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

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

oh god, why would you do that to yourself?? don't read about american politiks. i'm american and I don't even want to read about american politiks. and yes, the misspelling was intentional...because our political system is basically a joke right now. and even thought i'm not voting for mccain, i'm still waiting for someone to jump out from behind a desk and yell,'Gotcha!' over this fuckery of a VP pick.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I know, I just turned down a job on a news mag, but I can't let go of the habit of wanting to know what's happening!

And there are many reasons to thing Palin is a bad pick (lack of experience, fundamentalist policies, no grasp whatsoever on the scope of national infrastructure), yet everyone has gone the anti-feminist route and I am SO CRANKY! And still sick! Wah!

You just deserve something better after the last eight years. Forget Reagan, Nixon is starting to look comparatively quite good.

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

I am wondering if I can stop myself from posting about politics, but I find it hard to resist!

I agree with you. The right to choose means not just the right to terminate a pregnancy, but the right to bear a child with Down's syndrome or the right to be a pregnant teenager. Having sex without birth control may be irresponsible, but it isn't evil, nor is it a badge of shame.

I sense that right now, we're seeing the fragmenting of both major political parties. Despite the cries for unity, there's still a huge schism in the Democrats between the Clinton supporters and the Obama supporters (and Obama didn't help by not choosing Hillary for VP). And within the Republican ranks, the religious fundamentalists are squaring off against the secular social conservatives and libertarians. What I'd love to see coming out of this is a parliamentary system where multiple parties are represented. It seems like a much more functional and representative government than what the US has at present.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Ooh! That WOULD be interesting, though you want to stop before you get to something ridiculous (hello Italy and Israel!).

It has always surprised me that you don't have a real third party. Even the Lib Dems have some influence, and in Australia the Greens have become quite an interesting group now that the Senate is so fragmented.

Still, could be worse, some years it's barely looked as though you have two parties ...

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

They can do what they like with their pants, and their daughters can, too.

OMG. yes. I cannot nod enough.

I've been trying to stay out because just reading the posts have been giving me a headache. But I do have to say that the hypocrisy does not lay with the politician whose daughter got pregnant, but with the people who are making an issue of it.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yes! I am going to turn into one of those mad old women who writes rude letters to journos who bang on about this stuff.

It's because journalists are too lazy to write on topics that are really important about politicians. What about her voting record? What about Alaskan state finances? Industrial relations? Legislative developments?

And as to bloggers and journalers who natter on similarly, GAH! Yes. With you on that.

[uminohikari.livejournal.com]

Palin's positions just don't make sense to me. How can be you against abortion but for the death penalty?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

See, that's the sort of excellent question the media ought to be asking her.

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Typical conservative fundamentalists see abortion as the slaughter of innocents, whereas the death penalty is fitting punishment for evildoers. So they see it as internally logical.

Now don't ask me to explain why they think abstinence-only education will lead to fewer unwanted pregnancies... I haven't figured that one out. ;)

[beatnikspinster.livejournal.com]

It's my own fault for reading about American politics while I'm still sick
It's not wise to read about American politics unless you're drunk. ;)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Heh! You could work on a news mag anywhere outside the US with that attitude ;-)

Good advice!

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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]

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.

[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*]

[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!'

[drgaellon]

this is what happens when you let a bunch of puritans start a nation.

People forget that the Puritans did not come here to found a nation of "religious freedom." They came here to escape religious persecution, which is not the same thing. They had every intention of creating a place which was just as intolerant as Mother England - just within their own values. It was only the influence of non-religious Deists like Adams, Jefferson and Franklin that enshrined religious freedom in our laws... but it never REALLY took hold in the public consciousness, and still hasn't to this day.

[drgaellon]

he seems underneath to be a committed political figure.

No, no he's not. He has slid FAR to the right since announcing his candidacy, turned his back on propositions he was committed to for YEARS because they are against the views of his far-right base, has out-and-out lied about his voting record, and, to cap it off, has selected a monumentally incapable and inappropriate running mate to pander to both that far-right base and women in general. I hope it bites him in the f'ing ass.

[prilbrum.livejournal.com]

HI there

I'm sorry this isn't timely--I'm always a little behind with lj. I haven't read through all the comments, so forgive me if what I say has already been covered.

I'm all for privacy--for all us, and certainly the privacy of a young girl. But the reason this has become such a controversy is the hypocracy of a party that wants to police what the rest of us do in the bedroom. It's the hyprocracy of the fundamentalists who LOVE that, she, as right-wing as they are, has been nominated--and suddenly don't care if things in her life are things they disapprove of in others.

These are the same people who are extremely judgemental when it's other people. Many of the right wing leaders now lauding Sarah Palin have for years preached that a woman's place is in the home,and they are also very punishing to other pregnant teenagers. They made fun of Hillary clinton for years and scrutinized the parenting of any woman democrat politician, or liberal spoksperson.

But when it's their candidate, they don't care. But if it were Obama or Hillary in this position??? These people would be trying to eat them alive.

They support legislation (as does Palin) that abstinence only birth control be taught in school. They don't want sex education. They want to limit all of our daughters right to birth control access. and of course they want to ban abortion. They want to legislate their Christian beliefs, which of course includes constantly oppressing the rights of gay people. Ironically, Sarah Palin struck down funding for a program in Alaska to help pregnant teenage girls.

(As an aside not altogether having to do with this issue, the fundamentalists support her because she wants creationism taught in schools and she denies humans cause global warming)

But mostly--this party which supposedly doesn't want government in our lives--wants government totally in our lives when it has to do with sex. They also want government to be able to track our phone calls and find out which books we check out from the library. So if you disagree with them, they want government to be watching you, all of the time.

As to McCain-- perhaps at one time he earned the title of maverick, but he doesn't live up to the title anymore-- in recent years he has voted 90% with Bush. He has reversed many of his previously held "maverick positions".

And scarily, his talk was hugely aggressive, rather than diplomatic a few weeks ago in the Russia/Georgia situation. And though I so agree Russia over reacted terribly--our media, though not denying the start of it--went on to totally ignore the fact that Georgia attacked first. McCain was going crazy with aggressive rhetoric. We don't need more of the same we've dished up to the world for the last 8 years.

Anyway, back to point--I've always been a huge advocate of privacy. But again, the irony is that the conservatives in the last couple of decades have never respected the privacy of their opponents. They are always making bedroom issues political. I know there have been many terrible and inappropriate speculations regarding Palin's daughter. But pointing out that hypocracy is legit, in my opinion. The rest of us are so tired of being harangued as sinners by the godly right.

Sorry this is a little disorganized. It's a late, right before bed, comment.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

But see, you've just presented an extremely cogent and sensible set of arguments for why Palin is a bad candidate with bad policies without once singing a chorus of "Oh your daughter is a slut and we thought you were lying about the baby, too ..." (which let's face it, a lot of the right are singing along with parts of the left.)

All I'm asking for is that the paid media do the same.

I want to know what's happened to McCain, I am hoping for an Obama victory, but there was a time when both men stood for the public good.

[arobynsung]

Here here!

I write only that because I've been talking in much verbosity on the utter wrongness, there is no other word strong enough, that is the current state of humanity if you can consider imposing a law on people to restrict their write to choice.

Oh look, I wrote more.
Oops.