Posted on 08/29/2010 11:26:50 AM PDT by Mongeaux
Hard on the heels of Sarah Palin’s stellar speech at yesterday’s D.C. rally, Feministas Anna Holmes and Rebecca Traister have published an Op-ed in today’s New York Times bemoaning the left’s lack of a similar charismatic female leader. It is a stunning admission of political failure, or it would be if they were talking about anything other than Feminism, which hasn’t chalked up a single genuine victory since the 70′s.
Palin is a political Dreadnought – she’s withstood two years of constant assault from the left and yet refuses to sink. Libs have thrown their entire arsenal at her but she continues on, even picking up speed. She’s now on the verge of appropriating one of their most cherished issues – Women’s Rights – and it’s driving them crazy.
That Feminism came into being at all is proof it was needed, but its impending appropriation by Conservatives shows how badly the left bungled it. Holmes and Traister recognize mistakes were made, but the lay the blame entirely at the feet of the left, citing the raw deal Hillary Clinton got in the primaries:
But the sad truth is that Democrats often prefer their women fulfilling similarly diminutive models for behavior. Consider how Hillary Clinton has been treated, at times, by those in her own party: Democratic leaders never really celebrated Mrs. Clinton’s nation-altering place in history as the first female candidate to get so close to a major party’s presidential nomination. Indeed, she is most appreciated when she plays well with others in the Senate or the State Department; when she behaves like a fierce competitor, she is compared to Glenn Close’s bunny-boiling virago from “Fatal Attraction.”
Progressives, they tell us, aren’t feminist enough. Progressives only like women pols who are non-confrontational and “play well with others”. This is probably true, but it also shows why the right is on the verge of hijacking the Women’s Rights movement. Conservatives don’t mind strong women (like Palin) who fight for their beliefs and are willing to confront opponents. Does that make us more Feminist than the left? Maybe so - since Palin’s appearance on the political scene the libs have thrown one misogynistic Grand Mal seizure after another, criticizing her in most unfeminist ways. She’s a bad mother because she’s leaving her kids to run a campaign. She’s stupid because she’s hawt and dresses nice. All this anti-woman (or anti wrong-kind-of-woman) rhetoric makes conservatives look feminist by default.
Nobody should be surprised the left has failed to live up to the feminist ideal; feminism itself was born out of frustration with the libs, when female members of student radical groups rebelled because the boys put them in the role of Hippie USO; fetching coffee and dispensing Bong Hits and BJ’s as needed. Has anything really changed? One could argue that by the end of the 70′s, Feminism devolved into just another lefty interest group lined up with others under the Progressive banner to be trotted out when the (male) leaders needed to torpedo conservative enemies like Clarence Thomas. Feminism wasn’t about moving women forward, it was about pushing liberalism forward. And if the girls played nice they’d get the scraps.
Politics, like Nature abhors a vacuum. Leave a void and somebody’s bound to step in to fill it. But where did the void come from? The authors of this piece lay the blame on everybody but themselves. The Generals and their fellow soldiers have failed them. But nowhere is there the slightest suggestion that maybe feminists failed themselves. Attacking the Patriarchy wasn’t enough – they had to attack their own as well. The movement that presumes to speak for all women really only speaks for certain kinds of women. Those who don’t live up (or down) to that ideal are worse than on their own – they’re targets. Anita Hill? Sexual harassment victim. Monica Lewinsky? Bimbo hussy. Hillary Clinton? Victim. Sarah Palin? Villain.
Will the Progressives ever get their own Sarah Palin? Unlikely.
It’s not possible. Like liberal talk radio. Honey, when you’re wrong you’re wrong. When your beliefs counter America’s it doesn’t matter what sex you are. They want their own Sarah? Impossible.
Their own Sarah Palin can never happen because one has to have morals and integrity first both of which is sorely lacking in liberal circles.
How about ol’ Pat Schroeder?
The entire movement isn’t about women’s rights anymore anyway, it’s about how to keep the women working for the lazy leftist men who think they deserve something for nothing. Yes, Female economic slaves. Commies love slaves of any type.
Dems tried to roll out Caroline Kennedy last year as their version of Palin. She’s their idea of a charismatic “Woman of the People”.
Needless to say, it fell far short of the mark.
Are there any lib women who don’t have an ugly personality, regardless how photogenic?
Where do you think they GOT that idea for "Fatal Attraction"?
You nailed it. One of the first things the Left did when their attacks on Limbaugh failed was to find a liberal version of him.
The have her: Governor Granholm of Michigan. Oh, but then Jennifer Granholm is a failure as governor.
All feminists seem to care about is killing babies in the womb and most people really don’t find that a very charming subject for speech-making.
“Hard on the heels of Sarah Palin”
Lord forgive me, but there is something about putting “Sarah Palin”, “heels”, and “hard on” in the same sentence.
I need a cold shower.
Sarah Palins, Rush Limbaughs, Ronald Reagans, Margaret Thatchers are rare. The groups that these shining stars are aligned with are simply lucky. The groups did not create or find these shining stars.
That weasel Henican reminds me of Malfoy in Harry Potter.
Well it just goes to show you Smartypants, I’ve heard of “her.”
I knew I should have stopped reading this thread at post 4...
Which would be a contradiction in terms. Liberal feminist ideology is based on lies and deception. No person who was "honest to a fault" could possibly be a liberal feminist, by definition.
This is a new montage - thanks for posting!
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