This blog serves the honors section of our introductory course on American politics (Claremont McKenna College Government 20) for the fall of 2023.
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During the semester, I shall post course material and students will comment on it. Students are also free to comment on any aspect of American politics, either current or historical. There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges. This blog is on the open Internet, so post nothing that you would not want a potential employer to see. Syllabus: http://gov20h.blogspot.com/2023/08/draft-introduction-to-american-politics.html
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Free Sarah Palin
Hat tip to Democracy in America. Campbell Brown, you are a sexist pig! How dare you criticize Sarah Palin.
Is the fact that Sarah Palin isn't being "allowed" to talk to reporters really due to the fact that she's a women, marking this as sexism, or to the fact that the McCain campaign is scared that she will mess up? I believe that the true reason is the second, which does not have to do with her gender. They're not isolating Palin because she's a woman; they're isolating her because she is inexperienced and relatively uninformed. You can argue that Palin was chosen because of her gender, which is probably true, but which still is not sexist; it is a political tactic.
Sarah Palin's isolation isn't entirely rooted in sexism, but does have sexist implications and suggests that women should not be held to the same standard as men. Although Senator Biden has much more experience, he tends to be a loose cannon. The Obama campaign could shield him from the media, but chooses not to.
I do not blame the McCain Campaign for Palin's isolation after watching her interview with Katie Couric. Responding to a question about why the government should bail out Wall Street rather than help americans with a tax credit, she listed fragments like "helping ease healthcare, shoring up the economy...uh job creation, reducing taxes, and reigning in spending and trade." Her inarticulate and frazzled answers reveal McCain's poor judgment in choosing her as Vice President.
Sexism has nothing to do with the McCain campaign's refusal to allow media access to Palin. Mark, you note that the Obama campaign is not isolating Biden, a "loose cannon." This does not demonstrate a sexist distinction between the two vice presidential nominees; rather, it is easier for Biden to prevent verbal slippages than it is for Palin to magically spout knowledgeable - let alone comprehensible - answers to reporters' questions.
The claims of sexism stem from the McCain campaign's justification for Palin's isolation; the campaign seeks to protect her from the sexist, liberal media's attacks.
The McCain campaign wants to reap the benefits of a female on the ticket without letting Palin speak for herself. Palin appeals to voters because of her sex and not her substance and the McCain campaign wants her to be seen and not heard.
McCain may be coddling her on account of her stupidity and ineptness. However, there are not any male politicians I can think of who would be babied by a presidential campaign like this. Voters deserve to know who they are voting for and I hope Gwen Ifill, the moderator of the Vice Presidential debate, asks tough questions of both Biden and Palin.
4 comments:
Is the fact that Sarah Palin isn't being "allowed" to talk to reporters really due to the fact that she's a women, marking this as sexism, or to the fact that the McCain campaign is scared that she will mess up? I believe that the true reason is the second, which does not have to do with her gender. They're not isolating Palin because she's a woman; they're isolating her because she is inexperienced and relatively uninformed. You can argue that Palin was chosen because of her gender, which is probably true, but which still is not sexist; it is a political tactic.
Sarah Palin's isolation isn't entirely rooted in sexism, but does have sexist implications and suggests that women should not be held to the same standard as men. Although Senator Biden has much more experience, he tends to be a loose cannon. The Obama campaign could shield him from the media, but chooses not to.
I do not blame the McCain Campaign for Palin's isolation after watching her interview with Katie Couric. Responding to a question about why the government should bail out Wall Street rather than help americans with a tax credit, she listed fragments like "helping ease healthcare, shoring up the economy...uh job creation, reducing taxes, and reigning in spending and trade." Her inarticulate and frazzled answers reveal McCain's poor judgment in choosing her as Vice President.
Sexism has nothing to do with the McCain campaign's refusal to allow media access to Palin. Mark, you note that the Obama campaign is not isolating Biden, a "loose cannon." This does not demonstrate a sexist distinction between the two vice presidential nominees; rather, it is easier for Biden to prevent verbal slippages than it is for Palin to magically spout knowledgeable - let alone comprehensible - answers to reporters' questions.
The claims of sexism stem from the McCain campaign's justification for Palin's isolation; the campaign seeks to protect her from the sexist, liberal media's attacks.
The McCain campaign wants to reap the benefits of a female on the ticket without letting Palin speak for herself. Palin appeals to voters because of her sex and not her substance and the McCain campaign wants her to be seen and not heard.
McCain may be coddling her on account of her stupidity and ineptness. However, there are not any male politicians I can think of who would be babied by a presidential campaign like this. Voters deserve to know who they are voting for and I hope Gwen Ifill, the moderator of the Vice Presidential debate, asks tough questions of both Biden and Palin.
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