Good News and Bad News
Posted: August 31, 2008, 08:20 AM by Leslie Grossman
The news at the start of the Labor Day weekend that John McCain picked a woman - Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska - as his running mate in the presidential race took just about everyone but the McCain camp by surprise. No matter whether you agree with Sarah Palin's stand on various issues or not...no matter whether you think she has too little experience or not....no matter that she represents one of the smallest populated and most isolated states of the Union or not...she is a woman and she is now running for Vice President of the United States. I say "hooray!" And all women should say "hooray." I don't know about you, but I'll take whatever breakthroughs I can get for the future of our daughters and granddaughters. And that includes women being invited to sit at the table.
While no one can deny that she is definitely NO Hillary Clinton, if it hadn't been for the stunning run for president that HIllary made, the tremendous support she received, the Republicans would NEVER have considered such a selection. The McCain camp is thinking that they can grab those votes that Hillary had during the primary and switch them over to McCain. I for one, don't believe that will happen. Women are not empty headed. We don't just vote for women because they are women. And it is truly an insult to all of us, for anyone to believe this.
There are hundreds of differences between Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. One big difference is their stance on choice. Why would any woman who supports a woman's "right to choose" vote for Sarah Palin who does not believe women have the right to choose? On this issue, along with many others, Palin is in total agreement with John McCain. With the likelihood of three Supreme Court appointments in the next few years, choice is one of many important issues that concern women. Women vote with their brains. We will must each support the candidates that support issues that are in line with our beliefs about the future of this country. And this campaign is critical. In my opinion, this could very well be the most important election in the last 50 years...and we better all make the correct decision....because the decision we make in November will impact our children, our grandchildren and future generations.
Reader Comments
Posted: October 3, 2008, 09:15 AM by Margaret Mellow
At last, a woman who represents the rest of us... those who DON"T think like the "feminist" pundits. She is a real woman who accepts and respects her responsibility to protect her children, born AND unborn, as do many women. And yet she somehow manages to also balance family AND EXCEL in her career choice, beyond even many of the jaded women who claim mistakenly to represent the voice of women.
Posted: September 10, 2008, 04:26 PM by Denise Underwood
I think the terms Pro-choice and Pro-life do not even enter into this conversation - it is rhetoric as well what I find horrifying is that I can't be a feminist unless I am a defined as a liberal....and that my answer to the PC PL question determines that?? I think I believe as a lot of women do....it is a women's right to have a Choice , but personaly, I chose other very effective ways of birth control that occur before the next "pay grade" choice has to be made. Hillary voters are not Palin voters and Palin voters would not be Hillary voters. I think all achievements by women of historical importance should be treated as such and not diminished because of "so-called" battlegrounds. .
Posted: September 5, 2008, 02:01 AM by Rose Colombo
The fact that women are considered for the Office of Vice President will help break the glass ceiling and more importantly, will provide hope for young women everywhere to to know that they can be whatever they want to be if they are willing to sacrifyce and work hard to reach their dreams. It's the women of the 1920's, and before and after, who suffered terribly so we could have the right to vote. If they hadn't suffered so we could vote then women probably wouldn't be able to run for public office, either. Everything has positive and negative effects, but I think the move to promote women into public office is a positive move, as long as it's the right woman for the right job. Not, just any woman for any job.
Posted: September 4, 2008, 02:01 PM by Diane Valletta
While it's always good to see women progressing in society, I've lived too long to blindly accept the notion that "woman-ness" is in itself a valid reason to support a candidate for office. Frankly, if the mass consciousness buys into last night's cynical and hypocritical VP acceptance speech rhetoric and rewards it with an electoral victory, then the mass consciousness deserves the diminished nation that will inevitably result.
Posted: August 31, 2008, 11:00 AM by Sharna Fulton
Governor Sarah Palin does not support a women's right to choose, exhibit compassion for wildlife or care for the environment. She is being touted as the historic 2nd female U.S. vice presidential candidate. Unfortunately, the media is shmoozing us to embrace her with their canned, outdated, misogynistic reporting. She is an "ex-beauty queen and hockey mom." And why do they do this? Because many evangelical right wing conservatives know that this is what some women want and what they want for their fellow sisters. Now, I'm not criticizing Palin for wanting to nurture babies, have a family and look real perty while doing it. It seems to be the higher calling of many American women I know. So, if Governor Palin wants to get preggers-- again--during her first veep term, that''s her business. I would just like to politely ask her to let other women make the choice that is right for them and their family. This is called "compassion, empathy, sensible thinking..." Traits that us gals, are supposed to have in spades.
Unfortunately, Pro-Lifer Palin thinks that the lives of a polar bear (wants them off the endangered species list) and a moose (hunts them down for sport) is not worth anything at all. Hmmm. It just doesn't make any sense to me at all. Thankfully, there are two gentlemen who do make sense. Barrack Obama and Joe Biden do care about women's rights and the environment . They also demonstrate compassion and all those other warm and fuzzy values that are supposed to make us Americans so great.
That's why until November 4, I will be holding out hope that more women than not DO see---who''s really on their side.
