Did I hallucinate the 70s?

[blamebrampton]

Warning: Humourless grumping follows.

Goodbye, feminism, we hardly knew you.

It's my own fault for reading about American politics while I'm still sick, but I am now sick and cranky and too weak to throw things in the directions they should be thrown.

A woman's right to own her own body and make choices about it is for all women. Not all women except the daughters of conservative politicians. All of them.

If you, as I do, disagree with Sarah Palin's position on abortion, then you can write to her, vote against anti-abortion politicians in your area, or donate money to women's health clinics. Don't weigh in on her daughter. It's obnoxious, whether it comes from the right or from the left. 

Women have enough difficulties asserting ownership over their own bodies as it is.

It's not as though there aren't genuine political issues that are worth being involved with and angry about in America at the moment. The delightful kestrelsparhawk  has been chronicling police reaction to protests against the Republican National Convention. Observers, journalists and lawyers sent into represent others have been detained, handcuffed and arrested in a manner that makes mock of the Land of the Free. Flick over and read, the entries aren't locked.

This is not the Republican Party of Lincoln, this is not the America of its Constitution. To be fair, I doubt it is the Republican Party of John McCain. But I sadly suspect that he is not the party. I would be far more cheerful about the state of international affairs if he was. While he may have issues with keeping his pants up, he seems underneath to be a committed political figure. I may prefer Obama, but all I ask from political leaders is diligence and good legislation. They can do what they like with their pants, and their daughters can, too.

Comments

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Flattery will get you everywhere! :)

I believe all politicians have to make unethical compromises to get ahead. It's a fishy business. I can't imagine being involved in it.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I think there is a simple and powerful point to be made that by asking for privacy in that matter she is asking for something that she wants to deny other women - the right to self determination.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I see your point, but I think that her public positions give more than enough room to argue that her policies are bad for women without having to drag her daughter into things.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

That's what upsets me. It used to be about civic responsibility and duty. I think that was a lot better!

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

It used to be about civic responsibility and duty.

When was that, exactly? ;)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

1560-1602. Great times ...

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

I don't think you should vilify the poor girl. She has enough on her plate with marriage, child, and that name, but still...how can you have a discussion about sex education being based round abstinence without thinking about her daughter it's almost audible.

I see it as the elephant in the room. Even if you don't come out and say it, it's there, the silent sentence at the end of every response un/like your daughter

[tnumfive.livejournal.com]

I think Palin is just a gimmick. The Republican's haven't been getting much press this election, and so they said "Look! We can be politically correct too! A female VP candidate!". It is my opinion that she's just a desperate and blatant attempt to get some minority and women voters on McCain's side. It can't be because of her qualifications, she has none.

As for her family issues, I agree that they should stay in family. It is a bit sad that her poor daughter is being forced into a shotgun marriage because honestly, the girl's 5 months along and it's only now just been suggested that she and her boyfriend get hitched?

I've talked to a few other people and a lot of people see it that way. I'm developing plans in case McCain does win this election, I have no intention of staying in the US. Do you think it'll be just cause for political amnesty? XD

[brinian.livejournal.com]

Ms Palin is one scary scary woman. I'm all in favor of solidarity with women, but whoah...not going THERE! Totally agree her daughter should be off the table. OTOH, isn't it ironic that she's such a died-in-the-wool supporter of abstinence-only sex education.

Having grown up very near Washington DC, I will say that if the parents of many of the children of political figures spent as much time with their children as they do telling other people how to raise theirs, the politico's own kids would be much better off.

[acromantular.livejournal.com]

Why not?
The Swedes have a Pirate Party, which is actually doing quite well.

[acromantular.livejournal.com]

And here I thought you meant ancient Rome.

[(Anonymous)]

It's been written about but not as much as her youngest son and her eldest daughter. It has been said the daughter being pregnant was no big secret before Palin was tagged for McCain's running mate. The cynical part of me suspects the announcement of the daughter's pregnancy was timed deliberately to distract from what is truly troubling about Palin. The daughter only helps her position with the religious fundimentalists because she's keeping the baby and marrying the father. Plus, I think they are secretly hoping someone opposing the ticket WILL pick on the daughter: there's very little that's more bullying than picking on a pregnant teenager. Obama himself has said a candidate's family and especially children are off limits and won't comment any further of Palin's children. Still, the fact the media is all over it, garners sympathy for the Palin family.

Palin opposed designating polar bears an endangered species because it restricts oil drilling. She also does not believe pollution or any human action is responsible for global warming.She supports opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. She did increase taxes for oil company profits though.

She is against gun control. At one point, she started to push for "creationism" to be taught in Alaska public schools; but she then backed down. She has stated she would not support any sex education in public school beyond abstinence-only.

She has stated she supports Alaska's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. However, her first veto as governor was to kill a bill that would have barred the state from granting health and retiree benefits to the partners of gay state employees. She also states some of her best friends are gay. :P

When she became governor, she sold the jet the previous governor bought. She became popular for stopping work on an expensive bridge to an island with a very small population; but she initially supported the project.

There has been much reporting on who Palin supported for President in 2000. McCain has stated claims from the media that Palin supported Pat Buchanan are part of a media "smear campaign" against her. Palin claims she supported Steve Forbes. She did wear a Buchanan button when he visited the small city she was mayor of at the time. She claims it was merely meant as a sign of respect and a welcome to the community. (Frankly, I DO see wearing a candidate's button as an endorsement. You can welcome someone and respect someone without wearing their button. ... though personally, I'm not particularly in favor of respect and welcome of Buchanan either.) I won't go into huge detail about Pat Buchanan but he has claimed AIDS was "nature's retribution" against homosexuality and that Hitler was a "man of courage." (Much has been said about the latter comment being "taken out of context" but ... whatever.) Buchanan has claimed Sarah Palin did fund raising for him.

Another thing McCain is calling a "smear" is the media claim that Palin is a member of the "Alaskan Independence Party." Palin insists she has been a Republican since 1982 and McCain camp produced records support this. AIP's chairman claims Sarah Palin WAS a member. Palin's husband was officially registered with the AIP party. The AIP is a fierce state rights group who want to return federal lands back to the state. Some members support sucession from the US.

Regardless of whether the above "smears" are true or not, it is pretty clear to me that Sarah Palin leans quite decidedly right wing politically.


As far as Sarah Palin's record in general: she was mayor of a city with a population of about 8,000 for 8 years. She has been governor of the state with the lowest population density in the US (about one person per square mile) for less than two years. There isn't much record to report, frankly.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

See, a long list of perfectly good reasons why she is an appalling candidate. Did any of them make it into most of the opinion pieces I read yesterday? Oh no.

I found it interesting that she supported rights for gay partners, the line drawing that so many religious conservatives do never ceases to fascinate me. Bet she eats shellfish, too.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Well, they had good political leadership for a while, but they also had slavery and diplomacy by army, so I stuck with Elizabeth's advisers, who were on the whole less scary.

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

when i was back in the states, they were speculating about where john edwards had been putting his dick and whether he had a love child. cnn was obsessed by it. they seemed genuinely stricken that we may never know if it's his child.

this is what happens when you let a bunch of puritans start a nation. [*nods*]

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

OTOH, isn't it ironic that she's such a died-in-the-wool supporter of abstinence-only sex education.

hating politics in general and being out of the states now i didn't know this (though could have guessed it if given a thought). i find that hysterical.

part of me can't believe she'd accept the nomination knowing what it would put her daughter through. but maybe it's penance for her sins.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

this is what happens when you let a bunch of puritans start a nation. [*nods*]

I've been so very carefully not saying that, but oh goodness it's true!

I remember back in 2000 when people are going on at great length about whether or not Dubya had ever used cocaine, and I was one of the many saying: 'Who cares? Surely the fact that he's an IDIOT should matter more!'

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

yeah, the fact that she's a woman isn;t enough to make me overlook her manifest unsuitability for the job. However I do believe her daughter should be off the table.

And yes, we have a whole culture that rewards lifestyles that are bad for parenting. I am always stunned to hear pollies speaking out against gay parenting, because it's one of the few family structures where you know the parents have put a lot of thought into the process before the kids come along. We need more, not less, of that.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am now planning to name my firstborn Newfoundland, or possibly Seattle.

But I'd rather she remain the elephant in the room than find herself plastered across the media. The whole Bristol=slag subtext that's been trotted out in a lot of publications is deeply unfair. And it's not as though anyone save her mother and a few other political morons really believes there's any point to abstinence only 'education'.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You are very wise!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

The Canadians were running a Marry An American for Canadian Citizenship campaign after the last election, I think that many states would see another four years of the GOP as reason to offer asylum.

And yes, I do imagine there was a bit of cynical Hillary vote grabbing, but sadly, Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I was rather hoping they would have longships and parrots. Still, very cool name!

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

it's not like the kiwis or the brits or others aren't a little overly fascinated with what stars/politicians are doing, but it's this odd over reaction to sex in particular in the states. i was ranting about cnn/edwards and americans i respect were trying to convince me that where one puts one's (or allows someone else to put their) dick somehow relates to how well one can run a country. it gets all tied back to this honesty and ability to trust someone thing. i say, fine, don't marry the wo/man, but if s/he can make a sane deal with gordon brown, or helen clark or whoever, and cares about the environment and is halfway sane on other issues, elect them and stay out of their bedroom.

[*shrugs*] i mean the kiwis gave the conservative party leader a pretty bad time when he cheated on his wife, but it was mostly because he got caught out for being so hypocritical. and it certainly didn't ruin his career or carry on for long.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

The Kiwis aren't so bad. The English press has declined markedly over my lifetime. Yes, it should be skills, not shagging, that determines leadership.

Is it wrong that I now rather want Helen Clark to take over the world?

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

i'm rather fond of helen myself, but i fear her days are numbered. to tell the truth i am a bit afeared for the results of the upcoming election. i'm pretty sure it'll be our turn to have a ridiculously conservative and not so bright leader.