Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Roads to Hell

This is my first contribution to this new blog, so I was filled with a little trepidation at what I should write about. Although part of me hates to be caught up in the same obsession that seems to have taken hold of our lovely founder, several conversations today have lead me to wander down that road to hell now paved with erstwhile Republicans. I just returned from the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and while there, had the opportunity to see and hear from many of our female elected officials, including several Senators and Congresswomen, and a handful of female representatives of the 4th estate. On more than one occasion, a quote attributed to Madeline Albright, former Secretary of State and Ambassador to the United Nations, was cast upon the winds, its clear intent a clarion call to women: “There’s a special place in Hell reserved for women who don’t help other women.”

This week, watching the ravenous jackals of the media feed on yet another woman, I began to wonder, “Is that help reserved only for the women we like, the ones with whom we agree, the ones whose policies don’t make us cringe in anticipatory fear, or does it mean ALL women? And what exactly is the help we are supposed to provide?”

I wrote the first couple paragraphs of this yesterday, and since then a great deal has transpired, not the least of which are allegations by the Republican party of blatant sexism on the part of the MSM, among others, toward VP nominee, Sarah Palin. Let me say up front, I detest almost everything that Palin stands for in terms of social policy and political theory. That being said, hell yes, she has been the victim of sexism. No male candidate would ever have his credentials as a serious politician questioned simply on the basis of the number of and/or age of his children, their medical conditions or lack thereof, or his parenting skills. Period. Never happen, my friends.

So, why is it considered acceptable to do so with a female politician? And perhaps more specifically, why does much of the Left, for decades the bastion of support for the downtrodden, for minorities squashed under the heel of the Establishment, not only consider indulging in spurious attacks on Palin to be fair game, but their civic duty? Has liberalism always had hidden in a secret compartment in its bag of tricks such sickening, offensive sexism or is it only when women have power within their grasp that it is slipped out into the sweaty palm of the party of the people and wielded like a baseball bat in the hands of a four year old; with little finesse, but a lot of enthusiasm?

And why do we let them?

There have been few card carrying members of the Left who have dared to rally to Palin’s defense, Hillary Clinton’s former communications director, Howard Wolfson being one of them. “There’s no way those questions would be asked of a male candidate,” said Howard Wolfson, a former top strategist for Clinton’s presidential campaign.

I won’t even begin my litany of the absolutely abhorrent, disgustingly sexist things said about Hillary Clinton during the primary season....none of us has that much time. Suffice it to say, I haven’t been surprised by the attacks on Palin. Merely surprised by the response, especially by prominent Democratic women. I hate to be the one to point this out to such esteemed political leaders and members of Congress, but silence is a statement in itself. It is tacit approval and acceptance of all the jokes, all the veiled remarks, all the outright fabrications.

Attack Palin’s stance on abortion, on off-shore drilling, and same-sex marriage. Question her experience and her ability to deal with real issues like foreign policy and the economy should she be required to do so. But do not say that if she hadn’t been so busy running for office and then running a state that her 17 year old daughter wouldn’t be pregnant. Do not ask how a mother with five children can possibly be Vice President. Do not second guess her decision to have a child with Down’s Syndrome. And for Heaven’s sake, for Madeline Albright’s sake, do not stand idly by and allow anyone else to do so. Doing so takes us all a little closer to the special place in Hell reserved for women who don’t help other women.

My two cents....adjusted for inflation. Feel free to toss in a couple pennies of your own.

Few

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