2008 campaign

So apparently the Florida Federation of Republican Women has launched a boycott against Oprah's TV show and magazine because of her refusal to invite Sarah Palin onto her show until after the election. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Oprah, and frankly, I find it incredibly difficult to remain tuned in to electoral campaigns. But I don't have to agree with everything she does and says to jump to her defense on this one...

And someone please tell me that Olivia's creator has nothing to do with this campaign's use of Olivia! 

(Thanks to Dawn for the news)

Y'all, I'm officially Sarah Palined out. My Google alerts have been seriously off the chain for the past two weeks, but it's getting to the point where I just can't face them every day. Yes, San Francisco Chronicle, I am aware that "Palin Candidacy Stokes Debate Among Women." No , Bonnie Chernin Rogoff, it's not Palin's "sudden popularity" that has feminists in a "snit." Yes, various religion- and motherhood-focused bloggers, we're all cognizant of the fact that both Christian women and mothers can be feminists. And listen, Us Weekly and similar publications, I never thought I would say this, but could you do me a favor and stick to coverage of the fashion foibles of Tori Spelling and the cast of Gossip Girl and not get all involved in comparing Palin's looks to those of Tina Fey and Megan Mullally? Because it's going to really ruin the new season of 30 Rock for me.

But I do want to point out that Katha Pollitt, is her inimitable fashion, has distilled all the Palin madness and hypocrisy wonderfully in her latest column for The Nation. Even if you're sick of the Palin-palooza, it's well worth your time.

So by now we all know the basics about Sarah Palin, first-term governor of Alaska and John McCain's utterly transparent pick for running mate: She's a self-described "hockey mom," an avid proponent of drilling in Alaska and an equally avid opponent of abortion and gay-marriage rights. (She's also so unknown as a politician that Fox News has repeatedly been referring to her as "Susan" Palin—though admittedly, getting facts right has never been the forte of that particular outlet, has it?)

Last night I co-hosted a fundraising house party for the kick-ass feminist media organization Women in Media and News. I've been involved in the organization since its planning and launch, and am proud to be its founding board chair.

Special guest report from friend of Bitch Kyla Wagener...

I have yet to read Tim Wise's White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son (Soft Skull Press) or Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White (Routledge), but have heard tons of praise for his work. So I was excited for his appearance at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland earlier this month, an event sponsored by Speak Out!. I was a little wary when he took the mic and started speaking; his manner initially conjured up memories of some egotistical, "Check me out, I'm one of those aware white folks—I'm down!" types I've run into. But he ended up being sharp, funny, and—most important—aware of his role as an ally rather than a leader in the antiracist movement, acknowledging that the majority of his sources for information about race have been people of color. He was loud, but in a good way—not arrogant-bratty-white-boy loud.

A few commenters have wondered in the past few weeks why there's been such a paltry amount of coverage of the primaries and their attendent issues on this site. I can't speak for my colleagues — as we always write, in tiny print, in the magazine's masthead, we have varying opinions and no monolithic position on most of the issues we cover — but I've become, as I'm sure many of you have, really exhuasted by the circularity of so much of the dialogue surrounding the question of who deserves the nomination more, Hillary or Barack.

Yeah. What she says. (H/t to the lovely and talented Deanna Zandt for alerting me to this post.)

The best take I've seen on the feminist infighting on whom to support in the primaries (via Feministe, whose Jill also has some great stuff to say). (And cheers to Alternet for for inaugurating a Reproductive Justice and Gender section, but shouldn't there be something else for feminist coverage? 'Cause, y'know, the last time I checked, gender issues encompassed a whole lot more than baby-makin' parts.)

Apparently, this primary election is all about race and gender.

Feminists are still reeling from the frankly insane press release issued last week by Marcia Pappas, president of the New York chapter of NOW.