Racism v. Sexism

When confronted with racism, those affected band together to fight back. Sometimes they even win: witness African-Americans & Obama.
When confronted with sexism, women fight among themselves and thus usually end up losing.

Feminism: Actions vs Words

Who is more for women in the workplace, Obama or McCain?

Using the public information compiled on the Web site of the non-partisan group Legistorm, Murdock concludes that, on average, women in McCain's office are paid more than the men in McCain's office -- $1.04 for every dollar a man makes. Men in Obama's office make more than women do; female employees make 83 cents for every dollar made by male employees.

Murdock frames this as an issue of pay equity, but it's not really -- if anything, it's more a matter of a "glass ceiling."

(Or, at least, that's what feminist groups would likely be saying if the situations were reversed.)

Only one of Obama's five best-paid Senate staffers is a woman. Of McCain's five best-paid Senate staffers, three are women.

Of Obama's top 20 salaried Senate staffers, seven are women. Of McCain's top 20 salaried Senate staffers, 13 are women.

True that McCain is more senior and may have a larger budget just because he has a larger budget does not mean his women staff will be paid more than his men staff. Nor does it mean that he will have more women on his staff either does it.

Also true that Obama has many high powered women on his staff but that he has women on campaign staff does not mean they outnumber the men, or are paid equivalent.

What this exemplifies is that it would be a mistake for feminists to latch themselves onto political parties rather than endorsing candidates based on their records of feminism. Even if your most valued issue is abortion there are plenty of pro-choice republicans and pro-life democrats. When you are too allied to one party or another, you will eventually be taken for granted. It seems to me this has been the case with the Dems and feminists.

Feminists should broaden your influence by adhering to feminist issues and candidates rather than political parties.

And in this election, it seems to me that McCain is more of the feminist than Obama is.

Feminism

The recent campaign of Hillary Clinton and the current campaign for Sarah Palin has brought the topic of feminism to the forefront for me. I have been amazed at the responses, predominantly from the left, and from a surprising percentage of women, on what they believe feminism is about.

I have always thought that feminism was about supporting a woman's right to become what ever she wants to be. Women should be doctors (over 51% of medical students are now women), lawyers, soldiers, athletes, politicians, and whatever else she desires. And to be a feminist is to support these opportunities for yourself as a woman and for other women.

Apparently I am wrong. According to the left, including leftist women, all it takes to be a feminist is to be a woman who is pro-choice.

Despite becoming the first woman governor of Alaska by running against a corrupt old-boys network, she should not be considered a feminist.
Despite trippling state funds for troubled teens, including pregnant teenagers.
Despite increasing state funds for special needs children to make it easier for their care givers (we all know which sex the care givers tend to be).
Despite advocating abstinence and contraception education.
Nope, she is not a feminist at all. Haven't made anything of herself. Haven't supported other women either.

The left is trapped by their own hypocisy.