As It Stands
columnist: Dave Stancliff

Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Here's three double standards that apply to Palin's road to power

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Let me see now, the President of the United States doesn't get deference from the press. Why should Palin? I can't think of one candidate, or sitting politician, anywhere in America today whose political backers say their pick must be treated with deference or they'll refuse interviews.

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by Dave Stancliff
(libertarian)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008

By Dave Stancliff
When self-described maverick, Sen. John McCain, picked Sarah Palin for his running mate he shamelessly played the gender card. But his campaign manager, Rick Davis, has one-upped that tactic and now says, in a recent interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace, that Palin would not answer reporter's questions, "...until the point in time when she'll be treated with respect and deference."

Perhaps respect, and courtesy. BUT DEFERENCE? Now that's a first for a candidate, or a sitting politician. Talk about a double standards. There's three that stand out starkly in Palin's run to be the first women vice-president.The first is this deference issue:

Let me see now; the President of the United States doesn't get deference from the press. Why should Palin? I can't think of one candidate or sitting politician, anywhere in America today, whose political backers say their pick must be treated with deference or they'll refuse interviews.

Double standard number two: As reported by Tim Rutten, of The Los Angeles Times on Sept.10, Davis stated that Palin's religion is off-limits. Oh really? What about Obama? The press went after his association with the radical, Rev. Jeremiah Wright ,like pitbulls without lipstick! Obama had to disown that guy and for good reason. And what about Joe Biden? No one was upset when he was asked to talk about his religious affliation with The Roman Catholic Church.

Rutten noted in his article that Palin recently sat in the pews of at the Wasilla Bible Church where she and her family go, and listended to a sermon by David Brickner who leads Jews For Jesus, a group cited by the Anti-Defamation League for being, "Aggressive, and deceptively proselytizing of Jews." In that sermon Bickner talked about Arab terrorism against the State of Israel, and said that it was because the Jews rejected Christ. When he was done, a collection plate was taken up.

For the record, Palin and her Church support James Dobson's Focus on the Family campaign and their upcoming conference that promises to change Gay and Lesbians into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.

The third double standard in play for Palin involves male news broadcasters who have to dance delicately around critical comments about Palin in fear they'll be accused of questioning her ability to be the vice president because she's a woman, and their not.

I watched and listened with fascination as panel after panel of women were interviewed on Palin's ability to do the job on all the major television and radio networks. The female newscasters were able to ask about raising a special needs child and running the free world without any cries of foul play.

They questioned her experience on foreign affairs, and her ability to lead with such a short time in major politics.She's currently under two investigations for abuse of power, but excited women (in and out of the media) are saying so what? We want a woman for president! Opps! I mean vice president.

My sister found out that she hunts caribou and other animals and was upset with that because she's a member of PETA.You know, the group that is trying to save the polar bears that Palin wants to take off the endangered list!

To prove men should keep their mouths shut about Palin I sadly point to two male political pundits I observed the other day in a coffee shop after her acceptance speech. The conversation went something like this;

First Guy:" Did you see her fire that M-16 with bad intentions? I fell in love right there!"

Second Guy: "What M-16? Did you see her legs? I heard she came in second at a beauty contest in Alaska!"

First Guy: "I think she hot. But what does she really got?"

Second Guy: "The ability to listen to John McCain's endless war stories and tell some pretty good ones herself."

I rest my case. Male journalists have to be very careful in conversations about Palin and focus on McCain who can't accuse them of gender bias. As a matter of fact The Republican campaign thinks there should be a rule that male broadcasters and newsmen who want to publicly comment on Palin should attend sensitivity courses, and then wait until spoken to by Palin herself at the time and place of her choosing. (Okay, I made that one up. But you get the idea.)

What lies ahead before November 4th? I can assure you your going to see some females fight to elect her regardless of her past, and then there are those that will actually look at the whole picture, and issues, and find her lacking. Men interested in their journalism careers need to step softly however, when it comes to questioning Palin's ability to do anything.

This is not a time for "good ol boys," and perhaps that is another history-making breakthrough, along with having an African-American man represent a major political party for President. But if Senator Barack Obama is smart, he'll let his beautiful wife, and mother of his two children, talk trash about Palin on the common ground only politically and spiritually accessible to women confronting each other.

This presidential campaign has revealed the truth that there are double standards in dealing with Sarah Palin. I can't help wondering if she's going to pave a new road for women in politics after this election, or if double-standards are going to be her downfall.
As It Stands, my wife asked me not to go after Palin (I'm sorry dear, but this is important!) and leave that to her catty detractors!

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©2008 Dave Stancliff, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Last modified: Wednesday, September 10, 2008

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