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Hillary and Sarah's Common Theme
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As Sarah Palin braces for a fresh round of attacks linked to her book release—and Hillary Clinton returns from a bruising trip to Pakistan—Meghan McCain says the media’s constant bullying of women leaders is scaring young women away from politics.
I have admired Hillary Clinton for years. Though we disagree on nearly everything politically, I respect the barriers she has broken as a woman in American politics, and what she’s had to go through to get there. Those “18 million cracks in the glass ceiling” will hopefully make other women’s journeys in politics easier in the future, but sometimes I am not so sure.
During her years in the White House, Hillary Clinton redefined what it meant to be first lady. She was involved with policy meetings and decisions her husband made—something that is still controversial to this day. Hillary was either a pioneer or overstepped her boundaries as first lady, depending on who you talk to. Since leaving the White House, she became the first former first lady to be elected to the Senate and the first appointed to another administration’s Cabinet. Admittedly, it has been a complicated and somewhat controversial first year as secretary of State. Then again, to be a powerful woman in politics is to be controversial.
Admittedly, it has been a complicated and somewhat controversial first year as secretary of State. Then again, to be a powerful woman in politics is to be controversial.
Perhaps the most famous incident in her tenure was the day she snapped at a student in the Congo after a question was mistranslated and she was asked what President Clinton thought about an issue rather than President Obama. “My husband is not the secretary of State, I am,” she roared back. “You ask me my opinion, I will give you my opinion, I won’t be channeling my husband.”
When I first saw the video, I thought she was great and reacted as strongly as any man would. After all, she is the secretary of State and for someone to ask her spouse’s opinion is ridiculous, even if the translator misspoke. In retrospect, I wish she had kept her cool, because the incident only seemed to confirm what misogynists have said for years—women are too unstable to hold positions of power.
• Tina Brown: Hillary Finally Doffs Her BurqaI myself straddle the line between political commentator and a member of the political universe (in the sense that I have campaigned and know what it’s like to be in the trenches when you’re under fire) and it’s not easy being a woman. But it’s a dilemma that I and every woman of my generation face. We want to be involved in politics—perhaps even run for office—but it’s a steep price to pay. One day there will be a woman president, we are all told as little girls. You too can be a congresswoman or senator. But the reality of today is that to do so, you have to give up so much, in a way that is never asked of a man, and I believe running for office has become less and less appealing for women.
In fact, it’s gotten so ugly out there that two of the most prominent women in politics—Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin—have become verbs: Candidates now regularly get “Hillary Clintoned” or “Sarah Palined” in the media. Misogyny works on both sides of the aisle.
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The Daily Beast is dedicated to news and commentary, culture, and entertainment. We carefully curate the web’s most essential stories and bring you original must-reads from our talented contributors.
How Rich People Smoke Pot
Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Politicians Need Privacy, Too
Meghan McCain is a columnist for The Daily Beast. Originally from Phoenix, she graduated from Columbia University in 2007. She is a New York Times bestselling children's author, previously wrote for Newsweek magazine, and created the Web site mccainblogette.com.
Yes, I'm a Pure Republican
Meghan McCain is a columnist for The Daily Beast. Originally from Phoenix, she graduated from Columbia University in 2007. She is a New York Times bestselling children's author, previously wrote for Newsweek magazine, and created the Web site mccainblogette.com.
America's Boob Police
Meghan McCain is a columnist for The Daily Beast. Originally from Phoenix, she graduated from Columbia University in 2007. She is a New York Times bestselling children's author, previously wrote for Newsweek magazine, and created the Web site mccainblogette.com.
dooreen
This is a great article. I think it is going to take time.
The way women behave towards women, can also limit opportunities. I have been amazed at the lack of respect women show other women, when they have a position of power.
I think managing by objectives, where goals and issues verses personalities are used as talking points, might be the only way to avoid making unfair assumptions about people based on personal characteristics.
crypto
Right on target. I believe Hillary could have won this last election had it not been for Pelosi. Hillary president??? Not acceptable to Pelosi. She could not control her.And I believe Howard Dean was told NOT to offer any party help to Hillary. Pelosi is a snake and she is much more against women; She want's the whole spotlight. And all these wannabes (men) suck up to her daily. That she likes.
KateTheGreat
I dissagree...I was all for Hillary until she adopted a "GOP-style" attack campaign that was lower-than-low. If she had stayed classy, truthful, but tough - she would likely be president now. She also made the grave mistake of only cultivating high-end doners and leaving everyone else out -- an elitist attitude that didn't sit will with me at all.
AlanD2
crypto: I think it was Hillary's tactics that lost her the race - not competing in small states and thinking she could win by Super Tuesday.
You sound like just another Pelosi hater, which is sad, since she is one of the greatest Speakers of the House ever.
MondoBizzaro
Kate: Hilary made a mistkae cultivating high-end donors??!! Then what was Obama doing when he was taking millions from Hollywood big wigs like David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg?! Also, Obama's fundraising eclipsed Hillary so bad that she had to donate 5 million out of her own pocket to stay competitve with him. Let's not forget that Obama was also fundraising for a general election campaign before he even had the Democratic nomination... so who's the elitist here?
TeresaInPa
The DNC rigged the primaries for Obama and Donna Brazzile was the driving force behind the rigging.
djaymick
Great article. I couldn't agree with you more. This problem was prevalent during last year's campaign. Hillary was blasted by people holding signs that read, "Iron my Short, B****" and "Bros before H*s". The same treatment was given to Sarah Palin when Obama supporters wore "Sarah Palin is a C**t". What transpired in the interim (no media or NOW protests) was that Americans (at least the supporters of Obama) thought this was acceptable.
When these organizations decide to play politics instead of actually doing their jobs, they are undermining their credibility. Why did it take three days before NOW denounced David Letterman? Because it was better to blast Palin than denounce it. NOW, in my opinion, is nothing but a political outlet and doesn't represent the interests of all their constituents. And whatever announcement or criticisms that they level against anyone will be viewed as self-serving. It's a shame it's come to this.
gak001
Well, if you're looking at net benefit for women's causes, Sarah Palin doesn't do much for them. She took away funding for rape kits - RAPE KITS!!! -, is anti-abortion, and quit her job as governor before her term was over. She is like a one-woman women's rights wrecking crew.
bgeasyas123
Excellent point dooreen, but I would take it one step farther and say that we need to look at our classrooms and playgrounds. The way girls treat one another in schools is one of the most deplorable things I have ever seen. I am not trying to make generalizations, but i can't say I am shocked at the attitudes I see in politics when I think about the ruthlessness women displayed towards one another as teenagers.
Bulldoglover100
It's NOT the things they share that will leave Palin in the dust and keep people from EVER even thinking they are alike, it's the thing they DON'T....BRAINS
TeresaInPa
really? You think a woman comes from nothing and becomes governor because she has no brains? What other band wagons have you jumped on lately?
jdthunder
Dear Meghan,
I was turned on to The Beast because of you. Your perspective is intriguing, your opinion is unique. Your writing style is polished, informative and entertaining. Why do you have to ruin it by throwing Sarah Palin at the end of the article to remind us that you're a republican? Let me get this straight. You have a problem with one remark by Sec. Clinton because it helps "confirm what misogynists have said for years-women are too unstable to hold positions of power."? What about the dozens of remarks by Palin? I can't wait for your reaction about the book. Watch out, your head might explode.
I still love you though.
gak001
I don't remember which comedian said it, but the gist was that if blacks had a majority like women do, then there'd be a new black president every week. It's been my experience that many successful women are very territorial, and it's a shame, because they should be giving each other a fair shake instead of cutting down some perceived potential competition.
brennx0r
If I remember correctly, Hillary Clinton faced this lack of respect during her campaign - from Sarah Palin, no less.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/did-palin-call.html
Palin says, "When I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate with any kind of perceived whine about that excess criticism or, you know, maybe a sharper microscope put on her, I think, man, that doesn't do us any good. Women in politics, women in general wanting to progress this country. I don't think it's, it bodes well for her -- a statement like that."
dooreen
If I was a woman of Meghan's age, what would inspire me, to run?
I guess a chance to represent my constituents, maybe having a chance to be a lawmaker and to make the world a better place, and maybe a chance to get to ride in air force 1 and marine 1.
I see a woman from Meghan's age group becoming president way before I see that opportunity happening for a woman in my age group. Partly because the young men seem so much more open than the men from my generation. I see the same thing in business. This new generation seems very polite, techno savvy, and is our hope for the future.
Obama, had barriers too, one being black, or partly black, then he had that birther movement. Why did he want to overcome these barriers, so he could make a difference I guess.
To live in a world where a person is not judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.
To live the dream.
loloo33
Nope, it's simply because the young mens are more weaker and much more loosers these days.
dooreen
I remember when I was trying to create an online identity, a long time ago, in the time of windows 95, the local "service" charged me $30 for putting a copy of the card I gave them which was just meant to give them information, when I hired them to make me for a web page. They didn't even bother to use a template or anything, and then acted stupid, pretending that they didn't know I would have been better off not having a web page, than one looking like that.
Then this young man, at the time, I showed him "the good deal" they gave me, and he made a real nice one for me, and charged me nothing.
And that is the experience I draw my impression from. This young man gave me something to build on, the older man, from my age group, really took advantage of me, everyday I see the same attitude. The men and women just cannot be bothered to put any effort into interacting, they get information wrong, block doors, block driveways, and frivolous what you are doing.
When the young men come in, they are very nice, enthusiastic, and give hope for the future. It is too bad we are sending some off as cannon fodder.
crngndmhm
"the young mens are more weaker and much more loosers these days."
Sorry but having a healthy respect for women does not equate weakness, I think attests more to the fact that I judge people by their actions and qualifications other than some idiotic factor. I treat people with respect until they show that they're undeserving, such as posting an asinine comment with poor grammer and made up words.
loloo33 sir or madam you are a douche bag
gak001
I'm with the non-vowelular fellow on this one.
tkatrina
It's jarring to me to see 'a chance to ride in air force 1' as a part of a pros list on why to run for office when there are so many more important things to worry about.
dooreen
I was joking :). Of course it is not the top reason to run.
I my books, the top reason possibly is to be all powerful, and getting saluted to when walking out of Air Force 1 or Marine 1.
gak001
I'm going to go with, that was metonymy.
YogiBarrister
Oh for crying out loud! I just read a comment by another confused Republican woman equating Glen Beck to Rachel Maddow. Now MM writes that Clinton and Palin are comparable?
Goldilocks says," This female politician is too smart, and that one is too stupid, I know how about Meghan McCain, she's kind of dumb, but not as dumb as Sarah Palin"
maryblair
YogiBarrister, I can hardly believe my eyes. While I am not a big Palin fan and don't think she's qualified or smart enough to have been on the ticket with John McCain (McCain just HAD to do his stupid maverick thing, ugh) to say that Palin is dumber than Meghan McCain is pretty astonishing. Palin was the governor of Alaska, no small feat. Meghan McCain would have trouble locating Alaska on a map...but she does know what all the Hollywood celebs are wearing. Do you pay any attention at all to what Meghan says/writes? To say she's as dumb as a box of rocks would be an insult to all rocks.
YogiBarrister
Maryblair, yes I've read Meghan's stuff here and I will bet you as much money as you'd like that she scored higher on her SATs and carried a higher GPA than Palin. Ignorance isn't Palin's biggest weakness though, it's her pettiness, her vanity, and inability to tell the truth that make her so unpleasant. I don't think MM posseses any of those qualities, and I seriously doubt she disagrees with Clinton on nearly every issue. Forget the SATs, the way to measure McCain's intelligence is for her to do a Ben Franklin List on Clinton vs Palin. The more entries she puts on the Clinton side of the ledger, the smarter she is.
j831526
If you have such a low opinion of Ms. McCain, why do you read her stuff? I've never met her, but I'd bet a lot of money on her over a box of rocks. She graduated from a top university and wrote for a respected national news magazine; stupid people don't have those credentials. Her Beast pieces are well written, entertaining, and thought provoking without the rabid pit bull approach so popular with many columnists.
meede1
Palin became Governor for the fact that Alaskans did not want Murkowski for another term. It wasn't because of her expertise or knowledge - she had none then nor now.
As for my reading Meghan's story, it's to see what the whiner had to say on the subject of women as after her last tantrum of her twitter picture. Should she have had any credibility then, she lost it in her childish display. Before Meghan writes about 'women' or thinks she should have any respect from women, she should actually grow up and act like one.
genmanager
wrong, wrong, wrong, Ms. McCain is about a 100x's smarter than the deadbrain candidate her father chose to be his running mate.
speekup
@maryblair
No matter what party you favor, what your political beliefs may be, how much you may know about anything, it is just plain damn rude and vicious to leave such a comment on Meghan McCain's blog. (Although I'd love to be able to comment on your blog in a similar vein.) She deserves some respect for the efforts she's made and for her general tendency to look at both sides of an issue, hardly something that could be said for Sarah "The Quitter" Palin and her narrow fundamentalist ideology.
sophia5
Like . . . Oh My God . . . Like . . . Fer Sure . . . Meghan
Sorry,
Hillary has a brain and can string more than two articulate sentences together, unlike her " counterpart. "
Parsifals
It is exactly this kind of response that MM is talking about--a general disdain for female voices. And I hardly think the article is about a direct comparison but rather a smart one--two different women, two different styles, two different political parties, yet, in the end, treated rather the same.
And furthermore, having read a few of Ms. McCain's pieces I would say she is a thinker, and one growing into her own skin--something to applaud not scoff at here or elsewhere.
DeaconDrJones
Who care if she's a thinker? She's full of it. She has a direct line to print because of her last name, the nepotism express. There's a phrase where I come from that describes her (and GWB, BTW) "(s)he was born on third base and (s)he thinks (s)he hit a home run."
I can't see any point to her articles except to couch what are ignorant positions in some kind of fancy "thinker" dressing so they seem rational. Very common among conservative "thinkers."
Hillary Clinton has spent the last four decades working toward her goals, Sarah Palin had a moment in the spotlight and she shit canned her job to cash in on it. I, like so many others, was appalled to see Hillary using the same obnoxious Republican lowest common denominator crap during her campaign while Obama came across as more what I had been demanding for the last 8 years. Their femininity had nothing to do with it and to suggest otherwise is cheap.
dooreen
I face the same thing in business. I always think how much easier it is for my male neighbour, whose right to manage is never challenged the way mine is, almost every day.
Then you go back to the old serenity prayer, which I did have on my fridge before it got stolen. You have to know what you can change, and accept what you can't, and have wisdom to know the difference.
ppatt54
I can appreciate the various aspects of misogny and gender-based stereotypes to which we've been conditioned. Some was even unfair to Palin. But to even mention Clinton and Palin in the same breath without making some disclaimers regarding respective knowledge, depth and insight should exile you to a job at the desk of Tiger Beat. There was a lot of legitimate poking fun of Palin that was triggered by her sheer vacuousness and was in no way misogyny. Women were even laying it on Palin.
I will grant you that on occasion Palin detractors criticized in tired, hackneyed ways so this is something for which it pays to be very specific to give weight to your perceptions.
Prince-O
I supported Clinton over Obama, and i would support everyone over Palin... Putting the 2 women in the same breathe, i believe takes away from your interesting article. Palin was a prominent politician for about 3 months, i believe she is now irrelevant. Clinton has been relevant in politics for at least the past 20 years, and still would be for the next 15 if she wants to be.
Isayah09
You are smart, you just left Sarah. Otherwise the right wingers will bounce so many times here.
maryblair
I realize that Meghan McCain's sole reason for living is to whine and complain but this is really juvenile crap. She is right about one thing, though. If her brother were writing this column, you can bet he'd get a lot more respect than Meghan gets, and contrary to what the poor little victim believes, it has nothing to do with gender. She's a lazy, spoiled brat who has never done anything in her life to earn respect, but then whines and complains because she doesn't get any respect. How can a grown woman who writes columns demanding "Don't Call Me Fat!" and "Don't Call Me A Slut!" (AFTER accidentally-on-purpose showing her gargantuan boobs to the world) deem herself worthy of respect? Whether she's claiming it for herself or on behalf of other people (in this case, women) Meghan is all about victimhood.
debnewyorker
true dat
AlanD2
Whine and complain, maryblair?
Talk about pots and kettles...
emt-rick
Use some examples if you are going to criticize. Does anyone here know how to debate in a mature and educated way? Maryblair, you call Meghan "a lazy, spoiled brat", but there is no proof in your pudding. The point of this article is to show how two women (from opposite ends of the political spectrum) suffer from the same negative comments. Is she demanding respect for herself? I didn't get that from this article. Maybe someone who obviously has a prejudiced opinion of Ms. McCain might get that. As for the articles on "Don't Call Me Fat" and "Don't Call Me A Slut" we should question why she even had to write them in the first place. Why would people even begin to slam her on those issues? Why do we resort to personal attacks when trying to argue a point? The point I got from Meghan's article was that the attacks on female politicians are much more personal than the attacks on male ones. Do you disagree?
brownjackson
Meghan is not fat, from a young male's (and evolution) perspective she's sexy. The problem is that women have identity issues which are taught by society. In the west it's ' do I use my sexuality to get ahead or have people take me serious and respect me for my mind and merits'. This is seen by the fact that woman at whatever level have to worry about being 'physically' accepted e.g.. make-up, hair, clothes and have to decide for themselves what they want to be. You saw this in Clinton's choice to wear pant suits and run on a Margaret Thatcher model. Palin tried to come off motherly, conservative and sexy. In the west we have a tradition of seeing leaders as people who are men who are not supposed to be concerned about cosmetic (see edwards haircut).
Contrast this with say traditional muslim (they're popular right now) views of women. Women are not supposed to be sexy unless they're actress or bellydances. The average everyday women is not supposed to flaunt her physical beauty and should observe decorum and regardless of her merit stand to the side or preferrably behind the man.
So you see in these two examples women's role is defined as secondary to men, however only in the united states women have the option of opting out of the Suzie Homemaker model. The problem is no one wants to downplay their physicality. This is similar to what immigrant groups face in america. Join us and shed your culture, i.e. place it a distant second, patriotism first or be labeled as a foreigner forever more. Many women are still conflicted as regards as to how they want to be perceived. Some are so arrogant as to think they can have both, being feminine and be seen as a competent leader, but our society says no!!! Think of any powerful women who are seen as leaders and play up their sexuality?
And when I say sexuality I dont mean Marilyn Monroe, I'm talking nothing more risque than Palin's patented eye wink designed to generate male saliva in mass quantities.
crymeariver
Meghan, you show nothing but disrespect in trying to place Palin and Hillary Clinton as equals.
Had your Dad picked any of the many SMART and INTELLIGENT female senators or governors, he would now be called President McCain.
The problem with Republicans like you Meghan is you suffer from superficial syndrome. You father saw Palin and thought she would be a great replacement for Hillary Clinton simply because they are both women. No need viewing them as 3-dimensional beings with differences in intelligence, accomplishments, and ability. Ditto with the GOP hiring Michael Steele as an Obama clone simply because they have the same skin tone.
Additionally, the most vilified woman in public office today is Nancy Pelosi. Every Republican fundraiser uses her to represent all that is evil in the world.
P.S. the only people to make fun of your weight are from your very own party. And they were ALL women!
Southpaw
Best post I've read so far.
genmanager
ditto
carouzer
BRAVO, crymeariver!!!!!!!!
Apparently you have not noticed, Meghan, despite being born into a political family and watching your father's career up close, is that to be in politics in the highest level you have to be smart, strategic, hard working and tough.
Hillary Clinton has demonstrated all four attributes consistently throughout her public and political career. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, has demonstrated that she is merely tough. Maybe she is somewhat intelligent--hard to tell, since during the campaign she did little beyond being an attack dog with a canned message slurring the competition. For a woman who was eager to be Vice President of the United States, she showed no grasp of foreign affairs, domestic affairs, energy issues (beyond drill, baby, drill) nor any interest in gaining the knowledge she needed to be an effective VP and an actual partner with your father, had he been elected. Your comparison of these two women is onerous and shows an alarmingly superficial thought process that pervades the county's politics nowdays.
If a penis should not automatically qualify or disqualifiy a person for high office, neither should a vagina.
Sarah Palin's 15 minutes of fame has gone on far longer than they should, thanks to people like you. She has added nothing to the national conversation or the prospects for the county but she just keeps on "tweetin'" and, unfortunately, people keep on reading her tweets. Hillary, on the other hand, is helping to reshape and reposition the United States' reputation in the world.
crymeariver's accurate observation about Republicans elevating Michael Steele as the head of the party because an African-American won the White House is a brilliant example of why your party is in the state that it is in. Your father did the same thing when he named Palin to his ticket--Hillary had done well with female voters, so maybe Palin, because she was a woman and a governor, albiet a mediocre one at best, would cause women to votefor his ticket. That logic is offensive. And your "logic" on Hillary and Sarah is a great indicator of why there isn't a lot of hope at this point for the Grand Old Party.
FriendlyMilk
It's like Margaret Thatcher never happened.
niknoks
If only.....
crymeariver
Or
Angela Merkel (Germany),
Golda Meir (Israel),
Kim Campbell (Canada),
Indira Gandhi (India) elected TWICE,
Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan) elected TWICE,
Tansu Çiller (Turkey),
Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo (Portugal) ,
Mary Eugenia Charles (Dominica),
Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway)-elected THREE times,
Kazimiera Danutë Prunskienë (Lithuania),
Irena Degutienë (Lithuania) elected TWICE,
Edith Cresson (France),
Hanna Suchocka (Poland),
Sirimavo Bandaranaike (Sri Lanka),
Chandrika Kumaratunga (Sri Lanka),
Reneta Indzhova (Bulgaria),
Sheikh Hasina Wajed (Bangladesh) elected TWICE,
Jenny Shipley (New Zealand),
Nyam-Osoriyn Tuyaa (Mongolia),
Helen Elizabeth Clark (New Zealand),
Mame Madior Boye (Senegal),
Anneli Tuulikki Jäätteenmäki (Finland),
Portia Simpson-Miller (Jamaica),
Han Myung Sook (South Korea).......
http://www.terra.es/personal2/monolith/00women3.htm
bookworm
Thank you for THE only intelligent response I've read. Maybe one should do their homework before posting an article for the public to view.
mariposa40
Agree! You cannot seriouly compare Secretary Clinton with Governor Palin. Granted they have both become lightning rods, Clinton far surpases Palin in substance, experience, grit and accomplishment. Even those who disagree with Clinton's politics aknowledge that she is worthy of her position. Palin is an empty vessel who is a perfect example of the peter principle at work.
TeresaInPa
gee , which one of those governed in the US?
FrontPaws
When I got to the part where Meghan called herself a "political commentator" I literally LOL'd. She's a political commentator the way I'm a rocket scientist. The girl does seem to have perfected the fine art of delusional thinking. She's no doubt inherited the crazy from her loony dad.
What planet is she living on, anyway? Is she not aware of all the successful women in politics who are leading, in one way or another, every day of their lives? And they didn't get where they are by being sniveling, negative sissies like Meghan McCain, who makes a living bitching about things instead of actually doing things.
debnewyorker
Agreed! Well said.
meede1
She doesn't notice most of the respected, successful women as many don't get the media attention that Clinton or Palin get as many do an excellent job and are not 'whiners' drawing attention to themselves - as in the writer of this article.
I didn't give two hoots about the twitter pic she put out there - it was the whining tantrum reaction she displayed after she did so. This and hearing some comments on a few shows, it reminds me of the saying of "dumbing down America"
crymeariver
meede1:She doesn't notice most of the respected, successful women as many don't get the media attention that Clinton or Palin get as many do an excellent job and are not 'whiners' drawing attention to themselves.
----------------------------
Co-sign
Konchster
You say you admire Hillary but disagree with her politically well wait awhile cause when Hillary was your age she thought just like you then she grew up. Comparing her to Palin even using their names in the same paragraph is a gross insult to Hillary
Frenchmanaz
I am about as modern a man as they come, cook, clean, spend a great deal more time with my son, because I work from home. I have zero problem with female authority. I didn't want Clinton as Prez, because she was too old guard ( not an age qualifier, although typically one must have a certain level of seniority in their chosen profession to be considered old guard ).
I think, next to Mdm Albright, Ms. Clinton is fast becoming one of our most effective Sec. of States.
Ok so now that I have explained how much I believe women are my equal, I can say the following. While I have no doubt that there remains a boys club mentality in many of lifes professions, I think it is also time for women to admit that at times there are considerable advantages to being a woman.
In the case of Hillary, while she is without question a super intelligent achiever with exceptional experience, ans therefore qualified to lead, the incredible support she received by woman during her run for the White House, which at least in part as strong as it was because of American women's deep desire for a woman to reach the pinnacle of positions. I repeat, not any woman. It took a woman who genuinely deserved to be there, but in some cases other women were ready to overlook some of HC's decisions in favor of her reaching the WH. If any of these supporters try to claim otherwise, then they would not be truthful.
On the Sarah P side, I cannot ignore the kind of ambition it takes to reach the governorship of such an albeit detached but no less important state. I cannot call her dumb but I can say that she was parochial, at best and woefully ignorant at worst. The whole " ah shucks " mind set might have appealed to a small segment of like minded folks in America, but this was exactly the last thing we needed in this age where an understanding of the world outside your four walls is not an option but a must.
In SP's case not only did she gain from the support of other women ( some of whom also did not bother to incorporate SP's ignorance into their decision making process ) but the day SP walked out on stage, millions of Republican men got a slap in the face by their wives as they caught that little bit of drool exit the side of their mouths. Suddenly we were hearing these tightly wound men jumping around like high school cheerleaders chanting " we love Sarah " in the hopes that she might walk over and touch them.
Hell I abhore SP, the politician and he publicly promoted belief system, to my very core, but there is no question that she is a very attractive women. To pretend that this did not play a very big role in how popular she has become, particularly with the male set would, again be disingenuous.
I don't, for a second, question that women do have to fight harder to reach the same heights as men, but while it may sound sexist ( which it is not ) for me to say that women do have all kinds of weapons, that men don't, to help them get what they want.
It is for all of these reasons that I cannot completely subscribe, anymore, to the " woe is me, I am woman " theory. No woman has ever come closer to reach the oval office but neither of the above women succeeded because of their politics, not their gender. Up until their runs for the WH, both of these women held positions of considerable power.
We all must use the ammunition we have to get through this game of life, if you don't, then you don't deserve to reach the goals you seek. If one of these weapons happens to be beauty, the good for you. Looks though can only get you so far, as was proven with SP, because as soon as the surface was scratched... She is caustic in her beliefs, but was given more credibility than she deserved.
Some of the most powerful people on earth are women ( Oprah comes to mind ). Do some, particularly men, continue to marginalize women, of course they do. These men haven't matured. But for the most part the old and tired " I am being held down because I am woman " battle cry is kind of stale. Do women sometimes have to work much harder to achieve these goals, here I will admit, but to ignore the advantages that women have, in being able to play to the unquentiable lust in men, is simply not being honest.
meede1
Palin got the Governor's office as the people in Alaska did not want Murkowski to be re-elected. Sesame Street's Big Bird would have won in the name was on the ballot in place of Palin they wanted Murkowski out so bad. It wasn't her expertise or knowledge that got her elected.
brownjackson
good point, Oprah does not try to ring the lust bell with men, but she does through the fact out there that she is a woman and addresses 'woman' concerns. Martha is the only other powerful women i can think of who doesn't try to push her feminity to the back burner.
aaronsirbaihu
Sorry, but this is a terrible article. McCain claims "misogyny," but never comes close to proving it. Being criticized for everything under the sun is part of running for office, not part of being a woman. Show the misogyny first.
McCain then questions whether her brother would face similar scrutiny writing columns like hers. That's a good question: why isn't her brother writing columns for Daily Beast? Why haven't we discussed his Twitter boob pics yet? How would he be received if he announced that he wore hair extensions like Meghan did?
Which brings us to a larger point: would Palin be our topic once again if she were a man? She would never have been chosen as a running mate if she were a man. So if McCain would like to complain about gender-based affirmative action for Sarah Palin, OK. Otherwise, this article is too superficial by a factor of about three.
woodnut
Who does McCain think she is?
Hillary has a brain. Palin doesn't. Period
McCain has no business writing about Hillary Clinton. She's not a journalist, she's a Fox News lackey
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