In the jargon of their profession, I suppose news anchors have a name for the last question in an interview. I do not know what they call it, but it appears to be a kind of “free” question off-topic from the boilerplate nature of the body of the interview. If you watched Secretary Clinton on the Sunday talk show circuit this past weekend, you saw her answering pretty much the same questions on the same subjects on all three shows, but at the end, each interviewer threw in a “free” question. Schieffer asked her about airport pat downs (a coup for him, I thought – the cable and network news are still looping that clip). Wallace, lamely I thought, asked her about running for president, and Gregory asked her about Sarah Palin. Here is how it went.
QUESTION: Secretary Clinton, before I let you go, I have to ask you this just as a political observer. What do you make of what happened on election day? And all this talk about Sarah Palin – when I interviewed you a while back, you said you’d be willing to sit down and have coffee with her. She may be someone who is in a position to try to equal what you accomplished in the political arena. What advice might you give her and what do you make of what’s happened politically?
SECRETARY CLINTON: You know, David, the best thing about being of Secretary of State is representing the United States around the world, but the second best thing is I’m out of politics. So with all due respect, I am not going to comment on the political scene right now other than to say that I’m focused on making the case to 67-plus senators in the Senate to pass the START treaty because that, to me, is the most important task facing the Senate and it goes way beyond politics.
QUESTION: And here I thought I’d lulled you into a moment of candor. (Laughter.) Secretary Clinton, thank you very much, as always.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, David.
Given an opportunity to remark about Palin, Hillary Clinton gracefully danced around the question, and put her agenda out in front instead, refocusing the moment, and the end of an interview is a powerful moment, on New START, a formidable product of her tenure at State.
I have seen Hillary do this before. Remember back in 2008? She was asked about a “lipstick” comment that had been made about Palin and responded, “I like lipstick. I use it, but let’s fix our financial institutions.” (Something like that – probably not her exact words.)
So I was befuddled as to why someone whom Hillary Clinton has taken pains NOT to attack has chosen to launch an unprovoked attack on her. With the release of Palin’s book today came some excerpts, and this one, for me, is the final straw.
[Palin] says she admires Hillary Clinton, but that her “baking cookies” remarks sounded like “someone frozen in an attitude of 1960s-era, bra-burning militancy.”
You can see more about this section at this Huffpo page>>>>
It is more than harsh. It is an unwarranted, gratuitous, unilateral attack. Unlike many of us in her generation, Hillary Clinton did not choose the militant route. While we were shouting at demonstrations, she was studying law. She was a singularly focused young individual who saw some things that needed to be changed and pursued a route that would equip her to address them. She was and still is a very disciplined person who found her time better spent in the library than carrying a poster.
I am not disparaging what the rest of us did. Ultimately, we did, I believe, make America aware of the reasons why we needed to withdraw fron Viet Nam and of the inequities in the culture. We were noisy while Hillary was quietly studying in the library.
So to brand her with a descriptor like “bra-burning militancy” is not only inaccurate, but completely uncalled for since Hillary has not said anything unkind or untoward about Palin.
She has called Hillary a whiner when she herself has whined about her treatment. Now she brands her unfairly as something she never was.
More than so many of my generation, Hillary Clinton has always been goal-oriented and on-task. For someone who was not even there to witness the era to brand her this way over a remark she made to explain her personal choice is unacceptable and mean.
This is it, Sarah. You have crossed the line with me. I will never defend you again. The next time I go to B.J.’s I will be turning your pile of books face down and putting a few copies of James Patterson on top so no one will know your book is there.
I dare anyone to tell me I am unfair in calling Sarah Palin on this base and baseless shot at my Homegirl. She had no reason to talk about Hillary at all. Hillary does not talk about her.
Militancy? So choosing a path of higher education and an independant career instead of feeling forced to find somebody to marry and make babies with is a sure sign of a militant? Well, I just learned something about myself. Thank you, Sarah Palin. If anyone could spot a militant, I’m sure it would be someone predisposed to making hunting and shooting references during political campaigns and a firm supporter of premptive strikes on other countries.
There it is again, that “where the hell am I living” feeling.
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Sort of an Alaska version of Stepford.
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Pleasantville with hunting rifles? If that is the Tea Partier view of what real America is, then I am a woman without a country. Is there an embassy or something for sane, pragmatic people?
I’m seeking assylum at the Department of Homegirl Security!
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LOL!!!! She said Hillary was frozen in the 60s, but our references put her and her ilk in the context of the 50s. Now that I think about it, that’s what they all want – some kind of return to 1953.
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I totally agree with you. I am younger than Sarah and wasn’t really aware of the feminist movement as it was happening. But while I was watching “Sesame Street” and playing with my Fisher-Price people, there were women like Hillary fighting for my future and for the futures of other tots. It’s too bad that Sarah doesn’t appreciate what these feminists did so that she could grow up to be a Governor and a Vice Presidential candidate.
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I think Hillary Clinton would make a much much better than Sarah Palin would in 2012. Palin reminds me of Barack Obama in 2008. They both needed more accomplishments but instead the behind the scene players latched onto their youth and sex appeal.
Yes, it can be said that Bill Clinton and Al Gore did the same thing when they did their train stop campaigning, but at least Bill Clinton had actually governed, lost, then governed again and just had a more experience track record. (pardon the pun)
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I think that Hillary Clinton would make a much better PRESIDENT than Sarah Palin would in 2012.
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We knew what you meant. We all complete each other’s sentences.
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Sartah Plain makes me sick!
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If we as a nation are really all about electing controversial reality TV stars, I’m predicting a Snooki/the Situation presidential bid… just as soon as they’re old enough.
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This just reaffirms all of the feelings I already had about Palin.
Imagine her in charge of American diplomacy!! She would not know diplomacy if it hit her on the head.
Rise, Hillary, Rise.
Hillary 2012. Now more than ever.
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I’m gobsmacked.
After all the times Hillary PROFESSIONALLY declined to take a shot at her, she says this.
And while SHE is on the subject of bra burning feminists. If it weren’t for those women who did the REAL work, people like Sarah wouldn’t even have a chance on the poltiical stage to take shots at them. What the hell is she, a role model for ungrateful Gen Y?
It’s not too hard to see that Hillary had class when it came to opportunities to slam Sarah, but she has none at all in return. that’s why no matter how hard Sarah tries to appropriate the word “Feminist” she doesn’t have a clue what a sisterhood is or what it was like to fight for HER rights. I feel like putting her quote on my sidebar for all the Hillary women to see so they can See how she disrespects Hillary vs how Hillary had the professional class to resist trashy comments about Sarah. Because while Hillary is exhaustively traveling the world for her country, Sarah is fishing in Alaska on TV dropping little repetitive buzz-word pearls — and then she has the audactity in one fell swoop to be a Sniper and insult not only Hillary, but all the women who stood in the rain and snow so women like her could show up and pooh pooh it all and pretend they exist on the public stage because those rights fell out of the sky. One would almost have to gather a bunch of Gey Yers from the youtube Haul videos to get someone to appreciate this totally unprofessional Sniper remark.
I’m sorry. I have tried with Sarah. I’ve even stuck up for her a number of times on my blog. I voted for her and this is the thanks I get for standing in the rain and snow so the Sarah’s of this world can shit on women of substance.
I’ve even voted for Bristol to make Obots’ heads explode. I’ve gone out of my way to defend her against sexism but if anything shows me she just doesn’t deserve it, it’s this revoltingly Deliberate lowlife Snipe.
Once this remark makes its rounds, expect Sarah’s polls to tank further. She’s even behind Huckabee now. She’s getting a taste of that patrarchy that hates women while she pretends it doesn’t exist because she’s Special. She’s going to wish all those old “bra burners” were there for her again.
God, I’m incensed to the point where I can barely be coherant in this comment. There were so many things she could have had the class to say. Instead she is now the caricature of the Cat Fighter, just like the boys in the band like it.
You know I saw a comment on one of the blogs from a Republican woman that sums it up when it comes to mutual respect. The comment was how “You must be a PUMA” followed by “Sarah is making ‘your’ Hillary more irrelevant every day, so ‘deal'”. Can you imagine what kind of a brain lives in THAT reality, when there is no comparison of accomplishments, acheivement and PROVEN ability? As if fishing on TV is so very relevant, much more relevant than trying to talk psychopaths out of blowing each other up.
No way on earth I am going to be used by that party again. I will stay home first. They don’t respect us sister. No matter how much Hillary achieves on this earth they will NEVER admit it because she doesn’t have an R after her name and doesn’t want to bake cookies. How stupid and petty is that?
Oh man, am I pissed off.
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I think you should. It illustrates the difference between CLASS and CRASS.
Same here, and I am finished!
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I think that Mama Grizzly is going to hear it from a lot of angry PUMAS.
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Unfortunately, some of those “PUMAs” are the ones browbeating us at every turn for not blindly supporting Palin. There are still some Hillary-loyal PUMAs, but in some ways the designation has become meaningless.
One thing those truly loyal to Hillary have never ceased to be is an army. Hillary’s Army is still here.
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Still4Hill, I second that. Hillary’s army is alive and well. I hope to see the PUMAs who branched off under misguided notions coming back to the fold. And, yes, the PUMA concept has gradually become meaningless, especially because so many of the non-PUMA dem votes now so admire Hillary.
Honestly, I feel that it is time to reunite in the cause of promoting Hillary, and women’s rights.
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Re: The remark on Sarah being the Republican Barack, I have said this numerous times. The are both a cult of personality. They both have rabid followers beyond reason. They both deliberately incite those rabid followers. They both know five minutes on every subject and repeat the same phrases. They both are Uncurious and they both have a malicious streak and use their brand of charisma to slam others in malicious ways.
I am shocked to see many of the same people- who were horrified at what Barack Obama pulled off when he conned people–falling for the very same method used by Sarah Palin.
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Preach it!
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Absolutely agree with you Uppity Woman. Palin is the “Audacity of cynicism.”
She repeats the same prepared remarks. Ask about the nice fire behind her, and she has no good response that connects with her here and now (like lastnight on Greta). Then, she had the audacity to diss feminists.
Lack of depth and full understanding of the subjects is what is causing her to make statements like “stand with North Korea” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enagt-5NVm4 ) – what a joke! Even there, she is feeding the same prepared remarks. No depth whatsoever. And, then she calls North Korea the ally. She does not know the topic at all. Now, she may read and learn between now and a few months from now, but that is not what I would call experience.
Hillary proved that RESPECT, PROFESSIONALISM, EXPERIENCE and SOLUTIONS are what to look for in all political candidate. That is what I will look for and promote. And, it will be a re-assessment of all candidates going into the next election.
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Hillary has never been a feminist stuck in the past as Palin suggests. She has always been watchful and ready to comment when females are not treated equally; she has always worked to see justice done in an unbalanced world; she has no need to participate in petty games with women who know no better.
As for Palin, she has already set herself up as a culturally typical female instead of showing the world that she is above the cultural expectations as defined by women’s history.
In short, she is the one stuck in the past.
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What Uppity said!
It is a sad state of affairs when we get an American idol president. Sarah has no gratitude for those who paved the way for her. Sickening.
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Uppity..I am glad to hear you are outraged by sarah’s comments, as I have been from the start. She is a small mean spirited person, that doesn’t have leadership skills and she just proved it again. I never called her names, but would never support her for anything! I am hoping those of angry Hillary supporters realize this and don’t be so quick to support and defend her let alone ever vote for her.. sure shes a woman but really shes part of the some of republican good ole boys.
On another blog{ which mocks me because i never will go long with the pressure to agree with them}} that I go on, are rabid sarah supporters and Hillary haters and it scares me if there’s even a slight chance that this could give her a real chance at the presidency like obama. I mean i see it around my area they believe the crap, just like many did for obama.! I guess alot of people think its okay if it is their brand of koolaid for the fake candidates.
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Hold on, that quote is nearly two decades old. (If you can believe it, my little first grade friends and I talked about it at recess. We didn’t understand why everybody was so upset about her having a job. All of our mothers had jobs.) My point is that, after everything she’s said since that quote was released – even that silly-but-true line about a “vast rightwing conspericy” that, in that case, turned out to be more of a dose of simple infidelity – if a person has to dig back that far to prove why they think they are so much better, I think it’s telling.
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I am gratified to see so many Hillary supporters that I have known for years commenting here.
There are certain dates, 05/31/08, 08/26/08. and now 11/24/10 that anchor us and function as markers in the struggle that drew us together. We have been through a lot of herstory together and have experienced bombardment by infiltrators of various ilks. I am proud to see Hillary’s Army gathered and ready to fend off the cheap, inexcusable shots from Palin and her coterie – some of whom used to be PUMAs.
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WTG!!!!Still and thank you so much for posting this and getting the attention that it deserved. No one should ever be aloud to put HRC down without the true facts behind their statements.
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I have always thought that Palin was a person who loved the spot light. How dare her reference about Hillary’s “bra-burning militancy”. That was so nasty. Thanks to Hillary she is where she is today. I love Barbra Bush for telling Sarah Palin to please stay in Alaska. Mrs. Bush was recently on Larry King live this week and said those remarks.
We know Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ms. Palin your no Hillary Rodham Clinton, Hillary is a friend of all the disinfranchized both in this country and the world. Sorry Ms. Palin you can’t even touch Hillary’s hem strings. You simply have no class at all. One more note here, Ms.Palin your five minutes are over.
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PCFS, I am totally with you. Yes, I was very glad that Barbra Bush very tactfully made the remarks. Dont you wish the Greta’s of the FOX World ask Ms.Palin to remark on that! Instead, the Faux media gives orchestrated exposure to their candidate.
I am so so done with Palin. She is absolutely no Hillary Rodham Clinton. Actually Palin does not even compare to Ela Bhatt, a true feminist who has slogged to see women progress.
Ms.Palin needs to recognize that promoting conservative candidates of her own choosing does not translate to feminism. She needs to recognize that displaying children in media and then complaining of lack of privacy is what Hollywood does, not a respectable and responsible mom. Misuse of family is not what feminists do. Respecting oneself and others they have brought to the world is an essential aspect of feminism. But for that, you are just a user.
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*thumbs up*
o/t But you heard it here first. I think there is more to Barb’s comment. I think there is a 3-letter reason flying under everybody’s radar: Jeb. No one is paying attention, but why would he have gotten air time w/ W (conveniently promoting his book that comes out now) on Candy Crowley? Jeb would squash Palin like a bug. He has a resume. He’s a kingmaker (of the questionable kind, granted), but he would squash Sarah like a bug.
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still4hill, Thank you for the post.
Yes, SP has gone way far.
Pot shots, and yes, gratuitously nasty to a parent is what she has done to Chelsea’s mom, and I am sure that is painful to Chelsea as well. And, it is painful to Hillary’s followers as well, as we can see here.
Women’s right to equality include right to vote, reproductive rights over their body and equal pay and fairness in paycheck. All are important rights. Without standing up for women’s equality, you cannot be a feminist.
Being a female does not make you a feminist. A male who stands up for women’s right to equality is a feminist. A woman who does not stand up for women’s equality (including reproductive rights and equal pay) is not a feminist. SP is in the latter group, and has only been the beneficiary of the hard work of feminists, and now she has the audacity to be cynical about feminists who slog for women’s rights day after day.. and worse yet call herself a feminist!
Enough. There is no way I will give her any support.
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Thank you for mentioning Chelsea, and I am sure this also affects Mrs. Rodham whom I love so much for giving us Hillary. The day Hillary grabbed my heart forever it was because, while she was taking a beating, I could not stop seeing that someone’s little girl was under that game face and it hurt me for Dorothy.
That said, it was rather generous of many loyal Hillary supporters I know to vote for Bristol on DWTS. They told me they did it because she worked hard etc. I see that Hillary people are kind and sympathetic – like Hillary. Mama Grizzlies, apparently, defend their own young and to hell with everybody else’s.
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Oh, yes, I hope Mom Dorothy Rodham doesnt get wind of this Sarah windbag Palin’s nasties.
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I’m sure she already has. If there is a single person on earth who understood what Hillary did NOT mean by that baking cookies remark, it is Mrs. Rodham who, I am sure, baked cookies for Hillary. Hillary was not slamming her mom or moms like her. She just preferred trying to help people to baking and socializing. She was just trying to explain her choice.
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I thought I would share Team Hillary Clinton’s response to Sarah Palin’s remark.
No, Sarah, you are not getting a “pass” on this or on anything else in the future. We’re DONE!
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I recall this favorite quote.
“When people attack you, you always have to remember that a lot of what others say about you has a lot more to do about them than you.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton
SP has done no work as a feminist herself. So she attacks the feminists to be able to call herself a feminist. She tries to redefine what feminism is.
FEMALE and FEMININE does not equate to FEMINIST.
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As a young woman and someone who makes it her business to know the facts whenever possible, I have to say that I think she and her kind may actually set the whole equality thing back. Let’s look at this for a minute.
Point 1 – I’m not at an actual computer and my capabilities as a mobile commentator only go so far, so I can’t get you the full quote right now but I’m sure most of you have encountered it. What is so militant about a woman expressing satisfaction with choosing to persue a career? Is this not 2010? Did we not just see a whole host of women from every political corner and every place on the ideological map go out and run for political offices? Are we still not ok with mothers who work? Newsflash – Sarah Palin was a working mom. She still is one. Is she herself a militant Feminazi?
Point 2 – Sarah Palin is cronically hypocritical on women’s issues. She holds her daughter (and herself) up as examples of women who made “the right choice”
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I Hillary-laughed at Point 2. We all know Hillary’s background. I thought I would update everybody on Chelsea’s bio who is NOT dancing with any stars, but retains a comnnection to the dance world.
Ummmm … WHO raised a daughter who is an example of a woman who has made the right choices? (The one whose daughter actually got married before presenting her parents with any grandkids?)
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😀 I have that quote in my sidebar! A fav!
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I wasn’t finished! Point 2 continued –
… “the right choice” with regard to whether or not to go through with thier pregnancies. She goes on about hoe rightous their choice to have their children was, but would deny all other American women the right to make the right choice for them. That strikes me as incredibly arrogant – to assume that your way of life, belief, and decision making abilities are so superior to the rest of the population. To quote my late grandmother “Who died and left her boss?”
Point 3 – She devides everything into two basic groups – right and wrong. Anyone who doesn’t tow the the line is 100% wrong 100% of the time. I doubt she could find one lone, solitary thing to compliment Hillary, Obama, Biden, Pelosi, or indeed even our own Still4Hill on anything they’ve ever acomplished because do not believe she is capable of seeing their acomplishments. I’m not saying she’s a terrible person but I do think she is woefully lacking in the empathy department.
Does any of this sound like leadership material to you?
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No leader WE want to elect, that’s for sure!
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Rose, I have been there. I ran from the Team Sarah place like my hair was on fire. They couldn’t stop hating Hillary and slamming Democrats. The assumption that they can hate Hillary and I’m supposed to love Sarah instead is just beyond the pale. These people are from another planet as far as I’m concerned and, previously, I stuck my neck out for Sarah in the sexist department, as IF she had to put up with 15 freaking years of it from people like her own supporters like Hillary did.
And Funny how Sarah didn’t print the REST of what Hillary said in that quote, which is basically, you go ahead and bake cookies if you want, that’s your right. I’ll be damned, but I am so pissed off I could spit. I am going to remove every defense I ever gave that women in posts on my blog — and there are many—I am DONE with this bullsh*t. These people NEVER change. It’s their way or the highway, close-minded, and MEAN-spiritedness all the way. It must have something to do with their own insecurities but I’m not interested in other people’s psyches. I just want them the hell out of my life and my bedroom. These are people who scream about “Individual Rights” so long as they are Rights they APPROVE of. And these people are jealous that the most famous woman in the WORLD is not “Theirs”.
That slam was Just. Plain. Mean. Spirited. In every way. She should only wear the Color Green from now on because that’s what this amounts to and it’s just the kind of crap the patriarchy loves to see one of their Stepford Girlz do.
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Yes, GREEN, and not in a good way!
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I would rather watch a grizz match between Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin in 2012 than Barack Obama. Stand down Barack Obama.
Lets have a real fight in 2010 over which prior presidency has been the MOST EFFECTIVE in the past half century, and whom is most likely to repeat and IMPROVE on that past record.
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oops, meant 2012, not 2010.
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Just wondering if anyone here has the book yet?
What is in quotes from Huffpost I guess are meant to actually be words in the book – the rest are the author at Huffpost’s interpretation of what Palin wrote. It is strange that the Huffpost author did not lift the actual passage. It certainly would also be out of character for the way Palin has conducted herself towards Hillary.
I’m not defending- just think we should see the actual wording of the passages and then judge. I’d imagine this isn’t the only reference to Hillary in the book either.
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That was an issue for me, too, Amy, and I waited all day to post about this hoping to find the actual passage somewhere, but none of the sources had it. I agree, I would like to see the actual quote from the book. In the end, though, I think she simply should have laid off Hillary altogether since Hillary studiously avoids commenting on her. Given the mission of DeHoS, I was duty-bound to defend my Homegirl.
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Amy,
I thumbed thru the book at the store. Yeah, the quotes are pretty accurate.
I’m so done with SP. I will NEVER be misused again. Done. FINITO.
Going forward, I will also be extremely careful to see who has policy position closer to mine. If that is the rainbow party candidate, so be it.
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Here ya totally – and if she did diss Hillary, it will definitely hurt her – with us all.
Just think it is odd…Daily Beast did the same kind of thing but they lifted actual passages of the book. Wording is important.
Guess we should keep our eyes out on the media – or if anyone ends up buying the book…
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I am sure the passage will eventually come out – maybe NYT book review. They are thorough.
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We were discussing this in the comment section at Hillaryis44 on 11/23, and I’m so glad other Hillary websites are picking up on this. Check the Hillaryis44 Admin’s 11/23 article if you are curious about what other Hillary supporters have also said.
Like Uppity, while never really a Sarah Palin supporter, I have defended Sarah Palin from misogynistic attacks….but when she makes idiotic remarks like this, she really tries one’s patience.
Here are the remarks on Hillary from Palin’s new book. She mentions her twice, and the relevant full passage from the book, with one paragraph preceding, and the first line from the following paragraph is quoted so that we may see it in its original context. It’s on page 136 or 137 of her book (can’t remember now exactly which, I was skimming through the book quickly at the bookstore during my lunch break):
___________
She mentions Hillary first in relation to Dan Quayle and Murphy Brown. Palin brings up the comment Quayle had made about Murphy Brown’s ‘lifestyle choices’, that being having a baby on TV on her own. Quayle was skewered for this remark, and Palin mentions that Hillary Clinton took this opportunity to call Quayle “typical of “an Administration out of touch with America.” Palin then goes on to say in the chapter that Quayle was somehow vindicated years later for his remarks.
She then again mentions Hillary in a later chapter on traditional family values and the role of the family in women’s lives. Quoting here for the sake of full disclosure:
“Today’s self-proclaimed feminists have (more than once) accused me of not being a “real woman” because I don’t share their leftist views. (The same sort of insults are hurled at black conservatives like Clarence Thomas and Thomas Sowell who don’t view themselves primarily as victims of racism.) But it’s actually the liberal women’s groups that have little in common with the majority of American women. Most women love their families and cherish motherhood. But all too often leaders of the modern feminist movement seem disdainful of traditional family life and the joys and fulfillment we find in motherhood.
Remember Hillary Clinton’s famous rant, when her husband was running for president, that she wasn’t, in her words, “some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette?” Hillary is someone I like and admire personally in many ways, but she came across then as someone frozen in an attitude of 1960s-era bra-burning militancy. She told us in no uncertain terms that she “could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas” but preferred to pursue a serious career. Well, Hillary (many of us wanted to say at the time), some of us like to baked cookies. Some of us also think we can do that and still have successful careers. And most of us don’t think we have run down stay-at-home moms in order to make ourselves feel good about our choices.
The women’s groups and mainstream media have greeted the rise of conservative mama grizzlies in much the same way they treated the vice-presidential campaign in 2008…[snip] ”
______________
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Thank you for contributing this. I stand by my original position that she had no reason to bring Hillary Clinton into her oeuvre since Hillary has assiduously resisted all Palin-baiting.
As for idiotic comments, a friend sent me this a little while ago. I have deep sympathy for the McCain team that tried to “brief” her during the campaign and ended up tearing their hair out.
http://www.mediaite.com/uncategorized/sarah-palin-confuses-whos-on-our-side-in-northsouth-korea/
Seriously. It doesn’t happen to me often, but words fail.
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still4hill, This probably deserves its own thread!
She really does not know the topic at all.
NO ONE confuses this if they know the extent of sensitivity of the topic. Politicians are especially careful. Even Obama has not made such bad “mistakes” of international significance.
Back in 2008, when Palin had the use of a teleprompter, she did say South Korea.. but when you listen to her in this clip, she does not say half a sentence that would show that she has ANY knowledge whatsoever or real appreciation of the real conflict between the North and the South Korea and then, she does not know who is the ally. No reference to recent events – not even to the event of this week that has been in the headlines. Very telling on what she does not know.
No wonder they suggest palm notes… or teleprompter.
Even Obama without teleprompter does not make such mistakes. Extra pauses and extra slowness in speech does not bother me as much as total lack of comprehension of such weighty topics that are essential in any politician let alone top office.
When Katie Couric asked her what does she read, she tried to gloss over the issue. Ever since, she has been making Couric into an ill-motivated person for asking the question. Journalists when they meet prominent people routinely ask what do you read; it is a natural question the purpose of which is to find and share how people hone their leadership skills, what are they motivated/influenced by. She really had no ready answer that is thoughtful that wants to give any insight to her — and in the process, perhaps gave us the most insight of all.
Can you imagine what might happen if Hillary made such a mistake!!!
Palin is so not ready for anything; on top of that, she has the audacity to be cynical about Hillary.
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Well, they don’t fail me!
Let me tell you, as one of the generation produced by those working, non-traditional, independently-minded women, I sick beyond measure of hearing about how we are all somehow deeply flawed becauseour mothers didn’t stay in their place, teach their daughters to do the same, and teach their sons to accept nothing less. Are Millenials disproportionately predisposed to failing at life when compared to previous generations at the same age? Has the presence of women done erreparable damage to the corperate world, or the military, or the higher education system? I want proof before I my compatriots and I are deemed inferior, Mrs. Palin. Show me evidence.
As hard as it might be for Sarah Palin to believe, premarital sex, substance abuse, homosexuality, questioning the Word of God – or the existance of a higher power, and even strong women are not ideas born in the 60’s. If you don’t believe me, check out ancient history, check out classical literature, and dare I say, read some sacred texts. There are too many examples of what are usually viewed as modern issues in history for me to adequitly cite. Long story short, Sarah Palin would probay still have a grandchild born to an unmarried daughter
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Sorry.
“… daughter even if she were living in an America that had never seen a Women’s Momement. It’s biology, not the degredation of traditional family values, that makes people have sex in spite of their lack of divine permission. The chances are also pretty good that there would be women who would want their lives to be defined by more than reproducing. The Women’s Movement didn’t suddenly make it possible for women to have ideas of their own and skills to hone, it made it harder to ignore or marginalize them.
By the way, has anyone told Mrs. Palin that she’s not exactly Donna Reed?
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My thoughts…
crossposted to my own blog…
http://letthemlisten.wordpress.com/2010/11/24/both-ways-barracuda/
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Ack. The links dumped me into the moderation filter.
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Hillary Clinton and I are of the same generation. Those of us who marched for equality, for choice… who marched for peace… who got out there and showed other people that we cared, no, we were not militant. We didn’t yell, scream, insult, attack. We marched so that everyone could have a better tomorrow. There was goodwill and, ultimately, we marched for God and country. We marched for you! Then, when the march was over, I went back home, and, like my friends, we went back to studying, partying, fixing our hair, having boyfriends, families and jobs. I am proud of caring about causes and people and animals and this planet. I believe that Ms. Palin, as Shakespeare might say, “doeth protest too much.” As a woman, Sarah Palin embarrasses me. She would be wise to keep quiet and to watch so that she can lean how Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Condi Rice – became so esteemed.
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I agree with Amy. I’ve learned a lot with what I witnessed with how the media did the same kind of thing with Hillary in taking her words out of context or not quoting her verbatim.
My view is that before we all go off on a tangent in attacking Sarah, much like they did Hillary during Bill’s campaign for the presidency, while First Lady and during her historic run for the presidency, we should make certain that Sarah actually dissed Hillary in the way being described by Huff&Puff.
Let’s not forget, Sarah is a threat to the GOP male establishment politicians and they want to destroy her in much the same way they tried to do with Hillary. In fact, if I recall correctly, Hillary was about the same age as Sarah is now when she made that “I’m not a Tammy Wynette kind of woman…I didn’t want to stay home, bake cookies and have teas…”, which got her in a lot of hot water. Sarah is still young and learning the ropes of what a woman is allowed to say without causing a major controversy without meaning to.
If Sarah truly dissed Hillary in the way reported on Huff&Puff, I still won’t attack her. After all, Bill Clinton has had a long-term with Jerry Brown for decades for his accusations against Hillary and her law firm’s billing procedures, but he still endorsed Jerry over Meg.
I think we should give Sarah the benefit of the doubt, just as we wanted the pundits, press, political establishment to give Hillary when she did or said things that could be interpreted as an “attack”.
Bottom line. I simply refuse to engage in the “pack mentality” of attacking Sarah in the same way the obamabots, MSM, DNC, etc., did with Hillary in 2008.
I say we find out all of the facts before we start acting like a bunch of obamabots. No wonder women have such a hard time getting a foothold on gaining political power. They have to be perfect or all bets are off.
The best way we can honor Hillary and all women who are brave enough to run for office and present alternative views and political positions, is to stop believing any and every negative report about women before making certain that the reports are factual and true. It’s what we asked be done for Hillary, so, I think it’s only fitting that we do this for Sarah and for all women in the public eye being judged by a very biased, misogynistic media and political hierarchy determined to keep such women out of power by any means necessary.
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I am not attacking Sarah. Both Wonk and Fifth have the full quote up there. Sarah attacked Hillary. I will never defend Sarah again as I have in the past. Hillary has never attacked Sarah. She does not get a pass on this, Not from me.
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still4hill,
That’s your prerogative and I respect it.
However, as I said in my earlier post, when she was on the national scene back in the early 90’s, Hillary, too, said some things that blew back on her and I think the response by the public was overblown and unfair, and I think the same is true now with Sarah.
I can’t think of anyone on the political scene that has not said or done something that they regretted later. Hell, if George Wallace can be forgiven by the AA community for his horrifically biased behavior towards AA’s when he was governor of Alabama in the early 60’s, and then decades later do a 180 degree turnaround in his views towards them, then why can’t women show the same understanding and tolerance to one of their own for far less egregious behavior? Is this kind of consideration reserved only for men? It sure seems so and explains why women may never achieve equity with men, because such harsh judgment will only divide us and keep us divided in the long run. I recognize the benefit of men having no problem accepting less than perfection in other men. Ironically, women give men that same consideration, but seem to have a heck of a time giving the same kind of consideration to other women. I’m not giving Palin a pass, as you say, I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt that she will learn and grow and over time, will see that making such a statement is counterproductive and unnecessary. After all, she has apoligized in the past for statements she made about Hillary and sexism during the primary election. She sat with Geraldine Ferraro for that historic first meeting on Fox News of the only two women to be on a national ticket and showed the utmost respect towards Gerry.
My point is that I just don’t think the punishment fits the crime. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that I’m not still for Hill because I am, and always will be.
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There isn’t any punishment. Just no more defense.
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Sarah Palin has been in politics in Alaska for a while. She is a grown women. I’d be willing to go out on a limb here and say that now, after the ’08 election and her previous experience in office, she’s probably well aware of the power of words. Looking at the way she uses social media to get thoughts directly to her following, the way she only uses friendly news outlets, her readiness to go after anyone who disagrees with her – even if they support her overall, I think she likes to rock the boat. There’s nothing wrong with shaking things up, necessarily. It’s her style. I don’t agree with either her political opinions or her tendancy to take preemptive swipes at anyone who doesn’t agree 100%. Would I feel the same way if it was Samuel Palin saying these things? No, and I find the idea that my not lowering the bar I’ve set for supporting political candidates for Sarah Palin simply because we’re of the same sex. If there’s a good politician out there whose positions I agree with, then I’ll support them. If I think a politician has said something stupid or out of line I’m going to say so. Which restroom that politician uses plays no part in my decision. I could be completely wrong. Wrong about Palin. Wrong about not coddling women political figures. Wrong about everything, but that’s me.
I don’t think that attacking someone’s family or demonizing anyone is a good thing. I realize that words have power. Sarah Palin might be a delightful person, but I have no use for her politics and that’s what this is about – her as a public figure and possible presidential contender. A candidate who needs to be coddled is not ready to run the country, in my humble opinion.
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Isn’t is funny? A week or so ago you and I were saying these same things on the thread about that article where Glenn Reynolds suggested watering down presidential duties because the current occupant of the White House can’t handle them all. I guess that’s what we get when the people follow the herd because somebody texts and tweets a lot and makes good speeches.
What was it W said? Fool me once shame on you and you’re not gonna fool me another time. (Words to that effect LOL!) It’s actually a Chinese proverb, but he messed it up anyway.
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In some ways I think this is harder to discuss without getting people annoyed (or getting annoyed yourself). I mean, I’m all for ‘sisterhood’ and stuff, but blindly supporting candidates simply based of their gender doesn’t make sense. Hasn’t that been the source of the problem throughout history – that gender (male in that case) trumped substance? Perhaps the fact that I born after the Women’s Movement and I’m therefore detached from it in a way older people on both sides of women’s issue’s aren’t, but I don’t see how blindly supporting any woman in any political contest is a good idea. Maybe I’m just ungrateful.
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*I’m in the firm grip of a Turkey Hangover, and it’s obviously effected my brain.
Obviously, I meant blindly supporting any woman even if she’s not the best one for the job. Supporting qualified women politicians with sound policy goals is always a great idea. 🙂
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This is the 7th time this year Palin has attacked Hillary and the 7th time so-called Hillary supporters make excuses for their queen. I am not suprised by what Palin said or how certain support all woman people responded. She wants Hillary’s attention and Hillary will not give it to her. Palin has never apologized to Hillary. Hillary protected her daughter from being called a whore and than Palin called Hillary a whiner. Why any Hillary supporter believed the Palin supporters when the said “Hillary was treated bad,support Palin” does not make sense. Palin supporters hate Hillary and will never ever support Hillary.
Amy and Kathleen please tell me you are kidding. What you are doing is the same thing that happened to Hillary websites in 2008 and some places it worked like hillbuzz,the conflunce,puma and other. Places like still4hill,stacy’s blog, and others did not fall for it. The Palin supporters had the easy posts to turn Hillary blogs to Palin Blogs:
1. Hillary was treated bad
2. Palin is standing up to Obama
3. Lets all support Palin
They took over Hillary blogs with in days,weeks, and months by following those three posts they got from Freerepublic. So when I read Amy and Kathleen’s posts it takes me back to 2008 and the takeover of Hillary blogs.
I apologize if I over stepped the bounds of this blog of what I posted. I just hate people making excuses for someone who attacked Hillary at Hillary’s blog.
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Considering the Mission Statement, which begins:
I would say you are well within the bounds of this blog, jillforhill. An attack is an attack regardless of the source. Hillary is our girl and we are here to defend her.
Yup! I was a mod at Hillary’s Village when, over the space of a single weekend it transformed into Sarah’s Village. I know what you mean.
We’re here for Hillary.
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still4hill, I’m loving that mission statement. Thank you.
jill4hill, so glad you brought that up. It is good to hear it out in the open. It has been frustrating working hard with people who mistake standing up against sexism to way more than that. There has been a lot of Hillary supporter core people who have been taken advantage of over the past two years; a lot of tension among people who we thought were friends who were mostly good-weather friends in for their own games, mostly to promote their own favor R candidate. No more!
Any person/site that purports to be a Hillary supporter person/site ought to at least stand with Hillary on policy positions that Hillary would endorse.
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ahem.
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I lurked at Hillary’s Village and the weekend Palin quit when the takeover started. Watching them takeover broke my heart.
Let me clarify 90% of PUMA blogs turned to Palin.
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When I commented that I had thought I had accidentally stumbled into the wrong village, they piled on me like that picture discourse posted of the pile-on at a soccer match. Wow! And the same thing happened when I commented, at Matt’s invitation, on his My Two Cents radio show. It was clearly a concerted effort because it happened everywhere at the same time.
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still4hill, Great observation.
Actually, it did not stop there. They followed on to other sites that spawned off HV and future sites from that. Very concerned trolls and doing the work of ultra conservative R party, causing tensions and channeling sites increasingly into conservative realm. I do not wish to name sites, but believe me, I lost a good friend who got well taken in.
If we go back to the original place where we were gathered HCF, most of these trouble-makers joined as new members there just as Dem primary was finishing – it was an orchestrated effort to channel people to the R side. Of course, it is in retrospect and with new information added that it becomes clearer. When I went back and searched I found that one of the people who as pretending to be pro-Hillary was posting Republican contacts at colleges and universities — where would they get something like that?? Later I found the same person calling Hillary as progressive as if it progressive is bad word. I doubt she was ever a Hillary supporter. Lot of infiltration and divide and conquer… and a lot of lot friends along the way as a result. Sad.
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Yes, that is exactly what they did. Even as recently as this past summer, people at Hillary sites were still focusing on Obama supporters infiltrating Facebook groups. I told them it was the Republican infiltrators to watch for – and all the Republican infiltrators jumped all over me of course – proving my point.
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In my opinion progressive IS a bad word. I consider Hillary Clinton to be a liberal conservative. Wanting to prescribe to liberal values, but not pandering to get every vote out there with unrealistic promises, rather responsibility based promises, as other presidential candidates have recently done.
Progressives have DESTROYED the democratic party by splitting it in two, with the progressive part being the smaller part that pretends to be the vanguard of the democratic party.
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“I consider Hillary Clinton to be a liberal conservative.”
That’s interesting. For me, she’s socially liberal, politically moderate (she’s for civil liberties generally but also for the death penalty under certain circumstances), generally fiscally conservative but with FDR and LBJ streaks (unions, welfare, focus on working and middle classes, govt helping those who can’t help themselves, etc.), and national security hawk but not the “war-monger” that the Obots claim her to be. More like strong military under strong civilian leadership.
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filipino-american4hrc, likewise. Yes, I think Hillary is very much a moderate Democrat. Your summary and rationale are quite sound. Thank you.
DailyPUMA,
I am not saying that she is a ‘progressive’ rather that her once using that to pander to far left voter bloc amidst a debate is actually being misused to project her as extreme left. This is being done by the conservative Republicans.
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OK, I see what you are saying. I probably should have used moderate in my description of Hillary Clinton.
However, a liberal conservative is another way of saying flexible moderate.
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Alexandro Machi,
> a liberal conservative is another way of saying flexible moderate
yes I agree. That is what we moderates know as a fact including from history of her voting records.
Thanks.
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They like to use that word and also to lump her with Obama as a “follower” of Alinsky. I have the draft of her thesis and no way did she endorse Alinsky’s model. She did demonstrate amazing creds to hold a Senate seat for NY.
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Hillary is not one to promote or endorse Alinsky model. I dont know where the critiques get the source support for that little gem of a mud-toss — but then again, they have proven that they dont need any support.
Hillary did have amazing quals to become senator. In fact, that is actually when I delved deep into her actual quals – as she was running for NY Senate. Fact is, she never quite working – she was always a professional all the way, INCLUDING while she was FLOTUS — she viewed and performed as a voluntary professional public servant, with a schedule that was full to the brink. It was only while she was FLOTUS that she was unpaid public servant.
Her public service and college work show tremendous depth of thought and commitment to public service.
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and flexible moderate does not mean wishy washy. It means a politician is willing to work to come up with the best solutions.
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For what it’s worth, many dems have turned on Hillary for agreeing to be obama’s SOS. I have vehemently defended Hillary against their reasons for deserting Hillary were she to run in 2012. They would not or could not accept that she was not selling her soul by being part of the obama administration. Surely, those stating they would not defend Sarah any longer here would have to admit that those dems abandoning Hillary are using the same argument you are with Sarah?
This is about holding women to an impossible standard, when men make the same kinds of verbal gaffes or say things that they later regret, they are given second, third and fourth chances to make it right. I would hope that after the way Hillary was treated and then Sarah, we would have learned that the only way women are going to reach the parity we all seek with men not only in power but in other sectors of society, we cannot attack every woman and desert them the minute they do or say something we don’t agree with. It’s an effective strategy, IMO, that the men use to keep us off balance and at each other’s throats, while they go merrily along enjoying their claim to entitlement and the first and best choices in what society has to offer.
After the 2008 primary and GE, I had hoped women had finally learned the value of uniting in our collective power and differences to finally take our rightful, equal place in society alongside men, not behind them. But from what I see with those who have abandoned Hillary and those who say they will not longer defend Sarah, we still have a ways to go.
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Do you think that Still4Hill would ignore the same comments made by men? Do you think any of us who’ve been upset by this would simply shake our heads, smile, and say “Oh, silly men, they just don’t know any better,”? Just being female is not enough to make a candidate the candidate. What good is getting one woman elected if she advocates things that don’t help other women. I’d prefer having a man in office who has a healthy, modern roles of women than a woman whose views on the rest of womenkind are older than she is.
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* … healthy, modern view of the roles of women…* 😕
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Joanne Bamberger offers an interesting analysis of the axe Palin seems to have to grind re: Hillary. Worth a read.
http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/112994/sarah_palin_vs_the_1990s
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Kathleen,
With due respect, I disagree. Only unity that is deserved is one where the person behaves in a way that is worthy of respect and honors dignity for all women, IMHO.
There are some key positions that I hold as essential in my support of women politicians.
– Talking down feminists is putting down people who paved the path of women. Those who talk down feminists do not deserve to receive my active support.
– Undermining and talking down feminist leaders calls for really putting the person in their place. Feminist leaders have earned their support BECAUSE OF the work they have done for women as a stakeholder group. We better support our feminist leaders, or there will be no one left in leadership who will do that hard work. Just take a look at what has happened to Paycheck Fairness Act in cloture voting in stark contrast to the Fair Pay Act. We need the votes.
To say that feminists are doing the ‘cry baby’ act or embracing victimhood is a sexist viewpoint worthy of a neanderthal male. Such women who fail to recognize that women’s equality needs serious work, and who fail to support hardworking women, deserve no respect, and definitely no support.
I will not support women just to support women – to do so would be sexist, just as much as supporting/voting for colored person because I am a colored person would be racism.
Separately, I consider it highly important that the female/male candidate is at least moderately favors women’s equality, a key component of which is control on one’s body’s reproductive process/freedom/rights.
– Preserving choice — i.e., ensuring that all choices are available for all women. Recognizing that this is the law of the land.
– Support for Choice as well as Prevention method and recognizing that these enable women to have a semblance of control on their body and destiny, which is essential in this highly unequal world with its whole host of challenges.
When I see women supporting women’s equality, I go a step further and will campaign for them. Otherwise, I may actually campaign against them, because they are no different from their male counter-part who we have found ourselves battling against for so many years.
It is time to elect some real feminists.
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Hillary is left on domestic policy and a little right on foreign policy. Those who are defending or making excuses for Palin over this need to realize she did this on purpose,she does not like Hillary,and Palin will do this again. There is no context to justify what Palin said and why are so called Hillary supporters at a certain blog saying that this is all Hillary’s fault because she used the wrong tone.
I don’t like this we need to support all women no matter what BS. How am I supposed to defend Christine O’Donnell who said on c-span that she believed the pumpkin theory that Hillary and Bill shot down planes or Michele Bachmann who wants to take away all women’s rights but her own. Why did PUMA support Christine O’Donnell?
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Any Hillary supporter who got mad for Hillary being SOS where Hillary supporters. I don’t care that they say Hillary sold her soul because she is SOS,they sold out when they gave up all their principles just to hate Obama.
Hillary and Palin have nothing in common,for example Hillary stands with South Korea and Palin stands with North Korea.
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If I understand jillforhill correctly, she says some of Hillary’s supporters are angry because she is SOS; that Hillary sold her soul to do it; and these same supporters wasted their principles by hating Obama.
Hillary has not sold her soul: she has reclaimed her soul! Yes, she had her own questions about her focus and her choices in the past (just like the rest of us) but no longer is that true.
Hillary knows her destination and her destiny now.
The presidential race of 2008 opened her eyes. Now she recognizes what women have dealt with since the ole boys club took control:
After centuries of staunch belief that women are deficient human beings incapable of leadership, cultural attitudes have stopped or limited what women can do because it is almost impossible for the general public to believe anything else!
If you believe this is incorrect, look back at the recap information from 2008: Many believed then and now that Obama was saving humanity from a threatening woman!!!!
Call it fate, call it destiny, call it determination….Hillary was gifted with a life full of narrow turns and wide choices and she came thru that maze to get to where she is now.
Forget Palin. She is trained and programmed like most women to viciously attack any woman who threatens her fate or social position.
It is my belief that Hillary Rodham Clinton is above all that due to her experiences in life. It is her turn now. And it is women’s turn to achieve equality in a balanced world.
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I never said Hillary sold her soul. Kathleen said that is what other Hillary supporters said. Those whose said Hillary sold out are the ones who really sold out. They hate Obama so much they are willing to give up everything they said were they principles and support ant republican.
I never and will never say Hillary sold out,because she did not. Hillary is great as SOS and I am very grateful she took SOS.
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Thanks jillforhill for clarifying! No matter who said Hillary sold her soul, it is highly apparent that she has reclaimed her soul now…and frankly, I think all women do not totally own their souls until they have enough experience to recognize that those closest to them are the ones who have a piece of their souls…and even direct them in life.
Once we discover we can make our own choices based on experience and knowledge, we claim back our souls. This is when we become dangerous women. Heaven forbid we are capable of acting without direction from family, advisors, friends, and mostly males at that!
It was only this week that the head of TSA was mentioned on Fox News as being a POWERFUL WOMAN now with the new security measures in place!!! In other words, the implication is she is highly dangerous with all that power….
We shall see in the future just what lies ahead in Hillary’s path….and I am convinced beyond doubt (even though experience has made a skeptic out of me) that she will survive and fulfill her destiny and then some…
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I don’t think she ever sold it or lost focus on her objectives. She simply found a new path to her goal post and is doing the most awesome work I have ever seen at DOS.
Now as for fulfilling her destiny – I hae not spotlighted this fellow’s publications. In the beginning (his first post) I was very skeptical, but if you check the publication dates, what the “insider” has predicted has regularly come to pass.
There is no love lost between me and the GOP or between me and the hard core Obama team. He has proven himself to be exactly what some of us saw him to be in 2007. Nothing about him has developed or changed.
If this guy is right – and I have read almost all the entries by now, HRC may soon be lifting Obama’s thumb off of her (h/t The Stones) and do what we all hoped for in 2008: RISE! Rise to the SUMMIT – just like her namesake!
http://newsflavor.com/politics/world-politics/the-ulsterman-report-white-house-insider-review/
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Great post, Still. I never supported Palin but on several occasions I have gone out of my way to defend her from sexism and misogyny, not just because, like Hillary, I knew there was a caricature out there about her but because she wasn’t any more right wing or crazy than most Republicans and I didn’t think it was fair for “leftists” as she calls them, to make her a rallying point because of the commercial appeal of using a woman to vote against to get votes.
In the end, she has disappointed me. She could have been like Hillary and not resigned as governor, toughed it out and rose above her detractors by working for the people of Alaska but instead she has allowed herself and her family to become celebrity jokes, and has turned herself into a pundit and a marketing gimmick instead of actually governing: much like Obama. And despite all this we still defended her, because frankly it was wrong to dehumanize her. No more. From now on, I’m ignoring her completely. Her remarks aren’t just uncalled for, they are insulting. Does she have any idea what she owes those “militant bra burning feminists”? Shame on you, Sarah Palin. Shame on you.
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I don’t think she ever had any appreciation of what she owed the past OR the defenses we DID put up for her. She turns around and calls us names. What was that crack? “A cackle of rads?” That goes beyond a swipe at Hillary. It’s a swipe at most of the folks here.
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still4hill, That was actually a derisive swipe both at Hillary and at us feminists. Sarah Palin has seriously disappointed me.
Honestly, just bearing children on your body does not qualify you to be a feminist. Nor supporting other politicians who are themselves not supportive of women’s equality – reproductive rights, equal pay, equal opportunity, and voting rights – all are essential components to achieve a balance in this society.
Any person of either gender who derides women in general regardless of the reason is not worthy of support from me, nor IMHO from other feminists.
It is high time that we true feminists rise to the occasion.
I hope to see some real feminists contend for elections in the future
True feminists recognize that women suffer greatly due to unequal world even within the U.S… and work hard to correct the imbalance.
A true feminist recognizes that the control on woman’s body is a power that gets misused and abused by various power sources to keep women in general well behind in socio-economic ladder.
A true feminist recognizes that a woman with full set of choices takes greater responsibility in any choice that she makes, even when the choice is to have a baby. The choice is her own and there is no ‘credit’ nor responsibility to an invisible hand.
A true feminist recognizes that women who do not have contraceptive options may end up with more serious choice consequences that could have been proactively solved.
A true feminist recognizes all people are born with a head and a heart that they apply in decision-making.
To instead deposit responsibility at God’s door is both irresponsible and playing victimhood to one’s gender.
To want to legislate great control on women’s decisionmaking is to suggest that a womam does not have the mental capacity to obtain any germane information she feels she needs, and make decisions that she feels are appropriate, all things considered by her own self.
God gave us a head and a heart – to apply both to our individual decision-making. Thankfully, God gave equal head to people of both gender. And, God gave us ego and conscience to rejoice or suffer the consequences of our choices and actions in relation to our capacity.
A person who fails to appreciate this simply does not believe that women are deserving of equal socio-economic status. In a world that is presently so unequal, it is absolutely essential that women leaders be feminists. If they are not, they are simply using their gender to gain voting advantage, and that is all. If that is the case, it is not worthy of support.
And, by the way, it should not have to take a stay-at-home spouse for ANY person to succeed, regardless of their gender. To portray that is to emphasize the classic notion that it requires a spouse to stay at home. I do not support that notion in the least.
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A terrific article by Adele M. Stan in Alternet.com
[b]Sarah Palin’s Brand of ‘Feminism’ More Popular With Men Than Women
Palin peddles a shallow narcissism dressed in ’empowering’ feminist language.[/b]
November 26, 2010 |
[i]Listen up, all you champions of women’s rights, Sarah Palin has a message for you. All that stuff about equal pay, controlling your own body, putting an end to domestic violence and rape: that’s a whole lotta tired old hooey. There’s a new feminism afoot, a feminism that’s moved beyond the issues of economic justice and your right not to be beaten and violated, and it’s all about Sarah.
Women, of course, should also be capable and strong enough to suck it up if, say, seven months after being hired they learn that a man hired for the same position with lesser qualifications is paid a higher salary than she. Otherwise, to allow that woman to sue for equal pay after a six-month statute of limitation “would be a boon to the trial lawyers.” That’s how Palin explained her opposition to the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2008. Strong and capable women should be willing to sacrifice their fair share in the service of sticking it to trial lawyers, because trial lawyers generally support Democrats. Which means that they don’t generally support Palin. So, women, if you were real feminists, you’d want to sacrifice your pay in order to further the career of Sarah Palin.
And because Sarah Palin would never have an abortion, no strong and capable woman would either, right?
It seems, in fact, that Sarah Palin’s “new feminism” is nothing more than narcissism dressed up in feminist clothing. Call it farcissism. For when it comes to matters that affect her directly, Palin is all about feminism writ large. Despite her anti-government rhetoric, Palin on the campaign trail applauded Title IX, the federal mandate that barred federal funds from educational institutions that discriminated against women, even in their sports programs. This heralded a record expansion of girls’ and women’s athletic programs, of which Palin, a star basketball player known statewide as Sarah Barracuda, rightly availed herself.[/i]
Continues at:
http://www.alternet.org/news/148976/sarah_palin's_brand_of_“feminism”_more_popular_with_men_than_women/
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On Sarah Palin’s Freudian slip on North Korea and her come back ‘happy thankgiving’ message aimed at the WH in which she hurls a deflective attack on Obama instead of quietly correcting her erroneous statement of massive potential global embarassment —
Andrew Sullivan is someone who gave Palin the “benefit of the doubt” on the North Korea/South Korea goof (not that she deserved that benefit of doubt IMHO) and look what he says.
Why America Won’t Buy Palinism
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/11/why-america-wont-buy-palinism.html
A simple respect for the office she seeks would not reflect itself in these increasingly callow, sarcastic, cheap jibes at a sitting president.
And as Kathy Kattenburg observes, Palin is
Vindictive, Mean-Spirited, Not Presidential
http://themoderatevoice.com/93398/vindictive-mean-spirited-not-presidential/
And at this point, I dare say, her reaction actually tells me that she her ‘goof’ was a real Freudian slip revealing her ignorance of an important and current global event matter of serious relevance to the office that she seeks.
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This is a good article by Joanne Bamberger in CafeMom.com
Sarah Palin vs. the 1990s
http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/112994/sarah_palin_vs_the_1990s
Excerpt:
As for Hillary Clinton, Palin famously praised her in 2008 for those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling and making it possible for voters to believe that women, including Palin herself, could be on a presidential ticket. But now the former Alaska governor and Fox News celebrity is trash-talking the current Secretary of State for her 1992 remarks that she wasn’t Tammy Wynette standing by her man or staying home to do the cookie-baking for her then school-aged daughter Chelsea when her husband was running for President.
So what is so threatening to Palin about these icons of the 1990s, a decade that brought us Seinfeld, Friends, and “The Rachel?” Well, the 1990s also gave rise to real girl power, third-wave feminism and women taking control of their lives in ways in which motherhood wasn’t necessarily the first order of business. And that idea is completely at odds with her whole mama grizzly political strategy.
Palin clearly believes if she can convince the country that her version of combining ambition and motherhood is somehow better than a decades-old, culturally accepted portrayal of motherhood that she paints as liberal, then maybe, just maybe, she can land whatever position it is she’s after in 2012.
The thing is this — no woman likes to be judged on how she creates her own version of motherhood. And there are still plenty of Murphys and Hillarys just trying to raise their kids and put dinner on the table without someone else judging them. So Palin might want to tread lightly as she implements this new chapter in her quest for stardom, political and otherwise, because it’s got the word ‘backfire’ written all over it.
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