Sarah Palin: “Barack Obama is a faux feminist”

Sarah Palin, the anti-reproductive rights, anti-fair pay, objectively pro-sexual assault Republican vice presidential candidate has a new line of attack: Barack Obama is a “faux feminist”:

Speaking at a boisterous rally near Las Vegas, Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, on Tuesday sharply attacked Sen. Barack Obama as a faux feminist, criticizing him for not choosing Sen. Hillary Clinton as his running mate and accusing him of paying the women who work on his Senate staff less than their male colleagues.

Ms. Palin spoke flanked by female supporters she described as members of the Democratic platform committee and the National Organization for Women. She took a strongly feminist tack throughout, criticizing practices such as honor killings in the Muslim world as well as inequities closer to home and singling out female owners of small businesses, especially one she described as “Irma the Restaurant Owner.”

Civil rights scholar Lani Guinier often arguesthat descriptive representation of underrepresented minorities doesn’t necessarily translate substantive representation.  That is, just because gerrymander districts to elect African-Americans, for example, doesn’t mean that said African-Americans will represent the concerns of members of their districts, nevermind African-Americans at large.  Sarah Palin is a perfect example of this, since in no way does Sarah Palin represent the interests of most women; she is firmly anti-choice, and she makes no exception for rape, incest, or the “health of the mother” (to use John McCain scare quotes).  She has gone on record as opposing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and as mayor of Wasilla, did nothing to alieviate the terrible burden of having to pay for a rape kit.  Not to mention that Alaska has an outrageously high sexual assault rate, higher in fact, than any other state in the union.

And sure, Palin might mouth something about honor killings, but she is heading up a ticket which was responsible for the Iraq War, which has been absolutely terrible for women.  For the distinctly anti-feminist Sarah Palin to accuse Barack Obama (you know, the same Barack Obama who is a staunch supporter of reproductive rights, and has made equal pay a centerpiece of his campaign) of being a “faux feminist” is, frankly, close to the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.