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Oct

5

[updated] Palin misquotes coffee cup, Madeleine Albright; jabs gender card at voters


What’s the difference between a quote that uses the word “support” versus the same quote but with the word “help”?

Watch first (from this entry at Huffington Post):

In the above context, it’s the difference between Sarah Palin suggesting that women must vote for her because she’s a woman or else they will go to hell, and Madeleine Albright, via the quote attributed to her by Palin, but misstated, that suggests that women should provide assistance to other women whenever they can or else they should feel eternally miserable.

One little word? One big change in import.

But why? Why the word change up?

Palin used Albright’s quote as she spoke to a large crowd of women. She predicates her address with references to breaking the glass ceiling.  There’s little doubt she used the altered Albright quote to reinforce the idea that women who don’t vote for women are not women who support – or help – other women break that ceiling.  And that that’s a bad thing for which you should feel guilty – existentially or otherwise.

More bluntly: Palin is pushing the “women should vote for a ticket with a woman on it because they are women too” gender card. With a little bit of religious fear thrown in for the women who might think that it’s okay to not vote for a woman just because she’s a woman.

For the record, I cannot find a single instance when Barack Obama has urged blatantly, or otherwise, that people of color should vote for him because they are people of color, also considered playing “the race card.”

As the polls have shown repeatedly – with Hillary Clinton first, and now with McCain’s surprise VP choice – voters can distinguish between identifying with a candidate and translating that identification into a vote for the same candidate.

So, knowing that, the real question becomes: did Palin misread the quote in the first place, and think it really did say “support,” did she forget what it said exactly and on the fly changed the word to fit what she was trying to emphasize, or did she purposely change the quote to say “support” rather than “help” because that’s how she interpreted the quote and decided to take the liberty of changing Albright’s words – and intention?

For the record, here’s Merriam Webster’s definition of “support”:

1: to endure bravely or quietly : bear
2 a (1): to promote the interests or cause of (2): to uphold or defend as valid or right : advocate <supports fair play> (3): to argue or vote for <supported the motion to lower taxes> b (1): assist , help <bombers supported the ground troops> (2): to act with (a star actor) (3): to bid in bridge so as to show support for c: to provide with substantiation : corroborate <support an alibi>
3 a: to pay the costs of : maintain <support a family> b: to provide a basis for the existence or subsistence of <the island could probably support three — A. B. C. Whipple> <support a habit>
4 a: to hold up or serve as a foundation or prop for b: to maintain (a price) at a desired level by purchases or loans ; also : to maintain the price of by purchases or loans
5: to keep from fainting, yielding, or losing courage : comfort
6: to keep (something) going

And “help”:

1: to give assistance or support to <help a child with homework>
2 a: to make more pleasant or bearable : improve , relieve <bright curtains will help the room> <took an aspirin to help her headache> barchaic : rescue , save
3 a: to be of use to : benefit b: to further the advancement of : promote
4 a: to change for the better b: to refrain from : avoid <we couldn’t help laughing> c: to keep from occurring : prevent <they couldn’t help the accident> d: to restrain (oneself) from doing something <knew they shouldn’t go but couldn’t help themselves>
5: to serve with food or drink especially at a meal <told the guests to help themselves>
6: to appropriate something for (oneself) <helped himself to the car keys>

Until the Governor tells us exactly why or how it is that the word got changed, we can only speculate.  Obviously, I have my opinion.

Bonus thought: As a Jew, I’ve experienced this identity politics too.  And again, I will say, as a voter, I can make the distinction between identifying with a person who is also Jewish and knowing that that person does not support or help anything that I want supported or helped.  The case of voting against my state rep, Josh Mandel (R-17, Lyndhurst) is a perfect example.

UPDATE: This Diagio Hotline poll supports the theory (and helps my case) that Palin is pushing her gender as the reason to vote for her.  Take a look at how many percentage points have been shed from McCain’s previously sizeable margin:

- Third Alert. McCain‘s lead among white women is just a third of his margin one week ago. McCain now leads white women by just 3%; in the survey completed 9/27, he led the group by 9%.

Looks like we could be hearing that Albright line a few more times, but with “Support” or “Help”?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:37 am October 5th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Gender, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Politics, Race, Sarah Palin, Sexism, Social Issues, Vice President, Voting, WH2008, Women 

Comments

6 Responses to “[updated] Palin misquotes coffee cup, Madeleine Albright; jabs gender card at voters”

  1. 1 TKL on October 5th, 2008 11:09 am

    If supporters of Hillary Clinton are looking for a woman to vote for, why don’t they turn to presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party? http://votetruth08.com/

  2. 2 Oengus on October 5th, 2008 12:39 pm

    Expose: open to view, to bare

    Look at what the role is. Before you jump on the support band wagon, make sure you bare responsibility, before you bear the burden.

    To bear a burden, would be to suffer the consequences, to bare responsibility, would be to look at the roles in any event or circumstances.

    Expose the “burden” and the roles played related within.

    To expose the burden is to look at the burden, why is it a burden? And who responsibility is it and why, who is making it a burden and who is not.

    Bear a burden or bare the burden, not the same thing.

    It’s not a burden unless you say it is.

  3. 3 Oengus on October 5th, 2008 1:04 pm

    What’s the difference between moral and moralistic, one walks the walk the other talks the talk.

    Not interested in supporting others unless others show examples of them supporting themselves.

    The best people do not wear their heart on their sleeves, offering so much information about oneself, plagued with logical manipulation. Politics are soo boring.

  4. 4 Erica B. on October 5th, 2008 3:00 pm

    Y’know what, Sarah? You’ve accomplished a lot. I’d be happy to bring over a casserole to let the Palin family have a night of good home cooking without needing to put any work in. I’ll support you that way. But, darlin’, that doesn’t mean I think you’d be a good vice president, and it doesn’t mean I’m hellbound if I don’t vote for you.

    Unless she wants use of that quote to be viewed as horribly ironic, she’d better start explaining some of the ways that SHE will help/support WOMEN. Or is it just a one-way help/support?

  5. 5 Dave and Thomas » Palin “Place In Hell Reserved For Women Who Don’t Support Other Women” on October 5th, 2008 8:11 pm

    [...] blogger explains the flub as: “In the above context, it’s the difference between Sarah Palin suggesting that women [...]

  6. 6 Voices without Votes » Women: On Palin and Going to Hell on September 16th, 2009 1:37 pm

    [...] Jewish American Jill Miller Zimon writes that Palin may have misquoted Albright to garner votes. “In the above context, it’s the [...]

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