ASKING about ISSUES that should be important to voters and NOT just playing to emotions. That "playing to emotions" is what the Obama campaign has been all about. But when they get pinned down because some TRUTH leaks out, from Biden AND from Obama, they claim "foul" if they asked to explain just what it is that the want to do in REALITY.

I'm sorry....I thought I was on topic.

The entire article is full of everything the liberal media and the left has been spewing about Sarah Palin since she was announced as McCains running mate. They have tried, and continue to try to discredit her in the eyes of the American people
with non-political issues.



How did we, as American's get here? How does ANYONE....see this as all right?

What would happen if the media started saying things like this about Michelle Obama, questioning her children's paternity ....what if the t-shirts said Michelle was a "C***"?????

That would go over like a turd in a lunchbox. They would want to crucify whoever said it

I personally do not see why Women's groups across the country aren't standing up in outrage about this. I believe that it has to do with the political party first mentality.

Medc - it would appear that the liberals ARE commenting on the article by way of showing precisely what that article was talking about.

There is simply no more "divisive" party than the Democrat Party. They play ALL "the cards" whenever it suits them and they IGNORE the real failings of their own candidates, all in the name of POWER, not service to the people or the Constitution.

If they did, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd would be IN FRONT OF an investigation committee, not sitting on them "grilling" others.

It would be interesting, though, to hear these liberals who support those "T-shirt" slogans DEFINE just what sort of woman is NOT such a "name". I wonder where they put their mothers and sisters and wives in the "ranking" of slutty words that really DO reveal their biases and thinking.

I'm not denying anything.....Unlike you though, I'm not taking the MSM word on ANYTHING, especially anything political. If they say it's raining, I'm going outside to verify for myself before I believe any of them. Do your own research on non-biased websites and see how they all spin everything to suit their own agenda's. Thanks...but I'll have no part of that

So since you do believe every word that they say, or better yet, every bad thing the MSM says about McCain or Palin, you must not think that there's anything wrong with the things said about Palin in the article....