I'm a feminist. That's right, you don't need to read it over and over to make sure your eyes and brain didn't suddenly become disconnected. I know it's true because I have a friend who's a confirmed feminist and she told me so. Heather, (I didn't get permission to use her last name.) is a professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the University where I work and is soon to become the head of our Women's Gender Studies. She gave me a flash quiz. Do I believe in equal rights for women? "Yep." Equal pay for equal work? "Yep." Am I against discrimination against women? "Yep." Do I support an Equal Rights Amendment? "Yep." With the authority granted to her by virtue of her education and gender she decreed me a feminist.Now that we were in the same camp, I thought I would throw out a little test to see if we were really on the same page. "Heather," I queried, "Do you think Sarah Palin was the victim of sexism?" Her forehead squinched downward and her eyes became steely. "God, yes!" she practically shouted. "Do you really think they would have brought up her daughter's pregnancy if she were a man? Do you think they would have judged her clothes? Do you really think they would have compared a man to a slutty stewardess?" "Ummm, maybe Bill Clinton." I offered.
I was a tad taken back. Heather is as confirmed a Democrat as she is a Feminist. "Doesn't it matter to you that she's a Republican?" I questioned. "You don't stop having rights as a woman just because you picked the wrong Party." She answered grinning.
This got me thinking. How is it that the Democratic Party has gotten away with engaging in the most openly sexist attack on a woman I have seen since O.J. killed Nicole?
The truth is, I have been protecting Sarah Palin since the very first day she showed up on the scene and here's why. I believe that every single person in this country, man or woman, black, white or brown should have the opportunity to become all that their talents will allow them to become. I believe women have more to contribute to this country than being a housewife or a mother, although I believe both of those jobs are enormously important. I believe they should have the right to control their own body, a right I extend to everyone. I believe they have the right to hold high office and I believe they have the right to be given the same respect that would be given to a man, if they can do the same job.
And that's where I differ from my Democrat friends.
They believe you only get those rights if your a Democrat. They too believe that women can be something other than a mother or a housewife, but if you should choose either of those very honorable professions, you are not fulfilling your destiny, and are less of a woman for it. They believe that a woman should have choices, but if you choose to believe that abortion is wrong, you don't deserve the choice. They believe true women are animal activists, not hunters. They should be engineers, not PTA moms. They believe real women marry men who wear Khakis, drive a Prius and like to shop, not men who wear flannels, drive a truck and like to fish. On every level Sarah Palin violated that stereotype, and that infuriated them.
So they attacked her family, they attacked her clothes, they attacked her values, they attacked her culture, they attacked her accent, they attacked her beloved state, and when all else failed, they used their lawyers to bankrupt her. Finally, tired of it all, she retreated from public life and gave up her job of Governor of Alaska that she had fought so hard to get, both as a woman, and as a person.
To all you female Democrats out there who reveled in the destruction of Sarah Palin, I have a warning. Freedom is more than the right to abort a fetus.It's more than the right to vote. It's more than the right to become a doctor or a engineer or a Vice President. Freedom is about the right to choose your own destiny, by virtue of your own choices. If your choices are restricted to only the ones that the Democratic Party gives you, you really don't have choices at all, and you are once again in a "comfortable concentration camp." H.C.
24 comments:
Hip Con, I can appreciate your sympathy...and Heather's. She's my homegirl after all. I love her to death.
However, I think your sympathy for Palin (and perhaps the need to show your civility) has kept you blinded from an obvious reality: Palin brought a LOT OF THIS on herself. Politicians get in trouble when their children eff up; especially when said politician is touting "family values." Palin's no exception. The gloves can't go back on just b/c she's a woman. Palin's wardrobe was heavily criticized because she was painting herself a candidate "...of the people.", as if "Hockey Moms" wear designer suits. She was being investigated because of her shady behavior. It's that simple.
I think examiners of race tend to do the same thing. If you walked in the room while OJ was over Nicole's dead body WITH the bloody knife in his hand, he would've said "Awe...you're just going after me 'cause I'm black..."
Besides all that, her cries of sexism and partiality are odd at this point because she was the SAME PERSON telling Hillary Clinton to stop whining about it.
My point is simple: I think it was Palin's hypocrisy - not her gender - that put her in the hot seat.
I just so happen to think that if men promoted one life while living another, they'd get excoriated too.
Hey Dre,
Answer with all honesty. Do you really think any woman is going to be willing to go through what Sarah went through to run as a Republican? Whether you can see it or not, Sarah was vilified because she was a woman. The reason that the Democratic Party went after her with such zeal is because she represented everything they feel SHOULD NOT represent a woman. If woman are empowered even though they're not Democrat and not pro-choice, that's a serious threat to the Dems who want to have a monopoly on representing minorities. You know the line, if your a Republican and black then your a sell-out and and an Uncle Tom to the white man. The Dems actively hunt Conservative blacks the same way they hunted Sarah. This was a message that was sent out to all women. Run as a Republican and we will destroy you on a highly personal level. I can not name you a male politician who was drug through the dirt by attacking his wife, his daughters, his culture, his accent and his clothes.
"The gloves can't go back on just b/c she's a woman."
Exactly.
As soon as Palin arrived on the scene it bothered me because I felt like she was running as a woman... not as an intelligent, experienced, strong person who is well suited for the task at hand (and happens to be a woman).
It is upsetting to me when I hear people say that everyone should be nicer to her. Why? Because she's a woman? Why does she deserve preferential treatment over any other man running for office? If she can't handle some negative press, then she shouldn't be in politics. Everyone (including men and women) running for office deserve to be poked and prodded to see if they live up to their claims. I don't care if anyone's feelings get hurt...as long as we end up with a competent group of people in the white house.
My dislike for Palin has nothing to do with my Republican or Democratic viewpoints. She failed to relate to me even as an individual. I think Hillary does a better job representing what many women like myself expect to see in a woman who has an opportunity to hold any kind of powerful position.
Borrowing a quote from one of your articles...
"Women in the '50s were encouraged to be childlike, passive, dependent, and "fluffy"" ~ Betty Friedman
When I see people try to soften the blow for Sarah Palin, I feel like we are back in the 1950s. That people are concluding women aren't ready yet to handle some criticism and be independent thinkers. We don't need to be sympathized with and given special treatment, we need to be treated the same. If she couldnt handle the political pressure that was surely going to follow during and after the campaign, she shouldn't have signed up.
Hey Anonymous,
I think you misunderstand me. I don't want Sarah handled any differently than her male counterparts-I want her treated the same. Look at how vastly different she was handled by the Main Stream Media than Joe Biden was and is. For instance, why isn't Joe being drug around for his daughter's coke sniffing when he himself coined the phrase "Drug Czar"? Hypocrisy? Did the Media even cover McCain's infidelity with Cindy while he was still married to his first wife as much as Todd Palin's alleged affair? How many other male politicians have daughters that have gotten pregnant outside of marriage? I could name dozens, why is it a crime only for Sarah? Is it because she promoted abstinence? So has every other Republican and I doubt you could find a single quote by any Democrat promoting out-of-wedlock pregnancy. The attacks on her clothes, her looks, her daughters, her husband, the jokes about her looking "slutty", SNL accusing Todd Palin of "doing the daughters", when have you seen it taken so far? You say you have more admiration for Hillary, would you accept this kind of behavior toward her? Since we're on the subject, if your looking for someone of the female persuasion to admire, look at S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford's wife Jenny. She threw him out of the house for his philandering. That's the kind of example I would want for my daughters, and I have two. Sarah Palin was playing in the big leagues and she should expect attacks, but not one where every attack is sexualized. I strongly suspect a lot of the behavior by the MSM would not have been tolerated if Sarah had a "D' after her name. This is about making sure that no Republican woman dare ever try to represent a version of a liberated woman that doesn't fit what the left thinks it should be. You choice in politics, if your a woman, is the Pro-choice, working career woman Democrat or a sexist MSM crucifiction. That's not liberation...that's indoctrination. Please try to separate yourself from the way you personally feel about Sarah and think about how you would have felt if that was Hillary. thanks for your thoughts, I always want the other side.
P.S. It should be noted that in the same article it stated, "Friedan later regretted her animus toward stay-at-home mothers." The Democrats would do well to consider Betty's late epiphany.
I believe in equal rights for women, equal pay for equal work, am against discrimination against women, & would even support an Equal Rights Amendment. Yet I still think Sarah Palin is a cunt. What does that make me?
-n
Hip Con, Sarah Palin's attacks had everything to do with her party affiliation/positions and nothing (or very little) to do with her gender.
Think of every major attack on Palin. You can probably juxtapose it to one of her positions. Example (these are not direct quotes, but you get the point...)
Obama pals around with terrorists, sat in the church of an anti-American, is a socialist, etc...
Palin's husband was a member of a party which wanted to be a separate nation at one point.
Family values, family values, family values. Prop children up as an exemplar of right...
Teenage daugther knocked up by a teenage knucklehead.
Obama is associated with Rezko and other shady Chicago folks
Scandal after scandal in Alaska.
A hockey mom who shops at thrift stores. Relatable to all those Joe Six Packs out there...
Wearing $150,000 worth of gear (she probably would've kept the shit if the media didn't mention it).
The media is biased and unfair
When given the opportunity to go on national TV, she completely destroyed two interviews. The only one worth anything was on Fox News; and Hannity essentially fed her responses.
Hillary shouldn't whine about attacks against her.
Palin whines about attacks against her.
The point is Palin was in the business of dishing it out. But when it was returned (by the media admittedly, b/c Obama and - to an extent - Biden stayed off her), she wants to cry foul. Hillary did that same shit during the Dem. primaries. But you either run an attack-free campaign or you don't. If you decide not too, you can't keep jabbing and not expecting somebody to hit back...no matter WHAT gender they are.
@Nic,
A Palin-hater. What did she ever do to you to deserve that level of hatred? BTW, I don't think it's good form to say your "against discrimination against women" and then call her a "cunt". Come on Nic, I know your better than that.
Hey Dre,
"Palin's husband was a member of a party which wanted to be a separate nation at one point."
Attacking the spouse. That's not right for Laura Bush or Michelle Obama (the media rushed to both their defense) but O.K. against Sarah.
"Teenage daughter knocked up by a teenage knucklehead."
Yet you ignore my statement about all the other politician's daughters bad behavior including Joe Biden's. So it's O.K. to go after the children, including Obama's then? (I'm expecting some caveat on why it's O.K. against Sarah but wrong for everyone else.)
"A hockey mom who shops at thrift stores. Relatable to all those Joe Six Packs out there..."
The reason that you Palin-haters can't stand the phrase "Hockey Mom" evades me. My guess is it's because it's too close to stay-at-home-mom which Democrats constantly devalue. BTW, when is the last time you railed against an involved father?
"Scandal after scandal in Alaska."
Suddenly innocent until proven guilty has no value to you?
"When given the opportunity to go on national TV, she completely destroyed two interviews"
Granted, she not the best at handling the press. BTW, where's that intern who Anderson Cooper and Keith Oberman claimed heard Palin say Africa was a Country??? I guess it's O.K. to flat out make stuff up with zero proof. Once again, why such a changing standard of evidence?
"Palin whines about attacks against her."
Granted, it's a bit of hypocrisy. But I guess by that standard, since you've written several articles about people falsely claiming racism, you yourself should never claim racism again. Right?
Every one has the right to claim sexism or racism when they think it's has been perpetrated against them. It's up to us to decide if they have a point on each individual instance. Claiming someone else is ginning up the issue doesn't make them an open target.
Hip Con, maybe you just spent more time looking for attacks from libs that you never noticed any attacks directed at Michelle. I'd recommend you stop by the site Michelle Obama Watch, and be amazed. That's for the "attacking the spouse" line. That goes both ways...always has.
"But I guess by that standard, since you've written several articles about people falsely claiming racism, you yourself should never claim racism again. Right?"
I tried to be VERY careful to draw distinctions between truly racist incidents and stories where people use claims of racism (or in this case, sexism) as a crutch to cover up their own boneheadedness. If Sarah Palin wasn't clueless about politics and she didn't make it her perogative to come out of the red corner swinging hard, I'd join in believing she was a victim of sexism. But it's VERY EASY to fall back on sexism, racism, or any other "ism" when you've personally dropped a ball.
One more thing, HC and I promise to put this to bed.
Minus the derogatory name-calling, Nic does still raise a legitimate point. At what point can criticism JUST be criticism; especially when that criticism is (in my opinion) equally dispersed?
Based on what I know about Nic or the Nics of the world, I doubt that he's a sexist who hates women. In fact, I think he probably stands by his support of women, equal pay, etc. But if he is critical of a certain politician...who just happens to be a woman...is it sexist?
From a black perspective, I know beyond ALL DOUBT that there are plenty of people who hate and criticize Obama simply b/c of his race. Yet, there are others who would be just as critical of any person who held Obama's beliefs. Just putting a blanketed insult of "Sexist" on any person opposed to Palin's politics is the boy crying wolf.
Hey Dre,
"I tried to be VERY careful to draw distinctions between truly racist incidents and stories where people use claims of racism"
And that's my point. Certainly it's valid to say that Hillary was just being whiny if her accusations are unsubstantiated. And Sarah can say that she is being singled out because of her gender if she can prove it. It's not just hypocrisy.
"I'd recommend you stop by the site Michelle Obama Watch, and be amazed."
Did and was. It's wrong against Michelle and it's wrong against Todd. BTW, some of the comments I read on that site I would also say were sexist. However, every comment wasn't.
"Just putting a blanketed insult of "Sexist" on any person opposed to Palin's politics is the boy crying wolf."
I wasn't. I gave you the reasons I thought the overall image destruction of Sarah was sexist in nature.
I believe with all my heart that the level of personal and gender-related attacks against Sarah Palin was the direct result of the way left-leaning people hated her version of an empowered female. I respect her choice of being a traditional frontier woman as much as I respect another woman's choice to be a college professor or a construction worker. Freedom IS choice. No matter how you spin this, the goal of the Democrats was to ridicule and devalue one woman's choice of how to live her life. I have never witnessed such an attack against a culture by the left as what the Democrats and MSM did to the culture of rural people, Alaskans, and traditional woman.
@The Sarah Haters,
I still do not understand what it is that Sarah Palin did to deserve the hatred that some of you have for her. The Bush thing I kind of got, but Palin didn't send anyone to war, raise anyone's taxes, or pass a single piece of legislation that affected any of you unless you live in Alaska. I do not, and can not, understand why it is O.K. to attack her in such a visceral fashion. You claim it's her hypocrisy but you have none of the hatred for the hypocrites in your own Party, so it's hard to except that answer. Then you claim it's her political positions, but they are in line with most Republicans that you have no where near as much hatred for. You hate her clothes, her family, the way she identifies herself and frankly just about everything about her. I can't justify in my mind that level of hatred. I believe it has blinded many of you to the sexist way you attack her. I don't even find Sarah Palin to be a worthy candidate for the office of Vice President. But it has nothing to do with her daughter, her husband, her clothes, her accent, her fellow Alaskans, her culture, her sell-identification as a "Hockey Mom", her personal decision to keep her baby or any of the other things that seem to inflame all of you. I think this is a prime example of the kind of hatred that can blind all of us to actions that we wouldn't normally engage in. Sexism, like racism or any other discriminatory action can always be justified. Slavery was once justified, as was the oppression of women and even the mass murder of Jews, Muslims, Christians , Atheists and a long list of other groups. Hatred is the common denominator. Engage in it and your judgement of what's right and wrong WILL be clouded. Before you decide if you have truly been fair to Sarah Palin, take your favorite politician and apply the same attacks and media coverage to them.(forget your desire to justify it through caveats) I doubt you would think it was fair or free of sexism.
"...the goal of the Democrats was to ridicule and devalue one woman's choice of how to live her life."
Odd. I thought the goal of the Democrats was the win the election by making their guy look better than the opponent.
Stealing a page from your playbook, we might have to agree to disagree on this one. You're not able to convince me that attacks on Palin were sexist. I'm not able to convince you they were not.
At the risk of sounding like a person who uses his two black dinner guests as evidence of not being a racist, I'm going on the record by stating my disliking Palin has ZERO to do with being a woman. I agree with very little (if anything) politically...and I think she's a moron. She was a horrible pick for the Vice President of the United States; put on a pedistal for no other reason but b/c of her likability and her gender (yep. McCain's crew ALSO made decisions about Palin based on her gender. But that's another issue, right?).
Not to be outdone, though, Jim Boehner is also a moron. So is Harry Reid. So is Nancy Pelosi. So is Michele Bachmann. Where should I stop with this list...?
Hey Dre,
"Odd. I thought the goal of the Democrats was the win the election by making their guy look better than the opponent."
Obviously it is. But does that justify tactics like the Willie Horton ads?
I think your right, we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one too. I'm still trying to rap my mind around your philosophy as I'm sure your trying the same with mine. Maybe I'm a bit too strick with my egalitarian approach. I appreciate your views and I'm sure that a lot of people share them. Thanks as always for adding to the conversation.
P.S. I am telling Heather about your sexist views though. (JK)
Comparing the media attack on Sarah Palin with some anti-Obama website isn't hardly fair in my opinion. I doubt much of the information on that website has ever hit the media at all or if so maybe a passing mention*. On the other hand, it's quite obvious that the media is taking delight in covering anything negative concerning Palin they can find to talk about.
* I was going to include with the possible exception of Fox News, but then I've found that mentioning Fox News around liberals triggers something in their brains (kinda like mentioning Palin now that I think about it) so I changed my mind. Then I realized that not mentioning Fox News will just be used anyway. So whatever lol
Hey Anonymous,
I agree, the comparison wasn't really fair. While the site had a lot of references, most of them were from right-wing commentators, not Main Stream Media. In fact, even though I listen to some of those same commentators, I had never heard most of the comments atributed to them. I also agree with you that Fox news and Sarah Palin both cause a visceral response among liberals. The question that they should ask themselves is; Why do I respond like Pavlov's dog when I hear Palin's name? The media does have an effect on all of us as to how we feel about someone. I mean, none of us really knows Sarah, we're just responding to what we've been told. Good points! I didn't even consider the difference of the two media sources.
I don't get where this discussion is going. You're saying that attacks by the media (presumably, you mean the liberal media) were sexist for their reporting? So does that mean conservative media was racist because of their negative attacks on Obama? Never mind the bloggers and websites. We know their M.O.s. "The kid in his parents basement" might have been making an issue about Palin's gender (much like the SCORES of folks who called Obama a monkey, a nigger, or any of a thousand other racist terms).
But the MSM - in my view - pointed out what was happening ON the surface; not beneath it. ON the surface, we had a political lightweight who was clearly out of her league; and having every position of hers blown up in her face because of her hypocrisy. Open and shut case, in my opinion.
Hi! I'm Anonymous from July 16, 2009 4:04:00 PM PDT.
HC, I want to tell you that I have truly enjoyed reading your blog and your comments to your readers. Thank you!
Andre, I'm not really making any point on whether any reporting was or wasn't sexist/racist, but I am saying that the MSM coverage of Sarah Palin was out of proportion with reality.
Do you not see the hypocrisy in belittling her political career while at the same time supporting someone with a similarly "light" political background as President?
What positions of hers were blown up in her face? I guess I missed that part.
Andre, I also very much enjoyed reading your blog as well! Both of you keep up the good work :)
Hey Susie,
Thanks so much for the compliment, and I think I can speak for both Andre and myself when I say we're both glad to have you on board. I never thought either Obama or Palin were particularly qualified. So you make a good point IMO. If qualifications are your benchmark, it's hard to support either one. Having said that, I think Obama was probably the most qualified for the politics on a national level. Only because Chicago is an enormously corrupt city, much like Washington. Whereas Alaska is more in touch with traditional values that don't seem to mean a thing on the national level. Palin is more of a "Mr Smith goes to Washington" type. The dirty politics of the national MSM, I believe, took her by suprise. It's true that McCain picked her mostly because she was a woman (and that IS sexist in and of itself) However, that doesn't justify the level of misogynistic behavior directed at her by the MSM. It seems so simple to me; McCain picked her because she could bring in the female votes dissatisfied by the way Hillary was treated. The Dems felt a threat to their base and used the same tactic they use against blacks conservatives- If you run as a Republican, then your a traitor to your race. In this case, your a traitor to your gender. How anyone can believe that an attack on a woman, to discredit her as a woman, and to stop other women from identifying with her by belittling her choices as a woman, isn't sexist, is beyond me. However, Andre is entitled to his opinion and he is far too intelligent for me not to respect and consider his view. Thanks for your comments and for being part of the discussion!
Hey Dre,
I'm trying to judge the way all the candidates were treated individually. The way Obama was treated by conservatives can't justify the way the MSM treated her. BTW, your coming close to saying that their actions were justified, which is the same as saying that they were indeed sexist. Obama most certainly saw some racist behavior by conservatives against him, but I never said he didn't. Bad behavior doesn't justify more bad behavior. If it does, then why can't we saw the heads off of terrorists? I thought Dems were supposed to be for the "higher moral ground" theory. When you say that she suffered "having every position of hers blown up in her face" I'm confused. Yes, her daughter became pregnant, but since when are the sins of the daughter the sins of the mother? Should Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick lose her job because she doesn't believe in using government money to pay off her enemies like her son? Adult children are responsible for their own decisions. Sarah is hardly the first parent who's kids didn't share her positions. How does that make HER a hypocrite? It seems that your standard of proof for crimes she allegedly committed, the amount of responsibility for her adult children's behavior, and your feelings toward the attacks on her culture and gender are not consistant with what you represent for Democrats. I realize that you have a list of caveats as to why it's different for Sarah than for others, but it's that very desire for two standards that I feel is unfair.
As I stated numerous times during the Presidential campaign, "qualifications" do not necessary translate into "time on the job." In fact, I actually took Whoopie Goldberg's argument and ran with it: if time on the job was the requisite for being President, the ONLY people who would truly be qualified are other prsidents. Each candidate was stepping into a world they've never been in. So for all I cared, candidates could have been fresh out of college. Instead, my comments about Palin being a lightweight stemmed from the fact that not only was she clueless on big-stage politics, but she lacked the necessary intellectual curiosity to become a legitimate player. To the credit of Obama/Biden (who admittedly both made gaffes...but nowhere as wild as some of Palins) and McCain (ditto for him), they have either political experience, political scholarship, or both under their belts.
Palin was a...forgive me for saying...a nitwit whose rise up the ladder was solely attributed to small town popularity.
@ HipCon:
...your coming close to saying that their actions were justified.
Correction: I'm not coming close to saying that. I'm saying exactly that. The minute I heard the Katie Couric interview, I was convinced. The minute I watched the McCain/Palin town hall meetings and rallies, I was convinced. The moment that topics from Palin's sermons and positions became the very things popping up in her own life, I was convinced. Had somebody like Elizabeth Dole or Condi Rice been on the ticket and the same attacks ensued, I'd jump on your team. For that matter, even if somebody like Olympia Snowe (also from small town, USA...but still sharp as a tack) would've been the VEEP choice the media pulled these stunts, I would have to take a closer look at them. But it's troubling that the "sexism" claims are being used to protect a person who was mostly likely attacked simply b/c she's an idiot. But that's merely the humble opinion of this guy...
What I admit I haven't been convinced on yet is how the antics of the FNC (which as a single news entity is more highly rated than any other outlet) were not as bad as the MSM supposedly was.
I was trying to avoid a runon post, so I cut it into two parts...
@ HipCon (again):
"When you say that she suffered "having every position of hers blown up in her face" I'm confused. Yes, her daughter became pregnant, but since when are the sins of the daughter the sins of the mother? "
Putting a mother on trial for the antics of her grown son is different than the parenting of a child still living in your house. Preaching one thing while your own house is doing the opposite is...and always will be...news worthy. Call it sexism if you want. I call it a political reality.
"Sarah is hardly the first parent who's kids didn't share her positions. How does that make HER a hypocrite?"
Even if it doesn't make her a hypocrite, it at least makes her politically inept. Political Science 101: If your positions do not align with the ones shared by the people in your household, DO NOT try to add said positions to your platform. Its in situations like this where Gov. Palin is a lightweight. With all the mess in my past I know FULL WELL never to run for office. Despicable as it may sound, that's a part of being politically smart.
I truly think that if there wasn't so much glaring hypocrisy coming from the Palin crew and she had a little more political acumen, McCain and Palin could have been chillin' in the Oval Office right now or - at the very least - much closer than they were in this election.
Hey Dre,
"But it's troubling that the "sexism" claims are being used to protect a person who was mostly likely attacked simply b/c she's an idiot."
I'm a little shy about calling anyone I don't actually know an "idiot" or a "nitwit" when they have gone from being a nobody, with no connections, to a mayor, then Governor, then V.P. pick. I'm sorry to have to say this Dre, but you can't seem to help yourself when it comes to belittling her acheivements. Not understanding the lower 48 as well as you did your home state doesn't make you an idiot. Granted, she is out of her league on the national stage, I've said so several times, but I don't see how that makes her a "nitwit". That's like saying a black man who was raised in a black community is an "idiot" for not understanding rich rural white people.
"What I admit I haven't been convinced on yet is how the antics of the FNC (which as a single news entity is more highly rated than any other outlet) were not as bad as the MSM supposedly was."
FNC has the highest ratings of all news networks it true, however, they are also the ONLY conservative network. If you combine ALL the left-leaning networks, they have far more influence. Plus, people tend to give anything more creedence when it comes from several different sources (ABC, MSNBC, CBS, New York Times, etc.) I'm not in the business of moral relativism. It's wrong when FOX does it and it's wrong when the rest of the MSM does it.
"Putting a mother on trial for the antics of her grown son is different than the parenting of a child still living in your house."
Once again, a caveat for the people you don't want to judge. Didn't Kwame learn his values from his parents as much as Bristol? Now it's where they're living at the time that makes it wrong or right? I don't blame any parent for the actions of their ADULT children (both Kwame and Bristol qualify as an adult under almost anyone's definition.) You try to get them to embrace your morality and values, but in the end it's their choice. Blaming Sarah for Bristol's actions is patently unfair. Later on you'll argue that children have to have sex education in school because parents can't control their kids sexual activity simply by preaching abstinence. Which is it?
I did find one thing to agree with in your comment. Politics IS a dirty game. However, I don't think that should justify letting our politicians use racist, or sexist tactics. The idea of dragging a whole family through the mud to acheive your political objectives is wrong IMO. Say what you will, the MSM attacks on Bristol in particular, were wrong, mean spirited, and purposely designed to tag her as a "slut". Why wasn't Levi's (Bristol's boyfriend) morality attacked? Because when a woman gets pregnant, SHE is the slut, not the man. How can you still maintain this wasn't a sexist attack?
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