Thursday, September 4, 2008

I don't know if this makes sense, I stayed up too late to write



I've watched most of the key speeches in the Democratic and Republican Conventions this year. Three things about the RNC before I go to bed.

[Washington Post photo: Sarah Palin apparently blew kisses to the crowd.]


Thing #1: The woman. She exceeded all expectations and was a bit nasty when talking down the Obama campaign. That's fine, and there was a lot of that going on with Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani as well. I find her nasty remarks about Obama distasteful because it's a familiar female tactic. Back in my younger days, when one of my guy friends got into a scuffle, I would jump right in the middle and start talking smack. If some dude started acting like he was looking for a fight with one of my guy friends, I would jump in and get in the other guy's face and start mouthing off. Of course, it was always in a room full of people, so I was never afraid that the guy would hit me - I'm a girl! Most likely, he's not going to hit a girl, but if I did get punched in a room full of people, he'd immediately be pummeled by every guy in the crowd. It's not okay to treat women that way, not even when they're acting like a huge bitch. So when someone started mouthing off to my friends, I turned into a pit bull in the same way Sarah Palin did tonight. She can be as nasty as she wants to be, if anyone criticizes her for it, they'll surely be called sexist. I've already heard the sexist card played so many times (Carly Fiorina basically said if anyone criticizes her lack of experience, they're sexist.) It's bullshit. [Sorry about the bad word Grandma, but it is really is bullshit! -KW] Sarah Barracuda talks pretty tough, but it's the rest of us who have to deal with the bazillion arguments about sexism. It's unbearable! Women do this - they act like a bitch, but when someone calls them a bitch, they play the sexism card. Puh-leez. I'm not saying I think the woman is a bitch, but I do think she layed it on just thick enough to piss people off. She had an I-dare-you-to-call-me-aggressive tone about her. Her opponent can't win on this one - if they criticize her or hit her back equally hard, they're sexist bullies. It's not fair, and it just perpetuates society's double-standards

Thing #2: I understand why the Republicans were so critical of the mainstream media (I was watching MSNBC, I understand completely.) But I have to question the strategy of incessantly harping on the media when they finally captured the media spotlight. [psst... Republicans, the media can hear you!]

Thing #3: I despise Mitt Romney. Or rather, I still despise Mitt Romney. I couldn't tolerate this man when he was in Iowa last year and I was reminded why tonight. He's so disingenuous, when I hear him, I think, "Are you listening to yourself? Do you even know what you're saying?" He spouts everything the audience wants to hear without even pretending it's a genuine thought. Then, he reduces his opponents to stereotypes and exaggerations. He's the kind of guy you argue with, and he comes back with, "Shut up. You're stupid." He's not even arguing issues, he's just saying, "Those other guys are just dumb, don't even listen to them."

Right back at you, Mitt Romney - you're a poopyhead, too!

That's all for now. More about Mrs. Palin later.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kathleen, I found Biden & Obama's remarks distastful at their convention. Is that a male thing?
At least Sara did it with a smile "a female thing" & Rudie was laughing thru his entire speech.
It was a great night for the R party. I am impressed & so should you be. She will be a great VP.

Derek said...

"Drill, baby, drill" . . .Change someone can believe in, but not me.

Kathleen said...

I watched both conventions, and I have to say that there was much more "red meat" in the RNC. Both sides had low blows, but it's not a male thing or a female thing, it's all politics. Society has different expectations from men and women. Gov. Palin has used her sex to her political advantage. Good for her if she can dish it harder than the guys, I just don't want to hear her painted as a victim of sexism or gender bias when someone dishes it back. One of the great things about being a woman is that sometimes we get to have it both ways - we dish it out but we don't have to take it. It can work wonderfully if you're trying to get out of a parking ticket. If you're trying to win a presidential election, I happen to find it distasteful.

It was indeed a great night for Republicans. Mike Huckabee, Rudy, and the Barracuda were all impressive. This isn't about party affiliation. My criticism of Hillary was far more scathing.