“We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since
the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for
the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has
surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farce-on the
part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate-that has a
real possibility of becoming fact.
Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms.
Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for
ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is
against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform,
environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of
speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the
librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of
church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack
of real preparation to become the second-most-powerful person on the
planet.
We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a
mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but
solely as a rash, incompetent, and all together devastating choice for
Vice President. Ms. Palin’s political views are in every way a slap in
the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and
great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we’ve so
demonstrably benefited from.
First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not
demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed
that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over
women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.
Therefore, we invite you to reply here with a short, succinct message
about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this
candidate as second-in-command for our nation.
Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence.
We will post your responses on a blog called “Women Against Sarah
Palin,” which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please
send us your reply at your earliest convenience-the greater the volume
of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be.
Thank you for your time and action.
VIVA!
Sincerely,
Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston
New York, NY
"hi i'm here" 
Perhaps it is just a gut and not exactly a feminist feeling, however, I truly question the character of a mother who chooses to embark on such a lofty journey with a baby (let alone one with special needs), a pregnant teenager who obviously needs her mother, a son leaving to serve at the war front and 2 other children who need their mother. It’s easy to be pro life when you don’t have to take care of your children!
This is a political move on the part of McCain to influence the women and independent’s who were for Hillary. This lady is definitely not anything like “Hillary” nor does she have the experience or know-how to represent us as Vice president. She definitely does not represent me,
or my views. I totally disagree with this choice and I was still undecided until McCain chose Palin as his running mate. Now I will definitely vote for Obama\Biden. Connie N; Age:67, Miami
I’m trying to figure out what about her appeals to the American people. While there are pockets of support for each of her views, the totality is not what one would think a majority of Americans would support, especially in 2008. It has to be more shallow than the issues. That a majority of men (58%) like her is a clue – it must be in part the sexuality. Would there be the same interest in her if she were plain, overweight and a dowdy dresser? How many men have the fantasy of the bespectacled librarian, hair in a prim bun, whipping off the glasses, letting down the tresses and turning into a sweet seductress. The rest has to be that her story has the framework for a “Dynasty” – like television series – the beautiful governor/VP candidate, her manly-man husband off in Alaska shooting moose and drilling for oil, the Iraq-bound son, the pregnant daughter, the shot-gun wedding, the baby with a disability. There’s enough material there to keep the script writers busy and the public intrigued for a good long run. The problem is that this isn’t Hollywood; this is a critical time for our country. Palin is not a choice that will make our country stronger, safer or better.
I — as I would like to think most thoughtful women in America do — cast my vote based on issues (and only sometimes based on party lines) but NEVER based on gender lines. I truly resent the fact that John McCain and company felt that picking Sarah Palin would send some sort of message to women and liberals and women liberals that he is progressive, assuming that all women vote for each other, no matter if the woman on the ballot represents the archaic policies of several eras gone by.
I think the fact that Palin has evoked such a resoundingly positive response from so many middle class, blue collar MALES is party an unintended consequence of her selection, though clearly her resonating with the Christian right was foreseen by the Campaign.
But anyway, I don’t think that only WOMEN need to band together against this ludicrous choice for a vice presidential running mate — I think that thinking, feeling, well-informed PEOPLE of either gender need to band together and stop the continuation of the eight-year long punchline of the joke this country has become.
To Women Voters
By Linda Ellsworth Crisalli
September 9, 2008
I pose a question to the women of this nation… “Do you really want to vote for a ticket with a woman for Vice President, when that woman is more attuned to the extremism of George W. Bush than to her running mate John McCain?”
For all we do not know about this woman, one thing is obvious. This woman has lied. Captured on tape, from her acceptance speech at the GOP convention to each and every one of her stump speeches to date, Sarah Palin has stated, then re-stated, then sometimes reformed, transformed and diminished her own self accolades concerning the “bridge to nowhere,” selling the state jet on ebay and her experience record with the National Guard. She, along with John McCain and others, mangle Barack Obama’s record and his beliefs and campaign for this country. These distortions have been fact checked by many in Washington D.C. and the media, yet the Republican candidates repeat them over and over again.
Bush did that, repeated untruths over and over again, from the campaigns, from the White House, and here we are again being bombarded with lies, leaving truth in the dust. We are better than that. We deserve better than that. Obama is not the only one who should be shouting “enough!” We too should be shouting “enough,” democrats, independents and republicans alike. Women should be shouting “enough” in unity, not cheering on the lies of a woman, so like her male counterparts.
Women protect. We will protect nothing if we allow our leaders to continue lying. First, we should stand up against the bold lies from Palin and McCain. We should hold Obama and Biden to the same standards. Then we should demand that the candidates start telling us what they will do for education, what kind of health care will they fight for, how they will keep our country safe and our borders secure, how they will mend our relations and reputation with the world, how they will protect our environment, how they will make affordable the basics to sustain life…housing, food, heat in the winter.
As women we should stop messing around like the good old boys and call these candidates accountable in this election. We don’t need just any woman running for office. We need good women of sound stuff to stand up to the Jerry Springer mockery that is being presented to us and demand real concern, real change, a change we can live and survive and thrive in.
Enough lies, enough smoke and mirrors, enough deceptions to win elections. Give us the real deal. Women know abuse and we have been abused. Do not cheer those who wield the blows. Yell “enough!”
It’s hard to believe any intelligent person could be swayed by the blatant pandering and hypocrisy John McCain has displayed with his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. America is desperate for leadership that will move us beyond the false choices presented by tired partisan ideology, but Palin’s record — not to mention her acceptance speech at last week’s Republican convention — proves her candidacy is nothing more than red meat for the rabid right wing of her party. With Palin, McCain has offered us the same old self-serving, morally and intellectually bankrupt boilerplate in a new, peppy and chromosomally-correct package. I’d be laughing at the absurdity of her candidacy if I weren’t so nauseated by the possibility of its success.
As a woman, I want to vote for a qualified woman who will support civil rights for all, including women’s right to reproductive choice–and have done so with pleasure in the past. However, Sarah Palin has gone on record as being willing to deny reproductive choice to women, has attempted to censor what books are available in her local library, and, judging by her acceptance speech, has little respect for the constitution and the rights it protects for all of us. She does not speak for my rights or economic interests and the fact that she is a woman does not get my vote. McCain’s choice of this particular woman reinforces the opinion I already had–he acts impulsively, he will pander to the right in order to be elected, and he has no respect for the office he is seeking.
It is a travesty that American women, regardless of race, think that Palin represents us. What is so sad, she is being used by McCain as a means to an end…his end if he hadn’t promised her the VP..and she was promoted by Rush Limbaugh, a known male chauvinist pig…and speaking of pig, no one raised hell when McCain referred to Hillary’s plans using the lipstick on the pig comment at least three times…what’s up with the indignation all of a sudden?? Let us not forget what we have been through in the past 8 years…lost loved ones in a war that was uncalled for, lost jobs, lost homes, and the lost of respect from other countries because we don’t respect each other irregardless of race, beliefs and other differences. This is 2008 folks, let’s show that we are true Americans, not a blast from the past!
This is a response to women who think Sarah Palin is a good role model for their daughters and anyone who is considering voting for McCain/Palin:
1. Palin’s anti-abortion position is so extreme that she opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest and would FORCE this view on the rest of America. She also opposes sex education in schools because she believes the material would be too “offensive” to kids.
2. Palin and her husband flirted with Alaska’s secession from the United States as “affiliates” of the Alaskan Independence Party.
3. Palin attempted to ban library books she didn’t like and tried to fire the Wasilla city librarian because she wouldn’t agree to the censorship.
4. Palin fired police chief of Wasilla because he wanted the bars to close at 2am rather than 5am, but this would upset Palin’s bar owner campaign contributors.
5. Palin fired her chief public safety officer, the former police chief of Anchorage, because he didn’t want to be used in her family feud in firing the ex-husband of her sister.
6. Palin’s car wash was “involuntarily” shut down after she skipped out of paying her taxes and fees, and failed to file the required financial statements.
7. Palin’s pastor of 30 years thinks political opponents of Bush won’t go to heaven and that Jesus is some kind of war general that kills people that don’t believe in him.
8. Palin stripped funds from Passage House, a group that helps teen moms, LIKE HER DAUGHTER, get skills and lead productive lives after pregnancy.
9. Palin hired an Abramoff lobbyist to get earmarks that even McCain objected to.
10. Palin SUPPORTED the Bridge-to-Nowhere, and only opposed it after public exposure and ridicule from Congress. Yet she continues to lie about her role in this in public appearances with John McCain.
11. Palin inflated her foreign policy experience by claiming a refueling stop as a “visit to Ireland.”
12. And even more disturbing, Sarah Palin reinstated the barbaric aerial hunting program in Alaska, which allows the harrassment and shooting of wolves and bears from airplanes. She also brought back the antiquated wolf bounty program, which pays hunters $150 for every SEVERED wolf forearm that they produce. Do these sound the policies of a compassionate person and governor? Apparently her pro-life stance only applies to humans.
This unqualified official (Sarah Palin), who has been thrust in the faces of American women as a poor substitute for Hillary Clinton, does not speak for me. John McCain shows his poor judgement in choosing a running mate for her TVQ abilities, rather than her ability to represent the whole of the Unites States of America. We must follow what is good for our country in placing our votes this November. I will vote for Barack Obama, who I feel will restore respect to the White House. Our country needs to be taken seriously on the World stage; we need to show that the majority of the American people are intelligent and responsible, not the bullies that we appear to be under the current administration. Sisters, it’s our year to unite! Just say “No!” to the pale McCain offering.
Barbara P., 52, Toledo, Ohio
Sarah Palin – the little woman.
I am sure the McCain good ole boys are leaving Sarah Palin out of many important meetings and sessions so that she doesn’t have to “worry her pretty little head off.”
She says she’s a pit bull, a barracuda, a budget cutter, a rough and tough soccer mom. In truth, she is just plain clueless. Not knowing the responsibilities of a vice president, not giving much thought to the war in Iraq, and going on a shopping spree to the tune of $22 million while Mayor of Wasilla is just the ways of a good wi-fee, not a politically smart woman. She is the perfect trophy for the Republicans.
Yes shallow people, sing her praises. Vote for her and her partner in November. Send us all to hell in a hand basket!
No. NO. No. Do not let Karl Rove’s fanatical and dyabolic lack of ethics determine my grandchildren’s future.
As a woman I am so insulted that anyone thought I would vote for an unqualified small town girl who used 22 million of my tax dollars to get a sports complex and other facilities for her town while disadvantaged youth and families in this country are denied the education and support to live the American Dream. Alaska is a small town-Ask anyone who has lived there. She is not prepared at all to be Vice President, let alone President of an international power.
Raised a Republican, now an Independent, I am voting for Obama…He is our only hope. I pray that God will help us.
This is a nightmare!
Sarah Palin may be a nice person but based on what I’ve seen over the past few days, I don’t want her as vice president. Since the announcement, we have yet to see her on her own answering the tough questions about real issues. Whenever we do hear from her it’s basically the same thing she said at the RNC. “We’re good, they’re bad, blah, blah, blah”. No substance.
This is no game. The United States is in a crisis and we need someone in the oval office that can work on getting us out. Anyone who takes office after the current administration, has a huge job ahead of them. I’m not hearing any suggestions/solutions from Gov. Palin on how to get this country back on track.
Palin. A self described barracuda. A nickname she was given during her high school basketball days in the early 1980’s. The problem is that “barracuda” is no longer the definition of a successful woman. That barracuda persona is such an insult. To be a successful woman in the in the early 80’s, women were portrayed as barracudas. Watch any movie from that decade and you’ll see a woman in her power suit, glasses, hair in a bun (sound familiar?) struggling to win and beat the good ole boy system. We aren’t those women anymore. We don’t have to be louder or more argumentative or combative to be successful.
Palin, it’s not the 80’s anymore. Quit fighting. Quit the barracuda act. And quit acting like they picked you because you’re qualified. You were chosen for your right wing beliefs and the fact that you govern a state that has a stash of oil.
Sarah Palin has been trotted out by right wing Republicans who wish to continue with “business as usual”. She has absolutely no qualifications for Vice President and I shudder to think of what might happen should McCain, if elected, die in office!
I have known about her for some time as I am an animal welfare advocate and envrionmentalist and she is neither. I am a former Republican who is now and Independant and would never vote for a party that gives so little thought beyond the “eye candy” effect of Sarah Palin. We are at a crossroads in our history and there is too much riding on this election, I fear greatly for the future of this country should a McCain/Palin team make the White House!
I’m guessing that anyone who doesn’t agree with you will not be posted and then listed under
“constructive feedback/love”. Just a guess.
Don’t you worry your pretty little head, Dee. It’s a creative way of saying “comments” (surprised you didn’t deduce that using your obviously high-caliber intellect.) By all means, make a contribution that actually carries some weight! Mais oui; Even if you don’t agree with all of these articulate women who have responded, if you present an argument that is half as objective and well-written as theirs have been, of course you will be categorized under “constructive feedback.”
Sarah Palin supported aerial hunting of wolves and polar bears. She supported delisting of polar bears from the Endangered Species Act at a time when it is more endangered than in my lifetime.
Her disregard of wildlife as anything other than a hunting resource is completely consistent with her support for unfettered drilling in America’s last wild places.
Sarah Palin reflects a return to late 19th Century values (huntin’ and drillin’) that America and the world can not afford in the 21st Century..
As one of the first baby boomers, mother of two grown daughters, and a granddaughter, the Republicans’ obvious political decision to select a woman who is the antithesis to all of those rights women have fought so hard to achieve literally scares the hell out of me. I did have some respect for McCain as a maverick in Congress who tried to reach across party lines but NO MORE. Obviously, he is willing to forego all sense of justice, equality and truthfulness to achieve his and his party’s desire to retain the white house at all cost. I hope he really is a religious man because he will need all the help he can get since he obviously sold his soul to the devil to achieve his own selfish goal.
My biggest concern is supreme court appointments. The Republican Party would select even more conservatives to fill vacated seats. What does that say about balancing the scales of justice? Would they appoint a woman like Palin? Palin represents a number of women who are part of the religious right who rely on mortal men for their interpretation of the Bible No one has the right to impose their own religion tenets on anyone else. Our forefathers knew that separation of church and state is one of the keystones in our foundation as a nation. It frightens me when I realize that she could be just a heartbeat away from the presidency. Who will she call upon to assist her in making key decisions…the elders in her church? Doesn’t she realize that McCain only selected her because he was told by the party’s power structure that if he wanted to win he needed someone like her instead of Lieberman whom he really wanted. With his ego, he would not defer to a woman in any situation of authority or power. She would be the least utilized VP since Dan Quayle. He had difficulty spelling “potato” She probably would fail a fifth grade geography test. Palin stated that she doesn’t know what the VP is supposed to do.McCain said himself that the VP’s job is to check daily on the health of the president and attend funerals of foreign dictators. McCain is 72 years old and his father died at 70 and his grandfather died at 61. Could she take over if that’s all she ever did as VP?
When it comes to choice (note here that I say “choice” and not “pro abortion”) my belief is that the ultimate consideration should be for the health and well being of the living, breathing woman who finds herself in an untenable pregnancy. Every woman should have the right to choose just as Palin chose to have her five children.
Shame on you John McCain for putting the election ahead of the country!
I cannot support any politician who does not support a woman’s right to choice. Sara Palin is not willing to support other women and their rights. We are moving backward if we think it wise to elect her.
ms Palin is a frightening woman who, if she loved her country, would withdraw from the race, and support someone who would be qualified for the job. After watching her interview with Gibson tonight, I could see that she is more adept at reading prepared speechs than she is at thinking on her feet. She is one scary woman.
WE HAVE GOT TO PROTECT THE FUTURE OF OUR DAUGHTERS AND SONS AND NOT ALLOW NASTY POLITICAL MIND GAMES PLAY US … I am listening to her interview on Nightline and don’t understand how a so called democratic country WOULD WANT TO VOTE FOR A GOVERNMENT THAT IS PREPARED TO DICTATE THAT WE ARE SO GREAT THAT WE CAN RUN AROUND THE WORLD BEING EVERYONE’S KEEPER AND THE BIGGEST BULLY, AS WELL AS WHAT WE CAN DO WITH OUR BODIES, WHAT WE WILL READ OR NOT, AND BELIEVE IN A GOD CHOSEN FOR US.
I will not vote for PALIN simply because she is a disgrace to what REAL WOMEN around the world truly stand for and have consistently fought FOR.
First and foremost, I am offended that somehow a woman on the Republican ticket automatically makes it more appealing to me. Sarah Palin is hypocrisy in human form. This is someone who believes in abstinence only education, but when that education obviously failed in her own family she speaks of the decision (read: choice) that her daughter came to in keeping her child and marrying the father. What she fails to see in her own life is that she has the money and the resources to support her daughter and the children that she is “educating” with abstinence only may not have those resources at home to help them care for a child while completing high school. She talks about changing Washington, but she lobbies her representatives for money for pet projects including the “bridge to nowhere.” And finally, she accepts the nomination for vice president with a canned speech where she became the “pit bull with lipstick” for the Republican party attacking and belittling the service of others only so the Republicans could cry wolf when the Democrats decided to strike back. And they did so, using some of the imagery created within that very speech. Isn’t it interesting that we use the terminology “pig” to refer to a man that only sees women for their sexuality? I applaud Obama for his use here with Palin. She is being used for her sexuality and her indifference to that fact makes her a “pig with lipstick.”
Sarah Palin is against sex education in the schools and freedom of choice. If she really cared about women and children in particular, she would want to educate young women about how to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies and diseases.
Her stance on drilling in Alaska is short-sighted. We need long term solutions that focus on oil alternatives.
The constitution clearly separates church and state. Some of her comments about “God’
s will” scare me. I’m fine with her having religious views. Just keep them out of politics.
I am not against Palin because she is a woman with a pregnant 17 year old. That is a private matter. I am glad her 17 year old daughter has the family support and resources that will help her raise her child. Many young mothers don’t have that luxury.
Sarh Palin is no Hillary Clinton!
Diebold?
If election fraud determines presidential elections, what difference does talking about the candidates make?
The republicans can march any dog and pony show they choose. However, I still fundamentally disagree with their policies and beliefs. Hopefully, women and men will see through this blatant disregard for the intelligence of the American people.
I can’t imagine that many woman would vote for a woman just because she’s a woman even if everthing she stands for is fundamentally different from their own beliefs. If there are Hillary supporters that would choose to vote for a republican ticket because there is a woman on it then I’d say that they have no idea what Hillary stood for.
How is it possible the addition of Sarah Palin to the McCain ticket has put McCain ahead in the polls? I am astounded and dismayed that the American people can be so blind! This woman is not ready to lead our country, if anything happened to McCain; nor would I want her to with her ridiculous and dangerous views on all the issues that are dear to me and most all of the not only women, but men too, that I know. I’m hoping that this is only a temporary nightmare and that the American electorate will come to it’s senses and realize we cannot allow this woman into a position of power. We are doomed if we do. Not only would we have another four years of the last eight, we would have a far worse four years! Wake up America!!
Barbra Johnson
Republicans have often used fear to control the American public…but this Sarah Palin is off the charts scary! Her ruthlessness for anyone or anything that gets in the way of her agenda terrifies me. Are humans, animals and the environment really that disposable? I say NO!
And I say NO to the McCain/Palin ticket this November
My problem about Gov. Palin is that we are making her our main issue at this time. The way I see it people are acting as if she will be the president, this includes Sen. McCain. He/We needs to focus on what he is going to do for the country. Gov Palin is not running for the presidency. The campaing is treating her as if she is the candidate for presidency. I don’t see where the plans are for the country. No one is giving me anything from the republican side of the candates. What are the veiws on health care, education, outsourcing of jobs, cuts to medicaid, and Social Security. When I started working the retirement age was 55. Every year I am hearing something else. I want to know that all my planning will not go for naught. I want to know what is going to be proposed for the future. Don’t give me no smoke about people saying that “if you put lipstick on a pig it’s still a pig” That is not an issue. If the woman know that she is not a pig who cares what someone says.
What do we expect from an electorate that is not educated in critical thinking and can’t see when they are being hoodwinked? Look at your schools and work for improvement there as well as voting against Palin.
Kate from CA
just say NO!
an ex-Alaskan
mary ann
you hit the nail on the head.
It does not matter if you are for or against Palin, this is only distraction from the real serious issues we face that are not touched.
It is a diversion.
BTW- 55 is not only not retirement, we may be in the exact place on the curve where none of us who have not already retired will ever reach the point of doing so, it is advancing too fast to overtake it.
uhhhh…..if one opposes sex education and birth control, and their 17 year old daughter gets pregnant, what exactly does that say about that person’s interest in the future of our teens (ie, our future)??? let’s NOT educate our children (because it’s “offensive”??) about risky behavior and prevention of STDs, human sexuality (which includes abstinence as a choice some teens actually might make) or birth control (because they are teenagers with hormones and will inevitably become young adults with hormones), even though they might just have sex anyway (because they ARE teenagers with hormones), ignorantly unprotected, and unaware of the real risks and consequences of STDs/HIV and/or unwanted pregnancy??????? lord have mercy, one does not need to be a democrat or a woman to see the utter hypocrisy of that “logic”….there are many other issues that have been beautifully articulated above….as a mom of 3 teenagers this just blows me away …
Most of you posters have bought in to the hysterical half-truths being tossed about the internet.
Knee-jerk reactions and petty little digs aren’t getting you anywhere. Women like me have decided to support Palin even though we may disagree on certain social issues, in part because I am ashamed of the reaction of too many “liberal” women, who expect all of us to follow like sheep.
I do not believe the mere GENDER should be enough to qualify someone to help run a country – let alone a country that pretty much rules the modern world. We should focus on the person, not her sex. Sara Palin is a Republican Marketing ploy to throw Americans for a loop and tap into their sentimental qualities. The pregnant daughter was all part of it. When are Americans going to realize they are being manipulated?
I only wish that all of this could be read by those who need the enlightenment most. But because of the media, most of the congress, and the powerlessness of so many, these messages so important, may probably never get to “America the Beautiful” people. In the land where the flag has replaced the Constitution and people rarely read, there is a strong possibility that we would be subjected to four more years of fear inspired consciousness. I wish us ALL the courage to embrace change in order to meet the challenges of these troubled times.
I’m sorry. I don’t understand why one would vote Palin just because she’s a woman. That’s setting us back 50 years. If she’s wrong, she’s just wrong and being a woman doesn’t make it right. How can you be so stupid to think she JUST The VP? That’s a heart beat away from a 72 yr old four time cancer survivor running for President. I’m ashamed as a woman because women are supporting her and it’s emotional and not intelligent just like the Rep. Party wants us to. Emotional Women! There are so many more qualified women McCain could have and should have picked. But he opted for her. Sorry, Palin is Plain Scary! Did see her on ABC, war with Russia? INSANE!!
Hello,
The last thing we need is a vice-president who bans books, the free exchange of ideas is one of the corner stones of our nation. Mrs. Palin has had the freedom to make her own choices about reproduction, she does not have the right to take that choice away from other women.
To stand against alternative energy is short-sighted and dangerous. We depend too much on foreign oil and even if we start producing more domestic oil, sooner or later it is going to run out. We need to have alternative fuels in place now, not when the oil runs out.
Sincerely Yours,
Janine Noe
Albuquerque, NM
I just came from a wedding of two men who have lived together for twenty four years. They have the right to be witnessed by their loved ones in matrimony. Even when the church says no! I have raised three daughters, and I want them to have the freedom of choice! I want to continue the forward movement of our rights in this country and have freedom of religion and speech. Mcain/Palin ticket is going against the world I want to see my children grow up in. Education, not book burning is the way to enlightenment.
Laura
Pingback: Top 10 reasons why Palin is a bad - and dangerous - candidate « Egads!
I pose a question to the women of this nation… “Do you really want to vote for a ticket with a woman for Vice President? Isn’t a ticket with a woman as President our real goal? What ever happened to you ladies, belittling a mere second best? Go ahead, spew your vitriol but please direct it at the ONE who destroyed our chance to have Hillary.
Sarah Palin represents a giant step backward for the progress made by many intelligent and compassionate women AND men in the United States. I believe in evolution, in progressive change, to better not only human life, but the lives of other animals, the life of the planet, and balance among all three. I find it increasingly difficult to trust a woman who believes in the things that actually distract from those very ideals. Her authoritarian attempt of censorship (i.e. library book ban), her misguided belief in creationism, and her lack of empathy for others (i.e. her support for the cruel practice of aerial wolf hunting) all lead me to doubt her ability to think critically. My prediction of a future with Sarah Palin as Vice-President (universe forbid, the President) of the United States is one of close-minded and ignorant political influence. Forget progress. And although I do not agree entirely with the beliefs of Obama, Biden, and the Democratic party, I find that my only option as a concerned citizen of this country is to concede to the lack of options presented to me and vote for the individuals I feel truly care about the world, regardless of gender, skin color, or experience. I am a doctoral student in developmental psychology, and have a responsibility to promote education and critical thinking. I cannot in good conscience support an individual who stands in stark contrast to that very ideal. With that being said, I say no Palin.
I recently observed Palin on television speaking to Alasaka residents about her politics saying that GOD would agree with her views, so agreeing with her views would be like “agreeing with god”. After watching that it seems obvious that she is as dangerous as the TERRORISTS,since they have the SAME RHETORIC.
As 73 year old grandmother, I urge every woman who is able to vote to go to the polls and reject the McCain/Palin ticket by voting for Barak Obama and Joe Biden. That Sara Palin is one heartbeat away from the presidency would be unacceptable to young and old women alike. Her views on every right that we hold dear are antithetical to the freedoms we hold dear and her views on global warming and stem cell research are archaic.
9/13/08
One of the many reasons I do not feel Sarah Palin is qualified to be a vice-presidential candidate is that she only first obtained a U.S. Passport in 2007, and from what I have read, she has only visited Mexico, Canada, and Kuwait. Anyone in position to be leader of the free world needs to have seen more of the free and not-so-free world. The fact that we could have a vice president who I suspect knows almost nothing about places like Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami, much less New Delhi, Jakarta, and Karachi, is sheer lunacy.
I am moved by the words on this site and I share them! I am deeply disturbed and outraged at what seems to be something we call reality?… a fellow woman, a sister and mother whose views would throw us back by some 50 years or more. Unbelieveable – it seems that I am watching some sort of bad reality televsion show. But, I am not and this is what is terrifying me!
As a woman of color who finished university in the early 90’s – the world lay before me as never before. Even at a very young age I realized that the courageous individuals that came before me were in part the reason why I could prosper so. And prosper I have – body, mind and spirit. Which has led me to an even greater reverence of their sacrifices for the common good.
It simply amazes me how short people’s memories are! As women we need not look back too far for an example of a difficult past. And in this new century we need not look too far to find other women in other lands who suffer as our grandmothers did. I urge all women to study contemporary history and to keep supporting the ongoing process of equality.
As for Sara Palin, she may have merit in her home environment of Alaska. However, it is obvious to me that what she does not yet know, realize or have had the opportunity to broaden herself and experience will become the burden for all, especially women, to bear. She is not the woman or man we need for this job at this time in our troubled country. NOT AT ALL. If you don’t see this – then you don’t see. I am voting for Barak Obama and Joe Biden who I believe are the correct people for the job!
I have a real problem with someone who is forcing her own daughter into marriage when, in fact, marriage in great part does not work for adults who believe they are prepared for the institution. I have a problem with someone who takes the 18 year old shell shocked life is over as he knows it father of this shell shocked teen mother off of a hockey rink to be whisked to the RNC as if this pregnancy is a symbol of pride. I have a problem with the fact that I am a 42 year old woman and if I get raped taking out my trash one night by an HIV infected attacker who happens to impregnate me, under Ms. Palin’s guard, I will be forced to endure the pregnancy and the consequences of it, if I were to survive the pregnancy, of course, which is in her book besides the point. I have a problem with a woman (or man) who supports aerial wolf hunting and I am not overly impressed with the fact that she can skin a caribou. In fact, it sickens me.
This is not an endorsement for Obama or Biden; this is simply a measure of my personal distaste for a woman who should have just politely (a word not seemingly in her vocabulary) said no thank you to McCain and continued to live out her life of hypocrisy and delusion in Alaska fixing parking tickets and slaying wildlife.
I live in Alaska, I know her, and personally, I’d never vote for her. She has an extremely simple view of the world and is harshly judgmental and intolerant of those who do not follow her tight right-wing agenda. I don’t even think she has ever been abroad. As governor she has repeatedly shown us that she is unable to grasp the demands of leadership. She is very prone to cronyism of the worst kind. Every cabinet level political appointment she has made she has over-ridden suggestions of our state advisory boards, and instead promoted those who had granted her direct political favors. Not that other politicians don’t do this, they do, but most of them are able to balance their appointments to ensure that at least a few people with real skill and experience are running big state agencies.
She also has been unable to pay attention to her Alaskan constituency. Personally, I’ve written several of our previous gov’s and been asked to comment publicly on education policy. All the previous gov’s have always acknowledged that contribution, criticism or comment; sometimes by direct reply, or at least by that of a staff member. Palin’s office has been a zone of silence. Not I, nor one person I know commenting, has ever gotten any sort of reply. Her claim of running an open or transparent government is totally false; the public simply has no role in her administration.
Her previous claim to fame was being mayor of Wasilla, a growing town about 40 minutes from Anchorage , with about 15,000 people. Wasilla is a hellhole, even by Alaskan standards, where there are plenty of hellhole towns and villages. Wasilla is an ugly place that shows a complete absence of planning, design, or sense of public vision. Gov’t agencies and services are completely overrun in this town; things are so bad that they can’t even track their population or build schools in the right place, because most parts of the town don’t require building permits, so the only clue about where people are settling are utility receipts. Imagine trying to be an emergency responder in this kind of place: Houses don’t just catch on fire in Wasilla, they burn to the ground, because by the time the fire department has figured out which road to take (no signs) or whose house it is (no directory), the place is done for. Palin was mayor of this town for at least 2 terms before being elected gov. a year and a half ago.
Her moral sense is simplistic and not inclusive, with a complete absence of compassion. She is the sort of person who is used to using their “faith” to divide and isolate minority groups of human beings instead of uniting them. To her credit as Gov. she has kept out of this arena pretty well, but when in comfortable company (i.e the Matanuska Valley Republican Women’s Club), she lets her moral cat out of the bag.
I will do what I can to ensure her defeat and that of her running mate as well. 🙂 Please share this information with those who can use it well.
Her incompetence is second to non. As a mom. Her sense of entitlement is amazing. Becoming the VP of the US is not a joke. I am a firm believer in equality and women “having it all” as far as careers and family. But the smartest educated women I know will tell you someone suffers. Spending time with your family is just as important as being VP. She made the decision to have 5 children…some where alone the line I guess she decided not to raise them. It’s obvious that her priorities were not on her family in the past and her willingness to take on this position proves it even more. She is a women who wants what she wants even at the expense of her children and her country. GOD help us if she is making the decisions nationally for our families.
By putting an unqualified woman with extreme views on the ticket, the McCain campaign proved that the ultimate goal here is to use whatever means necessary to win this election. By feeding her scripted lines and shielding her from the press they are making it very clear that they DO NOT want her to speak for herself. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that they are lying about her record. While the initial reaction to the “Palin distraction” was largely successful for the Republicans, the facts are now overshadowing the fiction that they are trying to feed us. Just because Sarah Palin is a woman and a mother does not mean that she represents me. To assume that American women are going to rally behind her based purely on her gender is ridiculous. We are so much smarter than that and I believe that our overwhelming response for the Obama/Biden ticket on November 4th will put this in the record books as a strategy that completely backfired by eliciting the exact opposite response than the one intended.