I want to see more women in office. I want to see more women running for office.
I also want them to be Democrats.
If John McCain is counting on half of the country’s population to vote based on gender, he obviously missed the Democratic primary.
One of my favorite reactions to the Palin pick came from Alaska’s Lyda Green,
State Senate President Lyda Green said she thought it was a joke when someone called her at 6 a.m. to give her the news.
“She’s not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?” said Green, a Republican from Palin’s hometown of Wasilla. “Look at what she’s done to this state. What would she do to the nation?”
I can’t wait for a classic McCain misspeak or failed joke that involves Palin. You know it’s coming. And I’m COUNTING on my feminist friends to step up and speak out.
I’m still laughing at this VP pick. LAUGHING.
If you want the woman vote so bad…you might want to talk issues, policy, and address our concerns- Not offer us a gun-toting, anti-choice, under indictment investigation Governor.
Although maybe once the evangelicals catch wind of her balancing work and family, and people become outraged that she is a woman running for office…maybe then we can have a real discussion in her party’s base about those “family values” they like to push. Maybe then it will be “ok” since she isn’t a baby-killing lesbian hippie.
So thanks John McCain, thanks for picking a woman as your running mate so America can (once again) have these discussions. Let’s talk about equal pay, maternity leave, and affordable child care. Let’s talk about misogyny and the old boys club and the names you call your wife.
Let’s talk about your rape jokes and your offering up your wife for a topless contest and your belief I need more education and training.
I can’t wait. Welcome McCain-Palin and the discussion you will bring to American kitchen tables.
Good post, Erin! In this post, one Ohio conservative who I respect and always have takes on the family values thing – though not without me having to press it. I suspect this may be a common tactic, though I give my friend the benefit of the doubt as really feeling this way and even following through on it the way he suggests he would because I’ve never known him to be disingenuous.
Others however…like Tony Perkins or Ken Blackwell or Charmaine Yoest of the FRC? Not as confident.
Amen, sister.
I am very angered by this choice, and woke up in the middle of the night even angrier.
Do men think that women are so stupid that we just want to see a woman in office, rather than a qualified woman?
Give me a break!
So agree with this post and so agree with @rita! Really do think that men think women are idiots (at least McCain does). Hopefully this will become nothing more than fodder for late night shows and fun youtube videos and McCain just threw the election.
Oh no, we can’t talk about birth control… That would make McCain “uncomfortable”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2y8dYwq01g
When I heard it all I could think was, “Thank you!” He just made it easier for Obama to win. Not because she’s a woman, I have no problem with that, but McCain lost his only argument – that Obama hasn’t got enough experience to run the country. My mother, a staunch Republican, must be beside herself. I haven’t talked to her yet, but she will NEVER vote for an African-American nor a woman…I can’t wait to ask her what she’s going to do now 🙂
Go Obama!
Well said. This really seems like a misguided desperation move on McCain’s part. Hopefully this will be the disaster it deserves to be.
Regardless of what people think of the lady, they do have to be prepared for the very real possibility that if she and McCain were elected, she would likely wind up assuming the presidency, especially if McCain were to make it to a second term, but possibly before, given the man’s age and the stresses involved in the presidency.
I can’t help but think that McCain was specifically looking for a younger woman as a running mate purely for political reasons, not the least of which was to find a way to further distance himself from Dubya.
Well said Erin. I may laugh once I stop shaking my head. I think there will be a faction of those who will welcome her candidacy and overlook all else because she is pro-life,or pro NRA, or pro-creationism. I guess that is what he is counting on. I don’t think we’d better assume that she can’t help him get out the votes for the R ticket. We all have a lot fo work to do before the election; I can’t think of a time in my life when it has mattered as much.
Hello ladies.
Here’s one thing we know: every woman in the U.S. understands that if they were to suffer a traumatic pregnancy, either because of rape or a terrible trouble with the fetus or whatever, Our Girl Wonder will do everything in her legislative power to force that pregnancy to term (all the while self-righteously rocking baby Trig in her arms).
And they no likey that.
But good god, if Dubya was the antichrist than McCain is the devil incarnate–and now he’s got himself TWO trophy wives!
Again, great post. If like everyone else says, this pick for VP is merely to woo disgruntled Hillary supported to the right, I have no reason NOT to vote for Obama now.
Would McCain joking about Cindy being in a topless contest be okay if he weren’t running for President?
Topless contests don’t bother me, I guess.
Speaking as a man, we’re not all stupid, just the Republicans. I think some of this is fostered by the way some die hard Hillary supporters acted like they would turn away from Obama and support McCain simply because they couldn’t have Hillary. This was very short sighted in itself. Regardless of Palin, you think women are going to get their due with McCain? Not likely. I love what Hillary said at the convention, are you just in this for me? No, this has to be about the issues. There will be a women president/VP someday I am sure of that, just not these women.
If someone wants to start a movement “Topless White Suburban Mothers Against McCain and Girl Wonder” I’m in.
In fact, I’ll be the first to strip off the 18-hour Cross Your Heart.
Well said. I was over the top when I found out about the pick and watched her speech. Never will I be proud to have a woman as the VP when she was picked for such obvious and awful reasons. A woman should never been a token addition. That only sets us back.
(Not that I would be able to vote for a conservative anyway.)
David, there is a site hillaryis44.org that you have to read to believe. I hate to add such a scary tidbit to an already terrifying day, but so be it.
And thanks, Queen of Spain for an evocative and fun post.
@Rita Wilhelm – just a point of clarification: “men” didn’t pick her as McCain’s running mate. “A man” picked her.
I think the choice was laughable and insulting too.
The fact that McCain hardly knew her before choosing her only serves to make it more laughable. And, frankly, insulting. I seriously hope everyone who considers walking into a polling booth in November is paying attention, because McCain’s platform is becoming more senile on a daily basis.
i love you.
So, after 8 yrs of Bush showing us just how little it actually takes to be prez and manage not to blow up the whole world, we evidently have so little respect for the office that it is now plausible to run with no other qualification other than being “hot”. If it wasn’t so sad it would make a funny SNL skit. Makes you wonder why he didn’t just go ahead and pick Paris and do this strategy right.
When Larry Koslow interviewed her about a month ago, and asked about the talk that she might be McCain’s choice for VP, Palin responded that before she could make a decision on whether she’d accept the job or not, someone would have to tell her what the VP does on a daily basis, because she was concerned about not wanting to do a non-productive job and she wanted to be sure she’d still be able to help Alaska accomplish whatever it is she hopes for it to accomplish.
I dunno, between his only having met her face-to-face once and only speaking to her once by phone and her – less than a month ago – not even knowing what the Vice President does, not to mention her being under investigation, I’d say McCain did a bang-up job finding himself a really good running mate.
How stupid does he thing we are?
Mark just said what I was thinking while watching the coverage of this on the news.
Still laughing. My 14 year old son laughed too.
Way to go, McCain.
Shash
Great post, Erin!
I also think it’s a double-standard for Palin to point out that she was asked to become VP on the anniversary of women getting the right to vote, yet her policies would prohibit women from having a say over their reproductive choices. Can’t have it both ways, Sarah.
ps- Sorry I did not get to meet you while you were in Denver. I was volunteering at the Big Tent but you were at CNN when I was on shift.
Okay, as an Alaskan I have to set one (and only one!) thing straight: she’s under investigation in an ethics probe, but has not been indicted.
Nonetheless, if one ran on a platform of ethics reform, you’d think that once in office, that person would keep their nose clean. Apparently, at least with Palin, you’d be wrong about that.
Here’s hoping for more Obamacans out of this incredible gaffe!
Absolutely. Ab-so-LUTELY.
I frequent an online forum for smallholders of livestock, so much of the membership there is from rural, conservative parts of the country…you know, like I am! 😉 Anyway, when this news broke, it became the hottest topic on the boards, with overwhelming support for Palin. No, really. They LOVE her. The men posting have been totally supportive, while a small portion of the right-wing women posting have expressed reservations.
Would you like to guess what ONE thing the right-wing women on this forum take issue with? Is it her inexperience, or her questionable ethics? Nope. It’s the fact that she is a MOTHER of 5 children, and would dare have such an ambitious career. Never mind the fact that every male candidate is a father. So you may be more right than you even thought when you said, “…maybe once the evangelicals catch wind of her balancing work and family, and people become outraged that she is a woman running for office…”.
A-flippin-men Erin! Srsly. My hubs and I laughed our asses off when it came on NPR that morning, and we haven’t stopped laughing, except to gawk at the Republicans actually supporting this choice. Unbelievable.
Was waiting for your post ever since I saw it on the news!
We saw her speech and her inexperience and her excitement about being chosen running mate came through so very clearly. Even here, in a faraway country, we thought her being chosen seemed so contrived and so like a desperate measure. But there is also the scary thing that this elections looks like it will be really divisive–at least from an outsider’s perspective. I do hope not.
I’m still shaking my head. Does McCain think women are really that stupid? Wait, I’m answering my own question. DOH!
Did McCain actually think this woman would bring in Hillary supporters, LOL!
I very much doubt a super-feminist Hillary supporter will vote for this religious freak from Alaska. Mormon-boy Romney would probably have a better chance with Hillary supporters then this chick.
My guess is McCain was probably hoping he could tap this fur-wearing bible thumper. 🙂
I’m speaking out on my blog today but I’m scared people are really buying this crap. Help us Queen of Spain! Use your Super Powers!! Swoop in and save the day. I’ll vote for ya!
They did exactly what I thought they would do — selected a woman — but I never thought they’d grab an obscure beauty queen with a chip on her shoulder.