I will admit, I was never Hillary Clinton's biggest fan. But during the Democratic Convention, when she so eloquently pointed out that her mother was born before women could vote, and her daughter was able to vote for her, Hillary did for me what Obama had done throughout the primaries- she gave me a reason to be proud of my country again, and for the first time, I fully understood why so many women in her generation had such a hard time letting go of her nomination. Oh, the irony of what was to follow, for little did she or I know that a woman we had never heard of was about to crap all over the Presidential campaign and insult women in politics with the sheer stupidity of her presence.
I know many people who, in the pre-Palin era, claimed that feminism was obsolete, that equality had been achieved. Although I disagree with this for many reasons, their arguments had some rational basis. Not anymore. McCain’s strategic placement of Sarah Palin as the VP candidate has destroyed the strongest of those arguments, and I cannot think of a time in the past eight years that feminism has been more relevant or more important than it is now.
Although I personally think Palin is a national disgrace and an insult to women, I must commend the McPalin ticket for sufficiently convincing some of the electorate that Sarah Palin somehow stands for feminism. If the McCain campaign succeeds in its apparent quest for a total Orwellian redefinition of the English language, their definition of feminism would go something like this:
"Feminism is no longer about equality, nor is it about ending oppression. Feminism means that if a woman is attractive, anti-abortion, pro NRA, against gay marriage, and knows what ‘Joe Sixpack’ wants, she is unquestionable and should not be criticized for her poor oratory skills. If said woman meets these requirements, she can do anything, and if you say she can’t, you are a sexist. Feminism, therefore, means that women should not be held to the same standard as men, because they will never be as experienced or as smart as white men. Finally, feminism means that if a woman displays intelligence and substance, she should be held to a higher standard than men, and ridiculed for her appearance, whatever that may be."
Sexism according to the GOP:
"The act of criticizing any woman used as a ploy by the Republican Party."
I.Am.So.Pissed.Off. If I am this angry, I can only begin to comprehend what Hillary feels. Which is why, in solidarity, I address the rest of this diary to her:
Hillary, as a woman who strongly supports Barack Obama, and did so in the primaries, and as a woman who disagreed with you at times, I want you to know that your historic, courageous run for the Democratic nomination means so much to me. I have always respected you greatly; you are an incredible woman.
To begin with, I want to express my gratitude to you for your hard work and achievement throughout your career. I want to congratulate you for your substantial achievements in politics, for your brave and groundbreaking fight for public healthcare reform, your brilliant career as a first lady, the beauty, grace, and fortitude you displayed in the public eye during some hard times, for having the sagacity to know that ‘family values’ are not a matter of public policy but of personal choice, for your career in the senate, and your run for the democratic nomination; you made history, you were an inspiration to women everywhere and I thank you.
And now I want to apologize to you, on behalf of the McCain campaign, for they certainly won’t do it themselves, for this travesty the GOP calls Sarah Palin, and for the GOP’s attempt to turn feminism into just another one of their buzzwords. If they had their way, they would erase every iota of meaning from the word feminism, and shelve it right there next to reform, maverick, terror, and all the other empty rhetoric they’ve acquired, dusting it off only when it’s time to win votes on empty promises.
I apologize for this absolute mockery of your hard work, and I am sorry that you cannot debate Palin in order to remind misled voters who are impressed by her ‘folksy charm’, what a real woman is made of. And gosh darn it Hillary, it is not sexy heels or $300 dollar glasses or a career as a hockey mom or the ability to sound stupid, twinkle your empty eyes, and wink at the camera in order to stupefy your audience into forgetting the facts. A real woman, a woman who is qualified to run this country, can speak in a complete sentence, is intelligent, witty, respectful, can absolutely hold her own in any interview or debate, runs on her own merits, is well versed in foreign and domestic policy, is not a puppet for her political party, and is able to stand before America and tell the truth. You are all of these things and more, Hillary, and I am sorry that you have seen them dangerously trampled on by McCain’s disregard for the well being of our nation and his blatant disrespect for women.
I apologize for the sexism you experienced at the hands of the media, the same media that now touts Palin’s idiotic performance in the Vice Presidential debate, perhaps the most idiotic political performance in history, as a ‘a success’ . I am sorry that critics of Palin are being called ‘sexists’, when many of them are feminists. And subsequently, I am sorry that the republicans have been even marginally effective at conflating these two completely opposite terms.
I am sorry they unleashed this self-proclaimed ‘pit-bull with lipstick’ onto the American people as a ploy to win over your disappointed supporters, adding insult to injury. However, as disappointed as your supporters were, I know that they will never vote to support Palin, not after she has proven to be less informed than George Bush and aspires to be as dangerous as Dick Cheney.
And in light of all this, I am sorry that Sarah Palin has the impudence to claim that she can share those ‘eighteen-million cracks in the glass ceiling’ with you. She can’t . You put them there all by yourself. Palin was busy moose-hunting and arranging her teenage daughter’s shotgun wedding.
All that said Hillary, although it probably pains you to watch her, I hope that Palin keeps doing what she is doing, because it only makes McCain look worse. It seems quite likely that these two buffoons will continue to blunder and flail their way to election night, and as long as Obama stays ahead, that is just fine by me. Palin can put her lipstick wherever she wants; but it won’t change the doublespeak that comes out of her mouth in incoherent jumbles, it won’t make her look smart, and it will not make her qualified to run in this election. That’s all you Hillary. With or without lipstick, you are the real deal, and I know that on November 4th, millions of Americans will vote with you in mind, so that Palin never gets her hands on what you came so close to achieving on your own. Americans will vote for Obama. They will vote for change, the change we need in order to preserve and progress all you have done for women and for our country!