Yes She Can!

The party of diversity appears outraged at the mere thought of a woman holding an important job while raising a family.  They tell us these two things are incongruous – impossible to do both at the same time.  This strange, cynical attitude undercuts Obama’s entire message of “hope” and optimism.  While no one believes that it will be easy, it is strange to suggest Palin’s goal to be impossible.  What motivation could possibly lead them to adopt such a bitter, cynical attitude?

SEXISM.

The Democratic party has long since considered women to be a predictable and reliable constituency on their election maps.  They have operated under the assumption that these women owed them something, were dependent upon them for success.  It’s a soft bigotry – and one which allowed them to “champion” women’s issues while simultaneously putting them down with a straight face.  Sarah Palin has shattered their paradigm of the dependent woman.  She is a self-made woman in every sense of the word.

That old paradigm is dying, and we will never be able to go back to it once it’s finally gone.  Those that have pushed it on us for years know this, and are terrified.  If they have any genuine concern for equality they might celebrate with the rest of us - once they’ve gotten over their fear of progress - but I wouldn’t count on it.

The rise of conservative feminism

With the rise of Palin, I’d say it’s now official, the GOP has become the party of equality.

There are two kinds of feminism: Pro-equality feminism and pro-female, anti-male feminism.

Pro-equality feminism used to be considered the Liberal position. But, over the past 3 decades, starting at about the time of Reagan, pro-equality feminism has gradually grown within the conservative movement, all the while shrinking amongst its leftwing counterparts. Anti-equality feminism, basically a very small group of women who blame men for everything and see women as nothing more than victims, have become distinctly rooted in the Democratic party, forming an unholy alliance with the misogynistic forces present there.

This change is actually quite natural. Liberalism is supposed to be the creation of new good ideas and, at one point created the idea of equality. Conservatism is supposed to be the gathering of good ideas and holding onto them, and I’d say equality is a good idea if there ever was one.

I’ve gotten to study this trend firsthand. Over the past decade, conservative pro-equality college groups and organizations of all kinds have been springing up, steadily gaining influence. The pick of Palin is the culmination of this trend and an announcement of its arrival to the public.

So, to my Liberal friends, you and I may have many disagreements, but this isn’t one of them. As a conservative, I used to proudly proclaim I held the liberal position on equality when it was considered to be such. Now that equality is essentially the conservative position, I know you’ll do the same.

I want my daughters to have all the same opportunities as my son. Viva equality.

McCain/Palin ‘08