Unbridled joy or opportunism? Probably a little of both. The Post mentions one shy-guy who mustered the courage to ask a stranger watching the election results, "Can I have a kiss? For Obama?" And shared optimism can hardly explain the rash of November 5th "Missed Connections" seeking to recapture the ephemeral magic of the night before the morning after.

But whereas romantic ops may have been fleeting, the merch gravy train's just pulling into the station. Street vendors are selling more Obama tees, mugs, dolls, cards and pop art than ever. Obama web sites are booming, as people all over the world scramble onboard. The Los Angeles Times cites the multitude of Obama-themed books publishers are rushing through, including "The Obama Menu: Dinners With Barack Obama" and "Deciding the Next Decider: The 2008 Presidential Race in Rhyme." As one editor tells the LAT, "It's the biggest thing for publishing since Harry Potter."

If likening the president-elect to a magical boy wizard seems both worrisome and significant, well, it makes sense: evoking middle-aged politicians doesn't normally get dorks laid. Whether this bonanza can keep up when the boring business of governing takes hold is an open question: economic policy doesn't make for great t-shirts or for much of an aphrodisiac. But people can take heart from one thing: Obama's already helping the economy, and, presumably, the population: how many baby Baracks will we be seeing come early July? (Well Newsweek's on that one!)

Remember Me? The One With the 'O' Button? [Washington Post]
Americans clamoring for all things Obama [Los Angeles Times]

Facebook friending is awkward enough already: every so often, you get that random request from a person you went to school with many years ago, who suddenly wants to know what you're up to. It is through these kinds of online reunions that you learn that Suzy Whatsadoodle, your best friend from 7th grade, now has 8 kids, and she married Kevin AwesomeMcCar, who has moved on from his days as a paste-eater to become the vice president of a fairly respected company. Suzy Whatsadoodle-AwesomeMcCar sends you online plants and online candy canes, shows you pictures of her adorable children, and is generally a non-threatening blast from the past who just seems like a sweet person who really means no harm.

And then, the second after Barack Obama is elected President of the United States, you see this:

Suzy Whatsadoodle-AwesomeMcCar thinks she better hide her paycheck before our new Socialist leader comes to steal it from her. 2 min ago

Suzy Whatsadoodle-AwesomeMcCar hopes the babykillers of the world are happy. God is the ultimate leader, and he doesn't make mistakes, unlike the American people. 13 min ago

Your instant reaction is this: Aroo!? WTF, Suzy Whatsadoodle-AwesomeMcCar?! De-friend! Click!

But then something else hits you: the anger in her messages and the vitriol in her words must sound, to you, exactly like your anti-Palin/anti-McCain rants sound to her. And yet, she still sends you pictures of her kids, asks you about your job and how your mom is doing, and hopes to see you at Thanksgiving. And so the question becomes: does the political outweigh the personal? Do you owe anyone a friendship if their views run so opposite to yours?

Personally, I only have two very conservative friends, and they have posted status updates that aren't nearly as disturbing as the ones that some of my friends have come across. As we learned from our own commenters in this thread, racist rants, homophobic celebrations, and downright dirty accusations have all popped up on Facebook, causing family members to delete other family members, old friends to dismiss other friends, and acquaintances to reconsider who they allow into their online lives.

Facebook is designed to recreate the social experience online; and yet even though we can choose who has access to our profiles, our opinions, and basically, our lives, just like in the real world, we often find out things about people that we did not expect or want to see. So how are you handling the status update madness? Have you defriended anyone? Had any discussions with "friends" who have posted nasty notes? Or are you just avoiding the Suzy Whatsadoodle-AwesomeMcCars of the world and looking ahead to better days?

Earlier: Ms. Manners: How To Talk To A McCain Voter Without Gloating

Let's get this out of the way: we are all sick of hearing about Sarah Palin. She dominated the news cycle during the past two months of the campaign, with everything from her hate-filled rallies to her pregnant daughter to her wardrobe choices finding their way on to the front page of every newspaper in the country. Who is this woman, we asked, where the hell did she come from, and how can we send her back there?

What began as a strong campaign for Palin, with her addition to the ticket boosting McCain's popularity with disgruntled Clinton supporters and rallying the conservative base, quickly devolved into a wacky politics sideshow: she unraveled on national television in front of Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, two anchors who she should have been able to handle. She came across as unprepared and ignorant, but still maintained millions of fans across the country, who were drawn to her pro-life stance, her folksy huntin' background, and, of course, her looks and style.

As the McCain campaign sputtered out amidst the economic crisis, Palin's presence on the ticket was suddenly more curse than blessing; she was blamed for being a drag on the ticket, her approval ratings bottomed out, and Americans began to realize that she would not be ready to take the position of President of the United States, should anything happen to John McCain. Prominent Republicans such as Colin Powell and Chuck Hagel came out against Palin, citing her lack of foreign policy experience as a reason why she was not ready for the job.

And so, on Election Night, we saw Sarah Palin with tears in her eyes, and many of us probably laughed at the screen. She would head back to Wasilla, Alaska, to be greeted by fans at the airport who chanted "2012" as she stepped back into her home territory. The GOP, however, doesn't seem too pleased about those Palin 2012 plans, piling on the criticism as the McCain campaign is torn to bits by angry former supporters.

It's extremely easy to laugh at Palin at this point: her ill-preparedness is coming back to get her, and we can all breathe a little easier knowing that our rights, at least for a little while, are in safer hands with the new administration. Throwing Palin under the bus takes the blame off of McCain, though the argument can easily be made that Palin didn't put herself on the ticket; McCain is more to blame for Palin's presence on the national stage than Palin herself is.

Yes, Sarah Palin made serious mistakes. Yes, she was a drag on the ticket, due mostly to her own screwups, her inability to answer a damn question, and her extreme-right stances turning off moderates and independents. But to turn John McCain's nasty campaign on Sarah Palin herself says more about the Senator from Arizona and his staff then it does about the Governor of Alaska.

As Palin's reputation is torn apart, it's almost getting difficult to revel in the mudslinging. John McCain is being praised for his "gracious"concession speech, as if 15 minutes of prepared remarks have suddenly wiped away 6 months of all-out nastiness on his behalf, and yet Palin continues to be pummeled by her own former team with rumors of her stupidity, greed, and ambition. McCain didn't lose because of Sarah Palin; McCain lost because he ran a small, bitter campaign, he didn't know enough about the economy, and because he listened to Steve Schmidt, who told him to place Palin on the ticket in the first place.

But still: Palin will be the face of McCain's failures. And though I have no love for Palin, and no respect for her stances on any issues, I can't help but feel that something is not right here. Even the worst mistakes of Sarah Palin do not negate the fact that she didn't get here on her own: there are others who deserve the criticism far more than she does.

Palin Aide Fires Back At McCain Camp Claims [ABC News]
Palin In Spotlight As Republicans Turn On Each Other [The Guardian]
Secrets of the 2008 Campaign [Newsweek]
Palin Calls Her Critics 'Jerks' [MSNBC]
Chuck Hagel: Palin Isn't Ready [MSNBC]
Colin Powell Endorses Obama, Says Palin Unqualified, Defends Muslim-Americans [LA Times]
The Making (and Remaking) Of The Candidate [NYTimes]
Gracious McCain Puts Bitterness Behind Him [The Independent]

And yet, as we know, not everyone is. Some very dear friends and relatives and other assorted grinches are glum and, however inexplicable this may seem, these encounters can't be avoided indefinitely. I learned this the hard way this morning, and ended up in tears of frustration and rage. So listen up: however tempting it may be to do a victory dance and rub their faces in the mud and toss "loser!" around like grass seed, here's a better idea.

I read through a slew of old-timey manuals — A 1938 Emily Post, my trusty Miss Manners 1940's Today's Etiquette, The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette and 1937's Etiquette for Every Day, to bring us advice on this subject and created a digest of sorts.* The etiquette books are right about one thing: try to avoid it. Put it off as long as possible. Wait until passions have cooled. Avoid calls. Don't pretend solicitude, don't try to be adult, don't try to convince anyone or assume anybody's mind has been changed by the outpouring of joy and enthusiasm that's swept you up. This isn't only to preserve family harmony; rather, it's a way for you to enjoy things for a little while before reality intrudes.

-Stick to a Script. As with any tricky conversation, this is invaluable advice. Stick to talking points: this is what I did last night; yes, I'm happy; I know this isn't what you wanted but let's all try to be optimistic. (This last bit of inclusive language sounds extra-mature.)

-Keep It Short. THIS IS ESSENTIAL. Things can only go in one direction and that's pear-shaped. Holidays are coming and big fight should be avoided at all costs. Manufacture an excuse to end the call beforehand if possible.

-Do. Not. Gloat. Nearly impossible, true. But empathy is essential here. There's nothing worse than a bad winner.

-Have an exit strategy. This comes courtesy of Anna Post, who advises lines like, "I guess we just don't see eye-to-eye; or: I'll have to consider that; or: For me, it's private."

-End on a good note. If it's a family member, "love" is always a good option. If not, a warm "take care," shows you to be a mature adult who's a fitting representative for her candidate.

*It should be said this all presupposes a certain degree of reason on the part of your conversational partner.

Scarlett Lion links to the above photo and a fellow blogger's skepticism about the headline. Ladybrille writes "what counts is you GET OUT AND VOTE! Speak your mind by letting your vote count. DON'T YOU DARE stay indoors on this historical day!" She also interviews Derrick Ashong (aka musician/activist DNA), who says,

Obama represents opportunity in itself because this is a guy that has built an effective ground organization. When he says we are going to make a difference, for the first time in American political history, he has actually got foot soldiers nationwide that can be a part of making that change on a grassroots level, not on an ideological basis. That is a tip of the iceberg of what is possible.

However, he cautions that, "We as Africans gotta do the job for Africans to take care of our own; and no one should be under any illusion that we can relinquish that responsibility or shrug it off to Obama. We can say, 'When Obama gets elected we go chop [eat] more.' NO!"

Over at Black Looks, Ekine takes a harsher view:

Obama talks about bringing 'fundamental change' but the only fundamental change is his colour and when one looks more closely even his colour is not that fundamental afterall. Obama is intrinsically tied to the mainstream, pro-Zionist war mongering American superstructure. Though disappointing it is not so surprising that so many millions all over the world have been drawn in by Obama who panders to black and white notions of a “post racial” America and world. An imaginary world of convenience particularly for the millions of white people who will vote him into the White House.

But it's worth noting (if obvious) that African bloggers have a lot to think about besides our election. Ory Okolloh at Kenyan Pundit recently criticized an official report on Kenya's post-election violence, writing, "Not even a mention of the people who lost their lives! Especially the young people who truly believed they are protesting for a good cause and who were responding to 'mass action.'" Let's hope for a safe and fair election here in the US, and a new administration that remembers we're part of a larger world.

Top 45 Female African Bloggers [Afrigator]

Related: "We Live It" [Politico]

Click a picture to start the gallery view.

Also, why haven't we seen Michelle raise her voice above an "appropriate" decibel level? Michelle Obama doesn't seem to be anything like the image of black women that we see on TV and in films. Who is the real Michelle Obama? Get ready for it:

Michelle Obama is totally normal. A normal, well-educated wife of a politician and mother of two.

Samuels points out that Michelle is a type of black woman that many Americans don't get to see, since mostly, black women are portrayed in the media as either sassy, abrasive and angry or drug-addicted, poverty-stricken and AIDS-infected. But there are many different types of black women out there in the world. Some of whom — gasp — have a college education (complete with gender/race related undergraduate thesis), a good job and generally fit into the "normal" idea of upper-middle-class Americans. You just rarely see them on TV:

Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The prevailing theory seems to be that we're all hot-tempered single mothers who can't keep a man and, according to CNN's "Black in America," documentary, those of us who aren't street-walking crack addicts are on the verge of dying from AIDS. As writer Rebecca Walker put it on her Facebook page: "CNN should call me next time they really want to show diversity and meet real black women that nobody seems to talk about.''

Like Walker, I too know more than my share of black women who have little in common with the black female images I see in the media. My "sistafriends" are mostly college educated, in healthy, productive relationships and have a major aversion to sassy one-liners. They are teachers, doctors and business owners. Of course, there are those of us who never get the chance to pull it together. And we accept and embrace them—but their stories can't and shouldn't be the only ones told.

Like the fictional Huxtables before them, Samuels sees the Obamas serving as an example to both blacks and non-blacks through their upper-middle-class regular-ness. Perhaps Michelle has "softened" her image throughout the campaign, but if she becomes the First Lady she'll have to figure out her role in the White House amid criticisms much in the same way that Jackie Kennedy and Hillary Clinton did before her.

And even though Michelle will probably never gain acceptance from some of her critics, Samuels still sees her life in the spotlight as a way for Americans to see a "regular African-American woman" in action, showing "what we think and what we face on a regular basis." Some may argue that Michelle doesn't need to "teach" Americans about what it's like to be a black woman, but Michelle's prominent position in the public eye will invariably shape both black and non-black American's perceptions of what a black woman is, and can be.

What Michelle Obama Can Teach Us About Black Women [Newsweek]
Barack Obama Again Dances In A Slightly Embarrassing Manner On 'Ellen' [Wonkette]

Earlier: Following Criticism, 'Mom In Chief' Michelle Obama Charms Americans

"I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people who are convinced they are about to change the world. I am more awed by those who struggle to make one small difference after another."- Ellen Goodman


"There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers."- Susan B. Anthony


"I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction. Most reforms, most problems are complicated. But to me there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality."-Alice Paul


"At present, our country needs women's idealism and determination, perhaps more in politics than anywhere else."-Shirley Chisholm


"Womanhood is the great fact in her life; wifehood and motherhood are but incidental relations." -Elizabeth Cady Stanton


"If you don't like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time."- Marian Wright Edelman


"The argument of the broken pane of glass is the most valuable argument in modern politics." -Emmeline Pankhurst


"We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to citizens of the United States, be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever."- Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States, 1876


And finally, to end another lovely weekend, there is this:

All pics via AP and Getty.

Seriously, you guys, I am going to vote! I PROMISE!

Customized Election Videos [MoveOn.Org]

According to Republicans close to Palin, the Governor of Alaska "has decided increasingly to disregard the advice of the former Bush aides tasked to handle her, creating occasionally tense situations as she travels the country with them." This, perhaps, explains why Palin has chosen a much more hawkish stance at recent rallies and why she's been much more willing to give interviews and discuss policy over the past few weeks. As Politico notes: "Palin's 'instincts,' on display in recent days, have had her opening up to the media, including a round of interviews on talk radio, cable, and broadcast outlets, and chats with her traveling press and local reporters."

McCain supporters, however, claim that Palin's poor public rollout is the fault of her own inexperience, not bad handling on the part of the McCain campaign. "Moments that Palin's allies see as triumphs of instinct and authenticity - the Wright suggestion, her objection to the campaign's pulling out of Michigan - they dismiss as Palin's "slips and miscommunications" - that is, her own incompetence, and evidence of the need for tight scripting."

If the McCain/Palin ticket loses on Nov.4, this blame game will spin on for weeks, with Palin's supporters undoubtedly trying to lay the blame on the 72-year-old man with no chance of running for the presidency again. Palin's potential as a Republican rockstar is garnering quite a bit of buzz right now, and it's fairly safe to say that her fans will do whatever they can to get her out of this election unscathed.

As easy as it is to call Sarah Palin inexperienced and unready, even McCain supporters have to agree that the only person to blame for Palin's failures on the campaign trail is John McCain himself. Sure, she may have gone off-script, and she may be completely off the rails at this point, attempting to save her own political future, but Sarah Palin never would have made it to those rallies, to those interviews, or to those debate podiums if John McCain hadn't asked her to be there. Sarah Palin's political career may have started out on the wrong foot, thanks to mishandling from the McCain campaign, but it's the reputation of her running mate that will end this race more tarnished and in need of new direction. You can blame Palin all you want, Senator McCain, but in the end, the fact that her name is sitting next to yours on those signs and ballots is a decision that only one person on the ticket is responsible for.

Palin Allies Report Rising Campaign Tension [Politico]
Earlier: Palin in 2012? Maybe, If Some Dicks Have Their Way

A fascinating and ultimately horrifying look at the male fan base that assembles at Palin rallies and fundraisers, Leibovich's article paints a pretty scary picture of the mentality of some Palin fans. Her attractiveness is often mentioned as a big draw; a man who was so embarrassed about his crush on Palin refused to give his real name and asked that the reporter refer to him as "John Deere." Deere admitted that he thought Palin was "beautiful" and that he "came to look at her." Good call, Mr. Deere- if I were attending a rally for a person who could potentially lead our country and I admitted to the New York Times that I was there just to check her hot self out, I'd keep my name anonymous, too.

Leibovich notes that the men in Palin's crowds often shout out sentiments such as "Marry me, Sarah!" or "You rock me out, Sarah!" as Palin takes the stage. (I suppose they shout these things out before they start yelling "Terrorist!" or "Kill him!", no?) Palin, as any politician would, plays to the crowds and touches on the cultural ties that the audience perceives to be between them. She enters to AC/DC, and is sure to call attention to the "Carhartts and steel-toed boots" being worn by her adoring fans. As Larry Hawkins, a truck driver from North Carolina, tells the Times "Palin is our kind of woman."

Hawkins also states that he thinks Palin is qualified because of her experience as a mother. “They bear us children, they risk their lives to give us birth, so maybe it’s time we let a woman lead us,” he says. He then goes on to say this: “The sexual drives and big egos of male leaders have gotten in the way of politics in this country.” Right! Because women don't HAVE sexual drives! They just bear your children and such. Good to know.

Rob McClain of Indiana claims that he isn't bothered by the media's tendency to mock Gov. Palin, brushing aside the Tina Feys of the world to support a candidate he feels can handle the criticism. Mr. McClain was interviewed while wearing a button that read, "Proud to be voting for a hot chick," and felt that he could easily trust Palin to take control in the White House, if need be, for, as McClain says, "who can't trust a mother?"

Much has been made of Palin's unwillingness to call out nasty crowd members as they shout hateful words towards Barack Obama at her rallies. But Palin also chooses to ignore the cat calls and the "You tell 'em, baby" shouts that come from her rabid male supporters, and she should be held responsible for that as well. Governor Palin isn't running for Super Awesome Girlfriend of the USA. The "Palin Dudes" don't seem to realize this, basing their vote on backwards sexist notions and a desire to get the "hot chick" in office. Maybe they'll be successful, and Sarah Palin will head to the White House this Fall. But as the economy falls apart, Americans lose their jobs, women's rights are threatened, and the world remains in a state of turmoil, it might be worth stepping back and going a bit deeper than lipstick and a pair of fancy glasses. Attractiveness is one thing, dudes; effectiveness is quite another.

Among Rock-Ribbed Fans Of Palin, Dudes Rule [New York Times[

Though the Catholic church's pro-life stance surely clashes with Obama's pro-choice views on abortion, Sister Cecilia claims she is more concerned with "peace abroad" and stays on top of US news and events by "reading newspapers and watching TV at the convent." It is a testament to how important this election is, not only at home, but abroad, that Sister Cecilia would go out of her way to stay informed and ensure that her voice is heard in her home country. Though Gaudette, at 106, claims to "have no plans for the future", her vote will ensure that, in some way, she has a say in the future after all.

106-Year-Old Voter Chooses Obama [BBC News]

Barack Obama is pro-choice; he does not support a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe vs. Wade, he supports sex education, access to contraception, providing information about emergency contraception to rape victims, and he once sponsored a bill that would provide contraceptives to low-income women. In his book, The Audacity of Hope Obama explains his pro-choice position to a Christian protestor by explaining to the protestor that he "feared a ban on abortion would force women to seek unsafe abortions, as they had once done in this country. I suggested that perhaps we could agree on ways to reduce the number of women who felt the need to have abortions in the first place."

Sarah Palin is pro-life; she believes that abortion should always be illegal, even in cases of rape or incest. The only time Palin believes abortion is warranted is when the mother's life is physically at stake. Palin believes that "the legislature should do all it can to protect human life," but why does the protection of human life only relate to unborn children? Is asking an incest victim to carry her father's, or brother's, or uncle's child really a protection of life? Or is it a protection of some lives, but a denial of the harm it may do, psychologically, emotionally, and physically to others?

As the election winds down, the rhetoric on both sides will undoubtedly heat up; while the economy is the issue on everyone's minds, abortion is the issue that can be counted on to be divisive and controversial for both candidates, and it's not incredibly surprising that Palin, at a time when her running mate is struggling, is going back to an issue that has rallied her base for many years. But it should also serve as a means to rally pro-choice activists as well, and to continue a national discussion on how to find a common ground on an issue that has split our nation for so long.

As Obama has said, "People of good will can exist on both sides. That nobody wishes to be placed in a circumstance where they are even confronted with the choice of abortion. How we determine what's right at that moment, I think, people of good will can differ."

If that is "radical" thinking, I only hope to see more of it over the next four years.

Palin Heightens Rhetoric On Abortion[CNN]
Sarah Palin On Abortion [On The Issues]
Barack Obama On Abortion [On The Issues]

The crowd was clearly upset that McCain had backtracked on his previous "I'm not saying Obama is a sketchy terrorist, but I'm not not saying that Obama is a sketchy terrorist, zoinks!" approach, which had been so successful in the past at assuring that some member in the crowd would finally get a chance to stand up and say something incredibly insane and hateful on national television.

With even fellow GOP members calling out McCain and Palin for their unwillingness to address the hate-speak taking place at their rallies, it appears that the Senator from Arizona is attempting to quell the rising tide of public disdain by limiting his hate-mongering to commercials and whatever Sarah Palin has to say at any given time, when she's not, you know, off abusing her power somewhere.

The fact that the crowd reacted the way they did is perhaps the most terrifying aspect of all of this. Were they booing at McCain? At the mention of Obama? Does it even really matter at this point? The fact is, John McCain created this hateful monster, and no amount of back-pedaling, especially when he's still running ads trying to portray Obama as a terrorist, is going to stop it. The Straight Talk Express is currently on its Hate Across America tour, and John McCain is slowly becoming the lead singer who can't figure out where all of his rock star dreams went wrong. We'll here's a hint, Senator: when you stoke the fires of paranoia, hatred, and anger, you might just get burned. Or booed. Either way, when your audience can't even accept your own words anymore, you might want to ask yourself why any of us should.

McCain Booed For Calling Obama 'Decent' [MSNBC]
Republican Congressman Criticizes Palin Rallies [Huffington Post]

Belkin also tells the story of an anonymous administrative assistant, whose Republican co-worker sends emails "slamming Obama, Clinton and Biden, and started distributing McCain yard signs out of his office last week." This vocal McCainiac is also her boss's friend, so she's afraid to complain. And, of course, there are the perils of assuming others share your views. I tend to test people by saying "Sarah Palin?" and kind of raising my eyebrows. Either they start to catalog her idiotic moments, or they just think I'm insane.

So what's the best way to talk politics at the office? Belkin tells the story of a young Republican at a tux shop, who began lecturing customers on Obama's inexperience. Her boss reminded her "that while the man who had the job before her was, at 49, more experienced, and she was barely into her 20s, he 'didn’t last a year' in the position, and here she was, practically running the shop." Cute, but doesn't exactly answer the question. Belkin adds that all workplace political discussion should be conducted "quietly and politely." But one person's politeness is another's harassment, especially on an issue as sensitive as the selection of the next leader of our country. So do you just keep your mouth shut? Or do you let loose, and worry about the consequences later?

Belkin's piece brings up another question: why are office prohibitions against political talk loosening now? Is it just a function of the kids these days, with their anything-goes workplace culture, their flip-flops, and their iPhones? Or are we talking more because we just can't help it? Is everyone — Republican and Democrat — so dissatisfied with the status quo that we can't keep our mouths shut, even in meetings? More positively, are people more excited about Obama v. McCain than they were about the lackluster matchup of Kerry v. Bush? If so, maybe things will start sucking less in this country — and maybe we'll still have jobs to go to in 2012.

Talking Politics in the Office [NY Times]

One nice thing about The Handmaid's Tale is, like Sarah Palin's resume, it's a pretty quick read. Basically the US has become a Christian theocracy where piety is required and women are chattel. They can't have property or jobs, and they are forced into arranged marriages or disturbing functional roles. A few become whores, and get to hang out at a brothel called Jezebel's. Others are Handmaids, so called because of a story in Genesis. Pollution has made most people sterile, but Handmaids are still believed to be fertile. Their job is to live with rich couples and have sex with the husbands — while the wives lie on the bed with them — in hopes of conceiving a child. The narrator, Offred, is one such Handmaid, and her description of the "fertilization" process ("My red skirt is hitched up to my waist. Below it the Commander is fucking. What he is fucking is the lower part of my body") probably stuck with you if you read the novel in high school, for its sheer awful dehumanization of sex. The Handmaids are told they are better off than women before the theocracy, who were "dying of too much choice."

So, is this the kind of world Sarah Palin wants to usher us into? Well, sort of. The Christian Heritage Week she signed into law in Alaska sounds like a far milder version of the state-sanctioned Prayvaganzas. When a group of Handmaids-to-be chants "her fault, her fault, her fault" at a rape victim, I thought of women in Wasilla paying for their own rape kits on Palin's watch. And of course there's the reverence for childbearing that permeates the culture of The Handmaid's Tale, from the gruesome displays of executed abortionists to the arranged marriages of girls as young as fourteen in order to "start them soon." All this is reminiscent of Palin's avowed pro-life stance, a stance so unswerving it's hard to imagine her daughter could have gone against it.

But does Sarah Palin actually want the US to turn into a Handmaid's-Tale-style police state? No more than any of us. She's not against women holding jobs — she's a working mother of five. Nor would she, if elected, force us all to attend Prayvaganzas or have sex with other people's husbands.

However, a character named Serena Joy should offer a chilling cautionary tale to Palin and her ilk. Before the theocracy, Serena Joy was a popular televangelist, preaching about the need for women to return to the home. Afterwards, she does just that, and she is trapped in an arranged marriage with knitting and gardening as her only occupations. Atwood writes:

She doesn't make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home, but it doesn't seem to agree with her. How furious she must be, now that she's been taken at her word.

Sarah Palin hasn't been as anti-woman as someone like Ann Coulter, whose persistence in asking people to listen to her while telling them women are stupid is a mind-boggling exercise in doublethink. But Palin does want to deprive women of the right to decide what we do with our bodies. And as The Handmaid's Tale shows, women who want to take power away from women should be careful what they wish for.

The Handmaid's Tale [Amazon]

Earlier:
Patriotism Is Not A Cultural Pissing Contest
Palin Gives Thumbs Up To Financial Bailouts, Down To Rape Victims

The truth is, this country loves to label people, put them in boxes and keep them there. Let's say you're watching TV and keeping track: White guys are businessmen and politicians; black guys are athletes, entertainers or criminals; black women are video hoes or Oprah. Or The Angry Black Woman, you know, the one who is always telling somebody off, working her neck and letting the insults fly. (See: Omarosa, thousands of bit parts in movies, multiple seasons of The Real World.) It's been more than 20 years since The Cosby Show debuted but it seems like people have a tough time wrapping their heads around the idea of a black female lawyer. And so, in typical American fashion, we attack what we don't understand.

Michelle Obama — who is not even technically the one running for office — has been accused of being hateful. Unpatriotic. Too elite. A baby mama. But she's something the media, the news and the pundits hardly even recognize: An extremely modern woman, a product of her history, background and age. As Kaplan writes: "A recent New York Times profile, in distinguishing Michelle's background from that of her husband, described her as being 'a descendant of slaves' — as if that's a unique fact rather than a collective one that applies to the vast majority of the millions of black Americans whose families have been here for hundreds of years."

But critics are determined to tear down Michelle. The "whitey" comment she claims she never said from a source that does not appear to exist? It's basically a smear campaign, declares Paul Waldman for The American Prospect. Are people are so uncomfortable with a woman in power that they don't know what else to do? Writes Waldman:

"Cindy[McCain] seems to have undergone the same Stepford reengineering that produced Laura Bush, complete with loving gazes and immovable smile. You'd never know that she actually runs a company worth an estimated $250 million.

Which might suggest that if you're a woman married to a man who wants to be president, the best thing to do is pretend you neither have, nor ever harbored hopes of having, a career. But there's not much you can do about your skin color — nobody is going to be calling Cindy her husband's "baby mama". What you want to be, above all, is gentle and timid. Not your own person, with your own ideas and ambitions. Not a threat to anyone."

(Just as an aside: Where does the "black women are threatening" thing come from? Is it because all black people are seen threatening? Wild somehow? Unpredictable? Fierce? Savage? Or is it related somehow to sexual power and matriarchal households, which, if successful, would somehow doom the beloved American patriarchy?)

The crazy part is that Michelle Obama should be treated as a great American success story, someone we can all relate to or be inspired by. Without being forced to "soften" her image. She's a working mom! With brains! What's not to like? It's a paradox: Her story — growing up not rich but not poor in Chicago, making it into Princeton and becoming a lawyer commanding a six-figure salary — is actually the American dream. So why is she being treated like she's the American nightmare?

(Meanwhile, despite what the critics say, some Americans are embracing Michelle Obama: Her Us Weekly magazine cover did well and she might even be on the cover of Essence.)

Then there's this: With all of the attacks against Michelle Obama, why is no one rushing to her defense? Mary C. Curtis recently asked this very question in the Washington Post. "Where are Obama's feminist defenders?" she writes. "I want to know: What does Gloria Steinem think? She was out front with her support of Clinton, promoting the importance of a female president. She has even endorsed Barack Obama. What's her reaction now that the knives are out for another strong woman?" Ms. Curtis seems to lean toward the age-old concept that feminism has elitist, racist roots: "The woman who employed my educated mother to clean her house never quite saw her as a sister in the struggle for equality," she writes. "But in America, there's seldom a cost for disrespecting black women."

Barack Obama's campaign is built on a single word: Change. Isn't it about time it applied to the way a black woman is treated in this country as well?

Who's Afraid Of Michelle Obama? [Salon]
Smearing Michelle [The American Prospect]
Memo Pad [WWD]
Michelle Sells [Politico]
The Loud Silence of Feminists [Washington Post]
When It Comes To Michelle Obama, Where Are The Feminists? [Jack And Jill Politics]

Earlier: Michelle Obama And The Place Of A First Lady

Senior Kirstin Neff discussed her leaning toward voting for Obama with her mother, who helped Ms. Neff change her mind in five minutes:

"She started telling me about how our generation takes for granted a lot of advances that women have made. She told me what it was like in the '70s and '80s and, you know, the general feeling that you were never as good or as important as your brothers or the men who you worked with. She talked about how women's stakes are so tied up in Hillary's candidacy, and how it could change what it means to be a woman and what all these little girls will think is possible in their own lives. So I just kind of started thinking about it like that, and it was like, 'Hmm. Okay. Do I really want to step in front of all of that?'"

What it comes down to is the meaning of feminism and what it means to be a woman. Is it more important, above all, to further the cause of women? Or is your number one priority to stay true to yourself and your ideals? Check out Hillary Clinton's Wellesley yearbook picture, and try to imagine her as a student and not a candidate. Which side do you think she would be on?

Young Feminists Split: Does Gender Matter? [Washington Post]
An Open Letter to Gloria Steinem [Glamour]