“Sexist” Republicans and the Professionally Indignant

So I open my inbox to find an e-mail from The Sibling.  Seems that one of her associates is searching for a campaign item, a button sported by the Indiana delegation at the RNC.

Buttons are the hot item at the Republican National Convention. The Alaskan button reads, “From the coldest state comes the hottest vice president.”  But [Indiana State] Sen. Sue Landske and some fellow Hoosiers came up with a button of their own: “Hoosiers for the hot chick.”

Pat Koch from Santa Claus, Indiana likes it.

“Being a hot chick, strong fun and capable all go together,” said Koch, who said she wouldn’t see anything sexist even if a man were to don the button.

“We’ve been selling them at five dollars for hurricane victim relief and we’ve sold 250 of them,” said Sen. Landske.

At this point I must regretfully confess that, political junkie though I be, this is one aspect of Palin-o-mania that managed to escape my notice.


Not that I hadn’t already seen a ton of Pailn-inspired fan art.  This, for example...

and this one...

not to mention this one...

(which is official GOP merchandise!)

as well as posters like...

and, of course, there’s always VPilf.com.

But I hadn’t heard about “Hoosiers for the Hot Chick” (and Sibling hadn’t sent me the WTHR story).  So I Googled it.

Well. Such indignation!

CNN just showed what is presumably a member of the Indiana delegation with a button, featuring a logo and picture of McCain and Palin along with the following: “Hoosiers for the Hot Chick.”

Since the Republicans have just discovered the concept of sexism, I guess we can understand if they are not yet up to speed on the whole “politically correct” thing. - “Bernie”

McCain is bitching about supposed sexism from Democrats when this is what is being worn by Indiana delegates at the RNC?

What a bunch of b*llsh*t. - “Evil Monkey”

While watching the frenzied, milky-white crowd at the Republican National Convention yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice the buttons that many of the delegates were wearing to support Sarah Palin who was giving her speech that night.  We’ve moved past the “Girl Power” stage, and now I guess we’re just telling it like it is.  The two examples:

Alaska: “Coldest State, Hottest Gov. – Palin for V.P."
Indiana: “Hoosiers for the Hot Chick”

Wait, seriously?  This is allowed?  It appears that suddenly objectification is perfectly acceptable, as long as it brings votes with it.  While selling your candidate as a “hot chick” might appeal to the college frat boy demographic, all of those young voters are probably going to be too hung over to vote on election day to get within a mile of a ballot box.  And can you imagine the reaction if female Democratic delegates started wearining “Obama the Stud” buttons?^[1] - “The Valkyrie”^[2]

...It might have actually meant something to the long and ongoing feminist movement until it became clear that a lot of old white men were demeaning Palin and every other woman in the United States by touting their “Hoosiers for the Hot Chick” and “Hottest Governor/Coolest State” buttons at the Republican National Convention.

And just like that she was positioned like every other woman in our country: an object to be desired (or not) by men who can’t see or think beyond faces and bodies. - unsigned post (by Stephanie Jones?)

As if this were a NASCAR race, not a Presidential one, Indiana delegates wore the following buttons during Palin's convention speech tonight: “Hoosiers for the Hot Chick,”  And from her home state of Alaska: “From the coldest state comes the hottest vice president.” I’m not doubting that her “hottness” ticket won't get her and McCain elected, I'm just doubting that I’ll be able to stomach much more of this...  It’s completely absurd to me that a woman, running for VP of the USofA, would want to be advertising herself this way. - “chiartguy”

And of course, somebody named Blow at The New York Times had to weigh in:

I find many ...[McCain supporters]... to be sexist.  Fresh-faced?  Delegates on the floor of the Republican National Convention wearing buttons like “Hoosiers for the hot chick”?

You get the idea.

Now does all this righteous indignation bother me?  Not really.  Because I’d bet that not one of the writers quoted above has ever even considered voting Republican.  They probably don’t even know any (out) Republicans.  Yet they have no problems imputing the worst of motives.

Because it’s not really about “objectification,” and it’s not about being “politically correct,” either.  It’s about feigning outrage to score points off your opponent.  Shouting loudly to cover up reality.^[3]  Just sound and fury.

And besides, deep down in their heart-of-hearts, they know those Machiavellian Repubs, while they may still be sexist, aren’t that stupid. (At the least, the evil Rove would have anticipated their reaction, and warned of it.)  No, it has to be intentional.

So what are the Republicans up to, if the “Republicans==Sexists” explanation is too pat, too obvious. There must be a deeper game.

Perhaps we should call on Jeff Goldstein for analysis. Could it be that the Republicans, in first creating and distributing buttons to proclaim Sarah Palin’s hottitude, and then actually nominating her, are engaged in deconstructing what it means for a woman to run for office?  By confronting our stereotypes of “hot woman==airhead” and “responsible woman==not sexually attractive” (i.e., “mom”). (Except Sarah Palin is a mom. Oops!)^[4]  And breaking the stereotype that “politically active woman==liberal”?  Have they not turned the signifier on its head?^[5]  Republicans doing postmodernism?  Who knew?

Or did they just do this in order to have a good laugh at the professionally indignant’s espense?

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Posted by: Old Grouch in Rants at 00:33:53 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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