Why Palin, Bachmann Are Not Credible as Strong Female Leaders
By Saul Relative | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Fri, Mar 9, 2012
COMMENTARY | There are several reasons that average Americans do not find former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann credible as strong female leaders. It has very little to do with their conservative political values or the fact that they are not part of the liberal Left's vocal feminist movement. It has everything to do with their subservience to the patriarchal theme, their lip-service to pushing against the "glass ceiling," and their unwillingness to make a stand against those of their own political persuasion in the interest of perceived and actual equality for women.
Both Palin and Bachmann exhibited these less-than-flattering attributes this week in response to the flap initiated by conservative talk radio show host Rush Limbaugh on Feb. 29 when he attacked Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke for her testimony before a congressional hearing on women's health care. Instead of backing Fluke's right to state her opinion without being subjected to ad hominem attacks by chauvinistic male figures like Limbaugh (who has shown a propensity for making sexist remarks over the years), the two took the chance to point out the hypocrisy of the media in reporting on the incident. They both noted that the media seemed in outrage over Limbaugh's remarks but had barely reported on incidents where they had suffered personal attacks themselves.
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Although both Palin and Bachmann had a point that outrage over derogation targeting them weren't exhibited in the same manner (unless one counts Fox News Channel and conservative talk radio, which showed plenty of outrage and reaches more people than many of the other news media outlets combined), they both miss the point that they are public figures and subject to targeting, whereas Fluke was simply stating her opinion on a matter, much as anyone could or would do in any public forum. The difference in Fluke's case was that an individual with tremendous media reach not only voiced his opposition to her statements but twisted them into a mischaracterization that painted her a "slut" and "prostitute." Limbaugh went far beyond the general name-calling that is common among those in political opposition. Millions of people listening to his show found out that, according to Limbaugh, Fluke, a heretofore unknown law student at college, wanted constant promiscuous sex using contraception at taxpayers' expense (another mischaracterization as employers and health care providers pay for the contraception that Fluke spoke about, not taxpayers).
And Palin and Bachmann had nothing to say about the attack on Sandra Fluke herself.
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The reason that the former Alaska governor and the Minnesota congresswoman lack credibility amongst many women has nothing to do with their credentials as conservative politicians. It has everything to do with appearing to be window-dressing for the Republican Party, token examples of the great strides made by women in the party of "old white men," paying lip-service to the shattered glass ceiling of inequality while at the same time cleaning up the mess made doing it so that the males that dominate can continue their politicking virtually undisturbed.
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No, strong female leaders would not allow another female -- no matter her political stripe -- to be publicly humiliated by some bombastic chauvinist entertainer for ratings purposes without some form of remonstration. Unless they are not quite as strong as they would have others believe.
There is no leadership, strong or otherwise, in abdication. Palin and Bachmann can now stop pretending to be strong female leaders.
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