If Palin were a male candidate -- by Carl Hiaasen

[pnwmom]

Her story does read like one of his satirical novels.

http://www.miamiherald.com/424/story/703133.html

SNIP

If Palin were a male candidate, for example, she would again be asked (as Charles Gibson did) why she took credit for killing Alaska's notorious Bridge to Nowhere, when in fact she supported the $223 million boondoggle until Congress turned against it.

If Palin were a male candidate, she might also be encouraged to discuss why she chose a high-school pal to head Alaska's Division of Agriculture at a $95,000 salary. Among her flimsy qualifications, the woman, a former real-estate agent, claimed an affection of cows.

If Palin were a male candidate, she'd be asked why she put another childhood friend in charge of a money-losing, state-subsidized creamery that was supposed to shut down until Palin reversed the decision. As The Wall Street Journal reported, the doomed dairy cost Alaskans more than $800,000 in additional losses before it was finally closed.

In fact, during her short stint as governor, Palin has appointed several school buddies to well-paying state posts. Her legislative director was in the same junior-high band with Palin. Another old classmate was operating a Mailboxes, Etc. franchise when the governor appointed him head of the state's economic development office.

If Palin were a male candidate who claimed to be a crusading, cost-cutting reformer, she'd be asked what made her any better than other politicians who hand out fat government jobs to cronies.

MORE AT LINK . . .

[billyoc]

1. She'd be Spiro Agnew instead of Spiro Igloo.

:hi:

[pnwmom]

4. True -- but Agnew was never sequestered and protected the way she is. n/t

[nxylas]

8. Actually, she'd be Ron Burgundy

Or maybe Steve Carell's character from Anchorman (forgotten his name, sorry).

[LibraLiz1973]

15. Brick

He loved lamp!

[nxylas]

16. Thanks

He had an IQ of 40 IIRC.

[billyoc]

18. No, no, wait for it...

[Zuiderelle]

2. I disagree with the premise that all that would be asked if she were not female.

There are PLENTY of female politicians and lawmakers who are not sheltered from these sorts of questions. It is not because she's not male. It's because she is being protected by McCain. Period. She hasn't been asked those questions because they have not allowed her to be in the position of having those questions asked.

[pnwmom]

3. But he wouldn't dare try to protect her that way if she were a male.

They would both be seen as a laughingstock -- even more than now.

And he never would have chosen a male with such an incredibly thin resume.

[Zuiderelle]

7. My point is that it's McCain doing this, it's not her being a female doing it.

Of course, he wouldn't have chosen a male with such a thin resume. He chose her only because she was female and conservative. That's obvious. But it bothers me to see people say that she isn't being asked difficult questions because she's female. She's not being asked those questions because the people who would ask her those questions ARE NOT BEING GIVEN ACCESS to her.

[pnwmom]

10. Of course. And that is also a point that Hiaasen made in his article. n/t

[Zuiderelle]

13. It wasn't apparent from what you quoted in the OP.

But now I do see that it's obvious in the article itself.

Pretty critical bit here:

Most journalists are still getting accustomed to the Sarah Rules, as established and enforced by John McCain's campaign team. The most important is Sarah Rule No. 1: Don't treat Gov. Palin like a male candidate, or you'll be accused of character assassination.

Maybe this is why McCain has kept Palin sequestered from the press -- not because he's terrified she'll pull a Dan Quayle and say something goofy (as she did to Katie Couric), but because he gallantly wants to protect her from all the chauvinist meanies who would ask impertinent questions.

[pnwmom]

17. You're right. But I was running into the 4 paragraph limit. n/t

[apnu]

22. This is the way of the GOP and its supporters.

I work in an office that is 90% rabid Republican base, I know quite a bit of how they operate by observation. This is what I know.

They don't get equal rights, and, from what I can tell, never will. Just like they fundamentally misunderstand PC (though I dislike the implementation of it, I agree with the premise that changing the word, changes the outlook on the subject)

So, yeah they saw into every female public figure that isn't Republican in a way of railing against what they see as the shackles of PC and equal rights (which they translate as
"entitlement") But when one of their females are threatened, they chauvinistically pull the white knight routine as a defense. Which is, as Carl is pointing out here, just as crippling to women as all the other bullshit in our culture towards women.

Palin is an extra special case (again, with their theme of anit-equality, everybody is treated differently depending on status in the social structure) because Palin is a blatant attempt to steal the flame of the Women's movement that Hillary Clinton stoked in her mighty run for the nomination. So they clumsily grope at the subject and shout "sexism" at every turn, for every reason because they think that is how and what sexism is -- a crutch for women to use to get ahead. And so, if it works for liberals, they think, it will, therefore, work for them. They're wrong, Carl is pointing that out among other things.

He's calling for equality, true equality. He's calling for gender neutral treatment of Palin. He's saying, if it is OK to rake politicians over the coals for their hypocrisy, then so to should Palin be raked over the coals. What he's saying, with out saying it directly, is that Palin should be treated by the same, rabid sensationalism as all the others.

[LynneSin]

5. Imagine if Palin were Black and had a pregnant teenage daughter

She'd be ridiculed as being a bad mother with a lazy daughter trying to take advantage of 'they system'

And for those of you reading this, it's a horrible statement but one I've heard too many times when a person would see a young pregnant girl who was not white. It's a bullshit statement I would call out anyone on.

[pnwmom]

11. I've thought that from the very beginning. n/t

[polichick]

6. If Palin were a male, he wouldn't have given McIdiot his first boner in decades...

...and, therefore, would never have been considered as a running mate.

[pnwmom]

12. How do you know? n/t

[polichick]

14. Well, unless...

But I've got a feelin' he's into that 40s pin-up thing ~ all t&a, no brains.

[spanone]

9. she wouldn't 'clean up washington' she would 'clean up IN washington'

she's an embarrasment

[apnu]

19. LOL I love Carl Hiaasen's satire. (nt)

[dapper]

20. She would be Dan Quail, Qwhale, quale....err

Quaele, err... Potatoe!

Dap

[dapper]

23. Keith O

Just finished watching Countdown and the reference to Dan Quayle was made!!!!

Dap

[blondeatlast]

21. Hiaasen always writes really strong, resourceful, and very savvy women characters; they are always

the lead characters in his hysterically funny novels.

There's always a Sarah Palin type too, and she never comes out well. :rofl: