Social conservatives pleased with Palin pick

Farrar, I thank you for your apology which sounds sincere and is appreciated.  It takes real guts to do that, and I salute you.

The reason I applied the term "Misogynist" in the first place is because you wrote the following:

This appointment makes perfect sense if you are a self-centered, egotistical megalomaniac needing to solidify your conservative base without actually having your politics challenged by such an appointment. Someone he can justifiably send off to some deep, dark room somewhere to sharpen pencils if she ever tried to raise a voice of concern over some real policy issue in a John McCain administration.

Schopenhauer is famous for his essay "On Women" (Über die Weiber), in which claimed that "woman is by nature meant to obey."  There are many definitions of misogyny, however this "obedience" aspect is what I read into your "criticism" of McCain as a thinly veiled insult toward Sarah Paliin's accomplishments, competency and resume - which is in no way as thin as the MSM, the Obama Campaign and Jon Stewart would like us to believe.  I am absolutely convinced that her noncomformist, nonthreatening manner of being able to challenge her colleagues will apply to challenging McCain if she feels he's mistaken as much as it will being mentored by him when she feels he's on the right track.  Misogyny generally falls into two categories: (1) women are not qualified for "this type of work" and (2) a warning against the wiles of women (the latter is being perpetrated by the Left, and I congratulate you for wisely not going down that particular road).

Lisa, you've made your intention to withhold your vote for McCain clear from the start, and I've never faulted you for your decision in that regard.  I felt that you had made an informed choice in the matter, and that his values were not aligned with yours.  This statement, however, tremendously disappoints me:

As a woman I'm insulted by McCain's obvious pragmatic use of Ms. Palin to pander to both women and to evangelicals; as well as by his assumption that women will flock to a ticket just because there's a girl on it.

This fallacy of extension thankfully falls short of the comparison to Hitler, but it certainly exaggerates your opponent (Senator McCain) as a panderer and user. 

Let's say that my manager decides to throw me into a project group which had never taken off previously because most of the male members of the group were not well-disposed toward working with feminist women.  In fact they would regularly chew them up and spit them out, thus rendering the project completely stalled.  Should I be insulted if my manager sized me up as someone who possessed an attitude that would render me more useful in achieving results with conservative males in the construction and non-professional trades than some of my colleagues?  Perhaps I should instigate a lawsuit against him for "using me"?  Would that be productive?  Or should I acknowledge the skill of an executive who picks the best team player for the role that will allow the entire team to meet specific goals for success.  Anyone who is offended by such pragmatism to achieve results is, in my opinion, either (a) naive and inexperienced, (b) counterproductively ideological, and/or (c) biased against the executive. 

Governor Palin has accomplished more in two years than her predecessor did in twelve years.  As far as Palin being a "pawn in a game", let me assure that we are all pawns in a game.  If you're a human being living in any kind of community that requires interaction with other humans, you are, by definition, a pawn in some form of game or other.  She's been hired to perform a role, and to perform the tasks required by her executive and the rest of the team.  In chess, even the King and Queen are "played" by the chessmaster.  No one is above it, and that is not a useful critique.  Having 20 year relationships with racists like Jeremiah Wright and allegedly extorting $100 million from the Annenberg Foundation and the taxpayers of Illionois in partnership with William Ayers - those are what I would consider useful critiques for the leadership of this country. 

McCain's decision also has absolutely nothing to do with a "girl" on the ticket.  This is offensive to me because Governor Palin hardly a girl - she is a fully grown woman who's about to become a grandmother.  Frankly I'm appalled that a woman would speak in such disrespectful terms about another woman. McCain's decision has to do with putting a non-conformist who was willing to butt heads with the corrupt Republican establishment on the ticket.  McCain would have chosen such an individual, whom he feels matches his "maverick reformer" credentials, regardless of gender.  Your opinion indicates a complete ignorance and lack of research that is unworthy of the intelligence and scholarship I was sure you possessed.  The greatest single qualifier for Palin is that she took on the corrupt Republican establishment and won.  Her next great qualifier is her experience in the energy industry, which is central to our national security and economy.

As far as being emotionally involved with this VP pick, as a middle-aged woman who is overjoyed to see someone of my gender and generation finally reach a level of service in this country which is historic, well-earned and which has energized the base in a way I never though possible, I am pleased to admit to such an involvement.