Thursday, October 09, 2008

When I Vote



I had promised myself that I would not get too political in this blog, but the endorsement of S. Palin, moose-hunting, uber-conservative and the Republican candidate for veep by the L.A. leader of that city's chapter of NOW just blew all my good intentions out the window. Here it is as reported by Fox News; ""Speaking as an individual and not for her organization, Shelley Mandell, who is the President of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women and a self-described lifelong Democrat, has endorsed Sarah Palin.

Please Note*, it is on record that the National Organization for Women, as an entity, endorses the Barack-Biden ticket because they are our best bet for protection of our reproductive rights as far as birth control and Roe v Wade is concerned. Palin is an evangelical, anti-choice Tweedle Dum to McCain's Tweedle Dee. Mandell has lost her perspective somewhere along the line and is endorsing with her vagina. This is what I was afraid might happen when Hillary Clinton lost the nomination and McCain's machine dusted off Palin and pulled her in. Sorry, Ms. Mandell, but Palin's gender does not qualify her for the big ticket.

When I vote, and I don't vote in every election, (I'm not big, for instance, on who sits on the school boards in FL. This state is sunk, anyway.) I try to use my head. When I do exercise that right and privilege that was hard-won for me by sister militants from an earlier age, I vote with my brain, not my genitals or my race. While both sides of the aisle are fairly adoption-friendly, I know where our best chances lie to keep our personal freedoms as women and it isn't with Perky Palin and Mr. McCain. I also know where the best chance lies of finding an open mind to hear our stories and it isn't in the direction of the GOP.

Just as there are the "Birthmartyrs" who betray their sister mothers with their attitudes and philosophies, there are also members of our own gender who are NOT in it to help out their sisters. My view of Palin is of a power-greedy hypocrite. There are enough scandals in her background and that of her hubby to merit a vote against her if you want to think like her party does, but her platform and views are all it takes for me. Her pregnant daughter is not in that list. Let's just hope that expected grandchild of this inexperienced fish from a sparsely-populated pond doesn't wind up surrendered for adoption.

I don't watch the debates. I read them, later. But make no mistake...I keep myself informed. There is no such thing as the perfect candidate for anyone, but an anti-choice adopter and an anti-choice evangelical on the same ticket gives me the creeps. I will be throwing my support behind Obama and Biden and pray that I don't have to move out of the country if they don't win. I don't believe we can trust McCain/Palin, either financially, with foreign policy or with our personal rights. It would be just a continuation of the lame duck disaster now sitting in Washington, enjoying the down time.

Call me crazy, but voting for a veep candidate just because she is a woman is like choosing a school for your child just because the principal has blue eyes. Vagina voting is knee-jerk and unbecoming for thinking women.

Please remember, Sisters. It's not what's between the legs but what is in the platform that counts.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Can't you just see Evil Ogre Phyllis Schlafly doing a Happy Dance all over the place with "this one"? She is a power hungry, climbing, egoist.

Thanks for this one, Robin. And, for reminding us about voting and how hardwon that was.

Sandy

Anonymous said...

Thank you Robin, you echo my sentiments exactly. I have been listening extensively to the candidates, McCain/Palin & Obama/Biden. And I listen in earnest. I am sure by now, that the other people who live in my home are sick to death of the myriad of newscasts that I listen to, before I go to work and when I come home ( and the right-wing radio talk-shows I listen to driving home from work). Palin offers nothing for me, nor to any woman who believes in 'choice' or 'reproductive rights'. Yes, she can choose to have her own anti-abortion views, but when those 'views' cross the line of being dictated to other females, well then there is no way I can be enamored of this person, simply because she is a woman. She is trying to portray herself as an 'evangelical'(easier to swallow by the common folk), when in serious fact she is Pentecostal. The Pentecostal religion (think Jim & Tammy Baker, Jimmy Swaggart and a host of other swindlers)is only about a 100 yrs old, which to me is just plain creepy, speaking in 'tongues' and all. Our dear (vomit)John Ashcroft was Pentecostal as well, and we all have bore witness to his actions in this country. Palin as a woman may have climbed the ladder, but my question is...just how did she climb that ladder and on who and with who's help?? Did she 'act' like a man, did she pander to men, to get where she is? Did she throw her 'sisters' to the wolves, whilst she climbed the ladder of success? I have worked all of my life in offices and I have been eye-witness to many a female who has climbed the so-called ladder of success.. to my disappointment and many times, disgust...it has been while brown-nosing the male management and stepping on the backs of her female co-workers. That has been my personal experience to witness and it is not a rarity, in fact quite common. I suspect the same of Perky Palin. The woman is a Hick, plain and simple...no Margaret Thatcher is she or a Golda Meier! I may not have agreed with either of the above women, on all things..but these were women I had respect for! I also have never respected Condi Rice...she has always had a close, personal relationship with the Bush Family ( with Georgie and Daddy Bush)..as did Alberto Gonzales did with Junior..neither came to their respective offices on their own merits...they had a little help from their friends. I am in the Obama/Biden camp..are they the best..of course not..who really is the best person for these jobs? I don't know, does anybody? What president/vp has come to office with presidential experience..NONE!!! They all learned on the job. At least Obama/Biden give me some semblance of hope, in some way. Whereas Palin/McCain...scare the living shit out of me. One is a tottering old man (was clearly tottering on the last debate stage) and Palin..WTF! was McCain thinking..Nice Ass, maybe?? This hick-woman would be a heartbeat away from being the leader of the free world! Or even worse...McCain insulting intelligent thinking women with his selection for VP, banking on that all women care about in another female, is simply that, that she is female and we share the same body parts? Like you Robin I believe, our selections for the people who will be the leaders of our country, should be based on their 'platforms', not on gender and skin color. One should choose, based on one's belief who will be the best for the job...not whether they have a vagina, penis or color of skin. Many a woman has accused men of thinking with their penises. I would surely hope that women in general, were a cut above and have not become quasi-men, and only thinking with their vaginas. Vagina-Voters get a big Thumbs-Down from me!!

Robin said...

In my part of the Bible Belt (SC) we tend to lump the Pentecostals, Charismatics and Evangelicals all into the same boat because they all wear the same coat, Chris. They tend to blur the lines, themselves, at times. I wonder if Ms. Palin speaks "Moose" when she speaks "in tongues?"

AND there is no shame in not supporting another woman if she is not good for women in general. I do not agree with the women who have taken us to task for not supporting her as a sister. She is not supportive of her own gender, herself.

I could go on and on about her personal life, something the GOP seems to see as excusable in her but not in any Democrats, but the fact is that the woman's platform and pholosophies are dangerous to all other women in general...in fact, dangerous for men, as well.

My idea is to bring all our armed forces home from the Middle East and send the Palins over with their shotguns. We can send the rest of the Alaskan Secessionist Party with them and tell them to clean up things "their way."

Mr. McCain needs to be at home, with his feet up, resting and watching his health.

Yes, I said it and I don't apologize for it. =oD