IN MY SHOES: This Is Not My Idea Of Feminism!
By Cynthia Ruccia
Sooner or later the Sooner State had to elect a woman governor, and in yesterday’s OK primaries both political parties nominated women for the state’s highest elected office - just like NM, which means we are guaranteed to have two new women governors.
Rep. Mary Fallin (R), a two-term congresswoman and former lieutenant governor, is one of former Gov. Sarah Palin’s “Mama Grizzlies,” ran against three male challengers. She got 55 percent of the vote to state Sen. Randy Brogdon’s 39 percent (the other two challengers, both businessmen, didn’t crack double digits). The current Lt. Gov. Jari Askins (D), eked out a victory over the scion of one of the state’s most powerful political families, Attorney General Drew Edmondson (50.3-to-49.7-percent).
On another note, as I have read more and more about the JournoList community of left-of-center journalists and academics and their E-mail trail, I am so very disappointed with Katha Pollitt a woman of considerable feminist standing dating back to the ‘70s - like Gloria Steinem, she was there for the formation of the second wave of feminism that helped break down many barriers for women. As the feminist voice of The Nation magazine, a very left wing rag, Pollitt sent E-mails to the JournoListers dumping on Palin in the vilest of sexist ways. I have no problem with attacking a female politician’s position on the issues - that is valid and fair and necessary. But if you go to the gutter and attack using every vile sexist weapon out there, you are denigrating all women. You are reinforcing (as if it needed to be reinforced) all of the stereotypes that keep women down and continue to deny us our parity at the top. Pollitt has lost her way. During feminism’s second wave - I was in the thick of it, as an undergraduate at Columbia University - we decided (Pollitt included) that we needed to encourage and support all women regardless of political persuasion, to stand up and be counted. That Pollitt would lose her way so spectacularly and still be regarded as a feminist is testament to the dementia and rot that has overtaken Democrats, as far as feminism is concerned.
One last note about the “Hillary in 2012” wave: I believe both parties have much to gain by promoting Hillary’s challenging President Obama in 2012, but having taken a turn or two around the block I’m also not putting it past the Hillary camp to be egging on the chatter. Whatever. It’s a very interesting and entertaining political story line to follow.
Editorial Note: Cynthia Ruccia, a contributor to this blog, writes about post-liberal feminism at Too Cynthia.
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