Gloria Steinem Speaks Out On Palin – Wrong Woman, Wrong Message
September 5, 2008 by Women's Voices For Change
In a Los Angeles Times column, feminist leader Gloria Steinem weighs in on the selection of Sarah Palin:
Here's the good news: Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing — the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party — are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president. We owe this to women — and to many men too — who have picketed, gone on hunger strikes or confronted violence at the polls so women can vote. We owe it to Shirley Chisholm, who first took the "white-male-only" sign off the White House, and to Hillary Rodham Clinton, who hung in there through ridicule and misogyny to win 18 million votes.
But here is even better news: It won't work. This isn't the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need. Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie.
Susan Demler Catalano on Sat, 6th Sep 2008 7:13 pm
Well, I suppose I should start by noting three things. Number One: I was born and raised in Arizona and never moved away from my home state until I was 25, though to this day I am devoted to my home state. Number Two: I am an ex-Hillary supporter who remains deeply disappointed in how Hillary Clinton has been treated by her fellow Democrats and her gender. Number Three: A certain beloved Doctor delivered my son in an emergency crash c-section which left me in intensive care for three days and the hospital even longer. Three days after I was released from the hospital, I was back at work.
I read this site often and so enjoyed the postings around the Democratic convention. I was curious to see what would be reported about the Republican convention. And, boy, do I find myself disappointed once again. One very small posting from the convention itself and one very offensive posting from the LA Times leaves me wondering when somebody might stand up and put something newsworthy about Sarah Palin up on this site?
Where was the link to Peggy Noonan’s stunning editorial today in the Wall Street Journal? There have been brilliant editorials written by numerous women from the New York Post. Where are those? The only Democrat to date I have listened to who has stood up and praised Sarah Palin for delivering what he described as “a slam dunk” to the American people on Wednesday (and I hope I’ve missed some) is Robert L. Gibbs, the brilliant communications director for Barak Obama’s campaign. Here is someone we all have to respect for knowing what’s good communication and what’s not. Gibbs is one of the few Democrats, in public, who has ‘reached across the aisle’ and made note of how Palin’s selection has – whether you believe in her politics or not – re-energized the Republican party and this campaign.
I have always believed that often a woman’s worst enemy is, indeed, another woman. We are so hard on each other. I am shocked at the number of my friends and how they have responded to the news of Sarah Palin’s nomination. Shocked and saddened. Are we really ready to see a woman shatter the glass ceiling? I wonder. I have to admit, I was frustrated to no end on the upper west side watching women in my age group tout Barak Obama while ravaging Hillary Clinton. But, even that did not prepare me for the venom I have heard spewed against a woman who, whether you support her or not; believe in her causes or not, is one very outstanding representative of our gender.
Is it wrong to admit there are four gifted, outstanding, dedicated and good hearted service oriented individuals running for President and Vice President right now? After being glued to both conventions – I have so enjoyed the theater of politics, the fire of the speeches and the dedication of so many people – Democrat and Republican. I wept when Barak Obama accepted his nomination for President of the United States. I would have wept harder, were I watching Hillary Clinton accept the nomination as a woman. But, who couldn’t be caught up in the moment and the history of that night?
I find we might be on the brink of an incredibly exciting time in our country. I feel a new surge of energy in the possibilities of what might happen no matter who wins the election. Women reaching out to women through an open dialogue is great – but healthy, informed and balanced dialogue is better.
So, let me be the first 46 year old, former single mom, former cheerleader and university homecoming queen who does not hunt but lives on the upper west side and owns her own business to say to the women who read this site: I’m voting for John McCain and Sarah Palin. And, if Barak Obama and Joe Biden win, I’ll be cheering for them and pledge my allegiance to them too.
Penelope Spurr Marshall on Sun, 7th Sep 2008 10:08 am
A kind friend emailed me this excellent article by Gloria Steinem. I am so upset by the McCain/Palin combo and the concern that there may be enough dumb Americans out there not to recognize the lies and distortions they are putting out – “Change” indeed! – that it makes me almost physically sick. Thank God for smart, articulate women like Gloria Steinem who can not only think straight but write persuasively. I’d like to hear her debate Sarah Palin!
Sem Forum on Wed, 17th Sep 2008 4:14 pm
I agree with Penelope Spurr Marshall, I would like to hear the debate it would be interesting. Why is that there now is a woman in politics that solve real problems and issues for both women and men get harassed to point that it is criminal, but biden gets a pass on everything.
Palin, finally a voice of real change that this country wants and needs