So how’s that whole contraception thing working out for the right? The latest Gallup poll of swing states suggests that it’s not going so well: Obama now leads Romney in these states 51%-42%.




The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Unmarried Women Flocking to Obama: Gee, I Wonder Why?

A Republican/Libertarian friend told me this week that we progressives need to get back on message and talk about jobs and the economy. I told him that HIS troops are the ones that need to be back on that message. As for me, I'm quite happy to talk about birth control (and the insanity of the GOP's quest to take it away from women) from now until November. This shit is working for me and my peeps, thanks. And here's why --

Democracy Corps has just published an important polling memo that gets right to the heart of why the birth control battle could matter so much in this year’s elections.

The firm’s poll finds that one of the most important factors powering Obama’s gains against likely GOP nominee Mitt Romney has been the president’s improving numbers among unmarried women -- a critical part of the present and future Democratic coalition.

Among this group, Obama now leads Romney by 65-30 -- and there’s been a net, a whopping 18-point swing towards the President among them in the past month. Color me unsurprised.



After unmarried women dropped off for Dems in 2010 and were slow to return to the Dem fold in 2011, Obama is now approaching the 70 percent he won among them in 2008. If Dems play this right, it could encourage the perception that the GOP is backward-looking and lost in a social-issues wilderness, perhaps hastening the already widening gender gap that will be so crucial to the outcome this fall.


The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

What Catholics Think about Birth Control

The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Top Komen Official Resigns, Site was Hacked and Planned Parenthood Donations Surge

The Atlantic is reporting Komen’s top public health official, Mollie Williams, resigned in protest immediately following the board’s decision to cut off Planned Parenthood. The news comes hours after Komen.org was temporarily hacked and as Planned Parenthood is announcing they’re experiencing a surge in donations.

“For the few that accessed the site around 12:30AM on Thursday, they were redirected from the regular site (www.komen.org) to an artificial site made by the hackers (ww5.komen.org). The job was so inclusive that even in search engines, you were only able to find the hacked site,” Gather.com reported.

The hackers re-designed a Komen banner ad that promoted its marathon to read “Help us run over poor women on our way to the bank.”

The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Watch Teen's Stirring Speech About His Two Moms, Delivered Before Anti-Gay Iowa House

This is fucking brilliant. It's all I can say. Watch on.



Copyright 2010 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Health Care Reform Will Help Everybody

Enjoy this Guest Blog by Barbara O’ Brien

Many Americans assume the new health care reform act will benefit mostly the poor and uninsured and hurt everyone else, according to polls. As Matt Yglesias wrote, “Basically, people see this as a bill that will take resources from people who have health insurance and give it to people who don’t have health insurance.” Those who still oppose the reform say that people ought to pay for their own health care.

We all believe in the virtues of hard work and self-reliance, but these days it’s a fantasy to think that anyone but the mega-wealthy will not, sooner or later, depend on help from others to pay medical bills. And that’s true no matter how hard you work, how much you love America, or how diligently you take care of yourself. The cost of medical care has so skyrocketed that breaking an arm or leg could cost as much as a new car. And if you get cancer or heart disease — which can happen even to people who live healthy lifestyles — forget about it. The disease will not only clean you out; it will leave a whopping debt for your survivors to pay.

And the truth is, we all pay for other peoples’ health care whether we know it or not. When people can’t pay their medical bills, the cost of their health care gets added to everyone else’s bills and insurance premiums. When poor people use emergency rooms as a doctor of last resort, their care is not “free.” You pay for it.

Another common fantasy about medical care is that the “free market” provides incentives for medical companies to develop innovative new drugs and treatments for disease without government subsidy. It’s true that private enterprise is very good at developing profitable health care products. But not all medical care can be made profitable.

For years, the U.S. government has been funding medical research that the big private companies don’t want to do because there is too much cost for the potential profit. This is especially true for diseases that are rare and expensive to treat. An example of a recent advance made possible by government grants include new guidelines for malignant pleural mesothelioma treatment developed by Sloan-Kettering mesothelioma cancer researchers. Another is a blood screening test developed by mesothelioma doctors like thoracic surgeon Dr. David Sugarbaker. The health reform act provides for more dollars for such research, from which even many of the tea party protesters will benefit.

The biggest fantasy of all was that people who had insurance didn’t have to worry about health care costs. But the fact is that in recent years millions of Americans have been bankrupted by medical costs, and three-quarters of the medically bankrupt had health insurance. And yes, insurance companies even dumped hard-working, law-abiding patriots. But the health care reform act will put an end to that, and now America’s hard-working, law-abiding patriots are more financially secure, whether they like it or not.


The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Dr. King vs Glenn Beck: An Info-Graphic

The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Mama Grizzlies Speak Out: Sarah Palin Doesn't Speak for Us!

"EMILY doesn't get mad....she gets ELECTED" (Gov. Jennifer Granholm [D-MI]). Check out the new rogues gallery of Palin's radical candidates -- and she called feminists a cackle of rads???




Sign the pledge today to vote in November and send the message loud and clear: Sarah, you do NOT speak for me.

The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

There's Something Rotten on C Street: The Family Goes Bipartisan

Don't look now, but embattled Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) has moved out of the Family's C Street, DC enclave. Apparently he did not want to bring more attention on the Family and the C Street frat house while his ethics investigation on the horizon -- you know, where they look into whether he and his parents paid off his staffer mistress, her staffer husband, and their son. Yeah, that ethics investigation.

But there is so much more to this C Street nonsense. Actually, I wish it was nonsense, but actually its an evangelical gathering of right wing Republicans and conserva-Dems that plot legislation together. For example, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), authors of the lately lamented middle class abortion ban known as the Stupak amendment to the House Democrats health care reform bill.

Check out this latest piece on the The Family by the Rachel Maddow Show. WARNING: It might make you throw up a little in your mouth.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Copyright 2009 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Fox News' Beck Boils Live Frog on National Television

Okay, this is one for the books. Fox News' Glenn Beck has truly jumped the shark -- that's if anyone had any doubts. In an effort to underscore how ginned up the right-wingnut base has become over Obama's policies, Beck decided to literally demonstrate the old biology class example of adaptation -- with tragic consequences for a rather cute little frog. This is worse than former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's turkey pardon massacre last Thanksgiving. Where's PETA when we need them?



Copyright 2009 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

The Zaftig Redhead's Considered Opinion on the Selection of Rick Warren to Deliver Inauguration Invocation

A lot is being made in pundit-land about the selection of conservative super church Pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's Inauguration. But the move has sparked a furor in the gay community, who overwhelmingly voted for Obama. This is also a community that is pissed off and ready to fight after their Proposition 8 loss -- a measure that Warren endorsed.

Obama's selection of Warren absolutely reflects Obama's lofty intention to govern in a less partisan, less divisive way -- to disagree without being disagreeable. To be inclusive and be every one's president. A conciliatory gesture to evangelicals for taking an ass whuppin' at the polls. Fair enough, if that was the only goal.

But I also think Warren's selection is also very much a purely political calculation. Triangulation, folks, pure and simple. Obama needs to show that he's not beholden to any of the special interests that aided his election. Trust me, right now, Emanuel, Plouffe company are loving the controversy, because it shows the nation that Obama is not simply going to cave to a liberal agenda or special interests groups. It will not be the last time he appears less than sensitive to a key constituency -- in fact, he'll throw folks under the bus if he has to -- the only question is -- which group will be next, and on what issue?


This blog has been nominated for the Bloggers' Choice '09 awards. Vote for The Zaftig Redhead!

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Proposition 8: The Musical

Fresh from our friends at Funny or Die, it's Proposition 8: The Musical! This pointed satire is, of course, in direct response to the travesty of California's now infamous ballot initiative known as Prop 8. When it passed a month ago, the measure changed the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman AND eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry. That's right, it eliminated a right that already existed in the state for only one group of people, writing discrimination into the state Constitution. Since the narrow but affirmative vote, there have been protests and marches and candlelight vigils, as well as a poll that now says Californians -- knowing what they know now given all the press coverage -- would vote down Prop 8 if given another chance. Here's hoping they get one.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

This Just in for Thanksgiving: Ammunition for Political Holiday Family Feuding and Palin's Turkey Slaughter Disaster

Wanna be able to shamelessly wallow in the Democrats' victory this holiday season? Are you just dying to give as good as you get from your right-wing relatives? Well, look no further for help in your dinner table jousting than this great article from Slate. Use it in good health.

Also, here's a creative remix of the unbelievable interview Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) did at an Alaskan turkey farm this week. There to pardon a turkey for Thanksgiving, she then thoughtfully stopped to do an interview in front of the slaughterhouse -- with turkeys being, um, processed in the background. Wow... just, wow. Thanks to Slate for the gory mad-libbed details in the video.



And here's Letterman's Top Ten List of Palin's excuses for what is, I believe, one of the more amazing demonstrations of piss poor advance work and sad political instincts I've had the misfortune to witness -- not to mention just downright gross.



Just another reason why I don't eat Thanksgiving turkey, folks. It's simply much too literal for me -- it's clearly a big dead bird. Yuck. I prefer my carnivorous food to arrive under plastic wrap and well-disguised, thank you -- and not staring back at me accusingly, either. Yes, I'm a hypocritical vegetarian, and proud of it.

Who wants a drumstick???

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

An Early Holiday Gift: "The Mouth that Roared" (and Lies Remorselessly) is... Wired Shut!

In an absolutely delicious bit of karmic justice, it seems that Ann Coulter -- that right-wing talking points spouter, prolific regurgitator/author of absurd new books seemingly every other day, anti-progressive, anti-feminist (or is she just the anti-Christ?) -- has had her jaw wired shut. No, really -- wired shut.

Just in time for the holidays, boys and girls, we have all been gifted with a forced moment of silence from Ann Coulter -- something I didn't think was humanly possible. Better yet, the peaceful bliss could last as long at 5 whole weeks.

The word on the street is that Coulter fell down the stairs -- or was pushed? Okay, okay, that was not funny. Well, maybe a little... but truly, it's not like The Zaftig Redhead to wish bodily injury on anyone (well, except the assholes who cut me off on the beltway). But in this instance, I simply must basque in the irony... the cosmic realignment that has given us all a much needed reprieve. I can do that and still wish her a speedy recovery, right?


It also has gotten me thinking -- always dangerous -- that if Coulter can manage to get her jaw wired shut, rendering her blessedly mute throughout the holidays, what might the benevolent universe bestow upon Sen. Joe Lieberman (turncoat-CT) to balance the scales of justice in that direction? The mind boggles... and mine, at least, also cackles with glee.

On the downside, I do worry a bit about what dipshit theories and outright lies Coulter might plot, write, conjure, etc. while in her mandatory bubble of silence. All that pent up verbiage could kill someone once the wires are removed and she's free to spew again; police would do well to clear the area, and protect us all from her blind vitriol in the new year.

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

An Interactive Timeline: Eight Years of Republican Failure

For those waffling voters out there wondering what four-to-eight years of McSame might look like, let's take a moment to recap the last eight. If you're like me, you'll probably throw up a little bit in your mouth as you literally gag over the disaster of the past two presidential terms, courtesy of Bush 43, Cheney and Company.

Palin Revealed as Little More than a Useful Prop for the McCain Campaign

The McCain campaign never bothered to tell Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) that they were conceding Michigan. She revealed Friday in a Fox News interview -- the only post-debate interview the McCain campaign allowed Palin to do -- that she read about it in the newspaper. (Wonder which paper? -- since she couldn't seem to remember any in her disastrous interview with CBS' Katie Couric.) Clearly, Palin is not even close to the inner circle of the campaign -- she's only the running mate after all.

The Maverick's campaign has no plans to have Palin visit any of the Sunday talk shows -- a rite of passage for any serious politician. Damn, I would have loved to have seen Tim Russert get a hold of this supposed junior Maverick wannabe. I bet it would be similar to his now-famous systematic dismantling of David Duke -- revealed as nothing but the racist he was during his unsuccessful run for Louisiana governor several years ago.

There are no other serious interviews planned for Palin -- at least not at the moment. For the next 30 days or so, she'll live in a cocoon. It will be scripted campaign stops only for Sarahcuda -- in short, Palin has become the favorite prop of the McCain campaign. She'll be wound up and trotted out to rile up the base -- and raise funds -- at whistle stops around the country. Palin might cut a few commercials. She'll sign autographs, wink at the crowd, give a shout out to the kiddies, and flirt with Joe Sixpack -- a full day of mugging for the cameras but no answering of any substantive questions. No wonder Americans sense she's not ready for the job.

It's insulting. Condescending. Patronizing. To the entire nation -- but most especially women. Now, let me be clear here -- I am not a Palin fan. I don't think she's qualified to be Vice President. I don't agree with her on anything -- except for perhaps the fact that the sky is, indeed, blue. But I don't think she's a complete idiot either -- she actually was at the start of a promising political career, before John McCain plucked her from that path of development and thrust her into a situation for which she is not prepared. The choice shows not only McCain's lack of judgement, but his selfishness as well. Clearly McCain is willing to expose the nation to the consequences of an ill-advised choice and Palin herself to all kinds of ridicule -- SNL is only the tip of the iceberg, as we know. Yep, McCain has thrust Palin into situations for which she is not prepared simply because she is useful to him, as a sort of Trojan Horse disguising his lackluster campaign -- and potentially setting back all women in the process. No wonder Palin is especially unpopular with likely women voters -- as revealed by a TIME poll done even before her twinkie performance at the debate.

Sure, Palin is good at memorizing and reciting talking points. She's personable -- when the folksiness isn't faked she has a certain charm. But Palin needs more seasoning. A chance to build her political chops on the national stage -- perhaps through the National Governors Association or the Republican Governors Association. And she likely would have if The Maverick had not interrupted a promising political career. Now, if the McCain-Palin ticket loses -- WHEN the McCain-Palin loses -- Sarah Palin will be nothing but a footnote, a joke, an object of derision. And she'll be headed back to lead a state that -- now that it knows her a lot better thanks to John McCain -- is a helluva lot less enamored of their governor.

There are no shortage of media opinions from the right and the left coming to this same conclusion -- that the McCain's campaign positioning of Palin ultimately hurts her and other women candidates. Some have even called for Palin to step down from the campaign. Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker wrote just last week:

"As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion...Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League..."

"Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there...If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself."

"Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first. Do it for your country."

In "Sarah Palin, 'Girl' Candidate: Restricted Access Feeds Gender Bias in Coverage," Linda Lowen writes:

"Whether deliberate or unintended, the soft focus of the Early Show interview [with Palin's parents] barely obscures a biased angle that has become media shorthand for the narrative of Palin's campaign -- the plucky, big-hearted, fresh-faced but naive candidate. This simplistic archetype jeopardizes not just Palin in this particular instance, but all women who run for public office who are young and attractive. The stakes do not revolve about a girl who played high school basketball and won the Miss Wasilla beauty pageant, but a woman struggling to convince voters of her qualifications and her suitability to lead the US as president should the need arise."

In the Detroit Free Press, Rochelle Riley writes:

"She should drop out of the race (no explanation would be needed) and stop making women look bad."

"Her whining about answering a question she wasn't prepared for makes it clear she's not ready for prime time. But her month-long Bumble Across America Tour, during which she has displayed an increasingly clearer level of ignorance about the world and politics, shows she's not ready to represent women. Asking pointed questions of candidates who may become the leaders who run the country not only is allowed, but necessary and prudent. But the more we learn about Palin, the more frightening she becomes. The more she learns about the job and domestic and foreign affairs, the more frightened she should become...Palin is setting the gender back by decades. The next time a woman runs for any national office, her opponents will have sound bites galore from the Palin ditz reel, the last time a woman ran."

It pains me to say it, folks, but the Palin Problem needs to be addressed. I don't want her or her party to win this election -- and maybe her staying on the ticket furthers that Democratic goal. But I also don't want Palin to crash and burn -- selfishly, for the women candidates that will come behind her. And while Palin did not crash in the debate, she did not put all the burning questions to rest, either. I am faced with this awful truth: I'm not sure what's worse -- Palin stepping down, or Palin staying on the ticket. But I do know this much: it would be a cruel, cruel joke -- after Geraldine Ferraro and Elizabeth Dole and Hillary Clinton -- to have the first woman to be a heartbeat from the presidency be someone who simply is not up to the job.

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Bill Maher's Religulous: In Theaters October 3rd

Anyone else concerned about the encroachment of religion into politics, especially in a country where there is supposed to be a bright line separation between church and state? Well, it looks like comedian Bill Maher has taken on the subject in his film, Religulous. Also, if you are looking for an organization that's fighting the good fight on this issue, try Americans United for the Separation of Church and State; their big project now is to stop illegal church electioneering. AU's efforts are particularly important given the Alliance Defense Fund's efforts to politicize the issue and force a court showdown over the separation of church and state. This weekend, more than 200 pastors plan to endorse candidates from the pulpit; if the IRS threatens their non-profit status as a result they have vowed to file lawsuits as part of the Pulpit Initiative. And, given how the Bush Administration has tipped the scales in the judiciary, I am more than a little nervous about the outcome of such challenges. Maybe Maher's movie -- well timed given the Pulpit Initiative's big day -- will help to stem the tide.



Copyright 2008 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

The Conservative Palinguage Guide, Vol. 1

I found this article on That Minority Thing, and it gives a wonderfully fresh perspective on the whole "Palin Effect," not to mention an intelligent way to reframe the crap the McCain spinmeisters are trying to sell us. Does anyone else find it ironic that the Maverick is now afraid to campaign on his own, because he can't draw the kinds of crowds his running mate inspires? Serves him right for mocking Barack Obama's "rock star" appeal. Anyway, read this thought-provoking list for yourself, and let me know what you think.


If you’re a minority and you’re selected for a job over more qualified candidates you’re a “token hire.”

If you’re a conservative and you’re selected for a job over more qualified candidates you’re a “game changer.”


If you live in an Urban area and you get a girl pregnant you’re a “baby daddy.”

If you’re the same in Alaska you’re a “teen father.” (Actually, according to your own MySpace page you’re an F’n redneck that don’t want any kids, but that’s too long a phrase for the evil liberal media to take out of context and flog morning noon and night).


Black teen pregnancies? A “crisis” in black America.

White teen pregnancies? A “blessed event.”


If you grow up in Hawaii you’re “exotic.”

Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you’re the quintessential “American story.”


Similarly, if you name you kid Barack you’re “unpatriotic.”

Name your kid Track, you’re “colorful.”


If you’re a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fulling vetting the individual you’re “reckless.”

A Republican who doesn’t fully vet is a “maverick.”


If you say that for the “first time in my adult lifetime I’m really proud of my country” it makes you “unfit” to be First Lady.

If you are a registered member of a fringe political group that advocates secession that makes you “First Dude.”


A DUI from twenty years ago is “old news.”

A speech given without proper citation from twenty years ago is “relevant information.”


And, finally, if you’re a man and you decide to run for office despite your wife’s reoccurrence of cancer you’re a “questionable spouse.”

If you’re a woman and you decide to run for office despite having five kids including a newborn with Downs Syndrome… Well, we don’t know what that is ‘cause THAT’S NOT A FAIR QUESTION TO ASK!


There are even more examples of the hypocritical spin into which this presidential campaign has suddenly devolved. Visit That Minority Thing for Vol. 2, which includes some insightful reader comments that make great food for thought.

An Open Letter from Someone Who Knows Gov. Sarah Palin

This letter from Wasilla, AK resident Anne Kilkenny is making the rounds, and I thought I would post it here as well for your reading pleasure. I found it on the blog Mudflats: Tiptoeing through the Muck of Alaskan Politics, but its also been posted on The Nation and other sites. The validity of the Kilkenny letter was also confirmed by the blog Fairly Conservative, which had at first claimed it was a fake. The letter is a compelling read, for anyone who wants to know about the woman who could be president.


I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992. Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because she is a “babe”.

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents for seven months.

She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby. There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She’s smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s surplus, borrow for needs.

She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated” her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party) engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit, exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state initiative that would have either a) protected salmon streams from pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since
•“NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconstitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to promote it.
•“Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny + Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor) from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of Wasilla, and I can’t recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible for a private person to get any info out of City Hall–they are
swamped. So I can’t verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the population of Wasilla, ranging from my “about 5,000″, up to 9,000. The day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was 5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to 2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.

Anne Kilkenny

Schlafly and Washington University: Academic Freedom or Insult to Women?

Most of you have probably heard by now that Washington University of St. Louis has decided to honor Phyllis Schlafly, a native St. Louisan and two-time Wash U. graduate, with an honorary doctorate of humane letters. This unanimous decision by the university's Board of Trustees has caused a furor, and rightly so.

Over the years, Schlafly has done it all. She's well known for her successful efforts to defeat the ERA because it was "dangerous." Folks can argue the relative merits of the ERA, but really -- it's anything but dangerous. Schlafly, a lawyer by training, also said there should be bans on women holding certain non-traditional jobs -- like firefighting or construction. And, in controversial statements that have been recirculated since the Wash U. story broke, Schlafly has apparently even doubted whether a wife could really be raped by her husband. Worthy of an honorary degree? Um, not so much.

The school's web site calls Schlafly "a national leader of the conservative movement." A true statement, and in and of itself not a disqualifier for an honorary degree. I wish they had also mentioned, though, that she is the leading anti-feminist of the second wave of the women's movement, who continues to put forward opinions that are anti-theticial to the very lives the women graduates of Wash U. aspire to lead. I don't know about you, but I always thought it was the height of hypocrisy that Schlafly has always been a vocal advocate of the full-time housewife -- while she herself was traveling the country, making speeches, founding and running the Eagle Forum, writing more than 20 books, doing radio and newspaper commentaries, etc. Who was home raising HER children, I wonder??

Not surprisingly, the Wash U. community is fighting back, and the Internet has proven fertile ground to voice their protests. Students have set up a Facebook group, "No Honorary Doctorate for Anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly." At last count, the group has attracted close to 2000 members since the controversy hit the airwaves. Interestingly, parents, students and alumni alike are threatening to hit the university where it hurts -- its pocketbook -- and withhold those sought-after alumni donations in response to the Board's poor judgement. Professors apparently aren't much happier than the alumni and students -- and seriously, there's not a whole lot of things scarier in academia than a pissed off tenured professor.

I think Mary Ann Dzuback, the director of women's and gender studies at Wash U. as well as an associate professor of education and history, hit the nail on the head when she made it clear that she wouldn't be against Schlafly being invited to lecture at the school -- I wouldn't be either. To me, that represents the best in academic freedom, in discourse and debate and differing opinions. But, as Dzuback says, recognizing Schlafly with something as important as an honorary degree is something quite different:

"This tells the world that this administration thinks so highly of the honoree that they give her the highest degrees the university can give, the highest degree of respect. And that is deeply troubling...This is a woman who has spent her whole career arguing against full rights for women."

It certainly seems an odd commencement message to send the women -- and men -- of Wash U. off into the world with -- new graduates, full of hope and excitement, whose choices would be immediately curtailed by a woman who believes that women don't deserve the same opportunities and rights as men, and that the men don't deserve full, accomplished partners who've pursued the full lives they've dreamed of -- whether that is to stay home and raise kids or climb the career ladder or some some combination in between.

The key here, the point here, is that feminism has always been about choices -- opening doors and breaking down barriers so that people can make the choices that are best for them, freely and without restrictions based on their gender. Schlafly would unilaterally take fundamental choices away from women -- and that is not honorable. It is disturbing that Washington University of St. Louis has not only forgotten this history, but that it is also willing to so dishonor the futures of its graduates that it would bestow an honorary degree on Phyllis Schlafly.

Feeling feisty? Send the Chancellor of Wash U. an email or personal note, or heck, give him a call -- the more people he hears from, the better.


Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.