Time to take a swipe at America's noisiest non-entity, Sarah "witchproof" Palin, with some commentary by Jessica Valenti of The Guardian newspaper...
My own thoughts on hearing of "Going Rogue" were....
My own thoughts on hearing of "Going Rogue" were....
"I suppose she and her supporters think that sounds romantic.."
Sure, the Davy Crockett frontiersman image of rugged self-sufficiency is a legitimate aspect of the American identity.
So is the steel worker union rep, the care-free Californian beach bum, the inner-city social worker... etc etc etc.
And being able to shoot a moose doesn't qualify you to lead what still is the most powerful country in the world.
Sorry. It just doesn't.
And if the theme of your book is your own exceptionalism, then by implication, you automatically absolve yourself of all your political failings. But, hey, everything is always someone else's fault for her anyway.
Here is an abridged version of Valenti's comments regarding the "sexism" narrative:
"Palin keeps insisting her failed political career is everyone's fault but her own. Even worse, Palin is alleging sexism (when it's convenient) while simultaneously relying on sexist notions of women in politics to pass the buck....
In her widely watched Oprah appearance, for example, Palin said that she resented people questioning her ability to serve as vice-president while being a mother to five children - something a man would never be asked. But Palin also complained that in her interview with Couric, she thought she would be speaking to the reporter ''working mom [to] working mom'' and that she was annoyed with ''her badgering and questions''.
In other words, Palin thought that because Couric was a woman, she wouldn't take her job as a journalist seriously. Palin expected a puff piece instead of pesky questions about economics, abortion and Palin's policies - you know, things a ''working mom'' couldn't possibly be bothered with....
You simply can't have it both ways - it's ridiculous to be upset about being treated differently by the public because you're a woman and a mother, while demanding the same biased treatment when it might give you the edge in an interview. Hers is a gender politics of convenience, one that insults all women in politics.
Of course, this performance of martyrdom is nothing new. During her run, Palin blamed everyone from the media to the Obama campaign for her faltering public image, instead of owning up to the fact that this has always been a narrative of her own creation."
Sure, the Davy Crockett frontiersman image of rugged self-sufficiency is a legitimate aspect of the American identity.
So is the steel worker union rep, the care-free Californian beach bum, the inner-city social worker... etc etc etc.
And being able to shoot a moose doesn't qualify you to lead what still is the most powerful country in the world.
Sorry. It just doesn't.
And if the theme of your book is your own exceptionalism, then by implication, you automatically absolve yourself of all your political failings. But, hey, everything is always someone else's fault for her anyway.
Here is an abridged version of Valenti's comments regarding the "sexism" narrative:
"Palin keeps insisting her failed political career is everyone's fault but her own. Even worse, Palin is alleging sexism (when it's convenient) while simultaneously relying on sexist notions of women in politics to pass the buck....
In her widely watched Oprah appearance, for example, Palin said that she resented people questioning her ability to serve as vice-president while being a mother to five children - something a man would never be asked. But Palin also complained that in her interview with Couric, she thought she would be speaking to the reporter ''working mom [to] working mom'' and that she was annoyed with ''her badgering and questions''.
In other words, Palin thought that because Couric was a woman, she wouldn't take her job as a journalist seriously. Palin expected a puff piece instead of pesky questions about economics, abortion and Palin's policies - you know, things a ''working mom'' couldn't possibly be bothered with....
You simply can't have it both ways - it's ridiculous to be upset about being treated differently by the public because you're a woman and a mother, while demanding the same biased treatment when it might give you the edge in an interview. Hers is a gender politics of convenience, one that insults all women in politics.
Of course, this performance of martyrdom is nothing new. During her run, Palin blamed everyone from the media to the Obama campaign for her faltering public image, instead of owning up to the fact that this has always been a narrative of her own creation."
Valenti makes some comments too about Palin's relaxed attitude to truth:
"...Palin continues to change her story again and again.
She wasn't really happy about her daughter Bristol's pregnancy, she tells us on Oprah - that was just McCain campaign spin. In Going Rogue she writes that she was excited about the notion of appearing on Saturday Night Live to ''neutralise'' Tina Fey's unflattering impression; but campaign emails show she didn't want to go on the show. Palin says in the book that after she was prank-called by someone pretending to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy, McCain's campaign manager, Steve Schmidt, called her screaming; former operatives say Schmidt actually contacted her via email. (Schmidt calls her criticisms ''total fiction''.)"
McCain's own campaign manager... saying Palin is making stuff up. Pretty damning.
So..
Going Rogue. Not just... "going away".
Not while there's a buck to be made anyway.
Actually, that woman needs money to pay off over a million dollars in legal fees. I love to hate that woman. She is everything you describe and more. Cerainly she is an insult to the intelligence to most women - but some do like her even now. I've seen her type when I was working and I didn't like them either.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with working moms but I do have problems with moms who exploit their children before all the world for their own gains. And I have to wonder whose taking care of the kids these days since brainless Todd is always at her side. And I guess I feel that if she'd been around to nurture Bristol, the girl may not have looked elsewhere for affection. Maybe, maybe not.
The bottom line is that she is unbelievably stupid, shallow and manipulative.
When you say you "love to hate" her it means you don't really "hate" her.
ReplyDeleteI don't really "hate" her. As far as I know, she's never murdered anyone.
But she'll murder millions by incompetence and bravado if she ever gets near real power. Jesus... she talked nuclear over Russia's actions in Georgia - even though I'm positive she had never heard of Georgia before, other than the one that surrounds Atlanta.
I just don't think she has the intellectual faculties required of a political leader, and she resorts to manipulations that would called out very quickly in most other professions.
She actually reminds Australians of a local ex-politician, Pauline Hanson, who fronted a new Right-wing political party during the 90's that offered policies that did nothing but pander to the prejudices of our equivalent of rednecks.
Unlike Palin though, Hanson was not aligned with one of the major political parties, which allowed even the (rational) conservative side of politics to call her out. And since they were in power at the time anyway... they did just that.