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Todd Palin - A feminist icon?
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Todd Palin is the untold story of this election. He is a blue-collar snowmobiling fisherman who is secure enough in his masculinity to hold babies and host teas for the former first ladies of Alaska.
During Hillary's campaign, Bill Clinton couldn't help upstaging her and his narcissistic rantings cost her dearly in a razor thin primary. On the other hand, the "First Dude" of the most macho state in our union coolly stands in the background supporting his successful wife without a trace of resentment or envy.
Maybe that's evolution for you. Boomer husbands talk the talk, but Gen X hubbies walk the walk.
I'm an at-home mom of five who writes a weekly column and is also working on a book. There is no way I could do it all without a teammate. As I write this post at my kitchen table, my husband is cleaning the kitchen. As it happens, I'm married to a cute Midwestern lumberjack D.A. who is as comfortable doing the dishes with a baby strapped to his chest in a Bjorn as he is wielding an axe or questioning a witness on the stand. Now that's what I call progress!
Sarah and Todd's relationship is the embodiment of the "partnership" feminists have been calling for for decades. That's why I cannot understand why feminist icons like Gloria Steinem could not put aside their politics on abortion to celebrate, if not this historic nomination, then this exemplary partnership -- a partnership far more liberated than the strange and unrelatable Clinton marriage. I guess for Steinem, if you're pro-life and pro-gun, it just doesn't count.
When it comes to equality and respect between the sexes, the Palins have pushed the ball further in one week than the Clintons have in a decade in the national spotlight. In fact, the tacky and humiliating Monica Lewinski scandal probably set us back.
As for Oprah, well this whole debate could be resolved by simply inviting Todd to the show. Who better to speak about the conditions necessary for female advancement and fulfillment? Come on Oprah, forget Tom Cruise. Put the hunky, helpful husband on your couch!
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 4)
9-09-2008 @ 11:26AM
tmc said...Jennifer -
Do you read ANYTHING? It's all over the press. There are constantly articles and blogs about the "lies and scandals" of Sarah Palin. Look at what's written about Mr. Obama - talk about glamorizing a candidate!
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9-09-2008 @ 11:40AM
Jennifer said...tmc...I read EVERYTHING. I'd for you to point out some of these horribly biased articles.
9-09-2008 @ 11:55AM
jen said...tmc - if you look at what's been written about Obama, you would see about 18 months worth of unending questions regarding his, and his wife's, nationality, religion, patriotism, etc. He has hardly been "glamorized" - he has withstood all of this with dignity. He even was supportive of SP's 17-year old being p.g. He is not responsible for the "lies and scandals" surrounding SP .
SP has been in the spotlight for about 10 days - and yes, the public would like to know ALL about her, so she had better get used to it real fast. What did the Repubs expect, when they sprung an unexperienced, unknown, unexperienced (did I mentioned how UNEXPERIENCED she is) person on the American people, with the expectation that we will vote her into national office???
9-09-2008 @ 12:24PM
Julie said...We really don't know much about Mr. Palin, or at least I don't, other than he held their baby during the RNC. If he helps out at home, great! So does my husband. So does all of my friend's husbands (with one notable exception.) Does that make him an icon? Heck no. It makes him like almost every other husband I know.
Rachel, why do you always bash the Clintons when you want to compare a republican to a democrat? I've seen you do it before. It just discredits you opinion in my eyes and in a lot of other people's eyes. You obviously don't like them and don't understand their marriage. I really don't understand their marriage either, but it has worked for them. They've stayed married through well known problems and struggles and have raised a wonderful daughter. They should be commended for that,
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9-10-2008 @ 1:04PM
Michelle said...Puh-leeze! I know that we don't really know what goes on between a couple behind closed doors, BUT . . .. . .It's a pretty safe bet that the Clinton's have remained in Holy Matrimony because she wanted a political career after the White House and because he is an attention-seeking whore-monger.
If my husband had pulled a trick like that in my home, or at work, he would be out on the street. That said, none of us can judge the personal decisions they have made regarding their marriage.
I do think Chelsea has turned into an exceptional person DESPITE her parents.
9-10-2008 @ 2:17PM
Julie said...Michelle, I guess we agree. we shouldn't be judging other's marriage. Does it really matter why the Clinton's have stayed together? Like I said, it has worked for them.
And I think the reason Chelsea has grown into such a great adult has a lot to do with her parents. When Bill was running for office years ago, many didn't know he had a daughter because they shielded her so much. When he was first president, they refused to put her in public school, even though Bill was a big supporter of public schools. This upset the democrats that thought he was being hypocritical. The Clinton's noted their unique situation as being the first family, noted that Chelsea needed protection given that she was the daughter of the president, and they put her in a private school for her own safety because of it.
Compare that to the Palins' decision to parade their pregnant teenage daughter around on stage for the world to gossip about. There's some parental protection for ya.
9-10-2008 @ 8:38PM
Michelle said...Excuse me, isn't the other party's candidate "parading" his children around, as well?
If she didn't have her children with her, she would be accused of neglecting them or of being ashamed of them. There is no satisfying some people who just want to have something ridiculous to criticize. It's like a modern party game.
But, let's see . . Obama can leave his children for weeks or months at a time to campaign OR have them on stage with him and "look what a wonderful father!"
I REALLY hate this time in our country! I wish instead of focusing on mudslinging ads and sexist action figures and other accoutrement (have you seen the Palin panties? I would like to know where the Biden tighty-whiteys are, just to even things up a bit. . . ewww) we could actually focus on the issues and what each candidate brings to the table. It shouldn't be about cheerleading your party, it should be about making the best decision for the future of the country and your family. We're not voting on Prom King and Queen, here. Things are much more dire than that.
9-11-2008 @ 9:47AM
Julie said...I've never heard of "Palin panties", but yeah, that's totally offensive. The difference I see between obama and palin "parading" their kids around, is that Palin had her obviously pregnant daughter, wearing tight clothes showing off her pregnant belly (you notice she wasn't wearing clothes like that prior to the announcement that she was pregnant), parading around on stage as a show that Palin is anti-abortion. (you may not agree with my opinion, that's fine.) Obama's kids, like all other politician's kids, are just up on stage. In my mind, Palin's daughter needs support and protection, not exposure to the world. If my 17 year old daughter were pregnant, I'd NEVER parade her around as a symbol of my anti-abortion beliefs. That's extremely selfish in my opinion.
And Michelle, I agree with you, I'm against sexist action figures and all other related items as well. We're probably not that different.
9-09-2008 @ 1:29PM
JoAnn said...Excuse me? What does Todd Palin's generosity to his wife have to do with any of the platform issues at hand in this election!?
Sure, Sarah Palin is a working mother- just like me. She's also very unlike me in her beliefs, and is someone who rubs hard against many of the platform issues for which I would have voted for Hilary Clinton. She's someone who wants to cut funding to unwed teen mothers, who's views on abortion I do not care for, etc... etc...
I mean- are we seriously all fawning over her simply because she's a woman?! Are none of us aware that she is the VP on the ticket?
Please people, read up on the issues!!! Vote for the candidate who best represents those issues that actually concern you, that might affect your life, not because the hopeful VICE PRESIDENT'S husband is a "hottie", and she wears the same Estee Lauder lipstick as you do! And if the fact that she is a woman IS your reason for voting the republican ticket... shame on you.
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9-09-2008 @ 1:52PM
emjaybee said...Clinton has nothing to do with this. Sarah Palin has done her job...she's moved the conversation away from John McCain, who was faltering, badly, in the polls.
She doesn't know what a VP does, by her own admission. She has avoided the press, knows nothing about the issues, and has a questionable background--as governor of a state that has very few people, she actually governed less people than were in Barak Obama's Senate district. For far less time. And before that, a tiny town, and before that, the PTA. How will she deal with Russia? Israel? Terrorism? Can she help broker a peace accord between hostile states? Will Kim Jong Il see her as a credible opponent at the negotiating table? What would she do in a national emergency? How would she know how to negotiate trade deals? Do you really want her finger on the button?
She's not qualified, period. She is the VP of the man who would be the oldest president ever, (older than Reagan was), a man with a history of heart trouble and other health problems. And if you say "her advisors will help" what you're really saying is, she'll be a puppet and the real power will stay with people like Dick Cheney and other shadowy types. Remember them? The ones who don't think the Constitution applies to them, who think it's ok to torture and imprison indefinitely anyone who gets in their way? Vote for McCain/Palin, and I promise you, they'll still be running the show. He's not a maverick, and she's not "refreshing" and she's certainly not a feminist triumph. They're both window dressing.
It makes me sad that we still bicker about personality issues when most of us, as parents, should be thinking about what kind of world we're making for our kids. Do you really want endless war, polluted water and air, and a shredded constitution to be what your kids inherit? This isn't Survivor; this is their future. We're not voting for who stays on the island, but for the leader of the world's biggest superpower.
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9-09-2008 @ 3:32PM
Andrew said...Rachel you are what is wrong with this country. Sorry.
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9-09-2008 @ 3:33PM
hank said...Who the hell is Rachel Campos-Duffy?
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9-09-2008 @ 3:35PM
Danielle said...I just watched you on CNN talking about the VMA awards. I just wanted to ask you to please check what you're talking about before you say it on national television. You insinuated that Jordan Sparks was telling Brand to leave The Palins alone when she wasn't, she was commenting on the Jonas Brothers. Thank You.
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9-09-2008 @ 3:43PM
jay said...i heard you on the news and id have to say you should never open your mouth again i am a soldier at the 82nd airborne division the most deployed division in our military i have been to both theaters you have not i have seen the lies of this president up close i have seen my friends lose their lives or limbs you have not what makes you think you should comment on someone you have no clue what really goes on i do not know one soldier that thinks we made the right choice invading a country that did nothing to us why dont you go read a publication called ( the new american century ) from your crazy neocon friends ok you are brain washed get over yourself the republicans will do anything to get there oil and world domination.
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9-09-2008 @ 3:43PM
vanessa said...wow! i just watched rachel's interview on CNN commenting on how MTV's VMA host was inappropriate with his statements regarding the republican party. she also said that the MTV channel has completely "degenerated". first of all, give the american people credit. when they listen to a comedian, they are taking it as entertainment and an opportunity to laugh. this comedian was also hosting the VMAs, not a convention on performing brain surgery. second of all, i remember many years ago when rachel was on the "real world," and she was not exactly a role model on MTV. i'm pretty sure she did not set a higher standard than anyone else who has been on MTV.
i find her comments on CNN at most, LAUGHABLE!
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9-09-2008 @ 3:42PM
Danielle said...Oh, also, Barack Obama's kids aren't small enough to hold in public so I guess that makes him an anti-progressive, anti-family brute, huh? And exactly how much personal time have you spent with the Palins? You sure do pretend to know how their family runs from what you've seen on TV. Just like that BS photo shoot they staged on the airport runway to introduce the baby daddy, what you see on TV isn't always what you get.
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9-09-2008 @ 3:43PM
Bill Arnovich said...Dear Rachel
I just heard you on CNN this afternoon...I thought Mr. Brit on MTV was a bit over the top but why whine when Gov. Palin has said worse about Democrats from the pulpit of her Penecostal Church. I think Todd and Sarah are the Ken and Barbie from hell. About not having MTV on your cable line up call your provider and have MTV taken off.
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9-16-2008 @ 7:58PM
HB said...You shouldn't judge the Clinton marriage as "unrelatable", because you don't know them. I'm sure you can appreciate that seeing a person on TV isn't the same as really knowing them.
The Lewinsky scandal set us back as much as it did, because certain Republicans, who with their undemocratic mindset never accepted a Democrat being elected President, chose to use it for political gain, thus harming the country, which should have focused on the eminent terrorist threat.
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9-09-2008 @ 4:03PM
Caveman said...What does any of this have to do with whether this woman, or any other woman, or any other man is competent to take this country out of the mire that it is in.
Can you even begin to comprehend how deep in the brown smelly stuff the USA is in??? Two wars, an economy that is wrecked, debt the likes of which have never been seen before, mortgage crisis, health care crisis, education crisis, unemployment crisis, oil crisis, in fact a total humanity crisis, and on and on. The USA has sold it's soul the the devil(s) - you know who they are......
I find it incredulous that you are more concerned about the husbands of the women concerned than you are about the issues noted above. When are you going to get it? It's not about the women, or their husbands AND it's not about "winning" wars - there are no winners in war, everyone is a loser!
There have been and still are many fine and hugely successful women leaders in countries as diverse as India, Israel, Germany, United Kingdom, and Finland to mention a few.
America, I'm afraid that you're just not ready for a woman leader - not as long as your value system centers around the masculinity of the husband and gun toting, hole drilling factors while your country declines into an abysmal morass.
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9-09-2008 @ 4:32PM
alan said...Ms Campos-Duffy,
I just heard your comments on CNN about the 'comedy' routine by an English comedian on MTV and your beef about having to watch a foreigner call your president a "retarded cowboy".
I agree that it is not nice to call people names but the truth is that many people around the world call Bush by that description or worse and Bush has brought that upon himself.
You appear to be more concerned about some name-calling by a comedian with a bad hairdo than even 1 of the 85,000 civilians that Bush has had killed in Iraq, in a 'phony war' based upon his own lies and the USA's need for secure oil supplies.
The real issue here is that you need to get your priorities into better order or people will continue to think that all Americans support war-mongering and mass murder; just as Americans have been brainwashed since 9/11 to think that all Muslims are killers.
have a nice day,
Alan
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