MaxedOutMama
Friday, August 29, 2008
I Hope That Was As Good For You As It Was For Me
Seriously, I just had my first political orgasm at the age of 47. Palin.
I didn't expect it. I saw some ranting and screaming about the woman at DU, and I flipped over to The Anchoress, because I remembered her having written that Palin would be a very good VP pick. So I read through a bunch of posts about Palin, and when I got to this I thought "Surely The Anchoress has lost some of her marbles. No way can the woman be this good.":
Finally, someone who's one of us. Finally a political woman who is like the women I know in real life. A woman who wouldn't have hysterics if offered deer meat, a woman who hasn't acquired the weary, traumatized Ivy ennui and distaste for real life and real people. A woman who understands it's a problem if truckers can't make a living and people can't stay warm in the winter. A woman who's shriekingly Middle America and middle class, and would sit down and have a cup of coffee with her plumber. A woman who'd date a plumber.
When I first encountered the news at DU and the shrieking and reviling, I thought it was just a clever political strategist's ploy to exploit the wacky-left's habit of demonizing their opponents to throw Hillaryites into the McCain camp. But no, it's real. She's the real thing - the candidate who looks and talks and thinks like all the rest of America, the candidate who is us. The candidate, we strongly suspect, who spit her beer across the living room when she heard the "tire pressure" comment JUST LIKE ALL THE REST OF US.
Yeah, I think this swung it for me. I'm still not happy about voting for McCain, but this helps a lot, and the tire pressure incident made me think that even if Obama got elected, he'd probably be a disaster. He also flubbed the European trip badly according to most of the reading I did on foreign forums. He's tone-deaf to the concerns of most of the US population, and he's all about tone, so that really hurts.
Oh, and the leftist activists are screwing the Democratic party so bad that it's almost like a bible story. As they scream about her, they are going to push woman after woman to vote for the McCain ticket. A big fight broke out on DU over some of the posts.
Listen, we women don't want to hear that we've had too many children, or too few, from some stupid male commenter. Nor do we want to hear that we should be home taking care of them, or that having a disabled child means that you have to stay home the rest of your life to take care of the child. He's not SICK - he's got Downs syndrome.
They just keep putting their foot in it, because they have no clue at all, and they can't restrain their habit of spewing venom. Right now on DU this is one of the top threads - they're down to criticizing Palin's traveling while pregnant while claiming that it's not her baby at all. And just watch them tying themselves in knots here - the vitriol is spattering everywhere:
I didn't expect it. I saw some ranting and screaming about the woman at DU, and I flipped over to The Anchoress, because I remembered her having written that Palin would be a very good VP pick. So I read through a bunch of posts about Palin, and when I got to this I thought "Surely The Anchoress has lost some of her marbles. No way can the woman be this good.":
WHY do the press seem so surprised? Many of us thought Palin would be a serious contender for this slot. I suppose they’re so close to things and so “inside” they can’t always see things.And then I read a whole bunch more, and watched this interview, and read Jimmie, who makes sense. It happened when I watched the interview. In part it was her voice, but also all the rest - about her husband having a working class job, etc.
I can see Tina Fey being a natural to do Palin on SNL.
NOW - I am finally ready to say I’ll vote for McCain. McCain/Palin. Where’s my checkbook!
Finally, someone who's one of us. Finally a political woman who is like the women I know in real life. A woman who wouldn't have hysterics if offered deer meat, a woman who hasn't acquired the weary, traumatized Ivy ennui and distaste for real life and real people. A woman who understands it's a problem if truckers can't make a living and people can't stay warm in the winter. A woman who's shriekingly Middle America and middle class, and would sit down and have a cup of coffee with her plumber. A woman who'd date a plumber.
When I first encountered the news at DU and the shrieking and reviling, I thought it was just a clever political strategist's ploy to exploit the wacky-left's habit of demonizing their opponents to throw Hillaryites into the McCain camp. But no, it's real. She's the real thing - the candidate who looks and talks and thinks like all the rest of America, the candidate who is us. The candidate, we strongly suspect, who spit her beer across the living room when she heard the "tire pressure" comment JUST LIKE ALL THE REST OF US.
Yeah, I think this swung it for me. I'm still not happy about voting for McCain, but this helps a lot, and the tire pressure incident made me think that even if Obama got elected, he'd probably be a disaster. He also flubbed the European trip badly according to most of the reading I did on foreign forums. He's tone-deaf to the concerns of most of the US population, and he's all about tone, so that really hurts.
Oh, and the leftist activists are screwing the Democratic party so bad that it's almost like a bible story. As they scream about her, they are going to push woman after woman to vote for the McCain ticket. A big fight broke out on DU over some of the posts.
Listen, we women don't want to hear that we've had too many children, or too few, from some stupid male commenter. Nor do we want to hear that we should be home taking care of them, or that having a disabled child means that you have to stay home the rest of your life to take care of the child. He's not SICK - he's got Downs syndrome.
They just keep putting their foot in it, because they have no clue at all, and they can't restrain their habit of spewing venom. Right now on DU this is one of the top threads - they're down to criticizing Palin's traveling while pregnant while claiming that it's not her baby at all. And just watch them tying themselves in knots here - the vitriol is spattering everywhere:
24. ohmygod. Calm down.A progressive responds:
Stop attacking her because she is a mother or a female. Stop with the whore and bitch comments.
Talk about the issues. Dang--where are all the progressives?
31. I will attack her for whatever reason suits the purpose of making her look bad to my audience.See? They can't help it. It's in their blood. One of the memes is that she has no right to be in politics with the kid:
When I am among secular people I will attack her for being a religious zealot. When I am among people from church, I will attack her for being of a heterodox denomination. When I am among liberals I will attack her for her conservative views. When I am among conservatives I will attack her for her for anything they are prove to view as shortcomings in ideology. When I am among women, I will deride the obvious pandering of her nomination and the fact that McCain must not think much of womens' intelligence, when I am among conservative men who dislike women in authority, I will rub their noses in it.
If I can attack her for opposite reasons over the course of an afternoon, I will consider it an accomplishment.
Same goes for Johnny Boy.
9. I'm assuming the main argument you are talking about is the parenthood issue?She's more qualified than Obama!!! One DU denizen realizes the inevitable:
I agree on that.
A father of a newborn special-needs child would not be told he couldn't run for president or vice-president.
We can't be hypocrites here.
...
16. She was chosen largely as a token woman & she's a Fundie, a group that expects women to be breeders
obedient breeders who stay at home and raise their kids OR at least have a husband to look after the kid.
...
41. Do you mean the comments about her 4-month old child? What about the Edwards criticisms because of his wife's cancer? And, if any male had a 4-month old child at home with special needs, I'd say the same things about them that I'm saying about Palin. A special needs child deserves the attention and care required. It's not because of her gender, it's because she's made a very bad choice.
Aside from that, she's patently not qualified anyway.
47. And people wonder how the Democrats have lost 7 out of the last 10 electionsSo I leave you with this thread, laughing. This reminds me SO much of Obama's "bitter" comment:
11. I don't think we know everything.Yeah, I'm really just linking women here. Ann Althouse has a lot of coverage, but this was in her second post:
Her husband is evidently half native American. Most native Americans give women equal say in governance. However, I do understand the Christian aspect of being obedient to your man that she and her husband may believe in and the whole covering up of the daughters pregnancy because of small town values. (What would the neighbors think?) It's all so 1950s but the first time I went up to Idaho, and got some culture shock, I met another Californian who had lived their for awhile and I asked her what was wrong with the locals and she just basically said that they were backwards, still living in the last century and it seems odd to us because we had evolved beyond that. I'll probably upset some people now with what I have said but I don't know any better way to put it.
10:47: In the comments, Sloanasaurus writes:
Palin is the common man's dream wife. Smart, accomplished, beautiful, was a sportscaster, loves to hunt and fish.
Perhaps Palin is the "post-feminist" woman. She competes in a mans world being governor of the largest state, but she can still be feminine (a mother and wife).
Hmmm... maybe Ann will have fun with this analysis.
It's not perfectly feminist, Sloan, but I understand what you mean, and I think it's something that will appeal to many of the swing voters. As a feminist, I love that she did not leverage herself into power through her husband and consider this an important improvement over Hillary.
Comments:
<< Home
I'm too lazy to update. Here is one reason why this is such a brilliant move. From Althouse' first post:
10:21: More from the comments. This is from Peter V. Bella:
Man, the leftist whackos and nutroots are going to come out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Pallin wears fur, she hunts and eats moose burgers, she is a life long member of the NRA, and the worst, the absolute worst crime -- her husband is a fisherman who works in the oil fields in the off-season. Yep, a regular working stiff. The kind of guy they hate and are jealous of. Not a lawyer or a fuzzy headed policy wonk; not a professor of basket weaving or Mayan Mysticism, not someone who lives off the teat of government grants; but a real, solid, hard core, working man. A guy who gets his hands dirty every day. The average Joe American.
What makes her even more odious is she actually worked with her husband on the fishing boats. She really, actually worked for a living. The Gospel chorus is lining up to rage and rant; “my God, how can he pick someone like that? Working people, why, they, they, they, know too much about real life!”
PETA, the anti-gun nuts, ELF, KOS, MYDD, Huffingglue and probably a host of others will be gnashing their teeth, pounding their drums, shaking their chubby little fists and green tamborines, and going into full, foaming at the mouth, rabid attack mode. They are going to have heartastrokes over this.
10:21: More from the comments. This is from Peter V. Bella:
Man, the leftist whackos and nutroots are going to come out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Pallin wears fur, she hunts and eats moose burgers, she is a life long member of the NRA, and the worst, the absolute worst crime -- her husband is a fisherman who works in the oil fields in the off-season. Yep, a regular working stiff. The kind of guy they hate and are jealous of. Not a lawyer or a fuzzy headed policy wonk; not a professor of basket weaving or Mayan Mysticism, not someone who lives off the teat of government grants; but a real, solid, hard core, working man. A guy who gets his hands dirty every day. The average Joe American.
What makes her even more odious is she actually worked with her husband on the fishing boats. She really, actually worked for a living. The Gospel chorus is lining up to rage and rant; “my God, how can he pick someone like that? Working people, why, they, they, they, know too much about real life!”
PETA, the anti-gun nuts, ELF, KOS, MYDD, Huffingglue and probably a host of others will be gnashing their teeth, pounding their drums, shaking their chubby little fists and green tamborines, and going into full, foaming at the mouth, rabid attack mode. They are going to have heartastrokes over this.
I was pleasantly stunned by McCain's pick of Sarah Palin. I like what I've learned of her a lot -- she's worked middle-class jobs (and some back-breaking ones at that; commercial fishing is not for the timid!), she's a governor, a reformer, a westerner who understands the impact that federal policies have on western states.
Unlike Obama, who made the safe conventional choice, McCain has rolled the dice in a big way. The left will be desperate to tear her down. May Fortune favor the bold.
Unlike Obama, who made the safe conventional choice, McCain has rolled the dice in a big way. The left will be desperate to tear her down. May Fortune favor the bold.
From the other side of the Pond:
I watched CNBC yesterday when the news of palin's appointment came out, and remembered seeing her some months ago talking about oil and the people of Alaska.
She came across as a very refreshing new breed of politician who knew her own mind, knew what she wanted to do, and was not afraid to talk about issues the "seasoned" politicians always avoid.
If she ran for office here in the UK I would vote for her, because I am tired of the "professional politicians" who have made their career in the political arena, but have never done a real job in the real world.
This lady comes from the real world of hard work and as such she represents a threat to the professional politicians. It is said she has an 80% approval rating as the CEO of Alaska, and one wonders how many senators can say the same, but then senators don't actually run anything which is much the same as our Members of Parliament. Our MP's are seemingly more interested in awarding themselves perks and allowances which are not available to those they proport to represent.
Gov Palin comes over as a very astute operator, and if the USA does not want her, then we do!!!
I watched CNBC yesterday when the news of palin's appointment came out, and remembered seeing her some months ago talking about oil and the people of Alaska.
She came across as a very refreshing new breed of politician who knew her own mind, knew what she wanted to do, and was not afraid to talk about issues the "seasoned" politicians always avoid.
If she ran for office here in the UK I would vote for her, because I am tired of the "professional politicians" who have made their career in the political arena, but have never done a real job in the real world.
This lady comes from the real world of hard work and as such she represents a threat to the professional politicians. It is said she has an 80% approval rating as the CEO of Alaska, and one wonders how many senators can say the same, but then senators don't actually run anything which is much the same as our Members of Parliament. Our MP's are seemingly more interested in awarding themselves perks and allowances which are not available to those they proport to represent.
Gov Palin comes over as a very astute operator, and if the USA does not want her, then we do!!!
# posted by 
: 2:23 AM
: 2:23 AM
Covey - that's it entirely - she has done something "real". This election has been extremely depressing because it's been hard to see any glimpse of a contact with reality amongst the contenders. Well, this is it.
Yes, she's worked. Actually worked. It makes a huge difference to everything. She is not someone who is going to think that having to choose between eating breakfast and buying gas to get to work is a good environmental policy.
John - I think fortune may, because people are having real economic difficulties, which fact has accentuated the Washington disconnnect.
Yes, she's worked. Actually worked. It makes a huge difference to everything. She is not someone who is going to think that having to choose between eating breakfast and buying gas to get to work is a good environmental policy.
John - I think fortune may, because people are having real economic difficulties, which fact has accentuated the Washington disconnnect.
Never heard of this lady before, but was instantly impressed by her.
It helps, I guess, that she's not from the law/military/finance.
It helps, I guess, that she's not from the law/military/finance.
# posted by : 3:50 AM
: 3:50 AM
A very good political choice. The problem is that the president will be McCain not Palin. Maybe if they reversed the lineup I might consider voting for the Palin/McCain ticket.
Shtove - yeah, we need a better mix of people in politics - we need people with varied backgrounds.
Grover - well, I'd still have preferred an entirely different slate on both sides, but you have to deal with the hands you are dealt. This sweetened the pot for me. I've become more and more worried about Obama's seeming fantasy life.
Grover - well, I'd still have preferred an entirely different slate on both sides, but you have to deal with the hands you are dealt. This sweetened the pot for me. I've become more and more worried about Obama's seeming fantasy life.
I had seen Palin interviewed by Larry Kudlow on his show. (All about drilling in Alaska.) I was impressed. She was smart, down to earth, and someone who was not afraid to speak her mind.
Like most everybody, I was shocked when I heard the pick. (Was sure it would be Pawlenty.)
I've been holding my nose and supporting McCain because I would never vote for Obama. I'm glad to see the enthusiasm this pick engenders among Republicans. Now we can support the ticket with more gusto.
I can only think of one other person in my life time like Sarah Palin and that was Harry Truman. Plucked up from obscurity to the VP slot, he seemed unqualified to assume the role of President. Yet, when it was thrust upon him, he distinguished himself as a man who always put the good of the country first and wasn't afraid to make tough decisions. I believe Palin has those same qualities.
And yes, MOM, it is very refreshing that she is one of us, the great unwashed middle class. Go McCain Palin!
Like most everybody, I was shocked when I heard the pick. (Was sure it would be Pawlenty.)
I've been holding my nose and supporting McCain because I would never vote for Obama. I'm glad to see the enthusiasm this pick engenders among Republicans. Now we can support the ticket with more gusto.
I can only think of one other person in my life time like Sarah Palin and that was Harry Truman. Plucked up from obscurity to the VP slot, he seemed unqualified to assume the role of President. Yet, when it was thrust upon him, he distinguished himself as a man who always put the good of the country first and wasn't afraid to make tough decisions. I believe Palin has those same qualities.
And yes, MOM, it is very refreshing that she is one of us, the great unwashed middle class. Go McCain Palin!
# posted by : 4:21 PM
: 4:21 PM
Yup, it was as good for me as it was for you. I was quite melancholic about having to vote for McCain, but with the addition of Palin I actually got excited.
Politics on the whole is quite depressing to me, but Palin is a breath of fresh air. If only we had more men and women like her in politics.
Post a Comment
Politics on the whole is quite depressing to me, but Palin is a breath of fresh air. If only we had more men and women like her in politics.
# posted by : 11:10 AM
: 11:10 AM << Home
