McCain's VP Choice

[ceebeegee]

I've been thinking about the choice of Palin this weekend. I had very mixed feelings at first--I desperately want a woman in the Oval Office. I want to see myself reflected up there. No offense to my many white male friends :) but I'm tired of the same type of people getting elected to positions of power. I'm tired of the message being sent, over and over--you don't belong here. You are not welcome here. And yes, when you never see yourself up there, that IS the message. At the same time, you certainly don't vote based on identity alone--you vote on the issues. But I won't deny, the identity is getting more and more important when more than 20 years after Geraldine Ferraro got the VP nom, we STILL haven't had a woman VP or President, or even a shot at one. STILL. India has had a head of state before the US has. I was very disappointed that Hillary, whom I love, did not get the nomination but with Obama--well, okay, we're still making history, a new path is being forged, that's good too.

Then the news on Friday. I was stunned, and at first, very impressed. No matter who wins, history will be made. We could have a woman in the Office! I figured she was probably conservative but I will admit, the allure of having a woman in that VP slot was pretty strong. Then I did some research on her stances on the issues. She's very pro-life--calls herself a "Feminist for Life." Uh, no. You cannot call yourself a feminist if you would force me to have a baby if I'm raped. No. If I get raped and a pregnancy results, the FIRST thing I'm doing is getting an abortion. You do not get to tell me what to do with my body. Full stop. She was coy on creationism being taught in schools (the fact that this is EVEN AN ISSUE in this country makes my teeth hurt. Creationism is for CHURCH!!!! It is not science!)--she wanted both to be "discussed," framing it as "don't be afraid of information." Gu-whuh? Creationism is not information. It is an attempt to explain how we came into being with no way to test it. Which is why it's religion and NOT SCIENCE. And she doesn't think global warming is man-made. Which is just silly and ignorant.

And with this whole pregnant-teenage-daughter thing--well, it illustrates how silly the abstinence-only dogma she promotes. And finally, if you're trying to pass laws that invade my privacy, you'd better be prepared for your family's privacy to be invaded. Someone commented on the NYTimes site: "Family decisions are a private matter for most people, but they should not be private for someone who has no respect for the decisions of other families. Because Governor Palin wants to use the power of the government to force all women to be just like her, voters should be entitled to examine Governor Palin's family life to view the consequences of her policies regarding reproductive rights." Yup.

Comments

[son-of-ottie.livejournal.com]

You GO!! I shall dance 'round THAT May-pole with you. Someone get out the penny whistles and tamborines with the streamers attached!!
We can DANCE if we want to!

Somhow I veered off there....but I agree with you 1000%!!!

[alexlady.livejournal.com]

Amen, sister.

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing... this is just an assumption, but I'm thinking that if you asked Palin if the government had the right to tell a woman what to do with her own body she would say absolutely not. But she doesn't believe that a fetus is part of your body. She thinks (I assume) that abortion is the same as murdering a day old baby. How do you prove that your believe that a fetus is a part of your body is more valid than her believe that it's a seperate life inside your body?

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

How do you prove that your believe that a fetus is a part of your body is more valid than her believe that it's a seperate life inside your body?


*Shrug* I don't have to. This is a personal blog, not a debate. Anti-Semites "believe" the Holocaust was a hoax--that doesn't mean I have to engage in a reasoned discussion with them. I think it's pretty self-evident that if something's in me and is incapable of functioning outside of it, it's part of my body.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I don't meant to sound snotty. But if she actually said that abortion is the same thing as murdering a day-old baby I would laugh in her face. There's just nothing to discuss.

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest it was your personal responsibility to spell out a defense of abortion rights here on your blog, although you did a good job of it. I have no quote from her equating abortion with killing a one day old, but if someone believes that abortion means taking a human life then I would assume that would be her opinion.

[dje2004.livejournal.com]

Are we really even making history here? As you said, we've already had a woman nominee for VP, so that's not making history. If she gets the job, then yes, but it's obvious McCain picked her to shore up his cred with the troglodyte base of the party, and maybe lure over some soccer moms who are afraid of blacks Muslims, and because she makes him look like more of a Maverick, and not because of her skills or experience or talents. Do you really want the first woman VP to be someone who got the job because of pandering, and not because she earned it?

Also, aren't you insulted by the idea - which McCain apparently believes - that you'd vote for someone based on their gender, rather than their positions or qualifications?

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Do you really want the first woman VP to be someone who got the job because of pandering, and not because she earned it?

I already said no, didn't I?

[antibromide.livejournal.com]

First, I want to say thank you for not just ranting negatively about Republicans and for giving Palin a consideration.

Second, I think Hilary deserved the Democratic nomination. I think she has done so much to earn the nomination and it is ridiculous that a younger man got the job.

Third, Palin in the past campaigned with far right issues but her actions in office are much more in the middle. She is a balance of conservative and liberal.

I don't think she could actually push abstinence only programs or funding. I think people would literally laugh in her face given the situation with her daughter. Let's just hope that if we get the first female VP, her views on sex are more feminist than they appear during the campaign.

On a funny side note - when I was in high school, my biology teacher didn't believe in creationism but had to cover it. His teaching was something like 'blah blah blah supreme being blah blah blah'. It was about 2 sentences that he sort of mumbled with a sarcastic tone and then moved on.