I understand why some people oppose John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and why they disagree with her. But I’m astonished at the brazen hypocrisy of liberals (mostly women) who are seething with anger and hatred toward her. I’ve never seen such unhinged hypocrisy in my 30 years in politics.
They say it’s an insult that McCain picked her mainly because she’s a woman.
I don’t remember a single liberal making that complaint when Walter Mondale selected Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate against Ronald Reagan back in ’84. In fact, feminists hailed it as a huge step forward for all women. At the time, Ferraro had been a congresswoman from Queens for about three years. Yet the “she doesn’t have enough experience” excuse never came up.
Was Palin’s gender a factor in her selection? Sure it was. So was her conservative pedigree (she has ignited the party faithful for McCain as never before). So was the fact that she’s a governor and not a part of the DC establishment that is deservedly unpopular with most voters today. Being under 50 also helped her. So did her record as a reformer who confronted and defeated the “Old Boy” network that ran her own political party in Anchorage. It contrasts well with Barack Obama, who ingratiated himself with the Daley machine in Chicago.
Then there’s the criticism of her for being a bad mom. The New York Times ran a page one story about how some women are debating whether “there are enough hours in the day for her to take on the vice-presidency, and whether she is right to try.” She is, after all, the mother of five.
Oh, please.
Two short weeks ago, Joe Biden’s son gave a moving speech about his dad losing his wife and daughter at the hands of a drunk driver just weeks after winning his first senate race back in ’72. Both of his sons, just toddlers, were badly hurt and Biden briefly considered quitting in order to stay closer to them. Eventually he changed his mind and took the oath of office in their hospital room.
No one in either party suggested that Biden was being selfish by going to Washington as a single dad rather than staying closer to home. No one.
Barack and Michelle Obama have two young daughters. Until Barack’s presidential race was in high gear, Michelle worked full time. How many of Sarah Palin’s critics complained in public that it was wrong for both the Obamas to hold high-pressure, full time jobs while raising young children? Zero. And yet the insults continue to fly at Palin, even though her husband left his job to stay with the kids after their son was born with Down Syndrome last April.
What’s behind this hostility? Liberal feminists believe in choice as long as you make the choices they want you to make. Palin is a successful, attractive, woman with working class roots, a career and a family. She’s also pro-life, up-front about her faith, and calls herself a conservative. Many liberals find this personally offensive. They ask: “Who does she think she is?”
The answer: An independent woman who thinks for herself.
