I admit that as I've seen Governor Palin flailing for answers when being interviewed by Katie Couric I've cringed. I'm not alone, as the links in this Salon article by Rebecca Traister point out. But Traister has a clear-eyed view of this:
Sarah Palin is no wilting flower. She is a politician who took the national stage and sneered at the work of community activists. She boldly tries to pass off incuriosity and lassitude as regular-people qualities, thereby doing a disservice to all those Americans who also work two jobs and do not come from families that hand out passports and backpacking trips, yet still manage to pick up a paper and read about their government and seek out experience and knowledge.When you stage a train wreck of this magnitude -- trying to pass one underqualified chick off as another highly qualified chick with the lame hope that no one will notice -- well, then, I don't feel bad for you.
When you treat women as your toys, as gullible and insensate pawns in your Big Fat Presidential Bid -- or in Palin's case, in your Big Fat Chance to Be the First Woman Vice President Thanks to All the Cracks Hillary Put in the Ceiling -- I don't feel bad for you.
Traister expands on the other parts of my feelings about her VP bid: that she went into it with her eyes wide-open (remember she told Charlie Gibson she didn't blink when Senator McCain asked her to run), and she doesn't deserve any pity. Neither does McCain.
Reap what you sow and all that.
Posted by Linkmeister at September 30, 2008 10:46 AM | TrackBackExcellent article!! Thanks for sharing, I intend to share it with lots of people. Hope Kate reads it too...it says far more eloquently what I have been preaching these last several weeks to any and all who would listen. I cringed again during one more interview with Katie Couric (who by the way, I think has done a fantastic job during these segments--I am not crazy about her as the anchor for CBS news, but I do like the way she has handled Palin and McCain). It is getting worse though, McCain was answering for her. And then there was the question about WHAT newspapers she read (reads). YIKES. Even I could come up with 3-4 that I read one way or the other.......
Do they (McCain, et al) honestly think we are stupid? Or are we? How can anyone watch this and not shake your head in disbelief??
Posted by: Cyn at October 1, 2008 11:34 AM