The massive media magnetism miring Sarah Palin is simultaneously conjuring a carnival atmosphere for the rest of us; the launch of her memoir, Going Rogue, is indeed a journalistic three-ring circus, and even I initially jumped into the raucous revelry. In spite of this political and cultural quagmire, an interesting thing has happened. Sarah Palin might be mucking through the money-making offers and amassing a new level of wealth, but I have learned about my own biases and prejudices.
It started with a seemingly innocuous quip in an email to friends and a FB post reading, “With Palin going rogue and Spitzer talking ethics last week, maybe the two should team up. Top line, middle line and bottom line is Sarah Palin quit a job for which she sought and was elected. Please help me understand what “Joe Six Pack” does not understand. The only constituency that benefits is the media and the SLN crew. She is the media’s gift that keeps giving. Ugh!”
Among friends, my intention was mere sardonic wit. I did not intend to incite a political debate. My words sparked not only civic discussion but also meaningful dialogue on women in politics.
I believe, as do many, Palin was chosen because of gender and public appeal. Yet, certainly, there were more highly qualified women — Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman immediately come to mind.
As a few friends noted, I did articulate my reasons for not supporting Palin’s aspirations for public leadership. because, “She lacks intellectual curiosity, critical and careful thinking, analytical problem-solving and an understanding of the geo-political climate. She is also very impulsive. She quit an office to which she sought election without a willingness to explain to her state and the public of why she was stepping down. And one more pet peeve, she does not have a good command of her own native language.”
What I have come to learn is that I viewed Palin’s resume through the prism of gender. I compared her experiences and qualifications to that of other women, not necessarily to that of other candidates. By doing so, I have contributed to the continued construction of obstacles and barriers.
In the months before the 2008 Presidential Election, Judith Warner, NY Times columnist and best selling author, posted an opinion piece titled “The Mirrored Ceiling” in which she opined why Palin’s candidacy was viewed by many as condescension. But more insightful than the column were reader comments, specifically #363, posted Sept. 5, 2008 at 10:26 am posted by Bill. He wrote:
“Why can’t my wife be the VP candidate? She is the same age as Sarah Palin. She graduated from college, too, but she attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, not the University of Idaho. My wife has executive/leadership experience, 3 commands in the US Army, and in 1991 when Sarah Palin was a Hockey Mom in training, my wife was a Platoon Leader in the 101st Airborne, flying Chinook helicopters in combat, chasing Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. She has a little foreign policy experience too. In 2000 she was deployed to Bosnia where she served in a Civil Affairs unit and was the liaison officer to the Turkish Battle Group and NordPol Battle Group. She was a member of the Women of Screbnica.
She also has a little experience in planning and coordinating operations. In 2004 she was the deputy G5 of the 1st Cavalry Division, and Operations Officer of the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion, in Operation Iraqi Freedom at the Bagdad Airport.
Did I mention that she is fluent in French and conversant in Serbo-Croatian.
She is a parent of a daughter, 16, who carries over a 3.5 GPA while taking AP classes for more than 50% of her load. She won 2-varsity letter in Cross Country and 1 in Track in her first to years of high school.
My wife, since leaving the Active Army in 1996, has been a high school teacher. She is currently teaching advanced math in an IB program. She believes that creationism should be taught in Sunday School, if at all, but never in a public school, that women should have a right to choose what they do with their bodies, and what difference does it make to her if gays marry or not. Global warming may not be entirely man made, but what if it is and we do nothing? If I were to guess, an education at West Point puts a little more emphasis on “Critical Thinking” than a beauty contest in Alaska.
My wife doesn’t believe she is qualified to be Vice President of the United States, a heart beat away from the Presidency, based on a resume with much more gravitas that Sarah Palin, where does Sarah Palin get the ‘cojones’ to think she is qualified?”
In the 2008 presidential primaries when Senator Hillary Clinton and the 15 other democratic candidates ran against then Senator Barack Obama, his “freshness” was applauded. When the Democratic and Republican teams were determined, the comparison focused on Obama and Palin. Palin was regularly criticized for her “inexperience.” I was among those critics. Looking back I now ask, why was Obama compared to Palin at all? The Republican presidential candidate and Obama’s real competition was Senator John McCain (duly noted “she would be one-heartbeat away.”) Perhaps one explanation is that it is easier to attack a woman in a sexist media society. I heard few if any sexual innuendoes that perhaps some of the men running should not have the balls to be considered for elected office.
Like most others I know, I do not want to be compared to other women. I want to be compared against other people who aspire to the same job, same salary, same rewards and same intention. But we as women allow the all too frequent comparison to other women. Perhaps Bill’s missive should have been equally applied to the men running on each ticket. I am not a “good woman mechanic”; I am a good mechanic.
For the first time now women make up half of all workers and are increasingly becoming the primary breadwinners in more families. The economic and cultural landscape of the United States is shifting. Perhaps, the political landscape is shifting as well. We need more qualified candidates to step into the civic arena.
Am I just a bit envious? Without question. Sarah Palin has a mega book deal, and I don’t.
(My forthcoming book is Porcelain on Steel: Women of West Point’s Long Gray Line)
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