Anyone?

I don't hate her - I don't like her either.  

When I think about it she kind of gives me a "holier than thou" vibe, which turns me off to anyone.  I do think she was given the shaft by her own party - they blamed their loss on her, I am sure.  

Honestly, I don't trust any politician - I think they are all full of shit.  I just vote for whoever I hope will do the least damage. 

I can't think of anyone who has inspired such venom from other women from the moment she walked on stage and I am referring to the whole of my life here. It has boggled my mind from day one.

I think Hilary Clinton inspires a whole lot of venom too.  Again, I don't hate her, but I don't like her either.  There is something about women - in this country anyway - trying to obtain a position of power that scares people, other women included.  We can't have it both ways - we can't encourage our daughters to achieve, and then be pissed off when they dare try.

I think Hilary Clinton's venom is mostly from men, from what I've seen.

I'm not sure, my visceral reaction to her is that she seems a potent and dangerous combination of ambitious, amoral, calculating, and under educated.  I'm not too keen on many public figures, I find them nearly impossible to trust. 

Men, I would guess, tend to have more of a problem with Hillary than they do with Palin.  I'm throwing this out without having looked at any polls of late.  My hunch is based on the notion that men may fear Hillary more because she's an exceptionally smart and fearless woman, whereas Palin is apparently every bit as fearless as Hillary but lacking the intellectual firepower.  I think it's the intellectual firepower coming from Hillary, and her willingness to make full use of it, that knocks men back a notch.  Of course, it's never quite right to break these things out strictly along the lines of gender or any other grouping.  I'm a man, for instance, and I'd vote for Hillary before I'd vote for Palin.  I tend to be center-left in my political views, though.  At the office, I know a lot of men who voted for and would arguably vote again for Palin, but I work around a lot of Republicans.  There's no accounting for taste in politics.  The other side often looks completely out to lunch.  Just this morning, I was listening to several of my associates go on about liberals.  Now, they know I voted for Obama, but they also know that the election is over and I only argue about politics two weeks before people go to the polling place.  So they get four free years of saying whatever they want without catching any hell from me.  It's simply not worth it.  When do you ever change anyone's mind in politics? I'm not without rhetorical ability, but I can't recall having swayed anyone's view in all the years I've been engaged with it.  (I've talked people in to other stuff on occasion.)  For me, at any rate, Palin is the regular American, of average intelligence or somewhat higher, angling for a job that should only be occupied by a maestro, a master chess player/poker player, a person steeped in world history and sophistication.  But then, I have my own biases. 

Elsa, don't forget Hillary Clinton is hated by other women too! Or WAS hated.

Toni - maybe I forgot re: Clinton. What I do remember is Palin walked on stage and the next day my mail box was full of vitriol from people I would not have expected this from in a million years. It was as if she triggered this torrent of hate in what seemed like a split second to me and since the feelings were being shared with me, it was clear that people assumed I felt as they did but really I just felt shocked (Uranus) and scared (Saturn). 

I really don't get it and I mean, I don't get it 

Whoa. I wasn't shocked until you told me that!

Elsa, I don't get it either. But there are some people I hate and nobody else hates.

And also, I am not interested in Hilary Clinton. I want to know why people hate SARAH PALIN.

This is an interesting topic. I do not like Sarah Palin as a candidate at all. Her careless repetition of falsehoods is appalling to me. But I was also shocked by the absolute vitriol, the depths to which people went with the whole cattiness thing. I mean, don't vote for her, end of story. Why talk about it endlessly?

I think it has to do with two things.

First, intellectual elitism. It is much easier, much more culturally acceptable, to viciously insult someone who is not intellectually strong in terms of standard issue formal education. The academic elite really showed their ass on this one. Although, in a tiny bit of defense, they were coming off of eight years of Bush.

Second, and I don't know if I can adequately describe this, but I think she serves as a kind of avatar or archetype for *that* person, the person who gets by on their looks and doublespeak while other people (who view themselves as more deserving, even if they're not) are passed by. Marketing executives, pharmaceutical sales reps, I'm speaking in stereotypes but that is the kind of energy I'm talking about. The victory of style over substance is something that I think people were rebelling against (even while supporting said dynamic in countless other ways, including, in some ways, by voting for Obama).

Just my opinion.

I don't hate her. But she makes me queasy. What bothers me the most is that she seems a throwback to 50s ideal of woman: cute and bouncy, and what really gets my dander up: That she thinks she should succeed in a serious realm on these terms.

I started off by going to community college, so I don't think I'm just an elitist. I think the woman doesn't know her stuff. I was once in a PhD program in history, with tons of men, as professors and colleagues. If I had behaved the way she does in a professional context--winking and flipping my hair when I was giving a speech--I'd have been laughed out of the room. Rightly.

I was struck by someting in her interview with Barbara Walters the other day. BW asked her about the issue of Jewish settlements and Palin gave an exam-cram answer--one that this former teacher recognizes as "BS." Throw in some phrases you've heard people say, assert a position, then demonstrate NO real knowledge of the issue, no ability to discuss the issue with nuance or depth. I rolled my eyes. But then, BW asked her about the Russia/Alaska thing, and Palin, at the very end, got into Alaska's geographic position in the US and its natural resources, etc., and the shift was stunning: She was on firm ground, she actually knew what she was talking about. Her demeanor changed. And I can honestly say that that is the *first* time that I felt that she was engaged, knowledgeable, offering me something useful.

My most vivid impression of her up to that point was the "Death Panel" crap she took part in this summer. That was, in my estimation, outright intellectual dishonesty. And cute doesn't come close to making up for that in my book.

I think women have just gone way beyond being happy to see *a* woman. We know a poseur when we see one, and we're interested in competency when it comes to serious issues.

Intellectual dishonesty... thank you. Exactly.

Here's my 2 pennies.

Vicarus, I agree with your analysis.  Very much.

As re: why all the hostility toward Palin?  My guess, and it's only a guess, is that (a)she came out of nowhere, nobody outside of her state had ever heard of her, and everyone was wondering what McCain was up to, remember; (b) she does have a sort of quirky-dumb-cheerleader-deer-in-headlights response to things sometimes, like her answer to Couric's question about which magazines she reads, which is odd because other times she's sharp as a tack; (c) there's also this sense of 'see how CUTE I am that rubs a lot of women the wrong way I think; and (d) she's beautiful and aggressive and was the recipient of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, probably brought out some jealousy.

I sort of dismissed her after the Couric interview, then I felt bad for her after the clothes cost thing, then I felt a worse for her when it appeared McCain & Crew tossed her to the wolves after the election.  I'm not a Republican and never will be but I think she gave it her damndest, she's a tough woman and I admired that even though I didn't agree with what she stood for.  Personally, the only thing I can honestly criticize her for is I think she was way out of her depth in that election.  "I can see Russia from my house."  But she put up a good fight and I have to applaud her for that.

I also think that women, once a woman presidential or vice-p candidate becomes the norm rather than the scary new thing, are gonna kick some serious tail!  Clinton and Palin and Geraldine Ferraro have walked that rocky scary road for all of us, and paid the price I think.  Path finders always do. 

I think she was a scapegoat. I personally didn't think she was qualified to be vice president of the united states. I also don't think I'm qualified either. Actually I don't think I'm qualified to be governor of any state.

I don't personally know anyone who hates her, so I can't help with question.

People probably feel hate because a political figure that shocks/scares is a dangerous, reckless and damaging thing to a democracy.  Her charisma is too strong (and in my opinion, unbalanced and ungrounded).  And I'm not saying it's a matter of people hating the guy/gal at the top, because Obama is also charismatic, but he balances it out with a certain level of competence.  Which isn't to say he doesn't elicit hate; he does, but not Sarah Palin levels of hate.

As to why women in particular hate her, I'm less equipped (well, mis-equipped, lol) to answer that one.  I've heard one explanation from a psychologist that she rode on the coattails of an older gentlemen (McCain).  Supposedly, that dynamic is culturally grating to women, where you have an undeserving pretty girl who can get a more powerful man to fight her battles.  On the other hand, an older matron teaming up with a younger man (think Mrs. Clinton as Obama's VP) would leave little doubt that she's earned her stripes, even if it does invoke a different unseemly archetype.

Just my 2 cents.

Tam - interesting, the scapegoat thing - I never thought of that before.

But you could be right - maybe McCain had an inkling he couldn't win, and picked a vp candidate to run who could deflect the blame from him in case he didn't?  Is that what you meant, am I reading you right?  Might sound a little far fetched to some but this is US politics we're talking about, and I'll bet stranger things have happened in one of our presidential free-for-alls.  Huh.  Interesting.

I don't have strong feelings against her however she is a contradiction and contradictions don't compute in my world.  How can the epitome of a contemporary woman be so banal and 20th Century?  I love her eyeglasses though...

What I think the reason is.....she is a man's woman and women, in general, feel intimidated by that.  She was not intimidated at all by men, but seemed to downshift when interviewed by women because she knows they can be vicious and she doesn't seem to possess the ingenuity to get around that kind of stuff.  She certainly knows her way around men and I don't mean in the sexy, I am so cute kinda way.....only women saw her that way....men viewed her as gutsy...she liked to enjoy a beer at the end of the day...she packed a gun and knew very well how to use it..hell, she was top markswoman...she is into hunting and managed to take down a whole lot of men when she ran for Governor in Alaska, called them on their game.  She is like an Annie Oakley type....she can do alot of things men can do and enjoys it...she grew up in a wild state and is a survivor.  She may not be educated intellectually but she is smart in a no-nonsense kind of way which appeals to men.  I never thought she used cuteness to get her way around politics....she is from the good ole girl who knows how to talk to good ole boys and gets them!  My opinion

Look at the picture, she is playing the world's tiniest violin  :)

I don't think it was politics.  I think it's psychology.  When we hate someone it is usually because they struck a nerve somewhere inside us.  Alot of times when we hate someone its because we recognize something in that person that we don't like that actually exists within ourselves. And that could be a strength or a weakness.   As far as Palin goes I am not sure what that trait was for the collective public.   

I applaud both Palin and Clinton for traveling a road with so few women on it.  I do think that both women were manipulated by the political machine.  Palin was marketed as earthy.  Clinton was marketed as global.  I think what is funny is that Hillary once said it takes a village to raise a child.  So the republicans went to a village to find their veep candidate. 

I look forward to the day when the pres and the v-p are not a package deal,  and we can vote for each one separatly. 

<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal">Statistics had shown that women were leaning toward Obama. McCain’s campaign assumed that this was because Hilary was on the ticket, and because she was not whip smart or beyond gung-ho but a woman. So McCain (and thiswas well publicized from the minute he did it) sought out Palin primarily becauseshe was a woman, on the assumption that her gender alone would snare thosewomen voters. <p class="MsoNormal">This move instantly pissed women off and made McCain seemutterly sexist and out of touch: Women were so shallow and one-dimensional thatthey would, herdlike, vote for any woman simply for that reason? It becameclearer that Palin was embarassingly under- and uninformed about the issues,and yet she was cute and apparently the governor with the highest approvalrating, a combination that became more and more nauseating to women because shewas chosen specifically to lure them: McCain thought this drivel would lurewomen voters as long as it was charming and wearing lipstick? Palin isambitious, a firecracker and likeable, and smart if not informed, but she was notat all up to the job. Since she was seen as the very best choice to lure women,her very presence makes them feel abhorrently underestimated and presumed to be much smaller than they really are. Not. A good. Idea. Not very wise psychology. <!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"> <!--EndFragment--><font face="Courier, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="6" color="#339966"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 20px">
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Yikes, looks like my post's slip is showing! Sorry!! And thanks for the great discussion!

I have heard a few things from the people who hate her

1. She's not smart/experienced enough to do the job (or the person who said the statement *thinks* they are smarter and thus jealous of her).

2. She boasts values and morals, yet she doesn't stay home with her children (seriously, I've heard a lot of people who hate her (men and women) say that if she was so traditional/republican/conservative then she wouldn't be a politician to begin with, she would be a homemaker...amazing, right?)

3. She's not a "true" representative of women or feminism (that is the most common answer I've heard, another amazing one). 

Ahhh, sometimes I wish people would reflect on themselves before they make comments. I have no opinion on her. Not a fan, but only because I'm not on her side of politics. 

I disagree that she's a man's woman as I know many men who were going to vote Republican, and always have, who switched to voting the other party this year, specifically because of the Palin selection.  In this red State of mine.  

I just think people of all genders felt insulted by her selection.  You can be underqualified but whip-smart, or you can be not so smart but highly qualified, but you can't be both and expect to get the job.  That she (or maybe it was McCain) apparently did, insulted people. I don't know that she should have turned down the opportunity, though.

 Otherwise, she seems cool enough.  I think I'd probably like her alright, if I knew her in real life. 

"But you could be right - maybe McCain had an inkling he couldn't win, and picked a vp candidate to run who could deflect the blame from him in case he didn't?  Is that what you meant, am I reading you right?"

Yes that's what I think. Doesn't mean that I'm right, but little to nothing has been said about McCain or why he wouldn't have been a good president. All you hear is Palin this and Palin that. 

I had no intention of voting for her, but I have taken up for her a few times when I thought the media was just being utterly ridiculous.

The cover on Newsweek is shameful.  Can you imagine them placing this type of photo of a political male?  And did she really pose for that?  I'm sure the answer is yes, which is also telling.  She's crying foul for the magazine choosing this, but why did she give them the ammunition?

I'm not a fan.  I can only speak for myself, though.  I'm a liberal, but I try to keep an open mind about candidates.  I liked McCain.  I thought his "selection process" was tainted, though, to pander to the female vote, especially when it was clear that Palin was so underqualified.  (And did you know that the total number of votes cast in the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial election was under 250,000?)

My first negative reaction was really against what I saw to be mean-spirited vitriol.  I see this in Rush Limbaugh, also, so I don't think it's gender-related.

And I've never been so scared about the chance of a particular candidate winding up in the presidential office as I was after watching her debate Biden.  She refused to answer questions, which is shocking.  How can she be trusted?  That close to the #1 seat of power and nothing to back it up.  That's what gets everyone riled up, in my opinion.

"The cover on Newsweek is shameful.  Can you imagine them placing this type of photo of a political male?  And did she really pose for that? "

She posed for the photo for Runner's World magazine. She did not give Newsweek permission. But what do you expect from a magazine that made a photo of O.J. Simpson look much blacker than his skin really is. Just for the record yes I do think O.J. killed his wife. That's not the point.

http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2009/11/18/next-round-in-covergirl-palin-photo-flap/

I don't even know why I have such a negative reaction to her. I'd hate to think some of these posters are right and it's jealousy and annoyance with her "cheerleader" presentation.

I don't think she's actually dumb, though. She's certainly not the best at expressing her ideas, but I think she has quite a bit of cleverness.

 Several things bother me about her, the simplistic way she presents things, her connections with the mega-church, (Ok, that just sounds bigoted, but it seems like it could be a sort of "Joel's Army" type thing.), and...well, she worries me.

Ah, thanks Tam.  That makes sense.

Oh I screwed up! Time magazine made O.J. look blacker.

Newsweek stuck Martha Stewarts head on another body and made Oprah look blacker.

Martha link

http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2005/03/newsweek.html

Oprah link

http://williamwolff.org/composingspaces/concerns-about-newsweeks-oprah-cover-photo/?wscr=1680x1050

 My initial thought was she was a bold choice for McCain but after listening to her interviews and watching the debates, I found the idea of her leading the country terrifying. I agree with Michelle on this.

"And I've never been so scared about the chance of a particular candidate winding up in the presidential office as I was after watching her debate Biden.  She refused to answer questions, which is shocking.  How can she be trusted?  That close to the #1 seat of power and nothing to back it up.  That's what gets everyone riled up, in my opinion" 

Political-public figures are like mirrored paper cutouts - available for projecting-reflecting what's going on within the individual. So maybe it's not Sarah Palin herself they hate but what she represents to them personally. Sarah Palin had Neptune transiting her Sun-Mars-Saturn stellium in Aquarius on and off this year or so, greatly contributing to this effect.

As for why women hate her? No sure either but then I tend to be very personal in my love-hate feelings. Nothing quite like family to provoke strong feelings . . .

You can't intellectualize hate.  If you hate someone, its purely emotional.  Its not because you don't agree with her politics, or anything about her on a rational level.  Its a gut response.

I don't hate her either, but she really, really, realllllly bugs me!  I'm an empath and pick up on people whether i want to or not sometimes, and unfortunately there's something about her that's not ringing true.  She's not authentic for one, even though she says she is.  I don't know what it is, but I think a lot of the public are picking up stuff about her on a much deeper level.  Don't forget, 95 % of communication is NON VERBAL.   We know what we know without knowing why.  

Rationally speaking, her defensive attitude doesn't help things.  Its very subtle, but its always always there, and we can feel it.  She won't let anyone in.  I can literally feel her fighting everytime she talks....its weird.

I know some women who couldn't get over the winking.

Interesting thread. I def didn't hate her, was kind of fascinated -- she is very charismatic. As for why people did/do hate her, much of what others wrote above is what I witnessed/felt

I personally like Hillary. Scorpio all the way. They are invested. Great backup to Obama who plays the leader/buddy role himself. 

I do not find Sarah Palin's persona repulsive... and there are lots of jobs I could see her doing in which I would probably find her presense reassuring - sorry if this rubs anyone wrong way - but for example - I would feel very relaxed if a "Sarah Palin" type/archetype walked in the door as my dentist.  She has an efficient/clean (as in body clean) and alert kind of energy...that would make me feel I was in the hands of a competent person. I am entirely unlike this myself....I could never be a dentist....so I'm grateful for these types.   Her spunk would lead me to think she would make a great coach or trainer....I would trust her teaching my kid to ski or ride horses, for example.  She might  make a  good vet...I can see her in a lab coat....very warm, friendly and reassuring.    My aversion to her was related to role of president.  For having very different political/world/religious/ views from my own.     If I felt I was aligned in those ways with her ....I don't think her looks or 'cute' persona would bother me at all.   She also has the  archetype  of a feisty/fighting women coming out of nowhere that I appreciate.   In fact, that quality can blind me a bit because I love to see people succeed against odds....especially women.   So I have to be careful and remember to look past that.    Interesting about the Neptune transit she was having.  It was hard to know exactly what she was about....and maybe why I was seeing her in all these other roles. 

It's pretty simple really. She's beautiful. Republican women are supposed to look like Margaret Thatcher right? Right wing battleaxes are not supposed to be hot.  Also she didn't have to sweat it out in the trenches. She flew high and she flew fast. Her success was paved by her looks. That's a hard pill to swallow for women who have had their ego's bruised by better looking women throughout their lives. Sarah gets to be scapegoat for all the times the guy chose your better looking friend. These things cut deep.