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Gail Walker: Why the sisterhood hates Sarah so much
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
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Most female commentators this side of the Atlantic have run from Sarah Palin the way a moose would. They just can’t handle a woman of such power and charisma who simply doesn’t believe the ‘liberal’ truisms they’ve been parroting for years.
And even though she’s been attacked viciously since being nominated for vice-president, and has been subject of a gross — almost pornographic — assault by the meeja, what do the meeja sisters say?
Er ... almost nothing. That is, of course, if they are not joining in the frenzy themselves.
First of all, we have the most serious smear — that she was lying about her Down’s Syndrome son, Trig, being hers at all. Trig was her daughter Bristol's child really. Desperate Housewives meets Conservative Hypocrisy with just a little hint of old redneck inbreeding.
That one having been blown out the water, the commentators turned their fire on her daughter Bristol's pregnancy. So much for a woman's body being her own and ... well ... basic decency. The sophisticated liberal-Left opined that this was a graphic illustration of how the Right's ‘abstinence' policy simply doesn't work (as if no teenager who received a thorough sex education ever got pregnant — oh no, perish the thought).
The unsophisticated Left just revelled in the tackiness of it all. Just look at the rednecked father shotgunned into marrying the White Trash. Look at all those ridiculous names — Trig, Track, Bristol. Snow mobile racing. All that was missing was Britney Spears.
If ‘Trig-gate' was the crown jewel in the blogoshere (merely ‘reported' by the ‘more respected' media), the mainstream was not above inventing a few porkies of their own.
It was confidently reported Palin had been a member of a lunatic fringe party wanting Alaskan independence. How's that for a vice-president — wanting to break up the ol' US of A? A simple scroll through the electoral register would have established the truth but why ruin a good story, huh? Of course, her husband briefly was, so it's now kinda ok to judge a woman's politics through her husband's. Vindication of the rights of wimmin, where are ye? And now the latest, that she had an affair with her husband's business partner. As it is furiously denied both by the Palins and by the ‘wronged' wife, the media are now edging away from that one too.
Most disgusting of all has been the unrelenting torrent of faked pictures depicting Palin as being somewhere between a pole-dancer and a Readers' Wife.
Leather mini-skirts, high-heeled shoes, lots of cleavage. In other words, Palin is being trashed primarily in terms of sex.
Far from being ‘good natured fun', she is being portrayed as a slag. Or dominatrix. Or something unspeakable.
And what do our PC masters, who normally seem to revel in their own pious homilies, have to say? No comment.
With all the lies exposed for what they are, the papers are now reduced to some insanely complicated story about the sacking of a family relative and general mutterings that there’s ‘a lot more to come out' about Sarah Palin.
Maybe so. Few politicians could stand up to the media scrutiny that Palin has endured in the last few days and come through entirely unscathed.
At the root of the biased media assault on Palin is the fact she has shattered the cosy consensus that women are implicitly a) ‘feminist', and b) 'liberal'. How galling it must be for them that the glass ceiling has been shattered by someone who believes in ‘God, Guns and Babies'.
On a visceral level, the Left hates Palin because at first, second and third glance she not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. Hardline on abortion, she chose to give birth to a disabled child. And now she supports her daughter during her ‘embarrassing' pregnancy. A supporter of the war in Iraq, her son is not only in the military but is due to be placed directly in the firing line.
Throw in an unashamedly evangelical Christian believing that creationism should be taught in school, gun-toting and moose hunting, and you have the liberal Left's ultimate nightmare.
And if a woman doesn't agree with them ... well ... she's only asking for it, isn't she?
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Good for Sarah, Finally we have someone every moral person can relate to. We've needed someone like her for many years. All the jealous liberal females should be as smart as she is. Isn't it time to examine all the background of the democrats now? Too bad McCains campaign doesn't dig up the dirt on all the liberals. I respect McCain because he doesn't get down in the mud with the Liberal democrats. Go get um Sarah!!
Posted by Luther | 27.10.08, 12:52 GMT
If the Feminist truly believed in what they spout, Sarah would be would be highly praised. Obviously what the so called women's movement wants is some one who is just left wing. lacking substance and core values of what truly adds to the substance of a person, something many one issue left wing groups have a hard time getting past their shallow noises. Along with several other Left Groups in American politics, it never about the message of truth, It only matters how left of center and vacant you are as an individual!
Posted by Gary | 28.09.08, 20:22 GMT
I endorse the womans stand on political issues but what the hell has her religion got to with it? For the slow learners out there, the constitution of the good ole US of maintains a person's right to hold particular religious beliefs, not force them on anyone else. If you're waiting for the swings to be chained up on the sabbath in DC you may have to wait a while longer.
Posted by Plato | 26.09.08, 13:53 GMT
What a display as a squadron of American Republican posters muscle in to try and sell Sarah Palin ! "Parroting truisms" indeed ! My long-held principles are another man's parroted truisms. Typical American refusal to accept that in Europe the word "liberal" is complimentary : out in the prairies it means "social terrorist" and Northern Ireland readers can like it or lump it - an American is speaking, so shut up.
The only reason for optimism is that, if they are desperate enough to be targetting Enniskillen and Ballymena readers, they must be feeling the wind of change in America howling up their jumpers. I wonder how many votes they expect to get in Limavady ?
Posted by Denis | 15.09.08, 08:48 GMT
Brilliant! - Its nice to see an alternate view that's in contrast to the liberal media's template.
Posted by Stuart | 13.09.08, 07:10 GMT
I am an American woman who has been paying close attention to this important election. In regards to the media attention being given to Gov. Palin, I would argue that it is no less than the non-stop string of false reports and accusations that have been leveled at Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain. I think the focus should be on Gov. Palin's positions, record, and speeches. She has an alarming tendency to outright lie on the campaign trail, claiming she stopped the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere," when actually she supported it. When the US Congress stopped the project, she kept the ear-marked money anyway. I adamently agree with other posters that point out the inherent contradiction in her position on abortion. She tells us that she "chose" to keep her baby with Down's, and that her daughter "chose" to keep her baby, yet she would fight for and enact legislation that would take that right away from other women. They would be pro-choice then, as long as you make the "right" choice.
Posted by Erin | 12.09.08, 17:27 GMT
Thank you for a great article. Yes the democrats should be afraid that Sarah and John are running for office....I am sick and tired of paying taxes to people who want to live on the dole......It has nothing to do with a woman..or a black person.....the bottom line is every time the democrat's get in they have more programs to help the so called poor.....I have to pay for health insurance...they give it away to the poor...I have to pay for my children's education..they give it away to the poor....I buy my groceries...they live on the stamps and eat better than I do.......Maybe we should all quit work and live on the dole...Our country can support us...I make too much to be poor and I am too poor to be rich.......But one thing is certain ..My husband and I will do what we can ..provided someone does not get in there and raise our taxes again...Remember they killed Ceasar because he raised the tax by 1%.............So McCain I am supporting him>>
Maureen
Posted by Maureen Olding | 12.09.08, 00:06 GMT
While McCain has enjoyed a 'bump' in the polls from choosing Palin she was his third choice for the post as his first two were deemed too 'liberal' by the Grand Old Party, (I love the way that intollerant red-neck America use the word liberal as if it were an insult). The fact of her gender should rightly be a non issue, however it is her gun-toting, creationist politics which are frightning. Lets hope for the sake of the world that Obama wins in November, while I like McCain as a person he is being pulled to the right by the linitic/neo-con fringe in his party.
Posted by Ian | 11.09.08, 13:54 GMT
Excellent article Gail! I think the venom of some of the replies vindicates that. Palin has certainly presented the "liberals" with problems. The outcome of the US election will be dictated (rightly) by American domestic issues, not by what we non-Americans think or want. Personally I am very impressed by Sarah Palin whilst having a much higher regard for Obama than for McCain. What I do know is that many America voters are swayed by foreign antagonism towards either candidate. Every time Europeans criticize Bush, McCain, whoever, American support for that individual increases.
Posted by Terry | 11.09.08, 09:44 GMT
"she chose to give birth to a disabled child. " a choice that she would not afford other women, if she had her way.
Posted by Lynn | 10.09.08, 22:52 GMT
Please look up Feminism then Integrity then Hypocrite. The lefts position in regards to Sara Palin makes them look many times worse than the Momma with Moxy. Contempt is growing every day and their bag of tricks is empty. Obama must kick start his campaign without the empty media orgy. Same man same skills flat as a board. I wonder why?
Posted by John | 10.09.08, 17:20 GMT
Gail, I accept that the "made up" criticism of this woman has been unfair and wrong. What I will never accept is the hypocrisy of women in her position who choose to condemn women who choose abortion at the same time as they champion the right to bear arms. Why is abortion wrong while state sanctioned murder is right?
Posted by Anne | 10.09.08, 10:01 GMT
Sarah Palin doesn't scare the democrats at all. She isn't winning any new votes. She is only telling the repubtard base what they want to hear. She would be scary if she could steal away some of those "Hillary votes" but Hillary voters aren't stupid. They weren't just voting for Hillary because she is a woman. They want change. Palin is even further to the right than McCain is. If anything she has hurt mcCain because he can't be viewed as a moderate now.
He is no maverick and she is nothing but a loud mouthed liar there to tell the hooly roller right what it wants to hear. His recruiting her is just another axample of McCain selling out. It's no different than when he was kissing up to Jerry Falwell. He and She both are pathetic.
How did the abstinence work out for her daughter by the way? LOL
Posted by palin sucks | 09.09.08, 21:20 GMT
It is the ferocious tenor of the Democrats’ attack on Sarah Palin that demonstrate just how much they fear her.
And with good reason. To win a presidential election in the USA a Democratic candidate must win the women’s vote by 10-15% to offset how poorly they run amongst men. Yet today’s polls show that among all women, McCain – Palin leads. If that holds through November, Obama is toast.
So the left’s only hope is to discredit Palin. Maybe they’ll be
successful, maybe not. After all it was the left’s disgusting and blatant lies about her that greatly contributed to the audience that watched her speech.
The simple truth is the more the Democrats attack Palin, the more they are open to charges of hypocrisy. For generations they’ve proclaimed themselves the party tolerance, of diversity. Now, suddenly they’re only tolerant women who spout a feminist line.
And that won’t play well with most of America.
Posted by RebelPOW | 09.09.08, 20:44 GMT
What evidence was poduced to debunk the charge that Sarah is not Trigs mother?????? You say that story was blown out of the water. I think you may want to tpost your evidenc, because we're not seeing it.
Posted by Rock & Roll | 09.09.08, 18:13 GMT
I am an American feminist and believe Sarah Palin's views could be terribly detrimental to the rights of women in the US. She made the choice to carry her preganacy to term and her daughter is making the choice to do the same. It is great that they have the resources that so many others facing that decision do not (money and long term financial security, education, family, mental health, etc). Thank goodness it is their right to make the choice since they each carry the responsibility. But saying they are "walking the walk" does not take into account the very different circumstances each woman is in in the face of the same decision (rape, abuse, poverty, lack of support, mental illness, etc). Every woman should have the right to make that choice and Sarah Palin nor any other legislator should take that right away.
Posted by Erin | 09.09.08, 17:53 GMT
My vote is for McCain and Palin, I am a woman, a mother, and an American who is thankful to God for men like McCain that serve country, for women like Palin who are not ashamed to pray and stand up for values, this country has been so full of hate and immoral attitudes, we all wonder what happened to 'the good old days' yet vote to stop open prayer, how happy I am that a woman of faith is on the ticket, yes, they have my vote...and respect.
Posted by rebeka | 09.09.08, 11:57 GMT
Thanks for the article! I've wondered the same - Why the Silence? How can American Feminist sit and watch while Palin's attackers get away with these slams against her family! How about a woman's right to give birth: for her and her daughter? Isn't she the Feminist's dream? Family, Career, Sucess and now potential Vice President. Oh well, at least they like her glasses.
Posted by Mindy | 09.09.08, 11:45 GMT