tom legan | October 5, 2008, 2:16am | #

i think that ANY women who rises to the level of a state governor should be seen as a true feminist! she has stood on her own two feet, and taken on, and suceeded in the male dominated world. that she is physically pleasing to behold is a bonus. she went toe to toe with an experienced politician and came out very well. that she is a conservative, warms the cockels of my heart.

Julia Lucas | February 26, 2009, 1:36pm | #

I am just going to copy and paste from that other Sarah Palin article. How many times will I have to say it?

Sarah Palin is not a feminist--but Hillary Clinton is. During Bill Clinton's presidency Hilary Clinton spent her time rallying around the world for women's rights; she also in the past has fought for health care for all US citizens. It is sexist to say just because her husband was president she couldn't stand on her own--which she has always done and continues to do so. In fact, if I recall, Hillary Clinton suffered extreme sexism throughout her husband's term in office because she was a working mother, including demeaning phrases on car bumper stickers.--yet with Sarah Palin people suddenly people care.
Furthermore, Sarah Palin is not a feminist. She is not even pro-women. She has charged women for rape-kits,despite claims to the contrary, yet is evident in budget documents signed by Sarah Palin to shift the cost to the victims. I know from experience in the rape/domestic violence prevention sphere that rape is a traumatic enough event without forcing the woman to go into medical debt as she deals with the horror of rape. This may turn some women away from evidence kits, making it harder to convict rapist. And remember that Alaska has one of the highest rates of domestic violence and rape in the country. Furthermore, her belief in denying the choice of abortion to women, especially rape and incest victims, is anti-women. Rape and incest are traumatic events forced upon a women, and by denying them choice she is once again forcing a woman to undergo an evnt/ pregnancy she may not want, thus resulting in another forced act upon a woman's body. Furthermore, she believes in abstinence-only educaiton, which has been proven not to work (her own daughter got pregnant). What she does not seem to be aware of is the fact that young women, particularly of color, are now the population most likely to get HIV and that when a teen gets pregnant she is less likely to graduate from high school, let alone attend college, and if so has many obstacles in her path. Presently I am working in education and witness these facts daily. Abstinence-based comprehensive sexuality education can help rectify these issues that strike young women particularly hard.
In conclusion, just because a woman has power does not mean she is a feminist, or even pro-woman. Just look at Patricia Shaefer's view on marital rape.
Sometimes women can be just as sexist and patriarchal as men, no matter what their station in life.