I have nightmares about....

SARAH PALIN---

I am sorry if you like her, but this bitch TERRIFIES me to no end. A lot of the reason I voted for Obama was just because the thought of her being president ( McCain is old, one has to always think about this) sends chills down my spine.


When recently questioned Palin stated she believes she could beat Obama in the 2012 elections...with that and the tea party...I am a little freaked.

Please enjoy a beautifully written note from my friend Cicely during the 2008 campaign:

I've got to be honest. This is really scary to me, which is why I'm up writing to you in the middle of the night. Yesterday I heard Sarah Palin on the news, and she was quoting the following to her supporters: "There's a special place in hell for women who don't support women."

Is the message here that I have to support her and John McCain because I'm a woman? And that not doing so is anti-feminist? Or even, that not doing so will land me in hell?

The thing I'm most scared of is that other women are buying this.

First of all, I'm all for supporting women. That's why I think it's absolutely repugnant that, when Palin was mayor of Wasilla, women who were raped literally had to pay up to $1200 out of their own pockets for the exams used to prosecute their attackers. How is that supportive of women? Especially when they most need to be supported?

And how is it supportive of women for Sarah Palin to run on a ticket with John McCain, a man who voted against the Violence Against Women Act? A man who cheated on and left his first wife - the one who waited for him and cared for his children all through his years as a POW - once she was disfigured in a car accident? A man who apparently wants to surround himself with only former beauty queens and swimsuit models? A man who actually made the following "joke" about Chelsea Clinton when she was 18: "Do you know why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father."

I do not understand how any of these things are supportive of women.

And secondly, isn't it the most feminist thing I can do to believe that a woman running for office can and should be just as qualified as any man? Shouldn't I expect and demand that the first woman in the White House be the best possible candidate for the job? Wouldn't it hurt all of us if the first female President was not the best candidate, was not really qualified to be leader of the "Free World"? [And If I disagree with the politics or positions of a female candidate, isn't voting against her the most feminist - and patriotic - thing I can do? Because I am strong enough to have my own opinions? And to vote based on what I think is right?]

I respect Sarah Palin for how she is so obviously and genuinely devoted to her husband and her children. I do believe that she is a hard-working, talented, and driven person. She seems like a nice enough lady. And I do believe that she loves her state and her country. But let's be honest. There is no way that this woman - whatever her political views - is the best we can do for our potential first female President. (Because, according to mortality tables, there is a 1 in 6 or 7 chance that she will become President if McCain is elected.) Yes...I'm just going to say it...any woman (or man) who thinks that she is the very best we can do is no feminist, for that person has very low expectations for women indeed.

The best female candidate would have at least a solid understanding of the issues. How can anyone (man or woman) be ready to be President and Commander in Chief of the United States - leader of the "Free World" - without actually understanding international relations? How likely is it that a person who did not have a passport until 2007 really understands the global scene and the many international issues that are so crucial to our security and stability in a nuanced-enough way to be intimately involved in dealing with those issues on a day-to-day basis? I realize that many people across this country have not been blessed with the chance to travel abroad. But shouldn't the President of the United States, a country that is such a global player, have had more than a couple of years' experience as a member of the global community?

I personally don't want any old "Joe Six-pack" or "Hockey Mom" to be President. Haven't the last eight years of disasters taught us that likability and a folksy demeanor are not enough?

Shouldn't our President be able to name at least one Supreme Court case (besides Roe v. Wade)?

And shouldn't she be able to directly answer a question in a debate without continually turning conversation back to her few prepared talking points or slogans?

We can argue all day about whether Palin's positions are correct. She and others are obviously free to hold those views. But they should also be able to defend those views cogently and to handle themselves in a way that demonstrates their competence and readiness for any positions of power and influence they seek to hold. The problem here is that Sarah Palin has not proven herself to be informed or competent. She can't even handle TV interviews, so how can we expect that she'll be able to handle touchy meetings with foreign leaders or any of the many other tasks that a President must take on? Her accent and demeanor would not be such a joke if she was actually saying something of substance.

We need better. Palin cannot be the best Presidential possibility in this country, and she is certainly not the not the first woman I want to have in the White House. And that's because I am a feminist.

As one woman has put it, "Palin is a disservice to every woman who has ever been unfairly dismissed based on her gender, because this is an utterly fair dismissal, based on an utter lack of ability and readiness. It's a disservice to minority populations of every stripe whose place in the political spectrum has been unfairly spotlighted as mere tokenism; it is a disservice to women throughout this country who have gone from watching a woman who -- love her or hate her -- was able to show us what female leadership could look like to squirming in front of their televisions as they watch the woman sent to replace her struggle to string a complete sentence together" (Rebecca Traister).

We, as women, deserve better. Our daughters and granddaughters deserve better. And the world is depending on us to do better.

In hope and solidarity (and in support of all women)!


I have amazing friends, no?

If Sarah Palin is in any way, shape, or form more involved in this country ..I am sorry but I will have seek residency elsewhere.