Sarah Palin does feminism better

Just FYI, "mama grizzlies" aren't quite what Palin thinks they are. Unless she really does mean to compare herself to a promiscuous breeder with closer ties to other women than to any man.

http://queering-the-church.com/blog/animal-sexuality/the-real-mamma-grizzlies-lesbian-moms/

The notion that being a feminist implies being in favor of abortion rights is a historical novelty. America's original feminists, in the 19th century, fought against abortion because they saw it as degrading to women. Every anti-abortion law on the books in the U.S. before 1967 came about through the efforts of feminists. With Sarah Palin, the leftist fad is passing, and feminism is returning to its roots.

Bean arrogantly ascribes "Traditional female characteristics" to women like Palin (and Bean herself, presumably). I don't know any women who are more nurturing, committed to relationship building, fierce in their protection of children and the vulnerable than the the Black women who raised me, mentored me, and guide me. Let the record show that there is no fan base among Black women with these "traditional female characteristics" for Sarah Palin. Mama Grizzly, meet Muh Dear!

"What exactly is it that disqualifies Palin as a feminist? Why, it's her stubborn insistence that women deserve better than abortion, of course."

If the policy alternatives here were allowing abortion to be legal and mandating it, say, every other pregnancy, the author might have a point. As it is, the alternatives are allowing it to be legal and not allowing it to be legal. Women may deserve better, but my idea of feminism is allowing women to choose what they do. By that standard, she ain't no feminist.

If she is such a wonderful protector of the weaker beings, why does she enjoy killing animals so much? And why does she want to throw senior citizens onto ice floes by killing Social Security and Medicare? Are these kind, nurturing things to do? She's not a feminist, she's a vicious, heartless b*****.

Why thankee, james92. But I gotta tell ya son, it was a might rude of yer to post all those inconvenient Bible verses. Don't ye know only us god-fearin' folks is allowed to post 'em? That's so's we can vet out the ones we don' lahk first, en all. Ah'm sure ye understand?

Why if you wuz ma kid, I'd feel obliged to stone ya to death fer misbehavin' - jus like the good Lord commands me to:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+21%3A18-21&version=NIV

Anyhoo. It's sure gud we got holesome girls like Sarah and Christine and Danielle leadin' us back to the time when people had them their valley ewes still, and wimmin knew their place. Back in the bee cee times. Hoepfully we'll get that dang 19th Amendment repealled too, so they can get back to real Bible livin'! Quiet and d'mure and obedient. Just as the Good Lord meant 'em t'be!

What are 3 things that you'll never find in nature:

1- an honest lawyer
2- an obedient cat
3- a happy-go-lucky feminist ... LOL!

thanks TRICORNEREDHEAD, you made my night, cant stop laughing...

Hey, pro-life, should mean caring for children after their born too! Unless your for increases in welfare, WIC, childcare and medicaid for women who can't afford their unborn baby then don't say you a pro-life, because you truly don't care what happens to the life after it is born. That may be part of why pro-lifers can't be called feminists. They don't care about women and children after childbirth. (see the cuts to women and children in Contract against America in the '90s).
What offends me personally about Palin is that she is saying she represents women in politics but is so dumb about things like where major foreign countries are like Korea. If you're gonna say you are the ultimate for women (feminist) in politics you should not be a quitter. You should really be something to look up to. She's embarrassing in her stupidity, so she shouldn't claim being feminist.

I though "feminist/feminism" was a last century deal. It's still in the vernacular but fading very fast.

You tells 'em, Miss Bean! Just like wimmin in the Muslim world can choose to wear burkas and veils because it "protects them from the lurid stares of men", wimmin here in the Christian States of Murica should be able to retreat to their safe, simple life of the 19th century. No tough decisions botherin' you when you get pregnant, cuz you's just barnyard animals made for breedin' like Bible says. An' if Uncle Bob does up yer daughter good after cornering her when you leave them alone for an hour, why she shouldn't be troubled by doing anything but RAISIN' THAT LOVE CHILD! Have Uncle Bob's baby and make 'im proud!

Just like lil' Chrissie O'Donnell says. No abortions even for rape or incest. Just stickin' to woman's NATURAL PURPOSE as you say. Breedin' animal for Uncle Bob! Yessireebob! Whoohoo! Now that thar's some femmy-nizzum I can get my head around. You tells um, Miss Bean.

Dear author. i hope you also follow the bible and its teachings about feminism. No woman wants to be treated following the word of the bible which you mrs Palin consider law of nature

1 Timothy 2:11-15

11(V)A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.

12(W)But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

13(X)For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.

14And it was not Adam who was deceived, but (Y)the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

15But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in (Z)faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

2.
Corinthians 11:5-9

5But every (I)woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is (J)shaved.

6For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.

7For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the (K)image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.

8For (L)man does not originate from woman, but woman from man;

9for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but (M)woman for the man's sake.

3
petter 3;1-7

1(A)In the same way, you wives, (B)be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be (C)won without a word by the behavior of their wives,
2as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.

3(D)Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;

4but let it be (E)the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

5For in this way in former times the holy women also, (F)who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands;

6just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, (G)calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right (H)without being frightened by any fear.

7(I)You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with (J)someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Where's the political success? She resigned mid-term. Does that qualify for success these days?

She wants to make abortion illegal in the United States.

It is a well documented fact, that the consequence of making abortion illegal is not to reduce the number of abortions, but instead, to increase the number of illegal abortions, which includes an increased number of abortions in which a woman is injured or dies as a result of the illegal procedure.

She does not care about the women who would necessarily be harmed by the changes in the law she proposes.

She therefore is not a feminist.

Nor does she acknowledge, that she advocates a policy which harms women, but does little to effectuate her professed policy goal: reducing the number of abortions.

Therefore, she is as well, fundamentally dishonest.

svreader:

I agree that the fact women are excempted from Selective Service makes the "keep your laws off our bodies" arguments almost painful to listen to but otherwise it really has nothing to do with the issue of abortion.

One would be hard-pressed to think of two things that have less to do with each other.

In any case, the solution would be to make women subject to the draft (equal responsibility) and not to take away their rights.

Outlawing abortion won't stop abortion. It will just drive it underground and make it worse.

Much, much worse.

You know, like when it was illegal.

She (Palin) is tough. If she can learn to debate national level political issues the Democrats are in big, big trouble.

POSTED BY: SCOTT3 |
______________

She's not tough, she's stupid. Both initially appear the same, the person keeps taking hit after hit.

But the two are really different. Tough people gain skills. They work hard to overcome their weaknesses and they maximize their strengths.

Stupid people refuse to increase their knowledge and they soldier on without self-doubt, never asking themselves what they could do better or if they are suited to the task at hand.

Sometimes being stupid is enough. If you are going to try and sway the direction my country is going in then you have better be tough and smart.

As one fully in line with nature's plan for your body, I expect you've not given your child vaccines for all those terrible (but natural!) diseases, that you've forgone antibiotics when you've gotten a (natural) infection, and would deny medical intervention in the event you developed a very natural case of brain cancer. Just where, exactly, does one develop a sneering attitude toward those who fight "nature's plan for their bodies" when almost every aspect of our society fights nature's plan, for both better and worse, at every step. Deny all medical care and I'll at least admit you're no hypocrite.

How can you believe such drivel? Do you really believe that killing a baby in your womb is a "choice" without any moral consequences or that other people have no say in what you do to that child? You think that the child is part of your body. She's not. She's a human being who happens to be dependent on your body for her life. She's not a tumor. She's there because you made the choice to have sex. You may not have wanted to become pregnant, but you did. You simply can't say "Nevermind" and have a doctor slice your child up and suck her out of you.

Stop believing lies. Abortion is the purposeful killing of a human being. Nothing more. Nothing less.

POSTED BY: INTHEMIDDLE
_____________

Yes, I believe all those things. A fetus is a not a human being until it can sustain life on its own.

First of all our Constitution says a citizen with rights must be born. Secondly, throughout history a child have been considered a human after it is born. Thirdly,whose rights take precedence? The woman's or the fetuses? And lastly, if a zygote is a human with the rights of a citizen then you must change the Constitution. In that case, anyone conceived on US soil is a citizen with rights. Want to see illegals stream in? Do this.

I have never advocated you be forced to have an abortion. You will not force me not to. If there is a moral or spiritual price to pay for having an abortion then allow me the right as a human and citizen to make that choice and square it with my higher power.

I simply can and I simply will say "nevermind" and it's none of you business. Perhaps we should start forcing people to have cancer treatments they don't want or not allowing men to have vasectomies since some Americans think they know what's best for others.

Talk about your socialist governments.

These women are not pro-life they are anti-choice and that is what makes them anti-feminists. Pro-choicers have never sought to deny any woman the choice of becoming pregnant or bringing a fetus to term.

These shameless women think women should have no choice other than to act as vessels for breeding. They pander to men and in turn men promote them.

I have seen the damage these women do. It's not pretty.

We've been over this before, but you conservative nutjob "feminists" have short memories.

Sarah Palin is not a feminist for the same reason that any person who wants to ban abortion is not a feminist. If abortion is banned, then women are automatically second-class citizens. Why? Because the government then has greater access to and control over their bodies than it does over men's bodies.

This, of course, would also violate both the 4th and 14th Amendments. So you can't call the anti-choice crowd pro-Constitution either.
----
You can't be serious.

Have you ever heard of the draft?

The government has the right to demand that ANY male citizen between the age of 18 and 35 sacrifice HIS body for the good of the state.

Palin is a half wit.
She is a celebrity only to the foolish trailer park dwellers.
She's shallow, sophomoric and has diminished the gene pool by squirting out five more with her DNA.

Choice means choice. It means you do not have to have either the child or the abortion. A woman's right to choose is just that. And you idiots who talk about ugly bra burners need to remember that it was those ugly bra burners who had the courage and tenacity to get women where they are today. Palin rode in on McCain's heels and then they threw each other under the bus. She is a nobody who quit her job. She smelled money and publicity and walked out on her job. Some leader she would make.

We've been over this before, but you conservative nutjob "feminists" have short memories.

Sarah Palin is not a feminist for the same reason that any person who wants to ban abortion is not a feminist. If abortion is banned, then women are automatically second-class citizens. Why? Because the government then has greater access to and control over their bodies than it does over men's bodies.

This, of course, would also violate both the 4th and 14th Amendments. So you can't call the anti-choice crowd pro-Constitution either.

I strongly disagree with Danielle's assertion that women who value their nurturing roles, relationships, and who protect children and the vulnerable see a role model in Palin. Can you say Marian Wright Edelman? Can you say Secretary of State Hilary Clinton? Can you say my late mother, a proud African American Catholic woman originally from south Louisiana who raised me and my 4 brothers with my father who taught me that women like Palin are so self centered, trading on her European good looks, are the WORST EXAMPLES of womanhood, womanism, and feminism!

Nah, it's not (just) her position that girls should have to give birth to children no matter their circumstances, rape or incest. It's her hypocrisy. She is so daft. Rootless. Unable to comprehend that were it not for brave women before her, she wouldn't be allowed to stand up and made stupid statements about seeing Russia from her porch. Finally, she isn't a feminist since feminism is about empowering our daughters--she consistently advocates policies that diminish women, except, of course, when the policy favors her own self-advancement. Were Palin's ideology put into place, she would eventuallly need to be quiet and go back to the kitchen barefoot.

C'mon guys. Sarah Palin and Gayatri Spivak are like peas in a pod. /sarc

There really aren't too many "pro-lifers" around. If a woman becomes pregnant by gang-rape, aborting the baby is murder, a fiendish rejection of God's plan for women. The manner of conception is obviously irrelevant to the infinite preciousness of the new life. No exceptions. How many "pro-lifers" take this position?

mks

Sarah Palin wants to keep Government out of our economy, I want to keep Sarah Palin away from my uterus.

Calling Sarah Palin a feminist is just as disingenuous as calling her "Governor"

The real reason that liberal feminists hate Sarah Palin is she shaves her legs instead of her beard like 99% of the feminazis.
I would like to see an in depth investigation of what shaving cream Joy Behar, Maureen Dowd, Rosie O'Donnell, Sara Barnhardt and the other female impersonators use to shave their beards and trim their moustaches and side burns.

doclil:

How can you believe such drivel? Do you really believe that killing a baby in your womb is a "choice" without any moral consequences or that other people have no say in what you do to that child? You think that the child is part of your body. She's not. She's a human being who happens to be dependent on your body for her life. She's not a tumor. She's there because you made the choice to have sex. You may not have wanted to become pregnant, but you did. You simply can't say "Nevermind" and have a doctor slice your child up and suck her out of you.

Stop believing lies. Abortion is the purposeful killing of a human being. Nothing more. Nothing less.

It's ironic that while the liberal commenters here don't consider Palin a feminist, she has single handedly helped women across the country win nominations for political office.

In just this primary season she has done more for the rise of women in the political arena than any other woman.

She is the epitome of a true feminist.

Liberals can't see the forest for the trees.

Her ignorance and bigotry are appalling and that should be a concern to all women.

Seems to me that a feminist is someone who sticks up for women's rights. How is Palin looking out for women's rights? Forcing women to bear the babies of rapists and family members? Standing up for the rights of women to visit OB/GYN clinics? Or making their own reproductive decisions? What is this another attempt to degrade, redefine, or take over a concept so it can become yet another 1984 style "newspeak" word?

"I do think that a person's stance on abortion really has nothing to do with feminism because it comes down to a subjective ethical question."

I.e. the ethical question of whether a pregnant woman is a full human being, entitled to grant or refuse another the use of her body, or the property of her fetus, to be used as needed without concern for the consequences. If you don't believe a woman is a full human being, you're not a feminist, pure and simple.

"I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin, but she has been a big booster for a woman's right to choose to be pro-life."

Except that it's not pro-life when you're willing to sacrifice other women's lives, health, and humanity for the sake of their fetuses. Women's lives matter, too. If you're a feminist, that is.

And the "right to choose to be pro-life" is only the right to force another person to use their body for the good of a third party, against their will and without their consent. Which is not a right.

"In this case the so called feminist disagree with on one non-relevant PERSONAL BELIEF, therefore there minds close shut to the hundreds of relevant issues."

Her personal belief ceases to be personal or non-relevant when she seeks to use the law to force her beliefs on my body and my choices.

"Why can't a woman who believes that little girls in their mothers' wombs should be allowed to be born and grow up to be women be labeled "non-feminists?"

Because that woman is co-opting other women's bodies, work and energy for the sake of others, without their consent. W

And if little girls are entitled to their mother's wombs, why aren't little boys entitled to their dad's kidneys, livers, bone marrow, etc. any time they happen to need them to survive? Why is a little child's right to his father's organs less than his right to his mother's? Is it because father = full human being and mother = property?

I hope she hides it with some kind of spray.

I have no idea what this commentary is referring to. Like the other poster, I have found absolutely no reference to anyone even suggesting that Palin not be allowed to call herself a feminist. Such a notion would be irrational. Palin can call herself whatever she wants. I do not understand the lamestream media anymore. Why do they continue to invent controversies where none exist?

A 15-min. google search did not turn up anyone saying that Palin shouldn't be allowed to call herself a feminist. (Exactly who would allow or not allow this anyway?) So you start off your argument highlighting a statement that is not factual. Perhaps you are referring to the fact that some prominent women have said that she is not a feminist, which is a different statement. Please be factual in reporting what people are saying, as opposed to going for the inflammatory phrasing.

the military complex girlish madame sells war in whatever desguise..

1 Timothy 2:11-15
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

Pretty simple...Sarah's unbiblical!!

The biggest reason you should investigate, if your Ms. Weymouth will let you out of the building, is her net IQ score. If it's above 34, she MAY qualify, but if not??...duh........ you have you answer.

Ha! I did not notice at first.

It is profoundly appropriate that this article and discussion of Palin appear here.

Palin's feminism, like so many of her putative qualifications for office, is something we are asked to accept almost entirely on "Faith."

There's no good reason at all Palin may not call herself a feminist, too.

It's just that some of us are nostalgic, fondly preferring our feminists smart.

Sarah Palin made her choices based upon her faith and life values. What I want to know as she travels the nation espousing family values who is taking care of her family? Is she truly a nurturing mother if Dad (and he appears to be a very good dad) is taking care of the children and she is not at home?

A woman's right to choose. Sarah is imposing her religious beliefs in an area that is NOT appropriate for her to step on. Abortion, adoption, contraception all are difficult to choose, and women struggle making the right choice FOR THEMSELVES.A WOMAN's right to do with her body what she wants. end of story.We have fought hard for this legal right. Sarah, please keep your aggressive, manipulative paws off my spiritual and philosophical beliefs, and my body. amen.

While I am pro-choice and don't buy into the "women deserve better" anti-abortion sound bytes, I don't necessarily think that that alone defines what a feminist is. I think the basic thing that defines a feminist is (and this is a pretty low bar), a woman who believes that there should be no discrimination in treatment of men and women - which definitely includes pay.

So I'd say that support for an Equal Rights Amendment is a pretty fair litmus test. Either a person thinks that a woman's right to be treated equally should be Constitutionally protected or not. Fairly simple black and white matter when you think about it.

2012 is a long way away. Let's not worry about what Ms. Palin is going to do in 2012, let's focus on the mess we are in now. Our president campaigned on hope and change and what we got was congressional paralysis, a president who deferred to that congress instead of leading and we are worried about what Sarah Palin is up too. Our economy is a mess, we have the largest number of people living in poverty ever, our taxes are going up, benefits are coming down and there are no jobs in sight.

Right now I would exchange McCain/Palin for what we have now in a heart beat.

You can spin the facts any way you want, but look to your left and right and the reality is you are looking at a family in trouble with no immediate hopes for the future.

Europe is telling us that the big government era is over for them. It will take them years to dig out of the mess they have created and here our politicians sit saying "let's try some of that". We are now standing at a point in history that one out of two Americans is getting some sort of government check and the numbers are going up. This is stopping in Europe and hopefully we can learn from their mistakes, but right now our leadership is not in learning mode.

If nothing else Sarah Palin is a bright spot in a dull political environment that is willing to buck the system and hopefully get enough like minded women and some men elected this fall to if nothing else slow down this train to an America that was not the vision of our forefathers.

If Palin had been a suffragette leader American women would still be waiting for the vote; she would have quit half-way through the battle.

Everyone has a different definition of feminism-- I like to believe everyone is a feminist until they do/say/support something that compromises the agency of a person based on their gender. And as many people have already commented here, abortion is fast losing its ability to determine someone's political ideology or feminism.

Palin has gained an active following because of her attention to her job and to her family, every woman's battle. That makes her one feminist among an enigmatic assortment of feminists.

What detracts from her being a women's leader is the casual manner with which she addresses politics. Becoming a master of what Aaron Sorkin terms "the 10-word answer," Palin cranks out bumper sticker slogans she has no ability to reinforce. She's a poster child for the thoughtless woman.

Let me be clear that there is NOTHING wrong with her dedication to her family and her pride in her maternity and political fervor. No one can make judgments on her abilities at home who does not know her personally. But just about anyone can judge her politics because her behavior is so readily broadcasted. From that it's painfully clear that she is simply not good at talking about political issues with any reasonable depth. She is setting the bar low for the female politician, the female celebrity, the female leader . . . She makes it look okay to be clumsy and not have done your homework if you can rally a good crowd. That may be a fine way for homecoming queen to run, but not one of America's leaders.

It's not complicated. The angry, bitter, ugly Gloria Stienem style lesbian womanists hate Sarah Palin because she is smart, attracive and not a professional victim.

It's not complicate. The angry, bitter, ugly Gloria Stienem style lesbian womanists hate Sarah Palin because she is smart, attracive and not a professional victim.

Snowe and Collins are RINO's...in the wrong party 99% of the votes

" But what exactly disqualifies her from being a feminist?"

To the lily white liberal democrats.... she is heterosexual and does not reiterate the politically correct dogma of the loser left...all disqualifying sins to the overly emotional morons of the democrat party

It is those leftist bra-burning nags that claim the term feminist as exclusively their own that have sullied the term. If anyone should be barred from calling themselves feminists, it is all of those women who refuse to advocate for the same women's rights for women who they do not agree with them politically.

As far as Sarah Palin goes, she is a feminist in the truest sense of the word.

I think that anyone who believes in social, political and legal equality for women is a "feminist".

Whether that describes Palin or not is another question.

I do think that a person's stance on abortion really has nothing to do with feminism because it comes down to a subjective ethical question. I am personally pro-choice because I don't believe that a non-sentient fetus is a "human being" (and also because outlawing it would just drive it underground and make it worse) but if (IF) I truly believed that life started at conception then I would be pro-life because I would therefore believe it was murder and murder is wrong.

I disagree with pro-lifers but I don't NECESSARILY think it is mutually exclusive to "feminism", at least as I understand it.

The point of the feminist movement was to allow women to define themselves as they choose to be defined - wife, mother, banker, doctor, single, whatever. It was to give women the same opportunities that men have always had - some women will reject the "traditional" path, some will choose it, and some will blend the two - or chart a completely new path. When you sprout this nonsense about how it is "god's will" that you nurture children because that's what He intended, two points come to mind:
- that is, despite the force of whatever you feel, is YOUR opinion. That's it. You don't have a monopoly on the truth, or God, or whatever you think you do.
-People are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts - this quote has never been more true than now. When you step outside YOUR microchasm and your echo chamber, you see the all-too-true reality that only 29% of Americans think Sarah Palin is qualified to be President. So the premise on which your entire rant is based, that liberal women are running scared because Sarah Palin is redefining what it means to be a feminist, is false.

As a side note, I can't help but be reminded of the plot of "A Handmaid's Tale", the dystopian world which seems ever more possible these days. What will you, and Sarah, and Dr. Laura, and Michelle Malkin, and all the other women who come out into the workplace to deride women being able to make their own choices do when your wishes come true, your policies are enacted, and women are forced back into the home and have their choices stripped from them? Feminism and so-called "liberal" women who fought the establishment and suffered at the derisions of you and your ilk enabled you to type with one hand this article while one of your brood is at your breast, and get paid a decent wage for doing so. Be careful what you wish for.

Palin does not get to label herself a feminist because she belongs to a church that espouses patriarchy! If she's OK with that - which may be her choice - she is *not* a feminist by any stretch of the imagination.
Also, it is fine for her to decide that she did not want an abortion. But that does not mean it is the right decision for any woman in any circumstance. Palin is clearly anti-choice, and this, again, disqualifies her as a feminist.

The frothing and whining female leftoids who object to Sarah Palin being called a feminist because she fails to support their ideological stance are anti-woman, just like the frothing and whining "civil rights" "leaders" who try to define conservative African-Americans out of their race for the crime of straying from the liberal plantation are every bit the anti-black racists that KKK members are..

Just look at the women Sarah has single handedly put in political races around the country. Even if half lose in November, Sarah is still a leader of women!

Sarah has the left tied in knots!

Fighting among themselves now the left is in ruin, particularly the NOW crowd which lost it's life when they let Clinton get away with sex in the office place.

Emily's list is dead meat!

You can't say "women are created by God to be X Y Z" and call yourself a feminist. Women are a diverse group and not a stereotype, and they should not be forced to fit in some box defined for them. This, in my mind, is the defining idea of feminism. It is a very small step from making prejudiced generalizations like to to say, "therefore women should stay home with the kids and not work" or "women shouldn't vote" or "women should submit to their husband", because after all that's their alleged nature.

"While the rise of pro-life women in politics and Sarah Palin's popularity in particular have left some scratching their heads..."

In MSNBC/Wall Street Journal polls, Sarah Palin's combined "very positive" and "somewhat positive" ratings were 47% in Sept 2008, 32% in July 2009, and 29% in June 2010. But don't silly little things like facts get in your way, Mrs. Bean.

Well Duh! What can one expect from a right wing, fundamentalist who has a very strict anti-abortion position. Look. This is how the right distorts every singel debate about every single issue. They co-opt the normal meaning of successful political words, phrases and even movements and redefines them in a negative way.

You can manipulate and weasel word any way you want to honey but Sarah Palin is one of the worst enemies of women aspiring for more equal treatment in the work place and you damn well know it so let's stop with all of this deceit and trickery.

The truth of the matter is that Sarah Palin is a fundamentalist, a right wing extremist, and to top it off one of the most empty headed politicians in the country today and that is saying a lot when you look at the current crop of dimwitted dweebs that want to turn back the clock a century or maybe even two.

One of these days, voters are going to wake up out of this coma they have been in and see that the rotten, corrupt gaggle of right wing trogs running for high office have little or no interest in your health, your safety, your welfare, your education, or whether you can get a decent job or not. But boy do they love that 2% slice of the electorate that own all of the wealth our workers produce. And Palin is their champion. Dumb as she is, she is useful to them.

Palin is a Me-ist. To the extent that restrictions on women affect her, she's against them. But restrictions that don't apply to her, or that keep other women from doing things that Palin doesn't want to do -- why should she care about them?

Everyone understands the tern "feminist" is an oxymoron. Abortion is the only holy grail and the "toadies" who have been exposed are the anti-thesis of a women s advocacy group. That & if you happen to be attractive and conservative, the defensive nature of the "less blessed" will find any way their diminutive intellects can to marginalize.

Um Sarah Palin is not supportive of other women, single parents like her daughter, and she needs her husband's oil income to finance her lifestyle. Feminist my a double squiggle.

Who cares what you want to call her. She is not fit to be President.

Let her continue to entertain those who consider her worth watching.

Should she run for higher office, then you will see some real division in this country, not between liberal-conservative or democrat-republican , but between people who can think for themselves and those that are herded by the media. The Democrats could unite behind anyone if she is running on the other side.

I was not impressed with Palin's performance during the McCain Campaign. She was a national level light weight and it showed. However, since that time she has shown an almost unbelievable political instinct.

She packed up and left Alaska to take her campaign national -- while a good deal of the country mocked her. You have to admit, that took guts. Since then she has had a midas touch with almost every political issue and election she has gotten involved in.

She is tough. If she can learn to debate national level political issues the Democrats are in big, big trouble.

Posted by: scott3
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This reminds me of a story her father told. He and Sarah were out on the ocean when a storm struck - and it was scary. Sarah said to her father, "Get out of my way" and brought the boat home safely.

She may not know enough about Russia, but she certainly has far more courage and initiative than the man in the White House.

>fighting nature's plan for their bodies

We seem to be pretty comfortable fighting nature's plan for our bodies in all other areas of modern life. I don't eschew antibiotics, statins, appendectomies, or handwashing before delivery.

- Mark

Posted by: MarkTNelson
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True enough. On the other hand, even for a finanicially strapped family, killing their children to save money (just think of the costs of college!) is not an option.

There are legitimate options and options which are not. If you think of a baby as nothing more than a flu virus, I pity you.

"An interesting consequence of Sarah Palin's enduring popularity has been the fact that liberal feminists have become increasingly irritated by her use of the word "feminist" to describe herself. She shouldn't be allowed to do that, they say."

Is it really up to the standards of the Post to allow a writer to use the words "they" and "liberal feminists" in a column, attribute views to "them," and never provide even a single name?

Your straw woman argument is intellectually bankrupt.

Sarah Palin is real-woman feminist in the traditional meaning. She's a woman and knows how to be real.

Liberal feminism equates lesbianism with feminism and loves to hate men and blames masculinity for womens' failures. It's a total fake-out and cop out.

Real feminists know that they are different than men and take joy in the difference and do not let those differences hold them back.

Let us face facts - if our mothers had aborted us, none of us would be posting. Just on that basis, we should each be thankful for at least one non-abortion.

I share Palin's views and am glad that there are so many pro-life conservative women coming up through the ranks. And now that a dirt poor woman has just won the Delaware primary, the canard that the Republican party is the party of "rich white men" is hopefully dead.

At the same time, I would like to preserve tha availability of day after pills, and RU-486. Accidents do happen, and people should not have their plans suddenly taken over by a new life with its own demands.

If we had preserved the joint family, then a strict pro-life position would be more viable. Even a career woman with a baby could count on her sisters in law to help take care.

But as it stands, some measure of autonomy is necessary. NOT a "right to elective abortion for six months", as the current legal situation is. But SOME autonomy of a more modest nature. Even Barbara Boxer agrees with that view.

Should Palin call herself a feminist? Yes, or no, she is forcing us to examine our understanding of the term. If being governor of Alaska is not enough, and being a kingmaker in so many campaigns is not enough, then what does faminism amount to? JUST being permissive about abortion?

That is almost like saying that politics is about politicians getting rich, and nothing else.

And that is ridiculous.

I was not impressed with Palin's performance during the McCain Campaign. She was a national level light weight and it showed. However, since that time she has shown an almost unbelievable political instinct.

She packed up and left Alaska to take her campaign national -- while a good deal of the country mocked her. You have to admit, that took guts. Since then she has had a midas touch with almost every political issue and election she has gotten involved in.

She is tough. If she can learn to debate national level political issues the Democrats are in big, big trouble.

Pro-abortion and pro-life Feminists share one trait. Their adversarial and sexists view of male female relationships.

I am not an 'old-school' feminist nor am I a 'Palin feminist.' I am a young woman who has grown up with far more opportunity than either my mother or my grandmothers had. Opportunity to play sports, to seek whatever career I want and the CHOICE to start a family when I feel the time is right, which in my opinion has lot more to do with access to contraception than abortion. I am very grateful for previous generations of feminists of all types for these increased freedoms. Your article and some of the comments seem to imply some women are forced into having abortions by 'liberal feminists,' abortion is not about forcing anyone to do anything, it is about allowing women to CHOOSE to not have a child that they feel they cannot raise at that moment in life. Until women are not abused by their partners, until our society can support every child it produces to have a fulfilling life, this will be part of women's lives whether it is illegal or legal. I prefer women to have access to legal and regulated to back alley and dangerous. As for all your talk about our destiny to be nurturing sources of life, again I think you miss the point. If a woman is happy spending most of her time on motherhood, more power to her. If a woman is happiest flying jets in the Navy, more power to her too. If a woman decides she does not want to have her own children for whatever reason (she could be a nun even!), more power to her. Women should be able to choose to be whoever they want to be. That is the version of feminism I know and neither of the portrayals you painted here match it.

I read some comments here made by pro-choice liberals.

Thou doth protest too much.

However, if we go to the root of the pro-abortion movement back in the 60s, it was to decrease the population of blacks and to a lesser degree the rest of the American population.

This was and is a progressive movement which is a part of the whole progressive agenda.

That is why Palin and other pro-life advocates are vilified.

So if we look at it in that context, we can understand that these "new feminists" are a fly in the ointment of the pro-choice crowd.

Whatever. I don't care if she's defined as a feminist or not. She's a nitwit.

Most women I know do not label themselves as anything. They have their views, they pursue their goals, they live who they are. Skrew the useless and meaningless labels.

All this arguing about Sarah Palin obscures what is a matter of definition: What's a feminist? If people don't
agree on what the word means, they can't agree on whether Sarah Palin is one or not.

If you define feminism as a left-wing political advocacy group with certain sociological viewpoints, sure, Sarah doesn't fit that bill. The problem for those using that definition is that it excludes most women, even though
most of those who do fit that bill like to pretend that they speak for all, usually by ignoring such phenomena as Republican women, and if they're too loud to be ignored, like Margaret Thatcher or Sarah, defining them as somehow not being "real" women.

On the other hand, if you define feminism as an attempt by women to increase their role and power in society, you get a much larger but very amorphous group whose common denominator is little more than a vague commitment towards being "for" women.

Since terms that mean little aren't very useful, it would probably be linguistically best to let the left-wing keep the word. However, then you need a new term or terms to describe the much larger group who don't fit that bill. I personally use the term "women righters"
for lack of a better term, but I'd be the first to agree we need a better term, though I don't think it's "mama grizzlies."

The dictionary (Merriam-Webster) definition of feminism: 1) the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes; 2) organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests.

Of course, it was true feminists who have enabled Palin, Danielle Bean and their ilk to try to foist their tortured views onto others. Palin "finds joy in motherhood and a traditional family life"? That one made me laugh -- since when did running for political office and spending one's time on the road promoting causes while others handle the bulk of the mother's childcare burden become "a traditional family life"? When feminists made it possible.

The notion of the "new feminism" is a pack of lies. Palin and Bean are not pro-life; they are anti-choice. Palin does "organized activity on behalf of women", but it's for a group of women (& men) whose interests are focused on taking away rights from other women. If so-called "pro-lifers" limited their activity to ensuring that women had the right to choose not to have an abortion, then I'd agree that would be a form of feminism, and one which was foreseen by the original feminists. But that's not what Palin or Bean are advocating.

So no, Sarah Palin does not do feminism better, but she does do authoritarianism better -- it's no longer just patriarchal anymore, thanks to 'Mama Grizzlies' and their enablers such as Bean...

Palin is no feminist, she is virulently against the interests of most females. But she is a first-rate female grifter.

The feminist movement has given opportunity to women to achieve great things. But the inevitable consequence is clear: there are just as many women idiots out there as male. And, given the opportunity, some of those idiot women are going to rise to prominence.

Sarah Palin is a feminist. Clearly that is true. And to feminists everywhere I'd just like to say, "Welcome to the fraternity (and now sorority, I guess) of those free to be, and support, idiots.

Kevin Olson
Manassas, VA

Don't care what she calls herself. Personally, she hasn't done anything but promote her own ignorant P.O.V.!

Just want her to stay in politics...it ensures Democratic landslide victories!

The FemiNazis can't stand Palin because she's a heterosexual conservative - pretty simple. They want to own successful women and those who don't subscribe to their wharped Nazi views are despised, hated, and must be put down.

Let's face it, Sarah Palin is nothing more than entertainment for the media and shouldn't be taken seriously. The next time you are at a soccer game, look around at all of the mothers cheering and motivating their children...does this mean you think they should be a news item (or in politics)? I think not.

I am a conservative but not big Palin fan.

However, the point is valid. Since when are "pro-abortion" and "feminist" synonyms? Why can't a woman who believes that little girls in their mothers' wombs should be allowed to be born and grow up to be women be labeled "non-feminists?"

Feminism has been taken over by the greedy abortion business. It's all about the money.

Hey, there are people who call her an energy expert. Why not call her a feminist? Hell, why not call her a brain surgeon? Words have no literal meaning to conservatives -- it's all about riling people's ignorance.

She's not a feminist. She's a fraud. So are the rest of the women who are riding on the coattails of women who led the fight for a woman's right to choose to do what SHE wanted vis-a-vis education, career, pregnancy, and marriage. No longer did men or "society" make our decisions for us. We made them ourselves. So Palin and all other Christian evangelical baby making machine women are not feminists - no feminist would support the return to a world of illegal back alley abortions and death to women who choose to have an abortion - for countless reasons, including their own health and life. Any women who has a daughter, sister, niece, or other young female she loves and cares about but who is preaching the Christian evangelical morality dogma is a hypocrite and a fraud. She is not a feminist. And shame on her for not wanting her daughter to be able to make her own decisions on abortion - and make it legally. And shame, shame, shame on all yo

This is a perfect example of liberal closed mindedness. In this case the so called feminist disagree with on one non-relevant PERSONAL BELIEF, therefore there minds close shut to the hundreds of relevant issues.

Love to see insane libs froth. I guess they think Hillary is a feminist? Rode her husbands coattails to get where she is. This is a better example than a woman who made it on her own stream and the husband is in the secondary position? Oh, the deep seated insanity of the left.

The Palin so called popularity is all a farce and media hype. Traditional feminism and these hypocrite Palin type Sunday Christan evangelical opportunists have nothing in common or done nothing for the cause. In fact these Palin types were always problem for all good women who fought for their equal rights and freedom from the control freaks. To top it all, the Palin is a control freak with warts.

The term "feminist" has a specific meaning defined decades ago. For a number of reasons, Palin does not fit this definition. Thus, she should not call herself a feminist.

It is intellectually dishonest to change the established meaning of words for political purposes, especially when the new meaning directly conflicts with the original meaning.

Palin is not a feminist. She should come up with a new word rather than to distort and tarnish the old one. She should stop insulting the real feminists who have worked for years trying to improve women's lives.

Liberals really have no idea how despised they are or how much damage they have done.

Females were created on this earth to carry life, to give birth, to nurture, to help grow, to enable one to learn how to communicate, to feel love, to support, to give love, to provide strength to the weak and to cherish life.

that is true feminism.

Pardon the clichebut Danielle Bean has hit the nail on the head. If you took away the abortion issue, Sarah Palin could be the poster child for feminism and the "we CAN have it all" school of thought. But because she is pro-life, the pro-aborts say, she is not worthy of the title feminist. The truth about feminism is that the movement was hijacked from the beginning by radicals who insisted that equal rights begin with a woman's right to kill her own children. The modern feminist movement, with Sarah Palin in the vanguard, makes room for women AND their children

You can call yourself a feminist - hell, call yourself a Martian - but that doesn't make it true. Mind you I'm not inclined to take notes on what constitutes a "new feminist" from someone preaching biological determinism. Women are designed to be mothers in the same way as men are designed to be fathers; it's part of the plumbing, sure, but why does that make it part of our identity?

As for being "widely popular and widely despised for the same reasons" - well, maybe one of the same reasons: she *pretends* to be a nurturer. From what I hear, few who actually know her in person would confirm that. But of course that's just hearsay (and the same goes for the claim that she truly is a "relationship builder"). Here's a far more salient reason for despising her: she has precious little understanding of finance, international relations or indeed general knowledge, and yet is arrogant and stupid enough to believe she can and should run the country? Not a great role model, there.

As for the idea that "old feminists' plan" puts women in a vulnerable position - seriously? I suggest you take a look at societies in which women are still treated as sexual possessions and see how invulnerable they are. To rape, forced marriage, genital mutilation... Taking control of one's own body, learning self-respect and the confidence to say yes OR no - plus teaching men to treat women with respect; come on, why aren't you blaming the perpetrators for this crap? - these are the only ways to avoid being "used and abandoned". I'm so glad my daughter will be growing up in a society that acknowledges her (at least officially) to be as much of a person as a man, not a fragile and inadequate creature who needs to be protected at every turn.

So far as I'm aware, Sarah Palin is not into forcing her choices on any other woman, nor is she a pulpit-pounder.

I'm going with JMA4's attack: Sarah Palin is an ungrateful wretch who fails to genuflect before the Old Feminist Dinosaurs who freely take credit for women nowadays being able to do anything but have kids and do laundry.

Used by liberals against conservative blacks, this is known as the "ungrateful darky" defence. "Without us, you'd be nothing, so shut up".

Funny, using MY TAX MONEY to pay for abortions is forcing your beliefs on me. Tax money funds Planned Parenthood, pays for abortions overseas and will pay for them under the health care law. Are posters this dumb?

Here's the problem, she is so certain that she is right that she wants to force her beliefs onto others. I don't care if you are pro life or pro choice, just don't tell me how to live. For some reason the pro life camp just cannot get a grasp of that simple fact.

You don't know anything about me but you want to tell me what I can and cannot do.

And please don't hold up that book as proof that you are right.

She is a strong woman who finds joy in motherhood and a traditional family life, and yet she has managed to achieve professional success in the traditionally male-dominated field of American politics.
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No, she quit to spend more time with her dysfunctional family.

>fighting nature's plan for their bodies

We seem to be pretty comfortable fighting nature's plan for our bodies in all other areas of modern life. I don't eschew antibiotics, statins, appendectomies, or handwashing before delivery.

- Mark

It wasn't that long ago, it seems, that regardless of party affiliation, a woman to have any success in politics had to be pro-abortion. Christine Whitman, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins are all pro-choice Republicans, defying their party's platform and the opinion of most Republicans. I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin, but she has been a big booster for a woman's right to choose to be pro-life. That's a success of feminism right there.