Now that Sarah Palin has given her acceptance speech, it’s clear why the Left had reason to attack her….She’s Really Good! But that’s really hindsight. As I watched the attacks become more and more personal and vicious over the past 3 days, I kept wondering why?
It’s obvious that the Left doesn’t like Republican or Conservative women. However, I’ve never seen the level of attacks that Sarah Palin has experienced in just 72 hours. While women like Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Elizabeth Dole and even Condoleezza Rice have been degraded, none of them have seen the full fledged, scorched earth approach that Sarah Palin has experienced.
As I’ve previously discussed, the Left is all about emotional responses, even to situations that require significant thought. So, I know the response is emotional. But, what was the stimulus for the level of emotion that is being vented?
I suppose part of it could be that the MSM, the Left and frankly just about everyone else, was surprised by Palin. While Obama’s campaign had talking points on all of the other folks that were alleged to be on the short list, they completely overlooked Palin. I could imagine that some of the ferocity was an attempt to catch up after having been caught flat footed.
I suppose part of it also could be that the announcement of Palin took Obama out of the news flow. With an ego as big as Obama’s, I don’t imagine it was easy being upstaged…especially by a woman!
I also suppose it could be that the pick of Palin made Obama’s first public choice, his choice of Biden for VP, look silly. Obama had first pick in VP. Rather than picking the person who could shore up his party, extend his meme of “hope and change” and solidify his party, he, with his first pick, picked the equivalent of the kid who has been playing right field and batting ninth his entire career. As an aside, I agree with Rudy Gulliani that Biden may want to ensure that he has the VP offer in writing. As the days go on Obama is going to second, third, fourth and many more times reguess that choice.
All of those issues could be the reason why the Left has come unhinged but it doesn’t feel as if any one, or the combination of the three really explain what’s happening.
Yesterday, it finally hit me.
Who on the left, defines what a woman should be and how she should act? Yup, the National Organization for Women (NOW).
Who did NOW support for President? Yup, Hillary Clinton
There’s a woman running in this election, what is her name? Nope, not Hillary Clinton, it’s Sarah Palin!
And there’s the problem. The left is all about identity politics; identity politics and making sure that the various groups maintain the identity of victimization that the Left has scripted for them. African Americans are supposed to suffer from the ills of slavery and racism and unable to advance in the economic strata. Teenage girls who become pregnant are supposed to be reliant on Planned Parenthood for their “pregnancy options” to ensure that they aren’t “punished by a baby.” Women are scripted to be continually “rising” but never “attaining.”
Sarah Palin represents not just a cracking of the glass ceiling ala Hillary Clinton, but a complete shattering of it if she and John McCain win. A shattering brought to you not by the party of victimization but the party that believes an individual’s value is not defined by their identity, but by their abilities and their hard work. This leaves the Left and especially NOW, nearly apoplectic. Sarah Palin is exposing the false claims of victimization that NOW and the Left have spewed about women for over 40 years.
NOW was organized in 1966. It’s core mentality comes from women who came of age during the 60’s and early 70’s. Those women are now in their 50’s and 60’s.
The reason the Left has become so vicious towards Palin is a combination of the items I previously listed. Those and Sarah Palin exposing and negating the victimization of women that has been perpetuated by groups like NOW. NOW’s reason to exist, the thing that gets them up in the morning and gives them a reason to breath is about to be cut out from underneath them and that makes them mad. But what really gets the cranky old women, the NAGs going, is that they are about to lose the love of their life not to a peer, another cranky old woman but to a smart YOUNGER WOMAN with a positive outlook on life. Losing your love to a younger woman, no matter that it’s your own fault, really pisses them off!
