From The Road
October 21, 2008 6:52 PM

In Far-Reaching Speech, Palin Vows To Advocate For Women Worldwide

By
Scott Conroy
Topics
Sarah Palin
(CBS)
From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

(LAS VEGAS) - In the days after Sarah Palin was introduced as John McCain's running mate in late August, her stump speeches were peppered with allusions to the historic nature of her candidacy. Over time, Palin's allusions to "breaking the glass ceiling" for women became less and less frequent as she focused on other topics.

But at a rally here today, the Alaska governor's stump speech was dominated by women's issues, as she was joined on stage by five female leaders.

"And if I'm given the honor of serving you in the White House, I intend to advance that creed in our own nation and beyond because across the world, there are still places where women are subjugated and persecuted as they were in Afghanistan, places we're they're bullied and brutalized and murdered in honor killings, places where women are sold like commodities in the nightmare world of the sex trade, and places where baby girls are unwelcome as a matter of state policy and their mothers are forced to have abortions," Palin said.

"Now no one person, no one leader, can bring an end to all of those ills, to all of the injustices inflicting upon women, but I can promise you this, if I am elected, these women, too, will have an advocate and a defender in the 47th vice president of the United States."

Palin called the Democratic ticket "presumptuous" for assuming they would win the women's vote and questioned Barack Obama for not making Hillary Clinton his running mate.

"When it came time for choosing some how Barack Obama just couldn't bring himself to pick the woman who got 18 million votes in his primary and that seems to be too familiar a story isn't it?" she said. "How it is for so many American women that the qualifications are there, but for some reason the promotion never comes. There is always some long explanation for why they got passed over or some unseen barrier, some excuse and that's just one of the things I so admire about John McCain he is not someone who makes excuses."

Palin said that Obama "talks a good game" about equal pay for women, but his record does not match his rhetoric.

"According to the Senate pay roll records women on his own staff get just 83 cents for every dollar that the men get," Palin said. "That's $9,000 less every year that he pays the guys.

"Does he think that the women aren't working as hard? Does he think that they are 17 percent less productive? And Barack Obama cant say that this is just the way that its always been done around the Capitol, because I know one senator who actually does pay equal wages for equal work, Sen. John McCain."

Obama senior advisor Anita Dunn issued the following response: "Senator Obama has fought for equal pay for an equal day's work, while Senator McCain has suggested that women don't get equal pay because they need more education and training. While Senator Obama has proposed a plan to help working women, the McCain-Palin campaign offers just more negative attacks and distortions."

  • Scott Conroy

    Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.

Add a Comment See all 55 Comments
by miaw77 October 22, 2008 9:12 PM EDT
They should have spent $150,000 on tutoring instead of a new wardrobe. I''d prefer Joe Biden to any woman who couldn''t even reduce the number of rapes in her own state. Joe Biden has championed women''s issues (including domestic violence) throughout his political career!


Palin doesn''t speak or fight for women here or anywhere. She only fights for her own selfish greed and ambition. An idiot and a disgrace!
Reply to this comment
by newslink October 22, 2008 6:52 PM EDT
Worldwide, she could not help the women in Alaska. And I mean, All Women.
Reply to this comment
by darth_bambi October 22, 2008 1:35 PM EDT
Sarah Palin directly advocated for Women Worldwide when she named their oppressions by region; honor killings and subjugation in Afghanistan and Arabia, the *** Trade in India, abortion of female babies in China...

I don''t suppose that Gloria Steinem and Rachel Maddow really care that OVER ONE BILLION women suffered under Clinton''s Foreign Policy ignoring their plight. As long as Clinton gave them sexual harassment lawsuits, they applauded him.

The women in the Arab World pray that all they have to worry about someday is whether they can file a lawsuit. The baby girls in China just wish someday to be.

Don''t you think that its time American Feminism got real about the state of Women in this World, and let the extremist agenda wait until after the fulfillment of basic Human Rights?
Reply to this comment
by mlr_08 October 22, 2008 1:01 PM EDT
There ya go, you angry little person, you.

Smile, and the world smiles with you....and so on.
Reply to this comment
by mlr_08 October 22, 2008 1:00 PM EDT
Palin cannot advocate for women worldwide, and she certainly cannot speak for most. She identifies as a white, middle-class, Christian, conservative woman. And by doing so, she is "othering" all women who do not fall into her social location. Women of color, multiracial women, working class women, lesbians, women who aren''t Christian, etc. feel disconnected from this "everyday hockeymom" meme. She also suggests that women who don''t vote for her or don''t "support" her will go to hell, warping the words of respected former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. This is very unfeminist. This is not representing all women. This is NOT who and what women want or need or will believe is going to be "representing" them.
Reply to this comment
by darth_bambi October 22, 2008 12:47 PM EDT
MLR_08, don''t you have a comment about the Article, or is this just the place where you display your double standards and DemoCRAP talking points of the Day?
Reply to this comment
by mlr_08 October 22, 2008 12:07 PM EDT
Palin''s fashion budget for several weeks was more than four times the median salary of an American plumber ($37,514).

To put it another way: Palin received more valuable clothes in one month than the average American household spends on clothes in 80 years.

To put it in even blunter terms: her clothes were the cost of health care for 15 or so people.
Reply to this comment
by mlr_08 October 22, 2008 12:06 PM EDT
Obama''s campaign is spending their campaign dollars APPROPRIATELY - the money was donated specifically for the purpose of things such as advertising.

The RNC donations - which is PUBLIC money - were not to outfit Palin and her family. That money was to be used for things such as ads. The campaign''s big problem was NOT HAVING enough money to advertise on the same capacity as the Democrats.
Reply to this comment
by darth_bambi October 22, 2008 11:54 AM EDT
CONGRATS to CBS for practicing journalism today, it''s refreshing.

Governor Palin presents a powerful argument in the advocacy of Women Worldwide.

She is the only voice I''ve heard in this Election for Women who are being abused in China, the Middle East and Latin Worlds. This is a huge issues that Rachel Maddow and Gloria Steinem have completely ignored in their knee jerk attacks on the GOP Ticket. Thanks for standing-up for the girls, Gov. Palin.

I''m going to send this article to my left-leaning 19 year old daughter, to show her who''s looking out for her. It sure isn''t Colbert...

Today''s DemoCRAP TALKING BASH will no doubt follow my message. How much did Barack spend on the TV Ads you have to endure today? 15 Million, 20 Million? Will that go to a Charity Auction like Sarah Palin''s wardrobe?
Reply to this comment
by darth_bambi October 22, 2008 11:52 AM EDT
CONGRATS to CBS for practicing journalism today, it''s refreshing.

Governor Palin presents a powerful argument in the advocacy of Women Worldwide.

She is the only voice I''ve heard in this Election for Women who are being abused in China, the Middle East and Latin Worlds. This is a huge issues that Rachel Maddow and Gloria Steinem have completely ignored in their knee jerk attacks on the GOP Ticket. Thanks for standing-up for the girls, Gov. Palin.

I''m going to send this article to my left-leaning 19 year old daughter, to show her who''s looking out for her. It sure isn''t Colbert...

Today''s DemoCRAP TALKING BASH will no doubt follow my message. How much did Barack spend on the TV Ads you have to endure today? 15 Million, 20 Million? Will that go to a Charity Auction like Sarah Palin''s wardrobe?
Reply to this comment
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