The Illusion of Progress Part III

Every time the news media informs us about who Sarah Palin is and what her attitude and political philosophy is, the chance of the Supreme Court overturning Roe V Wade if McCain/Palin get into office, rapidly advance.

Both party conventions have moved into the annals of history. Left behind in its tumultuous wake is a powerful reversal of fortune, at least for the time being, in favor of the Republicans. How long McCain's good luck streak lasts may largely depend on how soon The National Enquirer splashes allegations about a past affair Palin supposedly had with a man that worked alongside her husband.

Yet even before these adultery assertions have time to start churning the waters Palin was spewing enough right wing declarative statements to set Democratic tongues wagging. Namely that Palin's zero tolerance for abortion on any grounds. Never before in this long marathon of a campaign, has the Republican Party so stridently exposed the religious right's hidden agenda in full view of everyone.

Every time the news media informs us about who Sarah Palin is and what her attitude and political philosophy is, the chance of the Supreme Court overturning Roe V Wade if McCain/Palin get into office, rapidly advance.

Both party conventions have moved into the annals of history. Left behind in its tumultuous wake is a powerful reversal of fortune, at least for the time being, in favor of the Republicans. How long McCain's good luck streak lasts may largely depend on how soon The National Enquirer splashes allegations about a past affair Palin supposedly had with a man that worked alongside her husband.

Yet even before these adultery assertions have time to start churning the waters Palin was spewing enough right wing declarative statements to set Democratic tongues wagging. Namely that Palin's zero tolerance for abortion on any grounds. Never before in this long marathon of a campaign, has the Republican Party so stridently exposed the religious right hidden agenda in full view of everyone.

Without taking anything away from Sarah Palin’s smart brain or beautiful face, she is markedly as far right as you can get without running into the ghost of Jesse Helms. Her decision to carry her down syndrome child to full term is not just a personal choice. If left to her own ultra right devices, the right to an abortion could be relegated to the decision of each state, or in an even worse scenario, a Republican president appointing another right wing Supreme Court Justice would tip the balance enough so that the Federal Abortion Law could be stricken from the books altogether.

Writing as a woman who witnessed the women’s lib movement from the front lines, the neon lit differences between Obama’s camp and McCain’s goes far beyond the issues of economics, foreign policy, healthcare, social programs and education. If the McCain/Palin ticket wins in November, the distinctions between the two parties stand to be a chilling reminder for all women that what was gained will be at risk of having to give back.

As a cautionary tale it might help to think back to the time of WWII. It was during the height of that war that women of all ages were called upon to take over machinery production jobs left vacate by men who had to go overseas to fight. These women worked long hours under harsh factory conditions, but they were feeling mighty good about themselves. Apart from having made a huge contribution towards their country winning the war, for many women it was the first time they had an opportunity to learn new skills and earn a decent pay. But when the war ended these same women were told to go back to their homes. Their help was no longer needed. The highest expectation for women at that time was to find a GI and make babies.

What followed soon after was the emergence of America’s first real middle class and the accompanying prosperous gold calf called materialism. The progressive consumption of domestic goods meant a steady improvement in our gross national product income which brought about the need for more and more women to leave their harmonious homes in order to supplement their husband’s pay, because one salary could no longer cover America’s rapidly developing middle class lifestyle. Despite the need though to find work outside the home, the range of jobs open to women at that time were mostly kept to the fields of nursing, school teachers and secretarial.

The women’s lib movement was not an exercise to lose fat from the hips and belly. It was not a place to go to lament about your lousy boyfriend or rotten husband. At it genesis the term burning bras was not supposed to be taken literally.

The movement was initiated as a direct result of the ‘pill’ finally finding its way into the hands of the female masses. Overnight this pharmaceutical miracle removed all the usual borders that restricted women's dreams and ambitions. It changed how women saw themselves and how they might relate to others. It radically changed a woman's expectations for how far she could extend her grasp without worrying if her hand was going to get slapped back.

She was always capable. But before the pill was available, she was always burdened with the responsibilities that came with having children whether she was ready for them or not. Now she had the tool she needed to set her own clock, so to speak. Now she was freed up from unwanted pregnancies and the fear that always went along with having sex, premarital or not.

While the Vietnam War raged on and young women went on the pill, the infrastructures that had always held women back started to crumble before their very eyes. Along with the sweeping cultural changes that came directly out of the war, and the women's movement, other pressing societal modifications challenged the traditional paternal order of things in a revolutionary way.

Indeed, the women’s movement brought about a heightened sense of role reversals between men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and daughters, even mothers and daughters. The magnitude of these reverberations were so powerful they can still be felt today in American households across every kind of socioeconomic backdrop.

However, this brief explosive moment in history did not happen without breaking long-standing ethics and demoralizing cherished moral values and millions of human spirits. But it got women to where they find themselves today. Not quite yet authentically equal in terms of pay or respect, but they did acquire one vital advantage unique only to women - control over their bodies and their ability to procreate or not.

McCain’s supporters want us to believe that Sarah Palin is Hillary Clinton, just with a better body. I beseech women old enough to vote to take a good, hard look into Sarah Palin’s eyes (if you can get past the false eyelashes, heavy eye shadow and tinted eyeglasses) and try to envision your future without the right to obtain on demand abortion.

Perhaps Palin’s unmarried five month along daughter had no option but to keep the baby, but you still do. Perhaps Palin’s five month along daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend have no option but to consent to marry, so as to keep her mother, and his future mother-in-law in good standing with the religious right base, but you don’t have to worry about that ever happening to you. Not now you don’t. But after January 20, 2009, if you don't vote for a Democratic government, your future may be a thing of the past.