When I first heard Sarah Palin speak at the Republican National Convention I was taken back by this small women who seemed to command a crowd with an almost Thatcheresque zeal. During the campaign, I saw her mishandled by Republican strategists, lambasted about inexperience while possessing more executive knowledge than either of the two Presidential candidates combined, and her personal life plastered over every stink rag imaginable. It was truly a low point in American politics.
As time wore on and the Andrew Sullivan's of the world tried to tie the birth of her autistic son to her daughter Bristol, I got sickened by the nonsensical and stalker like fascination the liberal media and Americans were developing for the Governor. No one was, or is, interested in debating the real positives and negatives of Palin. They were content, in typical pop culture fashion, to relegate themselves to the American Idol critique of the political atmosphere. Hence, why we have the incompetent and amateurish administration we have today, personality only goes so far as a qualification.
After reading this article in the Politico I found myself deeply impressed with the Governor, from a philosophical stance. She traveled to the Central NY state on a low key and relatively unannounced event where, according to the Politico, she visited four landmarks of early feminism, Harriet Tubman’s house, the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, and the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
At the end of the day Governor Palin is a politician, I make no bones about that fact. Every move she makes must be scrutinized for evidence of an attempt to garner political gain. There is no doubt that her later appearances are exactly about that. But her comments at these sites were interesting to say the least. This seemed different.
From Harriet Tubman's home.
“This is so good for our country,” she told the president of the foundation that manages the house, Karen Hill. She admired a 1960s-vintage painting of an angel hovering behind a young African-American boy.
“She knew something had to be taken care of and she stepped up and she did it,” Palin said of Tubman after leaving the house.
From a museum which focuses on 19th century feminism.
“It was so recent, yet it feels so foreign,” she said of the time before women had the right to vote, standing in front of pictures of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott.
To the Politico.
“I think the more things change, the more they stay the same in some arenas,” she told POLITICO of her own experience as a woman in public life, though she hastened to add that on the presidential campaign, “I don’t know if I was treated any differently.”
It was an honor, she said, “getting to be here and to see those who have paved the way to allow me and other women standing on their shoulders to progress . I have so much appreciation for all of their efforts, and their success.”
On Susan B. Anthony.
She cited in particular the role of Susan B. Anthony, the feminist pioneer who was also staunchly anti-abortion.
The women’s movement, she said, contains “a common thread of desiring protection for women – for me that includes our youngest sisters – that’s girls in the womb.”
On Judge Sotomayor's appointment.
“A judicial appointment – I don’t consider gender to be any kind of litmus test,” she said. “I would judge her on her credentials and on her record before I would comment on her gender.”
These comments gives one the impression that she was making a cathartic pilgrimage to exorcise some demons and gain strength from the historical memory of those who had come before her.
With that in mind, the one thing I could never grasp was the ferocity and utter hatred most self-proclaimed liberal fembots displayed to the Governor during the campaign. This is not to say they should have supported her politically, but, her presence on the scene was a huge leap for their movement. They could have been more dignified in their opposition.
Ironically, their ire only served to setback most of the progress they had made. It showed that theirs is an exclusive club, rigidly dogmatic and closed, accepting only of those who adhere to the progressive dialogue. Not the sisterhood or sorority their canards claim it to be.
In closing, maybe the Governor will not become the first female President of the United States, but her presence just might open the door for something just as gratifying and historic. She might be the beginning of an ideal with more depth than any that a pretentious and angry sycophant like Gloria Steinem could have ever dreamed of; a conservative feminist movement. If I am right and this develops like I think it will, this might become a major game changer out of the RIGHT field.
Happy Hunting!
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