Losing Her Wings

One of the sad things about the bitter identity-politics battle in the Democratic Primaries for President this year was the way some people began to consider sexist rhetoric okay if it helped defeat the awful witch Hillary. The media pundit sexism was surprisingly open but not really unpredictable. The number of lefty bloggers, even women bloggers, who bought into this was horrifying.

Today Jane Smiley has gone way beyond even that bad line, since her Precious has now been threatened in her mind by the McCain choice of Palin. In What's He Going to Call Her in Public? she gives several instances of her rabidity:

Who's that again?

She has a four month old baby and she's hitting the campaign trail?

Is she breastfeeding? ...

A beauty queen?

Is she related to Katharine Harris? ...

Does she pay her nanny's social security?

If the red phone rings in the middle of the night and she's breastfeeding, will she answer it?

I think about all she missed is the claim that Palin would be unable to function for a few days each month when having that bothersome hormone stuff kick in. Come on Jane, there must be some better angels in you than this....