Shocker: NOW comes out against Sarah Palin

31 Aug, 2008 by Cassy Fiano

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All because she doesn’t support “women’s issues”, meaning she doesn’t support abortion. Because, you know, all women care about is abortion. That’s it. Only abortion. Nothing else.

Sen. John McCain’s choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is a cynical effort to appeal to disappointed Hillary Clinton voters and get them to vote, ultimately, against their own self-interest.

Gov. Palin may be the second woman vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, but she is not the right woman. Sadly, she is a woman who opposes women’s rights, just like John McCain.

The fact that Palin is a mother of five who has a 4-month-old baby, a woman who is juggling work and family responsibilities, will speak to many women. But will Palin speak FOR women? Based on her record and her stated positions, the answer is clearly No.

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What McCain does not understand is that women supported Hillary Clinton not just because she was a woman, but because she was a champion on their issues. They will surely not find Sarah Palin to be an advocate for women.

OK, that’s not fair of me. In the press release, there’s other stuff in there that count as “women’s issues”. There’s domestic violence legislation, pay equity, and “advocacy”. Sorry. I guess that means other issues, like the economy, national security, and energy independence are men’s issues that women don’t care about.

Well, I guess that makes me a dude. Because you know what? I don’t have any clue what they mean by this mysterious advocacy for women. I don’t see the hype about domestic violence, and I’m a freaking survivor of domestic abuse. Isn’t domestic abuse already illegal? If it’s reported, then the abuser goes to jail. I’ve volunteered at domestic abuse shelters,. There’s a lot of avenues for an abused woman to explore when it comes to getting help and prosecuting abusers, and the only thing required of the victim is to seek help. If she doesn’t, then there’s nothing anyone can do. I know this from firsthand experience. So, does that mean the state should intervene? Do random relationship checks to make sure that no one is being abused? I mean, what is the government supposed to do to fix that? What am I missing?

Of course, the big “women’s issue” to feminists is abortion. This is apparently on the forefront of all women’s minds, and we’re all pro-choice. Those of us who are pro-life are either brainwashed or self-haters. But what feminists don’t seem to understand is that women actually — GASP!! — care about other stuff, too. What a concept: women care about big-boy issues like the economy and the War on Terror, too!

Also, if anyone wants to talk about condescension towards women, you can’t even begin to have that discussion without mentioning modern day feminism. They are sneeringly condescending to any woman who doesn’t agree with them. This NOW press release is dripping with condescension. It’s as if women can’t understand for themselves what they want. Thank God feminism came along to educate us ignorant women who can’t understand how important it is to be able to have an abortion! So you’re pro-life? It’s OK, honey, you just don’t know any better yet. Don’t worry, we’ll tell you what to think, because you clearly can’t decide for yourself.

Why do feminists get to decide what “women’s issues” are? As far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing. There are no women’s issues. There are no men’s issues. There are just issues, and each person can individually decide for themselves what they think. I don’t need anyone, and especially not anyone representing NOW, telling me what issues are important to me.

Feminists seem to get the idea that they speak for all women. Well, they don’t. They speak for some women, and just because NOW doesn’t like Sarah Palin, it doesn’t mean that women — even Democratic women — won’t be willing to vote for her. The average American woman, Republican, Democrat, or Independent, is more than a single-issue voter. It’s part of the reason that feminism is no longer mainstream. Until they’re willing to accept different women with different ideas and different values, they won’t be endearing many women to them. Sarah Palin, however, will. Whether NOW likes it or not.

Hat Tip: Karin at the NeW blog (bookmark them if you haven’t already!)