Country First? I think not.

Ms. Couric asked, “Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?”
“We have trade missions back and forth,” said Ms. Palin. “We do. It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to our state.”


It is frightening and insulting that John McCain would put his own selfish agenda before the people of this country. "Country First" is a crock of sh*t. If he truly ascribed to that mantra, he would have never chosen such an unqualifited, unprepared, and ill-informed person to be his vice presidential candidate. As each day goes by, it becomes increasingly aggrivating. Her awful politics aside, Governor Palin is proving in interview after interview that she is simply not up to par.

I hope Biden blows her out of the water on Thursday. Although, given McCain's "hail mary" attempt at postponing the first presidential debate, I would not be surprised if their campaign tries to pull some show-stopping excuse out of obscurity. We'll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, head over to VPilfDaily for your daily dose of fake and real Sarah Palin pictures and news stories. That is, of course, after you check out the world's 2nd hottest policitican, decided by Maxim magazine (where men learn how to objectify women cleverly). "Is it hot in here, or is it just global warming?" Oh, yes.

Obama Waffles: Are You Serious?

I like breakfast. Not my favorite meal of the day, but it's grown on me in the past few years. I like omlets, scrambled eggs, pancakes and even waffles.

But I don't like racist caricatures that create and perpetuate stereotypes that are harmful and hurtful. And I don't like them on a box of waffles.

Admittingly inspired by other food products featuring racist depictions of African Americans, the creators see no problem with their attempt at political satire.

It's not surprising that their bright idea sparked so much controversy that they were banned from selling Obama Waffles at the Values Voter Summit by organizers (after the product had been on sale for three days). Even the girls over at The View all agreed that this time, the joke went too far.

There is just nothing funny about

depicting Obama, a Catholic, in traditional Muslim headdress. There is also nothing funny about the recipe for "Open Border Fiesta Waffles" on the back, which can feed "up to 4 illegal aliens."

In fact, the whole thing is disgusting and I am, for once, speechless.

Fox News Watch: Terror Threat

Yes, for a whole hour this afternoon, Fox News Channel featured a segment called "America's Future: The Terror Threat." They interviewed a lot of random people, mostly McCain campaign advisors, and tried to paint a picture of each presidential candidate's readiness to fight the "war on terror" which we're apparently still fighting, according to Fox. (Last I checked, we were occupying a country which had nothing to do with 9/11, and still making a mess in Afghanistan--if that's a justifyable war, then I'm a flying squirrel.) It shouldn't be a surprise that Fox thinks McCain is ready and willing to continue the "war on terror," and that he's the guy who will keep America safe from future attacks. Obama believes racially profiling Muslims in America is unfair and blatantly racist, but McCain camp sees nothing wrong with it. In fact, his advisor said it is necessary because you have to "go where the problem is." (Then maybe we should start profiling evangelists for running child porn rings out of their compounds since that's where the problem is. I swear, look it up.)

The second half of the segment features stories of foiled attacks here in the US since 9/11. Full of sketches of traditional looking Islamic men and women in jails and courtrooms, the show tries to remind us that we are still not safe from terror attacks from the "scary" middle east. "While there hasn't been an attack on America since 9/11, it is important to remember that they've tried, there have been dozens of busted plots on US soil." Throughout the show, Fox flashes images of nuclear power plants, tall buildings, national landmarks intertwined with clips of terrorist training camps and Islamic radicals toting machine guns running up sandy hills. The intentions here are blatantly obvious.

The point of this show is to keep America afraid. The "fear" tactic worked for nearly 8 years, why not try it again? If we're still living in fear of another attack, then naturally we need to elect the guy who will keep us the safest. Before every commercial break, the segment features polls that ask questions like, "Which candidate do you trust to keep America safe?" and "Which candidate would you rather have as the president if America is attacked again?" The breakdown always looks something like this: Obama 35%, McCain 55%. And the number of each sequential poll seemed to lean increasingly toward McCain. Magic? Something like that. Perhaps the 10% unaccounted for think Governor Palin would be best suited for the job. Yikes.

And saving the best for last, the show rounds out the hour with a spotlight on Iran. The narrator tells us Iran now contains and supports terrorists and training camps, and has plans to create nuclear weapons in the near future. According to Fox, Iran is a big threat, and they essentially tell us that Iran will continue to be a threat until we take care of the problem. We know Iran has been on the minds of those oil thirsty Republicans for a long time now. I think there was a famous senator who recently sang, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran." Hmm...

While the whole show is completely transparent to me (and hopefully you), a scary number of Americans watch and believe Fox's rhetoric and twisted reporting. So, make sure you still have your terror attack kits in your closets, and plently of canned foods and bottled water just in case. Be afraid, people. Be very afraid.

Let's talk about feminism.

You can pick a woman for your VP candidate, but that doesn't make her a feminist. You can toss around words, like "glass ceiling," and post Palin's face on Rose the Riveter buttons, but you cannot call her a feminist.

A feminist is someone who's beliefs and behaviors are based in feminism. The dictionary defines feminism as "the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men." Now, can you assert or assume that any person, man or woman, is a feminist simply based on their job title?

Governor Palin is being painted as a "feminist" by the Republican Party (and the media) in an obvious attempt to pick up those Hillary supporters who they believe would elect any candidate, as long as the ticket includes a woman. It seems they failed to think of the oceans of difference between Hillary and Palin on every single issue. Palin is not, by any means, a suitable "replacement" for Hillary in the November election. She does not stand for any of the same platforms and quite frankly, it is disgusting that she is even being compared to Hillary--a woman who actually stood for feminist ideology. The only similarity between Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin is they're both women.

Now, why exactly can't we call Sarah Palin a feminist? The truth is, Palin is as anti-woman as the Bush administration. She believes the government should control a woman's body completely. In a case of rape or incest, she believes abortion is never the solution, and would work to make sure Roe vs Wade is overturned. She is a threat to women's autonomy and safety. In addition, she does not advocate for equality in any sense of the word. She is anti-human rights, anti-birth control, and believes in abstinence-only sex education (which turned out well in her own household). She stands for everything feminism works against, she just happens to be a woman.

Is Sarah Palin empowering women? Some, sure. Is she showing the country that a woman can do a man's job? Not quite. She's a yet another Republican pawn used to perpetuate right-wing religious ideals. She's only allowed to deliver her stump speech, written by the campaign coordinators, and unscripted interviews are off the table, unless it is a very special circumstance (take the one and only interview she has done for example--certainly showed how uninformed and ill-prepared she is). She's just another right-wing, gun slinging radical who is using cute slogans to lure voters to the McCain ticket.

So let's set the record straight: Sarah Palin is not a feminist.

Where are the cheerleaders?!

Wait, is this a rally on a campaign trail, or a college football game? I'm not quite sure.....

During the morning news coverage of the McCain campaign trail from Monday, September 15th, I couldn't help but notice a large group of young men in the front row with painted chests that read, "McCain * Palin." Is this where this election is going? Should the upcoming election be treated like an unpredictable college football season, full of painted chests, devoted and loyal fans, season tickets and tailgating? Perhaps, that whole idea trivializes the incredible importance of the upcoming election. The focus should be on the issues, like the current state of our economy, and not on "You Go Girl" buttons, and "Read My Lipstick: Vote for McCain/Palin" signs. It is frustrating to watch the majority of Americans buy into this seemingly obious form of viral marketing, as the McCain/Palin brand (and they have certainly turned into a sellable, marketable product very quickly, and more than willingly) is shoved into our faces constantly.

Of course, I did just purchase a shirt from Urban Outfitters with Obama's face on it, but hey, at least he's cool. And that's proof, at least, that both sides of the proverbial fence are guilty of this "celebritization" of the candidates. (Yes, I did just make up a new word. It'll catch on, you'll see.) I know McCain's camp spent the summer throwing around terms like "celebrity" and "inexperienced," but now they have a truly inexperienced celebrity of their own, AND they've jumped on Obama's "Change" train.

Clearly at this point, it's anybody's game. I'll bring the hot wings and the beer.

The Start of Something New

I will be turning this blog into something amazing. I have to do a project for my Gender and Pop Culture class, and decided to create a blog dedicated to expressing my views on Political Pop Culture. Specifically, I will be analyzing the use of popular media for political purposes, focusing on representations of gender, race, class, sexuality, etc. In the past decade, Presidential and local elections have permeated social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. Politics have taken a front seat on websites such as YouTube, and all across the blog world. This media spotlight on politics and politicians in every aspect of popular culture has profound effects on the presentation of political issues, and most importantly, on the many representations of political candidates, from local government to Presidential candidates. It is extremely important to take a closer look at these representations and challenge their existence, in order to understand their purpose in perpetuating racial, sexual, and gender stereotypes.