Liberal Women Hearing Echoes in Criticism of PalinGlad to see that some feminists are beginning to
denounce the sexism coming out of their own party:
And Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn wrote: “Of course, women can be good mothers and have careers at the same time. I’ve done both. Other women in public office have children…but…a mother’s role is different from a father’s.”
The message? Sarah Palin: bad mother.
On that count we have no doubt these accusations would never be made about a man. In that sense, Sally Quinn is right – and that’s why things have got to change.
The very notion that Sarah Palin should not have accepted this nomination because she is a mother with demanding challenges underscores just how far we have to go.
This comes from Women Count. Who are the people behind Women Count? Must be a bunch of fundy anti-abortion, anti-American fundy fundies, right?
Wrong:
Susie Tompkins Buell is the co-founder of ESPRIT. Since selling her business in 1996 she has been heavily involved in political activities. A longtime friend and supporter of Hillary Clinton’s, her main focus is to support and encourage women to enter the political arena as she believes the imbalance of men and women in government is the cause of many of our problems.
Rosemary Camposano (Communications Director, WomenCount) is a former communications and public relations executive working in Silicon Valley for such companies as Motorola, Oracle, Seagate, 3Com, and others. After eight years at home raising her son, she became impassioned about the rapid deterioration of American civil liberties and has become active politically as a result.
Jehmu Greene (Political Director, WomenCount) is the former President of Rock the Vote. She is a regular guest on Fox News Channel and has been featured on The Daily Show, The O'Reilly Factor, Anderson Cooper 360°, MTV News, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, ABC World News, and all major cable news networks. She has also previously worked as Director of Women's Outreach and Southern Political Director at the Democratic National Committee.
Are
they deploring the pick of Palin even as they deplore the sexism of the attacks against her? Nope:
This historic election continues to be noted for its "firsts," and now here's another one: the first woman to be on a Republican presidential ticket. The choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be John McCain's running mate sends a clear message - women voters are the most coveted demographic in this election. The selection is a deliberate effort to reach out to women in this election. After all, women make up more than half of the electorate, and recent polls show that women comprise a majority of undecided voters.
They do highlight that they don't agree with her positions:
Much will be said and written in the days ahead about Gov. Palin's views on issues, and we urge you to consider these positions with depth and thoughtfulness - she is anti-choice, pro-gun, and pro-big oil.
Which is certainly their right as liberal women. But they also make it clear that they will be watching:
It is good for the political process that woman politicians will continue to play such a central role on the campaign trail. Gov. Palin's selection also means the media has another chance to get it right when it comes to covering a serious woman candidate in a presidential election. Just as with Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain, we'll be watching closely to see how she is treated when it comes to gender bias. We need you to be our eyes and ears on the campaign trail. If it happens, WomenCount will be right there.
So please, liberals, continue to tell us that Palin's not a serious candidate.
