Thanks to Caroline for these two links over at Literary Mama: “The Sarah Myth” by Nicole Stellon O’Donnell, and “Sarah Palin’s Kids, Our Kids” by Rebecca Steinitz.
And heads up on an interesting convo going on over at Work It, Mom! spearheaded by Veronica Arreola and provocatively titled “Why Sarah Palin is Good for Feminism.”
Hmm…
Six new articles of interest, courtesy of Rebekkah of course over at the WMC:
McCain and Palin Want Women’s Votes But Do Women Want Them?
9/8/08
RH Reality Check: Instead of clear policy stances on these issues at the GOP convention or in the surrounding media attention what we have been privy to are endless distractions about Sarah Palin’s family, the personal matters and private choices Ms. Palin and her family have made over the last few months and a religious right bloc that has firmly cemented their support for said choices – support that falls in direct conflict with the rhetoric, agenda and policies they promote for the rest of American families.
Fusing Politics and Motherhood in New Way
9/7/08
NY Times: Sarah Palin’s baby shower included a surprise guest: her own baby. He had arrived in the world a month early, so on a sunny May day, Ms. Palin, the governor of Alaska, rocked her newborn as her closest friends, sisters, even her obstetrician presented her with a potluck meal, presents and blue-and-white cake.
Parents of Special-Needs Children Divided Over Palin’s Promise to Help
9/6/08
NY Times: Gov. Sarah Palin directed an emotional appeal to the hearts of millions of parents with children who have special needs, promising they would “have a friend and advocate in the White House.” Ms. Palin’s offer of friendship sparked hope in many parents, advocates and lawyers as the often-marginalized subject of disabilities rights took center stage.
Bristol’s Choice
9/5/08
Slate.com: Pundits were quick to point out that Bristol Palin’s “decision” to have her baby must have been at least somewhat constrained by her mom’s position-as articulated in November 2006-that she would oppose an abortion for her daughters, even if they had been raped. Palin is an outspoken advocate of parental veto; she called the Alaska Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down that state’s parental-consent statute “outrageous.” So what exactly, one wonders, was young Bristol permitted to decide?
Sex Ed In Schools: Little Connection Between What’s Taught, Teen Behavior
9/8/08
USA Today: The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, and the pregnancy has reignited the national debate over two different approaches to sex education: abstinence-only vs. comprehensive.
Palin & Press: A Testy Start
9/8/08
Washington Post: From the moment Sarah Palin stepped onto the national stage, she was mauled, minimized and manhandled by an openly skeptical media establishment. But By six days later, after a speech in which she chided the journalistic elite, the previously obscure governor of Alaska was being hailed by many of the same media gurus.
Image cred
And while I’m at it, two interesting reports from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), a nonpartisan research center studying youth civic engagement. I drew on these in putting together the talk I’m giving here at the University of South Carolina Upstate tonight and wanted to share them with ya’ll too.
Here tis, as promised, from the White House Project, the Women’s Media Center, and the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, and written by moi:
Just when we thought we’d had enough of media (and everyone else’s) sexism. Sigh. For a Sarah Palin Sexism Watch, hop on over to Shakesville. They’re doing a great job. And meanwhile do check out Marco’s post over at Open Salon, “Mom, Guns, and Apple Pie.”
Me, I’m heading off today for South Carolina, where I’ll be giving a talk tomorrow at the University of South Carolina Upstate. I just added a TON about Palin and the sexism coming her way after only less than 48 hours. Here’s the description:
Talkin ’bout My Generation: Youth, Gender, Race, Class and the 2008 Election
SYNOPSIS: Young voters—and female ones in particular—have been the subject of heated debate in an election when race and gender matter like never before. But what do young voters really think about gender, feminism, race, and the Presidential election? In this talk, cultural critic and feminist Deborah Siegel sheds fresh light on media myths and real-life generational rifts that surfaced during primary season, creating an interactive forum in which members of the so-called postfeminist, post-Civil Rights generation are invited to freely speak their minds.
(And hey – to bring me to your campus, contact info@speakingmatters.org !)
A guest post coming your way soon on McCain’s odd choice. In the meantime, some links that have come my way:
Joan Walsh, “What Sarah Palin Means”
Gail Collins, “McCain’s Baked Alaska”
Kristen Powers, “A Brilliant Trap Makes the Dems the Male Chauvinists”
Jonathan Alter, “Why McCain’s Veep Choice Is Likely to Flop”
Women’s Media Center
Gotham Girl
On other fronts, I’ll be offline for a bit. My other grandmother died last night. She was always in the know on all things political and pundit-ish and I often looked to her opinion to get a gauge on the world. For many other reasons, I will miss her very, very much.
I’ve definitely been having a hard time understanding the poll earlier this week that showed 25 percent of Hillary’s supporters voicing their disappointment by voting for John McCain. I mean, I’m hardly the first to say it, but excuse me, just what kind of feminist protest is that? (See previous post if remotely unconvinced.)
In her Aug. 25 op-ed in the NYTimes (“Second-Place Citizens”), Susan Faludi attempts to explain not this insanity but merely these Hillary supporters’ disappointment by offering a suggestive comparative analysis to an earlier moment in time–the 1920s, after women won the vote. Check it out, if you haven’t. She raises some excellent points.
Yes, it’s the John McCain condom.
I just learned, courtesy of Broadsheet, that Planned Parenthood is busy at the DNC handing out more than 700 pounds of rubbers encased in a pink matchbook that reads: “Protect Yourself from John McCain (In This Election.)”
Apparently the back reads, “10 Things Everyone Should Know About John McCain.” No. 10: “Has voted against women’s reproductive rights and privacy 125 times in his 25 years in Washington, D.C.” Nice.
Just sayin. Ok, g’night!
GWP readers responded with some links to great analysis of Michelle Obama’s speech yesterday, and I wanted to share them here.
Renee over at Smilla’s Simple Life points us to a piece by Katherine Marsh at The New Republic titled “Let Michelle Be Michelle”. Also check out Renee’s thoughtful response, along with urbanartiste’s, in comments to “Isn’t She Lovely”.
Frau Sally Benz points us to her own post at Jump Off the Bridge about why how the speech made her internalize the historicity of this campaign.
And Frau Sally also points us to a post by zakstar from SchizoFrenetic about how undeniable it is that Michelle and Barack love this country.
Next up: Hillary. Please post links to good analysis of last night’s appearance in comments and I promise to share!
