Why a lot of women hate Palin

I this this article in Time magazine may be spot on.

In short, the author admits women are petty, vitriolic haters of other women who have what they don't have (for right or wrong). The article imho, is spot on. Women take it down to the grade school level mentality and love to hate as a group. It becomes a social thing for them, says the article. I think in many respects, this is true. Here's the piece:

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Some polls are suggesting that after gaining an initial bump, McCain's campaign is being hobbled by Sarah Palin's vice-presidential candidacy. The voters who are deserting her fastest, some of whom are even calling on her to withdraw, are mostly women.

Ah, women, the consistently, tragically underestimated constituency. What the Democrats learned during the primaries and the Republicans might now be finding out the hard way, I learned at my very academic, well-regarded all-girls high school: that is never to discount the ability of women to open a robust, committed, well-thought-out vat of hatred for another girl.

Women are weapons-grade haters. Hillary Clinton knows it. Palin knows it too. When women get their hate on, they don't just dislike, or find disfavor with, or sort of not really appreciate. They loathe — deeply, richly, sustainingly. I do not say this to disparage my gender; women also love in more or less the same way.

When men disagree, the steps to resolution are reasonably clear and unsophisticated. Acts of physical violence are visited upon one another's person or property, and the whole thing blows over. Women? Nu-unh. We savor the discord. We draw it out. We share our contempt with our friends, like a useful stock tip, or really good salsa. And then we all go hate together: a mutually encouraging group activity for when the book group gets quiet.

The hatred women have for Sarah Palin, and others had for Hillary before her, is not necessarily about politics. Anybody can run the numbers on how many people Palin's pro-life, pro-gun, socially conservative policies will seduce and how many they will alienate. Rather, the test that the McCain campaign failed to put her through was the Abbotsleigh Ladies College test. (Named after my high school. Go, green and gold!). It's a simple three-point pass-fail exam: Will the other girls like her?

Here's why Palin doesn't make the grade:

1. She's too pretty. This is very bad news. At school, pretty girls tend to be liked only by other pretty girls. The rest of us, whose looks hover somewhere around underwhelming, resent them and whisper archly of their "unearned attention." So, if everyone calls your candidate "hot," you're in a whole mess of trouble. If the Pakistani head-of-state more or less hits on her, well, yes, she'll get a sympathy vote, but we're in Dukakis-in-the-tank territory. It's an admiration vaporizer. (Of course a candidate can't be too ugly, or it will scare the men, who are clearly shallow as a gender.)

2. She's too confident. This also bodes ill. Women have self-esteem issues. But they also have other-women's-esteem issues. As almost any woman — from the head of the Budgerigar Breeders association to Queen Elizabeth — can attest, it's almost impossible to get confidence right. Too timid and you're a pushover. Too self-aggrandizing and you're a bad word unless it's about a dog, or Project Runway's Kenley. Or Michelle, my best friend until 9th grade, after she won that debating prize and got cocky.

3. She could embarrass us. History is not on Palin's side. Every time a woman gets a plum job, be she Hewlett-Packard's ex-boss, Carly Fiorina, or CBS's Katie Couric, there's always that whispery fear that people will think she got the job just because she's a woman. So if things don't go well — and a couple of YouTube clips have suggested that they're certainly not going well for Palin — women are the first to turn on her for making it harder for the rest of us to louse up at work.

The fact of the matter is once a female decides it's over with another female, it's like an end-stage marriage. No matter how seemingly benign, every attribute becomes an affront: the hair, the voice, the husband, the moose-shooting, the glasses, the big family, the making rape victims pay for their own rape test kits.

I know, I know. With all this extra baggage a female candidate has to bear, the chances of finding a woman whom other women won't hate seem skinnier than last year's jeans. But don't despair, if all else fails, we could just do what we always do and just vote in some guy. It's worked so well for us in the past.

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On another note, I do not hate her personally as I do not know her personally, I have a problem with her views and how she's being portrayed to the public. Her being "folksy" is of no interest to me. I have no desire to "have a beer with her".

I don't think this article says much of anything.

Palin is failing because she is quite clearly not 'vice presidential' material.

Are you freakin' serious? What a bunch of misogynistic bull doody....(or, maybe it's just self-hatred, given that that author is a woman...).

Pretty pathetic...

Whether I like or dislike a candidate really has nothing to do with their gender.

I like Sarah Palin because of what I know about her.

I dislike Hilary Clinton for the same reason.

Elizabeth Dole has held different positions within our gov't. She's smart, charming, and pretty. She's hard to dislike by either parties.

How come it's wrong for a VP candidate to be inexperienced, but it's alright for Pres. candidate to not be a seasoned statesman?

I am more disturbed by the fact that Sarah Palin can't easily name what she reads than by the fact that she's pretty, I assure you.

However, I do hear some women around me asking some questions that don't get asked about male candidates, and that I haven't heard a lot of men asking: like, how is she going to take care of a special-needs child and be vice-president at the same time? How is she going to be a supportive grandma for her teenaged daughter and her baby when she's thousands of miles away being vice president? And, did Bristol Palin get to make her own choice, or did she get talked into a shotgun wedding because that's best for mama's political fortunes?

But, if the current polls are accurate, it may all be a moot point, anyway.

I think that it's difficult to know the extent to which these questions would also be asked of a male candidate in the same boat because there hasn't been a male candidate in a similar situation (in recent memory, anyway). My first reaction upon learning of her daughter's pregnancy was to think that this is a family in crisis and that this is a time when both parents should be making that a priority. I think I would have a similar reaction with a male candidate, but it is certainly true that these issues are likely getting more attention because she is female (especially with respect to the impact on her infant of being separated so much from his mother...)

Totally agree with what you just said...

Yes some women can be catty, rude, awful, but so can some men!

This author wrote the article to garner some attention for herself -- Sarah Palin is a hot topic and whether an author writes a glowing review or a scathing diatribe - the more controversial it is, the more it will get picked up and the author will get more publicty. Wow, how smart is that?

It's basically lesson 101 from "How to get yourself some easy publicity".... :P

And what about her disabled child? Why has no-one questioned her ability to care for him while she has been Governor of Alaska? What difference would it make that she is VP? She may have extra duties, but maybe her husband can take on some of the duties of caring for their child, maybe they can get a full-time carer (maybe they already have one - they can certainly afford it).

Questions about her disabled child have absolutely no relevance... and in any case it is nobody's business but hers and her family's. Why would other people even discuss this when it does not even concern them and there is nothing they can do about it anyway?

What about shots of tequila?

I have no opinion of Sarah Palin as a "person"...I neither like nor dislike her...I don't know her, personally. I certainly don't "hate" her, for cryin' out loud. I do, however, have serious reservations about her being qualified for the office of VP. I just don't think she is. It is painfully obvious that she does not have the knowledge she would need to step into a Presidential role, if circumstances called for it. I also think she would be a laughing stock among other world leaders...kinda like Bush...and that is, definitely, NOT what we need.

As for jsbach's question, "How come it's wrong for a VP candidate to be inexperienced, but it's alright for Pres. candidate to not be a seasoned statesman?" , for me, it's not a "lack of experience"...with which so many people do seem to have a problem...it's demonstrating a strong knowledge and ability to lead. In my opinion, Palin has neither. I have no problem with a "lack of experience" in any position...some of the best ideas and solutions to problems (throughout history) have come from those who have never had prior experience. I believe it's often easier to "think outside the box", in that respect.

Yes, she is likeable. I have no problem with her attractiveness or her folksy personality...both are quite endearing. Yet, none of that makes her a strong candidate for this office. Yes, she is a strong woman who is dealing with personal issues and hardships...and I admire her dedication and determination...however, I know women, personally, who have personal issues and hardships and are just as strong, dedicated and determined to do well in their careers...I call them my friends and I admire them for their intelligence and strength...but not one of them is qualified for the office of VP and not one of them would get my vote, were they added to any ticket.

For me, it boils down to this: If I strip away all the hype...the special needs child, the pregnant teen daughter, the cute, folksy personality and the attractiveness...what is left? Is she a candidate I can feel confident about, as my President? (Because that's always a possibility with any VP candidate and, let's face it, with McCain's age and health, it might just be a bigger possibility for her.) And, based on my opinion of her ability to run this country, should the need arise, my answer is 100% "No".

Yes, Palin redeemed herself in the debate...but only after showing her ineptitude to the country in the interviews...sorry, but a bell just cannot be un-rung. However, any of those strong women I mentioned, earlier, could have memorized specific information being fed to them, over the course of several days, and would have, most likely, done just as well as Palin. (And, they still wouldn't get my vote.)

Just my 2 cents.

I stated this on another thread, but I felt John Edwards showed bad judgement (perhaps with other things as well) running for president while his wife was being treated for incurable cancer...they have 2 young children and logic would seem to dictate that your family needs you more than ever...call me old fashioned, I guess...

As far as Bristol is concerned, I often wonder what it feels to be "outed" by your own mother...ish!

Why? Because she doesn't have a "D" after her name?

Wow, what kind of women have you been dealing with? There are very few women I know who are like that and the funny thing is, these very few women think just like this author and believe that other women are like them.

There are plenty of "R" women who would widely be viewed as having the competency needed for the job even if one disagreed with their political positions (Dole has already been mentioned, Hutchison, Snowe, Collins would be among the others); even many leading Republicans feel that Palin is a very poor choice and not equipped to handle the job.

Yes, dmc, I had similar questions about Edwards, also. During the primaries, I found myself wondering how he could be president if Elizabeth lost her battle with cancer and he had two small children in the White House? Of course, it's a moot point now.

All honorable mentions, Near...

A side question ... Palin's judgement is being questionaed because her family is in 'crisis' mode as some have put it ... However, when Biden's wife and a child (I believe there was a child as well) died in a horrific car accident leaving him as the sole parent, he still went through and took office ... And such an act was a positive thing showing his character ... Seems a bit of a double standard, but maybe it's just me.

It's a little hard to second-guess that decision now that it's 36 years later, but I really don't see the situations as being that similar. Assuming an office to which one has already been elected is not the same as deciding to go through the rigors of a very competitive and grueling national campaign that demands that you will be away from home virtually 24/7 for months. Biden took his oath of office by the bedside of his hospitalized son (after being persuaded by the Majority Leader that he should not resign), and in fact stayed at the hospital around-the-clock with his boys. And, instead of taking up residence in Washington, as most Senators do, he commuted from Delaware by train daily so he could be home with his sons every night (of course he was a single father after the death of his wife, so both their only parent and the only family breadwinner).

If he had decided to pursue a national campaign shortly after his sons' mother and sister had been killed in an accident, leaving them for extended periods of time, I would view that negatively, but that's not what he did.