Sunday, September 7, 2008

DailyKos on Sexism. It's rich, but so TL;DR.

Again: TL;DR is internet shorthand for "too long; didn't read."

Meteor Blades over at DailyKos (who is quite a supplier of Palin Derangement Syndrome himself) carries on:

"The party that defeated the Equal Rights Amendment, that has whittled away women’s reproductive choices for 35 years, that obstructs gender pay equity, despises sports equity, worked to sabotage affirmative action, objects to guaranteed family leave, panders to right-wing religionists’ views of women, wants to invade women's privacy, thinks violence against women isn’t worthy of legislation, and embraces at almost every opportunity to maintain the "traditional" role for women in society, now dares present itself as the party of feminist enlightenment."


And you know what? They're also the party that put a woman on their ticket, defended her against sexist smears (and it's funny to watch this guy spin that they aren't really sexist smears -- just smears), and selected a woman with conservative values but has never used her platform to dictate those beliefs as policy.

It bears repeating:
Sarah Palin has never used her elective office to enact any policy on abortion, same-sex rights (except, you know, vetoing a measure that would ban them in State employment), evolution in schools, or any other social platform that the Obama-Left wants to scream is "RELIGIOUS"!

Not. One.

More, no one -- lest of all Republicans -- are saying that Sarah Palin is "feminist enlightenment." By the same token, me saying Sarah Palin is not a gay hater does not mean I think she's some Republican gay-rights pariah.

But when you go into tirades such as this:

"They chose a creationist-backing, choice-denying, gay-rejecting, middle-class-wrecking, environment-ignoring, secession-promoting, right-wing religionist and second-string rookie who is so gravely unprepared for the job for which she has been selected out of the blue that she must be kept under wraps except when delivering a script."


Sarah Palin has "backed creationism" (subtext: CREATIONISM OR DEATH!) when?

Sarah Palin has "denied choice" (subtext: YOU MUST ALL HAVE YOUR BABIES OR DEATH!) when?

Sarah Palin was "gay rejecting" (subtext: INTO THE INCENERATOR WITH ALL HOMOS!) when?

Sarah Palin was "wrecking the middle class" (subtext: SHE IS ONLY FOR BIG OIL... but she wasn't?) when?

Sarah Palin was "environment ignoring" (subtext: SARAH PALIN WANTS TO TURN ALL OF ALASKA INTO A STRIP MINE) when?

Sarah Palin was "succession promoting" (subtext: SHE DOES NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS WHY SHE RAN FOR GOVERNOR ON THE TICKET OF ONE OF AMERICA'S TWO MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES!) when?

Sarah Palin was "a right-wing religionist" (subtext: SHE BELIEVES ONLY IN THE BIBLE BUT NOT THE RULE OF LAW! Except, er, when she, er, said her State Supreme Court was right and signed same-sex State worker partner benefits into law...) when?

Sarah Palin is a "second-string rookie" (subtext: KILL HER! AAAHHH!! INEXPERIENCED!!!) compared to who again? Barack Obama? Is that right?

Check please.

They smear and smear, and then say the Republicans are full of it because they defend a woman of their own party. For me? Supporting a strong woman -- especially into the White House -- is a support of feminism. And I'm so glad that "Meteor Blades" acknowledges some surrogates are sexist. But that acknowledgement means little when you go on and on, defaming Sarah Palin and warping her into something she isn't.

He twists and turns, saying "Sarah Palin would never have been considered" if she were "Sam Palin." And? Geraldine Ferraro already beat you on that score years ago.

To wit: Would Barack Obama be where he is right now if his name were "Bernard O'Malley?"

I think not. You say that "some" people were sexist. Yeah, and by some, I hope you mean all of the Obama-Left. You pounced, and stroked your egos (amongst other things) salivating that "Women could NEVER identify with a Republican!"

It bears repeating:

I'm gay, and I identify with Sarah Palin. And your framing of her as some crazy-right, abortion-hating, religious fundie is because you fear her.

Just as you and your ilk feared Hillary Clinton, and smeared her by saying she was some war-mongering, secretly Republican, racist insider prone to cronyism.

The smears are still smears. Even if against that woman and Republican Sarah Palin.

Read this entire thing if you want, but it is hella TL;DR.

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