We watched the debate (ha – what a laughable term for these things) the other night and kinda-sorta-liveblogged it over at rc3.org. It’s the only way to make them tolerable. Good for a few chuckles. I’ve still got loads of tabs open in my browser from the last few weeks. Will try to jot down a few more of them here just so I can say that I’m sort of weblogging. Heh.
- I’ve said it a hundred times – you should just read Digby every single day. Digby is by far the best political analyst around. A few days ago she discussed George W. Palin:
She isn’t a politician at all. She’s a caricature of a politician, as he is. They are both figureheads who represent something important to voters who believe that the biggest problem in the world is that pointy headed elites are incompetent because they lack comm on sense. And the funny thing is that it’s the product of one of the harshest conservative criticisms of liberalism over the years —- the self-esteem movement. Both George W. Bush and Sarah Palin are self-esteem symbols, put forth to prove to people who have been convinced that liberal elites are ruining everything, that the world would be better led by someone just like them. It’s the ultimate social promotion.
- Also on the topic of Palin, Echidne and Katxena discuss the complexities of dealing with people’s reactions to her. As with Hillary, there’s just so much sexist junk to wade through even though there are plenty of contrasts to Hillary from a policy perspective. Katxena:
I keep hearing comments about how great it is that she doesn’t dress like most female politicians, eschewing pantsuits and solid reds and pinks — to which I respond that it would be really great if we would stop talking the clothes of female politicians. I also hear comments that it’s disrespectful of her to refer to her opponents as Joe and Barak, when they go out of their way to refer to her as governor — to which I respond that she’s got to demonstrate that she’s at their level, that she’s part of their club.
Yet she IS the first Republican female vice-presidential candidate and this allows her to be viewed by the sexists among us as the best women can offer (or at least the best Republican women can offer). It allows the sexists among us to make fun of all women in the disguise of making fun of only Sarah Palin. And trying to differentiate between these two intentions is almost impossible.
Note that my post is not intended to denigrate Sarah Palin’s qualifications. A country which has had eight years of George Bush and his qualifications and found them just fine shouldn’t suddenly get all red-faced and furious about her qualifications or the lack of them. But Palin is not the kind of an individual who is picked to be the First in a new and important arena, certainly not if the intention is to have her break the path for other women to follow (always assuming that she’d let them). Yet there she is.
- That One ‘08 – While I didn’t see the snubbed handshake in the second debate the way most seem to have (I thought McCain was putting on a show of introducing Obama to his wife), I did find his reference to Obama as “that one” in the debate to be rather jarring. Plenty of people are apparently finding it racist as well.
- Flu Season approaches – Making Light reminds everyone to get your flu shots. I think I may try to get mine this weekend, actually – if we can squeeze it in. And here and here is some helpful info on making flu pre-packs for yourself and everyone in your household. We’ve fallen off a bit in keeping our emergency stores up-to-date, but a flu pre-pack seems manageable.
And, the cute baby picture du jour:
