Friday, August 29, 2008

Fellow Gentlemen of the Democratic Party

Please do not attempt to attack Sarah Palin in the following ways:

- Making innuendos about her appearance (ex: a friend of mine's away message "sure she's hot, but is she ready to lead?")
-Snide comments about her beauty pageant experience (ex: Paul Begala on CNN "she seemed very poised, probably got that from her beauty pageant days")
-Any observation on clothing (the only acceptable outfit for female politicians is the pantsuit, its not their fault, its the society)
-Suggesting she is a vapid ditz (http://sarahpalin.typepad.com/)

Sarah Palin, on her own, will not draw many democratic women away from the party. The sight of male democrats dusting off a suite of sexist tropes to attack her, might.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is why I love you. :)

Gavin said...

Why should we shy away from mentioning her physical attractiveness? Certainly this plays a significant role in her status as GOP Rising Star, and potentially has repercussions (though overblown as you acknowledge) in the general election? Sexism, as exemplified by your quotations, is to be discouraged, but commenting on hotness isn't necessarily sexism. Much has been made of Obama's sexiness (topless beach photos anyone?). Dan Quayle's boyish good looks were fair game in '88 and '92 (as was his 'ditsiness'). American politics is partially (mostly!) aesthetic and that Palin reads as "MILF" to many Americans shouldn't be brushed under the rug, particularly by cultural commentators.

Anonymous said...

As a former pageant guru, I have to say that it's hilariously awesome that pageants have played such a role in this election. GOP VP candidate - former miss alaska 1st runner up. GOP presidential candidate's wife - former pageant contestant. Dem presidential candidate - rise to senate helped by miss america 4th runner up making accusations in divorce proceedings.

God bless the USA and all the pageant girls in it!

Anonymous said...

As the person who away messaged the "sure she's hot, but is she ready to lead?" comment (or, if not, someone who also had a status message very similar to that at a similar time), in my defense:

1) She's actually kind of hot.

2) In my opinion, she's not ready to lead.

3) While neither of these things actually affect the other, the rhetorical juxtaposition (and the implication that the hotness was a selling point politically that is, reportedly, at least for some, papering over her non-readiness to lead) is darkly humorous.

4) Though I identify as a heterosexual male, I believe that Bruce Willis is also hot, and yet not ready to lead our great nation.

5) I hate, and am very sensitive to, when commentators pull this shit on TV or in newspapers about female politicians or public figures as well. Nobody comments on McCain's or Obama's choice of suits, thus nobody should be commenting on Hillary's. People who read my status messages are people who know me, know my politics, and will understand the tongue-in-cheek context in which that comment was made.

6) That said, anyone I don't know making such a comment in public (especially in print or broadcast media) deserves to be smacked around.

7) That is all.