Angry Feminist is way too busy for her own damn good.

Right as I make the decision to dedicate more time to this blog, six million and a half things happen that require my attention. Such is life. It's a little difficult to find the time to blog about the every day atrocities going on in the world when you only have an hour and a half to get things done after school and work.

Yes, you read that right! I am now a college student! Holla! I'm attending two classes in the mornings on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, then jetting straight to work for eight hours. When I get off work, and finally make it home, I have an hour and a half to cook, clean, do my homework, play with my cat (he gets bored and restless when I'm gone, for as the Ruler of Our Domain, he does not get along with other cats and works best alone), grocery shop, do laundry, and other miscelleanous activities.

It's a lot of work, a lot of stress, but so far, I'm enjoying school. It's a little bizarre, being twenty-five years old and in college for the first time...I'm one of the oldest students in my classes, and I'm one of maybe three people who actually has to support themselves fully. But I'm really liking it so far, and I'm doing really well in my classes, which is very exciting. Expected graduation date is September 2010. So just what does an angry feminist obtain an associate's in? Glad you asked! Business management is my field de jour, since it capitalizes on work experience I've already obtained in the past. I'm really looking forward to seeing where it takes me.

Hopefully it leads me in the direction of a new car. Oh Gods, do I want a new car, and badly.

On the personal front, I've decided to also tackle the most difficult thing I've ever done; quitting smoking. Gasp! I know. For those who know me, I am a champion chainsmoker, the captain of the U.S. Olympics Chainsmoking team, but I've decided to quit because I need to save money. I need to save money for quite possibly the most glorious event that will ever happen in my lifetime.


YEEEEEEEEEEEEA BOYEEEEEEEEEEE! Lollapalooza is happening in Chicago on August 7-9, and this girl NEEDS to be there! Why does this girl need to be here? Here's why.



For the uneducated, here's a rundown of why this is the BEST FUCKING THING EVER.

Depeche Mode = My favorite band of all time. True fact. Number one on my list of Bands I Must See Live Before I Die.

Tool= Number two on my list of Bands I Must See Live Before I die.

Beastie Boys= Number three on my list of Bands I Must See Live Before I Die.

Rise Against= The owners of my heart and a soul. I've seen them live once, but once is not enough.


Clearly, this is an event that I must attend. However, three day passes are $190 dollars. I know what you're thinking, "$190 DOLLARS?!?!?!!?!?! ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS?!?!?!?!?!"

While I don't think the state of my mental being has EVER been up for question, it's simply a true fact that this concert was tailor made for me. If I can quit smoking, I can EASILY afford the three day pass. Yes, I really do smoke that much. Yes, it's probably sad that it took THIS to inspire me to quit. Whatever works, though, right?

Now, I love smoking. I LOVE IT. I don't care if it makes me a bad person. But the question here is...do I love smoking more? Or do I love Depeche Mode more?

We're about to find out. Wish me luck, guys!

What is this pesky notion, that women have a right to say no?

Apparently some years ago, women obtained several "rights." I use quotation marks because frankly, said rights have come with a price, or aren't really rights at all, or we're considered uppity bitches because we choose to exercise these rights. But the point being, we apparently gained a slew of rights, including the right to say no to sex. Of course, this didn't stop the Dudes from raping us at their discretion, but that's not the point here. The point is that because we technically have the right to say no (as long as we're not wearing short skirts that could tempt the poor dudes, as long as there's no alcohol in our system, and as long as we've been living as certified nuns for the majority of our lives to prove our outstanding moral cores or something), men have been hurting! They've been suffering! Because don'tcha know, men have rights, too! They have a right to sex, whenever they want, however they want, and damn those hairy-legged feminists for having the gall to tell women that they don't have to lay there and let them jack off into something else that is NOT a handrag!

But fear no more, poor, deprived Dudes! You have a champion in your corner! You have someone who is willing to fight for your right to pump away at your lady of choice! Thank God, because I was seriously worried for your poor, fragile psyches!

A sex therapist has decreed that we women simply just need to put sex on our to-do-list, and everything will magically be solved! Everyone will be happy! Except for the women who don't want to have sex, of course.

Sigh. Et tu, Brute?

Articles and "studies" of this nature do not surprise me. After all, we're a society who made it a priority to create a pill so seventy-year-old dudes can continue to enjoy the feeling of power and domination they get from having an erection. But upon reading this article, there were some choice bits that, in typical fashion, made me seethe with righteous rage. I know, this is a common state of being for me, but I digress.

Arndt said while giving women the right to say "no" to sex was an undisputed success of the women's movement, "the female libido tends to be a fragile, easily distracted thing that gets buffeted by normal life and a couple can't afford to have their intimacy reliant on that fragility".

Oh dear! That pesky thing called life and obligations, getting in the way of men's orgasms! Let's not consider the fact that women have feelings. Let's not take into account that for the most part, women in relationships and marriages tend to take on a fuck ton of more responsibility than their male partners do. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children if there's children present, possibly working full-time to support their family because a lot of Dudes these days suffer from the Peter-Pan Syndrome, in which they're so tired of being a responsibile adult and just want to play on the XBox all day, while their wife/girlfriend handles everything else! We, of course, cannot consider the idea that perhaps these men should take some responsibility onto themselves, and help their partner with the daily stresses of managing the home, in terms of keeping the home clean, taking care of finances, and parenting. No, that's our job, because we have breasts. Duh! It's located there in the handbook, Operating While Possessing A Vagina. It was distributed at birth. Don't have a copy? Don't worry, because all Dudes have one, and they'll be more than happy to share it with you.

But it doesn't end there. Oh no, the article shares with us some of the ladies' thoughts concerning sex. It's written in a context in which we're supposed to feel sorry for the Dudes for having to live with these frigid bitches, but I call shenanigans on that.

A woman, 54, from Hobart spent the first 10 years of her marriage fighting about sex, always nervous about an unwanted advance. "He'd be snoring loudly and I'd still lie there worrying that the hand was going to come creeping over."

Um. That kind of reaction up there? Worrying about whether or not her husband's hand is going to creep over and grope her while she's sleeping? That's a problem, but it's not HER problem. It's her HUSBAND'S problem, for being insensitive enough to push and press so fervently that this poor woman is worrying about SLEEPING. SLEEPING, PEOPLE. A necessary function for humans, and this poor woman can't fucking sleep because she's worried about her husband accousting her WHILE she's trying to sleep. Explain to me again how this is her fault? Because I'm apparently not getting it.

"The notion that women have to want sex to enjoy it has been a really misguided idea that has caused havoc in relationships over the last 40 years."

Apparently we've been deceived, ladies. Apparently we have stupidily bought into this radical and crazy idea that sex is something that we have the right to want, and the right to not want. If this is in fact true, that we don't have to want it and we should just go along with it even if we don't, then I say the same should apply to...say...well, I'll use this an example. Smoking nicotine feels really awesome for others, but a lot of people don't like it. Think it's gross, a waste of income, ad nauseum. But if we're going to use the same mentality that this "therapist" thinks should be employed for sex, then we, the smokers, have the right to force our non-smoking counterparts into smoking, whether they like it or not! Some people like it, so everyone else should just cave to the pressure and do it, too! Because it's not about whether or not you like it, it's about what makes the other person happy! It's all so clear to me now!

Studies like this always miss the goddamn point of the Mythical Magical Issue Regarding Sex. No one ever asks, "Why don't women want to have sex?" Luckily, I have thought about this issue, and have come to some conclusions. Of course, I don't have studies to back me up, but these days, you don't need actual scientific facts and data to make claims, so I don't think I need them either.

1. A lot of men suck in bed. Sorry, facts are facts, and this is a true motherfucking fact. 70% of women do not orgasm from vaginal penetration. Since vaginal penetration is the favorite method of men's desperate quest to achieve orgasm, obviously this creates a quandry for all. Laying there while some dude lays on top of you, pumping away, getting his sweat all over you while you feel absolutely nothing? Not my idea of a good time. Not a lot of women's idea of a good time.

2. Good God, we're fucking tired, okay?! Americans especially are working longer hours, harder work days, and when we get home, maybe we just want to sit down for a goddamn minute. But of course, we can't. Food has to be prepared, house has to be clean, children (for some) and pets have to be taken care of. Women especially have a lot on our plate, since we have to go out into public every day knowing that our safety can be compromised at any moment, that the majority of society hates us, whether it's blatant misogyny or subconscious hatred. I know I'm fucking tired when I come home from going to work, after having to deal with all the ridiculous sexist bullshit I encounter just by Existing While Female. I imagine that a woman with children and a house that society says they must maintain are probably even more tired.

I resent the notion that men's orgasms are so goddamn important that they trump all of women's needs, desires, and problems. Guess what? They're NOT. No one ever died from not having sex. It's a true fact, I know some refuse to believe it, but there is not a single recorded instance of a person dying from lack of sexual intercourse. But we never hear about that, do we?

So remember, ladies. If you don't want to have sex, it's your obligation to provide it, even against your will. Even after all those supposed rights we won years ago, it's really in your best interest not to exercise your own agency and say no. Because gee golly...what will your husband do with himself, if you don't spread your legs for him?


Predictably, homosexual couples are excluded from this study. Because obviously they don't even exist, let alone have sex. Even the thought of that is just...you know. Icky and gross. Duh!


Much appreciation to Twisty at I Blame The Patriarchy, who discussed this issue in a manner much more eloquent and humorous than I could ever hope to do.

Angry Feminist tries to justify her own lapses in judgment, fails miserably.

It's a true fact that I am absolutely horrendous about updating online outlets (such as blogs, Facebook and Myspaces profiles, livejournal accounts, ad nauseum). I spent some time yesterday completely revamping the layout, in hopes that it would inspire me to at least write an entry. The goal is, of course, to update on a consistent basis. Whether or not I achieve said goal is entirely a different story.

It also occured to me that I also don't do a very good job of writing entries that really relate to the point of this blog. Not that I make it a point to go back and memorize every topic I've written about so far, but I can't recall a single instance of actually writing an entry that contains a confession. Perhaps the closest I came to that was the Watchmen post...which, by the way, I am still so ridiculously excited about. The thought that the movie is coming out in less than two weeks honestly makes me want to pee my pants, I am so thrilled about it.

But! Let us move onto an actual confession! Any feminist worth her/his weight knows that self-reflection and being critical of their own values and behavior is vital to growth not only as a feminist, but as a human being in general. While I believe that women are, contrary to popular belief, human beings with rights and liberties that the majority of the population deem unnecessary, I'm also aware of the fact that I live in a patriarchy. And try as I may, there are some things that I either do/enjoy that quite frankly, I shouldn't. Maybe now's the time to divulge a couple of those things.

Confessions of an Angry Feminist, Volume 1:

Rap/Hip-Hop

I, of the feminist persuasion...really fucking love Kanye West and rap music in general.

Out of all the things that can be considered anti-woman, this is probably the one thing that bothers me the most. My EPIC love for Kanye West doesn't bother me as much as my love for other rappers, because out of all the rappers currently performing today, Kanye is probably the least offensive. Which isn't to say that he isn't offensive at all, because I've seen his music videos. Numerous, NUMEROUS times. I'm also aware of the fact that the dude wrote fucking Gold Digger, which by title alone should send me into a foaming, seething rage. And don't get me wrong, there are definitely parts of that song that makes me want to breathe fire, specifically the second verse.

But on the flip side, this is also a highly successful rapper who has publically come out and expressed digust over homophobia. When it was revealed that Chris Brown is a motherfucking abusive douchebag, Kanye was one of the few people in the rap/hip-hop community who condemned domestic violence. I'm aware that he could have worded his stance to be more pro-woman (his exact quote was, "Abuse should never happen."), but considering how many other people in the community, even women, hem-hawed around the issue, Kanye's statement was pretty awesome. Which, by the fucking way, can someone explain to me why Mary J. Blige of all fucking people said, "They're both beautiful people." Fucking SERIOUSLY? STFU, Mary J. Blige, if you're just going to condone abusive assholes, thanks.

But that's not the point. The point is that Kanye West, like a lot of mainstream rappers, makes problematic music that demeans women. Just because it's on a lesser level than his contemporaries doesn't mean that he gets a pass. And yet...I fucking LOVE his music. LOVE IT. Stronger comes on, and I do in fact do as Kanye suggests in the song...I go ahead, go nuts, and go apeshit. 808's and Heartbreak was one of my favorite and most played albums of 2008. There's probably no amount of money I wouldn't pay to see him live, I love him THAT much.

He's not the only rapper that I love. Even more disturbing is my love for Jay-Z. While this love does not begin to equal my love for Kanye, it's still really high on the This-Is-Not-Fucking-Right scale. One of the man's biggest hits is Big Pimpin'.

BIG. PIMPIN'. SELF, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!

Of course, I could use the excuse that oh, it's not a big deal, it's just music, besides, it's really catchy. I won't deny, a lot of it is catchy as hell. I'm less likely to put up with such blatant woman-hating in songs by, say, Lil' Jon, whose voice annoys the motherfucking shit out of me. Get Low comes on, and I want to bash skulls. Dirt Off Your Shoulder comes on, and my first reaction is to literally pantomime brushing dirt off my own shoulder.

There are far too many rappers out there whose music screams of disdain for women, and yet I still listen anyway. Rap, by all admission, is not my favorite genre of music, due to my childhood and my parents blasting bands like Pink Floyd, Rush (oh man, my mother fucking LOVES her some Rush), and Blue Oyster Cult, my father's favorite band. But I do enjoy rap, and there are some rappers out there whose work doesn't make me feel dirty to listen to. Common, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys especially are rappers whom I can safely enjoy without feeling like a total fucking traitor to my gender.

But I still feel like a dirty traitor whose Feminist Badge ought to be revoked. I suppose this is how I justify this listening habit; I am not unaware of the message in a lot of these songs. I am very aware, and not hesitant at all, to discuss at length exactly just what is wrong about the lyrics in these songs. I know that while a lot of these lyrics are inspired by the very attitude of the society we live in (because women = less than human in patriarchy eyes), it's still not an excuse for these musicians. While listening to them is indeed condoning them and what they have to say, I like to think of it as yet another springboard to discuss just what the fuck is wrong with our society, and why the fuck everyone thinks it's okay to call women bitches and hoes when it's completely and totally not.


But on the plus side...I do listen to Rise Against on a fanatically religious basis, so maybe that can make up for my utter Kanye love.

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

Just in case you weren't already disgusted by the extremely misogynistic bullshit that's been thrown around during this year's campaign, here's another reason for your rapidly dwindling faith in humanity!

I wish I was kidding. I wish I was fucking kidding. I found this on a forum I frequent, and there are simply no words to fully describe how disgusted, nauseated, and offended I am. It is not bad enough that people insist on discussing Palin's appearance first, whether it's to say that because she's conventionally attractive she's too dumb to run for office (let me add that Palin is rather dumb, but NOT because she might be pretty. She's dumb because she's ignorant and willfully ignores the issues or flat out lies about them), or that because she may be attractive, that's enough reason to vote for her. No, let's insult the fact that she has a special needs child.

NEWS. FUCKING. FLASH. Her child having Down's Syndrome has nothing to do with her having a faulty vagina. These things happen. It's not really anyone's fault.

And also. WHY THE FUCK IS ANYONE DISCUSSING HER VAGINA ANYWAY? THIS IS A FUCKING ELECTION. HER VAGINA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING AT ALL IN THIS ELECTION.

I will say it again. ATTACK THE GODDAMN WOMAN ON HER POLICIES. There is PLENTY to choose from! Attack her for her anti-choice stances! Attack her for her lack of foreign policy experience, and no, being able to see Russia from her house DOESN'T count! Attack her for Troopergate! Leave her child and her fucking vagina out of this, before I get angry and Hulk out.

Speaking of Troopergate, Rachel Maddow, whom I may or may not be madly in love with, has the following to say. This woman needs to be broadcast all over the United States. Put her on every single channel available so everyone can see for themselves just how intelligent and RIGHT she is.

Political Criticism. You're Doing It Right.

Since the announcement of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate, we've been subject to some ridiculously...well..ignorant discussion concerning her. Between Troopergate, the reenactment of the Lifetime movie Sixteen and Pregnant or some shit, and such classy photo manips like the one currently to your right, it's enough to make anyone with half a teaspoon of a brain to want to bash said brain against the nearest blunt object. You may be confused and wonder what the hell Sarah Palin's legs has to do with her ability to perform the duties of a Vice-President effectively, but you obviously were not paying attention to the Democratic primaries, where you would have learned that a woman over sixty running for President is actually just a shrewish, hawkish ball buster who will send the entire world into a nuclear warzone because of that whole pesky icky menopause thing.


No. I really wasn't kidding.

BUT. There is good news on the horizon. Two lone warriors have come out of the woodwork to prove that it IS possible to provide political criticism that is not demeaning and disgustingly sexist!

Without further ado, I present to you, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who based on these skits alone, should covering this year's election along with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Because it will not embed properly, you can has link!

Political criticism. YOU'RE DOING IT RIGHT. The rest of the media...TAKE NOTES.

Thank you, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, for being one of the few voices of reason during this fuckery of an election season.

Goddamn it.

I knew it was going to happen. I fucking knew it; that doesn't mean I'm not exasperated, though. Sarah Palin has recently announced her 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy in an attempt to curb vicious, nasty rumors that have been circulating about the true parentage of the Palins' youngest child, Trig.

Look, I am all for critiquing Palin when it comes to her policies. There are SO MANY to choose from; her pro-life stance, her belief in creationism, Troopergate, her insistence that polar bears are not endangered in any way, her lack of experience in foreign policy. What does the media choose to attack? Her family. A 17-year-old girl and a five month-old baby. Two children who did not choose to step into the spotlight, two children who just happen to have a pretty famous mother at the moment.

Regardless of whether or not we agree with her, Palin and her husband have the right to decide what is best for their family. It might be wrong, it might be arachic, but this is not the issue we should be discussing. Leave her fucking family out of this.

My sympathy lies with Bristol Palin, who is obviously going through a difficult time in her life, who now has to undergo this difficult time with the entire nation's eyes on her.

For fuck's sake. Won't people focus on the ISSUES?

Well...shit.

Well, I can honestly sit here and say that out of all the possible candidates, I never expected John McCain to choose Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, as his running mate. As far as I knew, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty were the top two choices being considered for his running mate, so to say that the selection of Sarah Palin is a surprise would be a complete and total understatement.

Like most people, I had no idea who Mrs. Palin was until McCain's announcement, and frantically searched to find as much as information as I could about her. Here is a good place to start; here's a summary of her stances on such issues as abortion, the economy, civil rights issue, and gun rights. There is no information as to what her stance on foreign policy is, which is no surprise, considering she has only been governor of Alaska for twenty months, and has no foreign policy experience beyond that.

But here's what we know about Mrs. Palin. She's hardcore anti-choice, anti-gay marriage, a lifelong member of the NRA, and has sued the government to take polar bars off the endangered species list. She is a lifelong hunter, but has also fought corruption within her own government. But on the same token, she is currently being investigated for using her power in an attempt to get her ex brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired. And not that it actually matters in the grand scheme of the election, she is also a former beauty pageant queen, which I've already heard about six million times thanks to major media outlets. Of course the same outlets that demonized Hillary Rodham Clinton for being unfeminine would use Mrs. Palin's past as a pageant participant to demean her qualifications. Don't you know...you can't be too much of a ballbuster like Hillary, but you can't be too pretty either, like Mrs. Palin!

So there's the skinny. No matter which way anyone tries to spin it, this was by far the most risky manuever that John McCain could have ever made. In my opinion, though, this move is going to fall into one of the following categories.

1. This is going to lose McCain the election hardcore.
2. This is going to WIN McCain the election.

To explain further...

Why McCain Will Lose

• Governor Palin has very little experience. Yes, she is the governor of Alaska, but she hasn't even completed her first term. I do not want to discredit her accomplishments, but the fact of the matter is, she is not prepared for this position, should they be elected.
• The choice of Governor Palin is so clearly a bribe attempt to woo the disaffected voters who voted for Hillary Rodham Clinton. I mean, for fuck's sake, McCain had only met Palin one time previous to choosing her to be his running mate. Seeing as McCain has a history of not giving a shit about women or their rights, it's obvious that Palin was chosen simply because she is a woman. Palin's references to Hillary in her first speech as the running mate were made simply to pander to female Hillary supporters. I mean, Palin herself has stated before that Hillary is a "whiner." Yeah, McCain must REALLY think that women are too fucking stupid to see the differences between Palin and Hillary. After all, we're just silly wimmen folk! We always vote with our vagina, duh!
• The most important factor that everyone likes to gloss over when it comes to discussing how most people vote for their candidate is that they vote for whichever candidate they can most identify with personally. They vote for the candidate who reminds them of themselves, and they vote for the candidate who will best protect and promote their privilege. Republicans hate women...hell, Palin hates women, too! You mean to tell me that the Republican party, whose distaste and disgust for women is legendary, is going to vote to put a woman in the White House? You mean to tell me that these people aren't considering what will happen if McCain passes away while in office. I am not advocating that, but the fact of the matter is, McCain is 72 years old with a lifetime of medical problems. It wouldn't be a shock if it did happen, which means that should it happen, Sarah Palin will become our next President. And you mean to tell me that the mostly white, middle aged men in the Republican party are going to be cool with that? If that's what you're saying, then I want whatever you're smoking, because it is obviously some pretty mind-altering drugs you've got there.

Why McCain Will Win

• Sarah Palin is a risky choice, there is no denying that. It's clear that this is an attempt to pander to female voters. But regardless of the motivation behind this, this is John McCain saying to the women in America, "I want your vote." For me, personally, although I supported Hillary one hundred percent in the primary, I cannot in good conscience vote for McCain over Obama. But that's not to say I don't understand why other people would. As a woman, I am sick and tired of the Democratic party throwing me and my gender under the bus just to achieve their own goals. Sure, they're for a woman's right to choose, but they have never come out and said, "It's not anyone's right to tell a woman what to do. If she wants an abortion, then dammit, she can have one!" It's always the same old, "Keep abortions rare, safe, and legal." Pandering to the ignorant right wing crowd, Democrats don't have the balls to tell it how it ought to be and tell these people to shut the fuck up and keep their morals off the collective uteruses of American women. Think American women aren't tired of this bullshit? Think again.
• The Democrats did absolutely nothing to defend Hillary from the blatant sexism and misogyny she endured during her campaign. Hell, Obama himself said some pretty sexist shit about her as well. But, oh, it's okay, women won't hold that against the Democratic party because McCain wants to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Again, I say think again. While the thought of overturning Roe vs. Wade frightens me to my very core, I understand where the PUMAs are coming from. I'm sick of being told to shut up and get in line, too. I'm sick of being told to support a party that is not doing everything in their power to stand up and protect my rights as a woman. I think the PUMAs do have a point; it's time for someone to stand up and tell the political parties enough is enough. We are tired of being treated like second class citizens. We are tired of being ignored except when election time rolls around. We are tired of hearing promise after promise, only to have the Democrats renig on those promises time and time again. Don't count the PUMAs out.
  
• Sarah Palin is going to endure a fuck ton of sexism during this campaign. It's inevitable; she's a woman in a high-powered position now. But unlike the Democrats, who threw Hillary under the bus, the Republicans will defend Palin. They will call out the media outlets, the politicians who will use Palin's past as a beauty pageant contestant and her role as a mother against her. They are protective of their own, and it will make a difference in the minds of voters who are sick of the games that Democrats play.
• Sarah Palin might be anti-choice, but dammit, she doesn't just talk the talk, she walks the walk. Her youngest child was born with Down's Syndrome, and she and her husband chose not to abort. Pro-lifers are going to wet their pants at this.
  
• Again, voters vote for the candidate that most remind them of themselves; that's how George W. Bush got into office. There are a lot of mothers in this country, and Sarah Palin's history is going to inspire these middle-class moms. She went from the PTA to a nominee for Vice-Presidency. She represents the dream, as fucked up as the details of the dream might be, that a woman can do it, that she can have the kind of power that's only been available to men before.
• The Democrats are going to have a difficult time attacking her. It is absolutely okay to attack her for her policies; fuck, that'll be a cakewalk. But attacking her too aggressively is going to be a costly mistake. Attack her too aggressively, and the Democrats will come across as bullies. This is the same country that voted George Bush after Al Gore wiped the floor with his ass during the debates...they felt sorry for him. Attack Palin for anything other than her policies, and too aggressively at that, and watch the voters flock to the McCain/Palin ticket.
• Palin is inexperienced, it's true. But go after her for that, and you'll have the Republicans pointing out time and time again that Obama has little experience as well. This argument could work in the favor of either party; it just depends on who attacks first, and who defends the position more fervently and convincingly.
  

As of right now, I'm reluctant to say which way the election is going to go. It's too early to say for certain how it's going to turn out; I'm waiting to see how the debates play out before I come to my own conclusion.

But I will say this, with the choice of Sarah Palin, this election just became a lot more problematic, in more ways than one. And quite frankly, the cynic in me is very much inclined to say that this election won't be decided on who has the better policies and who is ready to run this country. It will be decided on which minority, female or black, can the ignorant American public stomach better.