Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Gloria Steinem on What Women Value

--- The Democrats Have Reached A New Low.
by Rockin Robin


I just got an email from Democrats.com asking me to

Tell The Media to Call Sarah Palin a Serial Liar

What? I will do no such thing.

Have we lost our minds? Are they really asking us to partake in the sewage of smearing another woman? Hasn't the media already played their hand in sexism? Now the democrats are asking me to sling mud at another woman?

Did anyone get a note from the republicans asking us to trash Biden?

Yesterday, while campaigning in Virginia, Obama made reference to putting lipstick on a pig then denies to the media that it had any correlation to Sarah Palin's reference to lipstick on a pitbull during her campaign altering speech. Are you kidding me? This comment is rationalized with claims that it was an intended slap at McCain, but again Obama has insulted the intelligence of American women.

Radio host Caplis tells a 20,000 person crowd-"It just seems funny to hear Barack Obama say that he's for equal opportunity for women," Caplis said. "Tell that to Hillary Clinton."

Do you think if Hillary was on the ticket she would appreciate standing next to Obama while he makes that lipstick on pig comment? I surmise he wouldn't have dared to go there.

It blows my mind how the democrats are clinging to their party not even getting that its no longer a democratic party. They are the party that seem to take women for granted. And the womens' issue, which has become the democratic party's signature threat, has ceaselessly been thrown in our faces since Hillary suspended her campaign.

Are women threatened by Palin and her values? Do they think she's going to slip into the white house and tell us all that we have to live according to HER values? Her value are hers. My values are mine. Neither of us are wrong.

Palin and I are the same age. I can relate to the possibility that the woman's movement before us made it difficult for us to navigate our future by pushing us into uncharted waters. Feminist broke ground on women's rights and equality but what that initially looked like for me was that we had to learn how to become a man to survive in the world. Suddenly wearing a tie was fashionable for women.

In light of this, Palin navigated her life according to her values. It may not be what the feminists before her had in mind, but Palin's values are hers and she is not obligated to adhere to feminists' values even though she is a product of their movement.

Likewise... while I appreciate what the feminists have done for women, they do not speak for me on what I value. We may agree on principle, but you cannot force your values onto me. This is where I draw the line.

In an LA Times article dated September 4, Gloria Steinem tears into the republican party and even attacks Palin by saying "Palin's value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality." Excuse me? I am tired of this woman telling the world what women value. Steinem has no idea what I value.

Isn't it time for another look at what women value? We may be surprised to find that what we value is the integrity of our feminity. Being a woman is not a weakness. We don't need strap-ons. A woman who is true to herself is powerful. We don't need to fear men or "patriarchs" to stand for something we believe in. And we don't need to tote around the book of "the Art of emasculating men" anymore.

Bottom line, I refuse to vote based on those "matriarchs" spreading fear and hate on behalf of a party that allowed the media and the Obama campaign to stomp on women in the first place. That's like saying to a woman that she must remain in a marriage that abuses her because someone "out there" needs to reserve her right to forego the use of a condom. THAT'S INSANITY.

Therefore, I will not be calling the media to smear a woman who navigated those uncharted waters effectively. I applaud Palin and her value system whether I align with them or not.

Steinem needs to put her pen down and listen to the 18 million voices that did not get heard, then speak from there.

Womens' rights vs. Womens' rights ~ choose.



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12 comments:

Rockin Robin said...

Hi Beth,


While I appreciate the fact that you have nothing to do but hang out on this page drawing more power and attention to us, I don't agree with your "context" defense.

In fact it was the context in which he made his remark that had his supporters roar in applause.

I don't need to read your Washington Post article to re-frame what happened. I already saw the whole clip on video.

It was an inappropriate sexist swipe at Palin just like it was inappropriate for Obama to give Hillary the finger after the PA primaries.

Why are you standing up for a sexist pig?

Anonymous said...

I loved your article. I am so happy to see that so many feel as I do. Obama's point was obvious, and it demeaned another woman. It seems he wanted to call her a pig to please some of his extreme bloggers.

Women can vote however they want, for whatever issues they would like. We will have different ideas, which should be challenged. But ridiculing and demeaning women has to be dealt with.

As I saw the way Sen. Clinton was treated and now Gov. Palin is being treated by opponents and the press, I was amazed that women would go along with this. We can't be partisan on this issue. This is bad for all women.

I thank you for standing up. You and I may disagree on issues, but I wholeheartedly support you on this.

Rockin Robin said...

http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/

"Do you think Barack Obama's "lipstick" comment was a slam against Sarah Palin?"

Rockin Robin said...

Hi Beth ~

Its faster to delete your comments than it is to read them as well as it is for you to write them. You can waste your time on this page as much as you like but you won't be rewarded with getting that much attention.

For those of you who are reading this, please note that abusive and demeaning comments will not be tolerated and will be immediately deleted.

If you have a different point of view, you are still welcome to comment. However this will not be a blog that allows hateful remarks.

Anonymous said...

"Saved documents are a wonderful thing"

*chortle*

Yes, Beth, they certainly are!!

You go, girl!!

vrajavala said...

\

* “No self-respecting woman should
* wish or work for the success of a
* party that ignores her"

— Susan B. Anthony

I'm tired of people making excuses for Obama. What he did was aconscious attack against Sarah. He was trained at Harvard law for God's sake. The lawyers' tools of trade are his/her words. And they have to be selected carefully. From what is being shown is that he has his hacks scurry around and the same speech he used was, in fact, plagiarized from Tom Toles Political cartoon. Almost verbatim.

beth said...

Here's the full text of Obama's statement, from the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090903531.html)


"Obama uttered the phrase in the midst of ridiculing the Republican nominee's commitment to change. "John McCain says he's about change, too," Obama said in an appearance here, leading into a string of ways he contends McCain represents more of the same -- on economic policy, taxes, education, foreign policy, campaign tactics.

"That's not change. That's just calling something that's the same thing something different. You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig," Obama went on, and the crowd erupted in cheers. "You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper and call it change. It's still going to stink, after eight years. We've had enough of the same old thing."

Quite clear he's talking specifically about McCain.

And again, Senator McCain used the same terminology to refer to Hillary Clinton's health plan a few years back.

Obama used it to refer to McCain/McCain's campaign.

McCain used it to refer to Hillary/Hillary's policy initiative.

Explain to me why people who claim to be Hillary supporters are coming down on the McCain campaign's side on this.

Anonymous said...

The way Hillary and Palin have been treated is despicable.

Gloria Steinum, is no longer in touch with todays woman just as the Democratic Party is no longer in touch with its FORMER members.
They just don't get it.

Principles, integrity are more coveted than party policy and issues. We are not puppets, we have are own minds, what we choose and not choose and what issues are important to us but trashing another woman just because she is of another party with different values is LUDICROUS.

Obama needs to throw in the towel and step down NOW. I don't believe any of these women who say they are supporting Obama. I bet they don't at the polls and if the election isn't fixed or fraudulent, McCain will win. No way are women going to take this crap. No unity, no democratic party and Don Fowler and his wife deserve each other for their stupidity, how they ever rose in the party chain I will never know.

Rockin Robin said...

Hillary supporters started moving over to McCain after the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting.

Remember that meeting? It's the one where the DNC gave Obama MI's undecided votes as well as give 4 of Hillary's delegates to Obama.

That was a defining moment for democrats. MI and FL not having their votes count and Obama not wanting a re-vote. Those folks didn't ask to move the primary dates.

The DNC has made a lot of bad choices this year. One of which was to run an experience candidate against Hillary. The other was to allow Hillary to get slammed in the media with sexism. And another was to give Obama votes he didn't deserve.

Anonymous said...

Obama said he would run a clean campaign. When will that start? Where's the proof that he is not a sexist, or a racist, for that matter?

beth said...

I do remember that meeting - but I also remember all the Democratic candidates - including Hillary - agree to a plan to stip ALL delegates from states that held their primaries before Iowa and New Hampshire.

If voters in Michigan and Florida have a beef, it's with their own state legislatures for ignoring that.

And you still haven't explained what was "hateful" or "abusive" about posting the full text of Obama's lipstick comment.

Rockin Robin said...

Beth,

First ~ I don't answer to you.

Again, you are free to post your point of view as long as you are not making snarky remarks otherwise they will get removed.