The Wrong Woman for the Ticket

I've always stood up for women's rights, always been strong and independent, and always supported myself and worked hard for a living. For a candidate to just throw a woman on the ticket purely because she is a woman - who is clearly not qualified, nor bright - is insulting to women.

Sarah Palin is clearly not a good choice for the position of vice president. Her sarcastic attitude and boasts about being a hockey mom is all fine and good for a PTA position - but for the Vice President of the United States? Are you kidding me? Especially at a time when our country is in such a mess - with two never ending wars, with the financial crisis...after dealing with the worst president we have ever had?

With her extreme ideas and failure to stand up for important issues that women face, Sarah Palin takes women back 100 years. I look at the other vice presidential candidate standing with Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and see a man who is more for women's rights than the woman standing next to John McCain.

Sarah Palin is a sensationalistic pick at best. I would still be proud as a woman, however, if the choice was an intelligent, well-educated pick who represents women in a positive way. I do not see this with Sarah Palin. What I see is a former beauty queen who is an extremist and cares nothing about women's rights. And I see someone with little experience and too much arrogance to see that she doesn't get it.

On August 29, 2008 a press release by the Feminist Majority Political Action Committee commented on the selection of Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate:

You can’t attract Hillary voters and women voters with a woman opposed to what Hillary stands for. Sarah Palin strongly opposes women’s abortion and family planning rights. She is a proponent of teaching creationism in schools; a global warming skeptic, and an opponent on key environmental issues, such as protecting the polar bear in Alaska and is for oil and natural gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Sarah Palin stands with John McCain, who is opposed to affirmative action for women in public employment, public education and public contracting, is opposed to legislation fighting wage discrimination for women (the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act), is opposed to the Violence Against Women Act, authored by Senator Joe Biden, and has a zero rating with women’s rights groups.

This doesn't even mention the appalling practice of charging rape victims for rape kits - a cost of up to $1,200 - while she was the mayor of Wasilla. How can a woman have so little compassion for other women going through something so horrible?

Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton - not even close. And it is downright scary to think of her one step away from the most powerful position in the country at a time when our country needs strong leadership.