Palin: A "Feminist Victory"!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-schmeltzer/palins-wasilla-to-rape-vi_b_125047.html

Came across this article while researching Palin. Seems she was a "maverick" and went against the grain in Alaska- by refusing to abide by a law that had law enforcement pay for rape kits. Instead, survivors had to pay for their own, costing up to $1200.

I wonder if having a woman in the White House who works against feminist goals is more counterproductive than not having a woman in the White House at all...

Palin's small town appeal

This Time article hints at a few important issues surrounding Palin. For rhetoric people, the word myth is really being used in two ways. The author points out that small towns are not really that important to the U.S. in 2008. However, talking about small towns allows her to tap into a powerful story that resonates with the American people. Palin reconciles the notion of a small-town utopia (prevalent in 1950s pop culture) with the social changes that have happened since the 1960s. Her story might suggest that the myth of Main Street can be recovered.

MSNBC's Ooops

One thing I just found...

Evidently Republican analysts Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy were caught on MSNBC on tape having an open discussion of their opinions of VP pick Palin. The analysts thought their microphones were off, but were not.

Here is the link to the CNN article, including a formal apology from Noonan:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/03/hot-mic-catches-gop-strategists-trashing-palin-pick/

Here is the link to the clip on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrG8w4bb3kg

The Question of Clinton Supporters

A lot of the discussion surrounding the Palin pick is whether or not she will be able to pick up Clinton supporters (also seems to be the only real reason for McCain to have selected her). Many think that there will be at least a small percentage of people who will jump on the bandwagon for the sole reason of Palin being a woman; however, others have given the voters a little more credit than that. Palin is certainly no substitute for Clinton if voters truly believed in what Clinton stood for on the issues.

A poll was conducted the two days following the Palin announcement that should give us some faith in the voters. Gallup seems to breeze over the fact that this poll was conducted post VP announcement and focuses more on the impact of the convention. However, I believe the results should still be comforting to Obama supporters. After the convention and the announcement of Palin, the percentage of Clinton supporters who said they were certain to vote for McCain went down by 4 percent and the number of Clinton supporters who said they were certain to vote for Obama went up by 18 percent.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/109957/Obama-Gains-Among-Former-Clinton-Supporters.aspx

I think this shows that when people really examine their beliefs, they realize that voting to make a statement is a mistake when it will come back to haunt them in the form of policy those voters do not support.

Backing Carl: New interview with McCain spokesman reveals poor knowledge of Palin

Carl has said it already today, but the Palin decision is looking like a really bad idea as the days go by. What we are hearing about her experience in the various forms of media has failed to impress, and it certainly seems that she is being defined by her critics before she can define herself. THE REALLY BAD NEWS, however, is that the McCain campaign appears completely clueless about how to respond to this criticism thus far. A recent CNN interview with McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds regarding Palin is making the rounds on the internet. Is the following video simply an example of a single poor interview, or a sign that the McCain camp dropped the ball?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qCL3G4DZSc