[Jim]

Palin's winks and you betchas divide women of Florida

Never before perhaps has such a tiny gesture assumed such electoral importance as Sarah Palin's wink.

Because while, as the cliche has it, the eyes are the window of the soul, Palin's use of her eyes was a window to the views of women in one of the most hotly contested places in this election.

Palin's eyelash batting got under way from the opening moments of Thursday's contest against Joe Biden - and so did the parsing of its significance at a debate-watching party in Florida.

"She is trying to act like a southern belle. She is not acting like someone who could be president of the United States and John McCain is one heart attack away," said Priscilla Glascock, a 26-year-old nurse who is supporting Barack Obama. "The men are going to love it," she sneered.

Not just the men. "I think it's hysterical," said Amanda Day, 36, a business consultant who is voting Republican. "I think women can relate with being in a situation where it's very serious, you kind of have to step back and add that humour, whether it's a wink or it's a shrug."

But for the host Kit Pepper, 52, a member of the non-partisan League of Women Voters, Palin's winking was an affront to the years she spent trying to build up her own political consultancy firm in a male-dominated world.

"She winked at us," Pepper said in disbelief. "All the claims that the media is sexist and the Democrats are being sexist are out the window. The fact that this woman as a vice-presidential candidate stood on national TV and winked at me completely insults me."

Pepper's home in Winter Park, just outside Orlando, is in the politically volatile swath of central Florida - the main battlefield in a battleground state.

Half of her neighbours have McCain lawn signs, the rest are with Obama. When the guests started arriving with bottles of red wine labelled "Bitch" and "Red Truck" and McCain dancing dolls, they too evenly divided along party lines, choosing colour-coded name tags: red for Republicans, blue for Democrats, and gold for Undecided.

But while the partisan loyalties were established well in advance, the Palin-Biden show soon moved into unfamiliar terrain as the first vice-presidential debate between a male and a female candidate in a generation. For the two dozen women guests, ranging in age from late teens to their 60s, it was impossible to overlook Palin's use of her femininity and Biden's efforts to avoid making gender-related gaffes.

The guests whooped when the CNN reaction meter consistently showed Palin getting a more enthusiastic response from male viewers than women. Biden, in contrast, was a bigger hit with women.

But their own reactions also mixed up the dividing lines of politics and gender. Some of the staunchest Democrats had a sneaking admiration for Palin's audacity - even while handing the debate to Biden on substance. "She is owning it now. Look at her," said Margaret Nolan, a management consultant. "You go girl."

Some of the Republicans could not help disassociating themselves from Palin - even while praising her skill at using winks and a folksy turn of phrase to connect with middle America.

"I can't imagine myself doing that wink," said Lydia Gardner, a Republican local government official first elected in 1987. "I lived in Boston. I lived in Washington and I went to a very cosmopolitan and very sophisticated university where that wink maybe would not have been done. But for her, and for where she is from and for her background it's perfectly appropriate."

Pepper had organised her party half-expecting Palin to self-destruct. Day, on the opposite end of the political spectrum, admitted she had switched off the television set this week during Palin's now notorious interview with CBS. "It was just too embarrassing," she said.

By the end of the night, most of the party agreed Palin had made no significant stumbles. But even as Palin's little flourishes became an Alaskan blizzard of doggone its, bless their hearts, darn rights, hecks, and you betchas, she did not inspire confidence either.

From the depths of the overstuffed sofa, Day gave Biden much higher marks on substance. "He walked all over her on foreign policy," she said, but then argued that Americans don't vote on international issues anyway.

Palin also failed to dispel the impression that she had been fed her lines by Republican handlers and was dutifully spitting them out again. "If I hear her say the word 'maverick' one more time I am going to shoot somebody - and I am a Republican," said Lisa Romine.

If Biden felt a similar frustration, he hid it fairly well from the women in the room, but Barbara Nelen, 52, a massage therapist who wore an "undecided" name tag, thought she picked up some condescension. "At certain times, he just let out a big sigh," she said. "It was pretty clear he looked down on her."

Her daughter, Alexa, a student voting for the first time, did not feel for Palin. "I think she is trying to be more of a motivational speaker than telling us what she would do in the government."

When it was over, Day clenched both fists in the air like a prize fighter and screamed. "She survived, she survived."

Even the Democrats had to agree. Palin had survived - doggone it.




http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/0...2008.sarahpalin

[Ameriki]

Salaam Brother,

LOL, all this political motivated posts are kinda odd BrJimC.. One after another? We get it.. But are we also going to mention that Biden lied over 10 times during the debate? Is that what we need more of? Politicans lying to us, straight to our faces? Obama and Biden sound like 8 more years of Bush too.. Welcome to American politics

This post has been edited by Issa Raheem: 05 October 2008 - 04:16 PM

[jazain]

call it even...mccain lied when he said he picked the best person for the job when he picked sarah palin. we all know what that was really about.

[Rhoda]

Well, at least he's not WINKING.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DygBj4Zw6No&NR=1

This post has been edited by Rhoda: 05 October 2008 - 04:37 PM

[Ameriki]

call it even...mccain lied when he said he picked the best person for the job when he picked sarah palin. we all know what that was really about.

Salaam,

Even? LOL Come on sister, is that the change Obama and the guy who did nothing in the senate for over what? 30 years are shoving down our throats? Sound like more of the same.. Lets not forget Biden voted for the Iraq war too.. This is the funniest part of it all;



LOL, What a joke this election has become.. I still say Vote RON PAUL! LOL What a shame

This post has been edited by Issa Raheem: 05 October 2008 - 04:35 PM

[jazain]

sorry. but i do mean it. with all my heart!

[Rhoda]

Jazain, whom do you think McCain should have picked?

[Ameriki]

sorry. but i do mean it. with all my heart!

Me too, Joe Biden and Barak Obama are just as corrupt as the Bush administration.. Joe Biden said he would rather run with John McCain than a Obama presidency.. LOL I mean, it's enough to make your head spin..

[Rhoda]

For those of you who are upset by Sarah's wink, here is a whole series of pictures of winking.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion...51.photogallery

[Ameriki]

LOL!

[jazain]

Jazain, whom do you think McCain should have picked?

i really dont know rhoda...but not her. im sure he thought at the time that because of her gender that would certainly win people over. and i did sit and listen to her a couple of times. she's intelligent but she's a bit too goofy for me. i guess after years of seeing condoleeza rice's starched arse, im not used to giddiness in politics anymore. lol . sorry.

[Jim]

Salaam Brother,

LOL, all this political motivated posts are kinda odd BrJimC.. One after another? We get it.. But are we also going to mention that Biden lied over 10 times during the debate? Is that what we need more of? Politicans lying to us, straight to our faces? Obama and Biden sound like 8 more years of Bush too.. Welcome to American politics

Yeah bro... I had to post this article in support of another post from another thread... but it is interesting

Lets face it though...

Obama is not going to change things in America much.. but I think it will be more than the republican ticket will be able to since Bush annihilated public trust both domestically and internationally.

[Jim]

LOL!

lol!

i should photoshop some bunny ears on him

[spike]

He needs a couple of horns too. Do it, do it, do it.

lol!

i should photoshop some bunny ears on him

[Misbah (The One)]

"She is trying to act like a southern belle. She is not acting like someone who could be president of the United States and John McCain is one heart attack away," said Priscilla Glascock, a 26-year-old nurse who is supporting Barack Obama. "The men are going to love it," she sneered.

Nice, .. real nice..lol


And as for so much political news gong around because of a wink from Sarah, wow, i tell you America has definitely a lot of time on their hands.. also what annoys me the most is that when real issues are at stake, the public should be concentrating on who next to run the country, not on 'their winking skills' and how 'hight is the hemline issues.

[Misbah (The One)]

Seedy wink

Now that wink looks very sly.. that i can debate..lol

[jazain]

"She is trying to act like a southern belle. She is not acting like someone who could be president of the United States and John McCain is one heart attack away," said Priscilla Glascock, a 26-year-old nurse who is supporting Barack Obama. "The men are going to love it," she sneered.

Nice, .. real nice..lol


And as for so much political news gong around because of a wink from Sarah, wow, i tell you America has definitely a lot of time on their hands.. also what annoys me the most is that when real issues are at stake, the public should be concentrating on who next to run the country, not on 'their winking skills' and how 'hight is the hemline issues.

its not winking skills thats turning people off, its her goofy nature in general. one would hope that their politician could behave in a professional manner and not think that theyre forever making a speech in front of friends and fmily lat a friday night high school football game. i would imagine that "cutie" skill has gotten her through many situations. VP of the united states shouldnt be one of those situations. i dont even care for Rice but at least she is immaculately professional!!

[Misbah (The One)]

Yeah i know Sis, but just look at the poor Pakistani people they have a 'perv, hard up, Sarah hugging' bloke for a President!

She wants people to love her, you know all that crappy cute, goofy, 'im such a southern belle' type of woman thingy going on.

This post has been edited by Misbah (The One): 06 October 2008 - 06:24 AM

[jazain]

she def is NOT a southern belle......we only have those where we live in the south. real southern belles could never be imitated. and i dont mean old rednecks like in that stupid redneck video. i mean real, gracious, softspoken, well educated, best manners in the world, impeccably dressed southern bells. and THOSE are even hard to find in this day and age. most of them are elderly now.
southern belles dont wink and say you betcha.....ever.

ok..end of my school lesson for the day.

[Misbah (The One)]

lol.. erm ok Jana, shows how much i know about Southerners .. Rach is a 'Southern Belle' oh wait, she's 'Sweet Home Alabama' girl..... (she hates that song)..lol