Freedom to Choose

If I could turn the page in time then I’d rearrange just a day or two. Close my, close my, close my eyes. But I couldn’t find a way, so I’ll settle for one day to believe in you. Tell me, tell me, tell me lies. Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.

Fleetwood Mac

Political Activism, Part Deux

Anyone who read my first blog on political activism posted on February 11 knows where I stand politically. I wrote about how this year’s hotly contested campaign reawakened an innate part of my psyche that wants to make a difference in people’s lives. And since I am no longer a 60-80 hour/week road warrior, I could devote my time to making an impact on behalf of the candidate of my choice in this historic race. In my case, I volunteered for Barack Obama, but I told my story not to focus on my specific choice, but to encourage all of you to get behind whoever your choice might be.

Eight months ago, I felt compelled to speak out to combat the scurrilous disinformation campaign against Obama, disseminated through the internet which cast doubt on Obama’s support for Israel and aimed at killing off his support within the Jewish community. This time, I write to encourage women who are flirting with voting for the Republican ticket out of gender pride to take a very careful look at the fairy tale being spun about Sarah Palin, the self-described pit bull with lipstick.

During the primaries, it was difficult at times to discuss the presidential race with my life-long feminist friends who were split between Barack and Hillary. I count myself as one of Hillary’s ardent admirers, but I strongly felt that this particular moment in our history called for an inspirational leader like Obama to restore the image of America in the eyes of the world, to heal the wounds of rabid partisanship that has paralyzed our country, and to steer our domestic and foreign policy with intelligence and humility. So my friends who were in the Clinton camp and we Obama-ites agreed to disagree. Respectfully.

It is inconceivable to me that anyone who loved Hillary and worked to see her elected would feel at home supporting Sarah Palin. Could their positions be more opposite from one another? Are the Republican campaign leaders so cynical to believe that women will vote for a fellow woman simply because of her shared gender?

Well yes, I know from personal experience that women will sometime vote their gender in the absence of any additional information about their choices. When I first moved to California from New York in the early 70s and voted in my first election in my new home state, I was confounded by an unfamiliar ballot which asked me to cast my vote on a long list of candidates for state judges. Voting for judges? What a quaint civic practice we voters in California have developed! I knew absolutely nothing about any of the candidates so what was I to do? Well, in the absence of information, I just went down the line and voted for every woman. Now I must tell you—this solution didn’t work out so well. As time passed, I came to regret several of my blind selections as I learned that many of these women were practically Nazis.

So while I’m big on supporting women, I certainly don’t advocate backing any woman. Thirty-five years after my experience with gender voting, I can safely say that today there is no excuse for casting such a blind vote. Zillions of information sources are available to help you find out about this stealth Republican candidate, even though her handlers are keeping her pretty much incommunicado.  

So what’s the deal with Sarah Palin? Let’s start with the fact that her pairs of X-chromosomes unfortunately have not affected her positions on the key issues of importance to most women in this country. She is against legal abortions in ALL cases—including incest and rape. She is for teaching creationism as a science in the public schools. She is for book censorship, against environmental policy to fighting global warming, and thinks community organizing is something to be belittled. (Hey—what is the PTA if not an example of community organizing???)

Clearly shunning civility in political discourse, she adopts a tone that can only be described as disparaging and downright snotty. Obama, by comparison, preaches coming together despite our differences to solve the big problems our country faces. Which tone would women like to live with in the White House for the next 4 years? Personally, I’m already sick of hearing her comments dripping in sarcasm and it’s only been a week since her nomination.

Her advocates complain about the so-called “piling on” by the media on such issues as her teenage daughter’s pregnancy, her travel schedule just before the birth of her developmentally disabled son, and her decision to run for veep while juggling this incredibly challenging family situation. “If she were a man,” they charge, “no one would dare question her judgment on this matter.”

Not so fast.

When Elizabeth Edwards made known the resurgence of her breast cancer, the media (and women in general) were all over her husband for his decision to run for president despite the conflicting demand on his time and focus that his wife’s illness presented. Questioning Sarah Palin about her decision is not a gender thing. It’s a human thing.

There will be lots of information coming out over the next days as McCain’s hasty choice is vetted after the fact. Some stories will glorify Sarah Palin and others will be less flattering. Some of the early claims she has made will be fact-checked and come up “not so much.” (By the way, when you are emailed a story and you’re not sure if it is truthful, check it out on http://www.snopes.com/. It will save you the embarrassment of passing a story/photo on that turns out to be fictitious. But this one, by Anne Kilkenny, a fellow Wasilla resident, has checked out: http://www.snopes.com/politics/info/kilkenny.asp ).

I am opposed to Governor Palin’s candidacy on policy grounds—after all, she has taken polar-opposite positions on practically everything I think is important in this campaign. But I must admit that I also have taken a visceral dislike to this woman who holds herself out as a paragon of motherhood and family values. I don’t know about you, but I can’t fathom how a mother could knowingly expose her 17 year old pregnant daughter to the klieg light scrutiny of the press and the prying eyes of the public. Running for vice president is a great opportunity, but hardly worth the trauma to her daughter.

Now Ms. Palin has asked us all to observe poor Bristol’s right to privacy. Isn’t that rich? It is her own mother who has denied Bristol her right to privacy by trotting her out for the world to see. Ms. Palin also claims that Bristol’s decision not only to have the baby but also to marry her teenage boyfriend was her daughter’s alone. Personally, I don’t believe that, but is this shot-gun marriage what we want our daughters (or sons) to emulate if they find themselves in this unfortunate situation in their teens? I don’t think so.Ironically, by claiming that Bristol made her own decision, Ms. Palin implies that her daughter had a choice. This right to choose is the very one that a vice president Palin would deny to all our daughters who might wish to make one of the hardest decisions in their lives.            

The fact that Bristol had a choice is exactly the point.

Political activism is one of several ways to reenergize your life. You can read more about how baby boomers are finding fulfillment in the second half of their lives in our book Changing Lanes: Road Maps to Midlife Renewal.

Tell us about your own decision to get politically engaged and how it impacted your life. Our readers would love to learn from your example.

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