Sam Harris in Newsweek on Sarah Palin

This is a great article and reflects my own views. Sam Harris on Sarah Palin and Elitism

What the heck? McCain tied with Obama among women

A new poll out shows that McCain leads Obama just slightly (within the margin of error, meaning they're effectively tied) among women asked which candidate has a “better understanding of women and what is important” to them. Politico story In July, the same poll showed Obama ahead on this question 52 to 18 percent. Is this really all due to Sarah Palin? Incredible.

What else could it be? McCain's positions tend to be anti-woman. McCain supports a constitutional amendment to ban abortion and opposes Roe v. Wade. "Will Pro-Choice Women Back McCain?" Time, June 23, 2008 He opposes legislation to ensure equal pay for women and has supported efforts to limit contraceptives. McCain: Not What Women Want, thinkprogress.org, June 11, 2008

Once again, I feel like I'm living in an alternate universe.

Hillary Fundraiser Backs McCain Because Obama "Elitist"

This is just weird. From TalkingPointsMemo:

McCain supporting Hillary Clinton backer Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, international financier who splits her time between homes in New York and London, says she can't support Obama because he's "an elitist" ...

Election/Daytime TV observations

If the Democrats don't win after the headlines of the last few days, I think they better just call it a day and disband. Seriously. Eight years of the worst administration perhaps ever, an economy in freefall, an elderly Republican candidate who admits to knowing little about the economy or the Internet, a Republican VP candidate who is clearly unqualified to succeed said elderly candidate - the list could go on and on. This election should be handed over to the Democrats on a silver platter. That was true last year and it's even more true today. Then why do I feel so nervous?

Observations of Daytime TV while at the Gym:

Fox News ticker: Some "feminists" hate Palin. What the hell does this mean? Why say "feminists" and not "women"? Because "feminist" is simply a code word for "irrational ball-breaking extremist lesbian bitches". Using "feminist" predisposes some people to discount the views of the women to whom they're referring without having to actually discuss the merits. Other ticker items include Palin's reduction of Alaskan taxes and other Fox-worthy glowing Palin factoids.

Today Show: Economy is in freefall, the government's taking over giant corporations whose bankruptcy would upset the apple cart of the global economy, while NBC interviews a 9 year old girl who helped her mother give birth.

Another network channel: Female former sex addicts, all dressed alluringly with huge cleavage. Mixed messages here.

"Once" movie review

Last night I watched "Once" on DVD. This is an Irish movie, a modern musical, if you will, which won the Oscar for Best Song last year. A guitar-playing Dublin busker meets a Czech immigrant piano player while he's performing on the streets. They develop a musical, unconsummated romance, culminating in an intense weekend of recording the busker's songs in a recording studio. It's a beautiful, lyrical film about love, limitations, music, and the creative process. I loved it. I give it an A. I downloaded the Oscar-winning song, "Falling Slowly", immediately, and will go back on ITunes to review the other songs. The stars are real musicians. I remember that their performance of "Falling Slowly" on the Oscars telecast was considered one of the highlights. I guess because they're like "real people" and not fakey Hollywood actors. LOL Like a dummy, I missed that part.

Once on imdb
Hear "Falling Slowly"

Gloria Steinem Op-Ed on Palin

Here's a very good op-ed by Gloria Steinen on Sarah Palin, which appeared in the LA Times.

Gloria Steinmen op-ed

Burn After Reading

Just saw Burn After Reading, the Coen brothers' new movie. I give it a B. The employees at a gym called Hardbodies find a CD with what appears to be secret information about the CIA. They try to return it to its owner, at a price. Craziness ensues. It takes place in Washington, D.C. It had quite a few amusing moments, especially toward the end. John Malkovich was very good and I loved Brad Pitt in it. George Clooney gives a strange performance, with a lot of physical ticks, in a role that isn't very likeable. Actually none of the characters are likeable, except perhaps the gym manager. Tilda Swinton played Malkovich's wife and Clooney's lover. She seems to be making a late career specialization in cold suit-wearing bitches. (e.g. Michael Clayton) Anyway, it was fun, but not great.

Of the previews, I thought Body of Lies with Leonardo DiCaprio looked good, and the Harvey Milk bio pic with Sean Penn in the lead role.

It seems that you're forced to watch an advertisement for the National Guard whenever you go to a movie. The one they've got on now seems to equate driving NASCAR with patriotism.

Palin meltdown begins?

Palin's first actual TV interview was aired tonight, at least in part.  Here's some initial negative press reaction: Slate: Palin vs. Gibson, Round 1

Previous Sarah Palin rant

Written right after Sarah Palin was nominated.

Here’s my take on the nomination of Sarah Palin as McCain’s VP. Of course, I would never vote for McCain in any case, so his selection of Palin was immaterial to my vote. (I always vote Democratic.) I’m glad he selected a woman. That’s a big step forward for the Republican Party. However, I think she’s a terrible choice. Obviously, there’s the issue of her lack of experience. McCain is 72 yrs old, for God’s sake. He needs to have a VP nominee who’s going to be a competent president. Palin doesn’t show any sign of being ready to be president. She was the mayor of a tiny town in Alaska, and not for very long. Somehow she got elected as governor 2 years ago.

During those 2 years, she was pregnant and gave birth to a baby with Down’s Syndrome. That baby is now only 4-5 months old, so presumably she spent at least a couple of months on maternity leave (I hope so, anyway). So that’s almost a year of those 2 years spent pregnant and recovering from giving birth, with a disabled baby. If you’ve ever been pregnant, you know you’re not in a normal state of mind or body during or quite awhile after. I would almost discount that year she spent being pregnant and on maternity leave as “experience”. None of the news reports focus on that at all. I suppose it’s politically incorrect. But that’s just completely discounting human, lived experience. So basically, she’s been actively governor for maybe just over a year, of a state with very few people in it.

Furthermore, I just don’t think a woman with a baby 4-5 months old with Down’s Syndrome has any business running fulltime for national office. I think it’s almost negligent. I’m sure she isn’t breastfeeding either, how could she be? She apparently puts herself forth as a family values type, pro-life and all that. Is this pro-life behavior? OK, she gave birth to the baby despite his having Down’s Syndrome. But then she basically abandons him. I haven’t seen a single picture of her holding this baby, who should be with her at all times, in my opinion. (Not that I’ve been looking for such a picture, either, though, so, there could be one I haven’t seen.) I’m thoroughly disgusted.

And then there’s just the simple pandering aspect. Does McCain really think Hillary’s female supporters are going to run over and support him just because he nominated a woman for VP? Some quotes in the media from his spokespeople seem to say that. But why would supporters of Hillary, a liberal Democrat despite her centrist posturing, abandon the Democratic candidate to support a very conservative pro-life candidate? They aren’t, it’s ridiculous. (I never supported Hillary, so I’m not talking about myself. I’ve always supported Obama. I still can’t believe he won. My candidate never wins!)

And this morning we find out that Palin’s 17 year old daughter is 5 months pregnant! My God. Of course, she couldn’t be allowed to have an abortion, given Palin’s pro-life position. It’s too late for that anyway. I don’t know when Palin and her husband found out about this. The daughter may have just told them, for all we know. But it certainly is embarrassing to the McCain campaign, although they’re claiming they knew before announcing Palin’s selection. (Really? Hard to believe.) My partner and I just laughed out loud this morning when we saw the headline. It’s like a joke. It’s not consistent with family values for your daughter to become a teenage mother. It’s just stupid.

Background on me: I have a female partner and I’m a stay at home mom to an 8 yr old and a 3 yr old. I’m pretty crunchy granola about babies. (Not so much with older kids, as I let my kids eat a lot of crap and watch a lot of TV. Bad Mom.) I had a home birth and breastfed for 15 months. And left a lawyer job (not a big important one) to stay at home with my baby. So that’s where I’m coming from about Palin’s baby.

Here's an interesting Palin link:

www.veryshortlist.com/vsl/daily.cfm/review/593/Website/welcome-to-the-palindrome-sarah-palins-blog/

What's wrong with white women with children?

I just read in the Washington Post that Sarah Palin has an approval rating of over 80 percent among white women with children at home.  You have got to be kidding me.  What's up with that?  As a white woman with "children at home" (what a strange way of describing children under 18), Sarah Palin embodies everything I oppose.  Do you suppose these women are the same percentage that believe in the devil and hell?  Sometimes I feel like I must be living in an alternate universe.

Crabbyanne

Crabbyanne is a stay at home mom and former attorney who occasionally has something to say about politics, legal issues, the media, parenting and kids.