Throughout her political career, Chisholm fought tirelessly for civil rights and equal rights for women, and held strong pro-choice and antiwar convictions. After her time in Congress ended in 1982, Chisholm went on to found the National Political Congress for Black Women and spent her days as a professor of politics and women's studies at both Mount Holyoke and Spelman College. Her endless dedication to the promotion of equality earned her a spot in a National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993. Ms. Chisholm died in 2005, but her work lives on, and she remains an inspiration to us all.

As Gloria Steinem notes, "Perhaps the best indicator of her campaign's impact is the effect it had on individual lives. All over the country, there are people who will never be quite the same: farm women in Michigan who were inspired to work in a political campaign for the first time; Black Panthers in California who registered to vote, and encouraged other members of the black community to vote, too; children changed by the sight of a black woman saying, "I want to be President"; radical feminists who found this campaign, like that of Linda Jenness in the Socialist Workers' Party, a possible way of changing the patriarchal system; and student or professional or "blue-collar" men who were simply impressed with a political figure who told the truth as she say it, no matter what the cost."

But beyond politics, Chisholm herself once spoke about how she'd like to be remembered: "I want history to remember me not just as the first black woman to be elected to Congress, not as the first black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and dared to be herself."

A clip from the Shirley Chisholm documentary, Unbought and Unbossed, below. Note how Walter Cronkite handles Chisholm's entrance into the race: a symbol of the type of barrier that Chisholm worked so hard to break down.

Shirley Chisholm: The Ticket That Might Have Been [International Museum Of Women]
Shirley Chisholm [Wikipedia]
Shirley Chisholm [The Visionary Project]
Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm: For The Equal Rights Amendment [American Rhetoric]

Palin's spokesman, Bill McAllister, can barely contain is excitement over the growing media frenzy surrounding his famous client: "Tomorrow, Governor Palin could do an interview with any news media on the planet," McAllister says, "Tomorrow, she could probably sign any one of a dozen book deals. She could start talking to people about a documentary or a movie on her life. That's the level we are at here."

Palin's objective, it seems, is to undo the damage inflicted on her public persona during the McCain/Palin campaign. The interviews she was allowed to give were complete and total disasters, and though the blame is being placed on everyone from Katie Couric to gotcha journalists to John McCain himself, it's hard to argue that anyone is more responsible for the flow of WTF that came out of Palin's mouth during those interviews than the Governor herself. Palin has backtracked on her claims of "gotcha journalism" and admitted that Couric's interview wasn't totally unfair. For Palin to suddenly embrace the media she blamed for everything during her campaign shows a calculated desire to keep her national profile high; high enough, perhaps, for a 2012 run at the presidency.

Sarah Unleashed, however, is still having problems, like returning to her stump speech at the Republican Governor's Association Conference, much to the dismay of her fellow up-and-coming governors, including Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, who politely referred to Palin's speech as "interesting."

Palin also seems to be overlooking the element that may ultimately be the key to her success: she needs to prove her abilities as a leader, as a governor, as more than a well-dressed, down home, huntin' fishin' shootin' son of a moose who just wants to connect with Real America. Before she hands in her resume for 2012, she might want to fix the problems in her own state, starting with the $500 million dollar natural-gas pipeline she bragged about all through the campaign that has yet to be built. Troopergate is still unfolding in Alaska as well, as are "questions over issues like financing Medicaid, increasing mining in environmentally sensitive areas and spending on transportation projects," according to the NYTimes. Her reputation also needs repair with her own constituents: as State Representative Les Gara, a democrat, tells the Times “She’s coming back to a divided state, where Democrats had supported her but they watched her for two months call the president-elect of the United States a terrorist sympathizer.”

The Anchorage Daily News certainly isn't happy with Palin's celebrity rounds, releasing an editorial this week that demanded the Governor concentrate on the job she was actually elected to: "There are ... low graduation rates, plummeting North Slope oil prices, proposals to build alternative energy projects, the gas pipeline. It's time for the governor to refocus on Alaska's needs."

So maybe Palin should consider, you know, actually getting to work repairing her state before she sets out to repair her own image. "She has to deal with the perception that she bobbled her debut," Claremont McKenna College political scientist John Pitney tells the AP, "She needs to stay home for a while. If she wants a future in national politics, her No. 1 job is doing a good job as governor."

Sarah Palin Baffles Reporters By Rehashing Stump Speech At RGA Conference [HuffingtonPost]
Pawlenty On Palin Speech: "Interesting" [MSNBC]
Is Alaska Big Enough For Celebrity Palin?[AP]
Cold Realities Await Gov. Sarah Palin In Alaska[AP]
Back Home, Palin Finds Landscape Has Changed[NYTimes]

The Associated Press is reporting that there have been "hundreds" of racially-charged events taking place since the election, a number that hate-crime researchers at the Southern Poverty Law Center note is "many more than usual." Marsha L. Houston, a professor at the University of Alabama, had a poster of the Obamas ripped from her office door and replaced by a poster featuring "a death threat and a racial slur." As Houston notes, "It seems the election brought the racist rats out of the woodwork."

Similar hate-filled incidents are taking place across the country, with cross burnings, racist graffiti, and violent outbursts taking place against Obama supporters. The AP reports that "in the Pittsburgh suburb of Forest Hills, a black man said he found a note with a racial slur on his car windshield, saying 'now that you voted for Obama, just watch out for your house.'" Second and third grade children in Rexburg, Idaho were also heard chanting, "Assassinate Obama!" on the school bus. You don't learn that kind of cheer in school music class, so one has to wonder where these children are picking their hateful rhetoric up from.

Perhaps they're learning it from their parents, who may have the same attitude as Gail McDaniel, a Southern woman quoted in the New York Times as stating: “I think there are going to be outbreaks from blacks. From where I’m from, this is going to give them the right to be more aggressive.” In the very same article, another woman "volunteered that she was bothered by the idea of a black man “over me” in the White House." Or maybe they know someone like Greg Griffin, 46, who believes that Obama's victory has "ruined" the country. "I believe our nation is ruined and has been for several decades and the election of Obama is merely the culmination of the change. If you had real change it would involve all the members of (Obama's) church being deported."

Children singing chants on the playground and scrawling graffiti on the blacktops is frightening enough, but when adults begin taking bets on when and how the next President of the United States will be assassinated, it's hard to even fathom the mindset required to tolerate or create such a hateful display. Yet the owner of a store in Standish, ME set up an "Obama Osama Shotgun Pool," where customers could pay $1 to place their bets on Obama's assassination date. Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," read the sign, with a note attached to the bottom of the board that read,"Let's hope someone wins."

Ignorance breeds fear, fear breeds anger, and anger breeds violence. Realizing that an African-American man is now "over" them, it appears that many of these people are taking out their fears on less high-profile targets. As BJ Gallagher, a sociologist who specializes in diversity studies, told the AP, "The principle is very simple. If I can't hurt the person I'm angry at, then I'll vent my anger on a substitute, i.e., someone of the same race."

Anyone who watched at least one Palin or McCain rally should not be surprised with this outbreak of hate; the cries of "Kill him!" and "Terrorist!" were merely incredibly visible examples of the kind of mentality that is sweeping a certain population of the country. The racist attitudes have been there for a very long time; Obama's victory just seems to have sparked a desire to be more open and more aggressive about it. It may be decades before we truly know the impact that Obama's victory had on race relations in this country; but as of right now, it appears that for every step the country takes forward, there are those who want nothing more than to use hate, ignorance, and fear to keep us locked in the past.

Election spurs 'hundreds' of race threats, crimes [AP]
For South, A Waning Hold On Politics [NYTimes]

[CBSNews]

"Well, has mom agreed to this?"

"That's not a suicide pact, Dad. It's a murder-suicide."

Not to get all 'Lives' on everyone, but a piece in today's "Science Times" made me think of me, me, me! Or, at any rate, my family.

It's the account of a woman who's promised her mother in vague terms that she'll "help her out" should she ever fall ill, knowing full well what this means to a woman who's a member of the Hemlock Society. And it brings up those cases which are less black and white, even for those who find the issue a straightforward one: when the politics of "assisted suicide" don't have a whole lot to do with the misanthrope in question. Take my grandpa!

I've mentioned Grandpa Moe before, a known eccentric who hoarded clocks by the thousands, buried gold bars under the house and kept a deep-freeze full of beef sides in preparation for a vague apocalyptic happening known as "The Bad Times." To call him a pessimist is an understatement: he believed every year was his last, that he'd never live to see a grandchild, that ill-health and dementia were stalking him. He was also a eugenicist (he thought "stupid people" should be fixed), and so wildly "pro-choice" (not that I think anyone of that movement would have been particularly eager to claim him) that he regularly scandalized local pro-life protesters with his arguments for mandatory abortions based on IQ. Needless to say, he had no moral qualms about the issue of euthanasia. When I was pretty young, he took me aside, much as the mother in the Times article does, and asked me to shoot him if he ever "lost it."

In the article, the dutiful daughter agrees. In the end, she is spared a terrible choice when her mother has a swift natural death. In my grandfather's case, things were not so simple. After my grandmother died, he lost all will to live — but then, how much had he ever had? At 87, there was nothing physically wrong with him, but he sunk into a deep depression that quickly led to a general physical deterioration. He grew cadaverous and never left the bed. Then he started the suicide attempts: in his weakened state, he was rather easily disarmed when he went for his guns and swords (yes, an arsenal was necessary for The Bad Times) and tried to hang himself, but when he went on hunger strike, there was not much to do.

People have heard that and asked, "why didn't anyone call 911? They could have put him on an IV, maybe given him antidepressants." Maybe. But no one did. Oddly enough, it had little to do with his "right to die" — if you'd asked many people involved about the politics of it, you'd have found their views far more complex than the story might suggest. We saw it as his wish more than his right, perhaps, but also an act of monumental hopelessness that, at the end of the day, was of apiece with the way he had lived his life. It was certainly what he wanted, but it had less to do with dignity than with the affirmation of a philosophy which, as the days drew on, rapidly ceased to seem an amusing eccentricity and more something deeply sad and rooted in fear. To call it political is silly; my grandfather, much as I loved him, was unwell and his views had no business being imposed on anyone.

In this regard, I thought the Times piece was right: to the extent the personal is political, of course there are ramifications, but the stories are personal and unique. As the piece's author puts it, "my mother had been ready to die for years. Not that she was suicidal, but she had always been one of those people who found the cloud in every silver lining. For my mother, life’s positives outweighed its negatives, but just barely." For my own grandfather, anything less than an ending of despair and doom would surely have nullified the cloudy outlook that had guided his every adult action. What he found in his kind of death was, in a sense, a grim sort of self-fulfilling satisfaction. Why weren't five children, six loving grandchildren, years of health an enticement? Well, that was not what he had planned on. And there is comfort in the expected.

Keeping A Promise When A Life Is Near Its End [New York Times]

• The Center for Adolescents of San Miguel de Allende is the only school in Mexico that offers a professional midwifery degree and may be the model for future schools to teach midwifery all over the world. • The British woman who was given the first successful ovarian transplant last year is expected to give birth this week. • A new law in Australia requires Family Courts to consider ordering mothers to repay child support to the men they claimed were the fathers of their children if paternity is successfully challenged. So far, 18 men have been cleared of paternity. • New research suggests that women with a history of serious mental illness are much more likely to have babies who are stillborn or die within the first month of life. • After attacking Kenyan police earlier today, six gunmen kidnapped two elderly Italian Roman Catholic nuns from their homes and drove them into Somalia. • Is it better to get married earlier or later in life? • Researchers say that a new technique for screening embryos during IVF will double the chances that the embryo will implant in the mother's womb. • A girl in North Carolina who studied teenage highway deaths for her senior project was killed in a head-on collision on Saturday. • Stu Rasmussen has been elected the mayor of a small town in Oregon, making him the country's first openly transgender mayor. • Kombucha may be the hot drink right now, but home brew versions can be potentially dangerous. • In perhaps the first case of its kind, an Italian couple face prosecution for causing their child "psychological suffering" after they allegedly argued in front of him during their divorce. •

After 8 years of going backwards, in terms of scientific research options, Obama "has signaled that he intends to reverse Bush's controversial limit on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, a decision that scientists say has restrained research into some of the most promising avenues for defeating a wide array of diseases, such as Parkinson's." Obama's pro-research stance may be why 76 Nobel Laureates in Science endorsed him for the Presidency this year.

The reality that Obama can and most likely will reverse Bush's executive orders is a striking one: for so long we've concentrated on an end result as it pertained to the election: who would win? By how much? With what states? Yes, informed voters looked to the actual future of both candidates and the decisions they would make before placing their votes, but it's hard to deny that reading these reports and hearing that yes, our president IS going encourage stem cell research and yes, our president IS going to deal with climate change issues, is such a shock after the past 8 years of "No, No, No," that it's almost too overwhelming to believe.

Things will not be easy for President Obama. The economy and the difficulties of ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will ensure a difficult few years. And it's not as if most of us think things will change overnight, but to finally have a president who embraces science, innovation, and the idea that we must, as a country, find better ways to solve our health and environmental crises than telling scientists that they can't do their jobs.

Those 200 executive orders represent the mindset, leadership, and corruption of the past 8 years. It's just amazing to think that we actually have a President in the wings who is ready to reverse them, and ready to take us all in a different direction.

Obama Reviews Bush Orders On Stem Cells, Drilling [AP]
Obama Positioned To Reverse Bush Actions [MSNBC]
76 Nobel Laureates In Science Endorse Obama [Scientists And Engineers For America]

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

Who Will Obama Pick As Secretary of Education? [Time]

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.

She then tells the following anecdote about her friend's toddler: "At first, he drew a stick figure with its arms raised. 'That's Obama,' he said to nobody. Then the stick figure reappeared, lying prone. 'Dead McCain,' he muttered." Rut Roh! Salon's Sarah Hepola is also worried about parents' political persuasions corrupting the youngins. Hepola watched this video from Babble full of assorted wee ones saying "Bawwwaack Obama" and found it sort of disturbing. "I know everyone else thinks it's cuter than puppies and rainbows, but there's something disturbing to me about children who have no agency parroting a political platform," Hepola wrote, "Like, what if my parents were Hitler fans and there was videotape of me as an adorable toddler, cake on my face, talking about loving Hitler?"

The other ladies of Salon's Broadsheet blog talk Hepola down from the ledge. Kate Harding implies that Hitler talk is a leeetle histrionic. "Despite my parents' best efforts at indoctrination, as soon as I developed a concept of the world beyond our suburban home, I became the flaming liberal you know and love. The Reagan propaganda really, really didn't take," she writes.

Moms over at NPR take the middle road and say that even if your kid is drawing two dimensional McCain death wishes, you can make it into a "teachable moment" about civics and tolerance. The question remains: how much do your parents politics influence you, whether consciously or unconsciously?

[Image via Shakesville]

Embarrassing Obama Kids [Slate]
Babies For Barack Obama [Babble]
Babies For Bwackobama [Salon]
Moms Discuss Parenting Kids With An Appetite For Politics [NPR]

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.

Leibovich takes a pretty fascinating look at the mind of the undecided voter, traveling around to speak with several people who are still struggling to make up their minds. His first stop takes him to a couple named Doug and Shelley Finke of Kentucky, who are both a bit embarrassed about their undecided status. "“I do not like being an ‘undecided,’" Doug Finke, 66, tells the Times, “Last time at this point, I definitely was decided. Not this time. I find it unnerving.” Finke admits that he's more drawn to McCain's economic policies but feels more in line with Obama's social policies. He also admits to having doubts about Sarah Palin's competency.

You get the sense that in some way, this type of indecision actually makes sense. Finke is drawn to one candidate's stances on one thing, and the other candidate's stances on the other; he sees benefits and drawbacks to both. I actually felt a sympathy for Doug Finke, as he does come across as embarrassed about the whole thing, and more importantly, he shows that he's not a one-issue voter, which means that despite the disdain for undecided voters and the feeling that they just aren't paying attention, Finke actually is informed and aware of both candidate's policies, but just can't decide which ones he's willing to give up and which ones he's willing to embrace.

His wife, Shelley, on the other hand, isn't as sympathetic: she voted for Bush twice and initially wasn't a big Obama fan due to "the whole Hollywood thing," as she puts it, but has since found herself liking Obama more and McCain less as the election has gone on. “I’d say I’m leaning towards McCain,” Shelley Finke says, “For as awful as things are with this Republican administration, there’s something about the whole conservative thing that appeals to me. But maybe I’ll vote for Obama. How many days are left?” Yikes.

Leibovich also goes on to speak with a man who was anti-Obama after Obama defeated Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Claiming that he's "disgusted with both sides," Vasilios Gerovasiliou, 64, first threatens to "flip a coin" in the voting booth, but then admits that he'll probably vote for the Democratic ticket, due to Joe Biden's inclusion.

Perhaps the strangest interview Leibovich gets is with 76-year-old Laura Wolpo of Florida, who seems to just hate everybody. She takes shots at Sarah Palin: "Some of what she says is very stupid," Michelle Obama: "Someone should teach her how to dress," and claims she has "great misgivings" about Obama. She's warmer to McCain, noting that she has "a great deal of respect for him," but is hesitant to vote for McCain, due to the fact that she is pro-choice, and McCain is not. Still, she says there's a 60% chance she'll support McCain in the end. But perhaps most telling, Wolpo notes that her son has had a stroke, and that his health is really the most important thing on her mind. “This other thing is just an election,” she said.

So maybe that's it: for some Americans, the election is just "this other thing," this background noise, this decision that they believe is not as important as the other worries and concerns in their lives. And this is where I have little sympathy for the undecideds: because the election isn't "this other thing", it is something bigger and more important, something that will affect all of us, even your son's health care, Ms. Wolpo. Your vote may not matter to you, but it matters to the rest of us, the ones who share this country with you, who will go into the voting booth on Tuesday with a clear mind and a certain heart, and the hope that the rest of our fellow citizens will care enough to do the same.

The Undecided: Sheepish, Proud, Or Set To Flip Coin [NYTimes]

Even though it may feel like we've seen a lot of Michelle Obama, she hasn't done any hard-hitting interviews, with say, Wolf Blitzer. And spouses of past Democratic nominees — Teresa Heinz Kerry, Tipper Gore, Hillary Rodham Clinton — all spent more time campaigning in the fall than Michelle Obama has, according to the Times. But one has to wonder: Was Michelle Obama's strong black working woman image softened into a "just a mommy" role, in order for the American public to find her more likeable, and her husband more electable? And did it work?

New To Campaigning, But No Longer A Novice [NY Times]

No matter what happens on November 4th," Rubin writes, "a lot of people are going to be elated, and a lot of people are going to be dejected." This is obviously true: this election has garnered so much attention, and voters are so involved, that the emotional stakes on both sides are quite high. Dejected, however, may be too light a word; anyone who sat through the Bush/Gore and Bush/Kerry debacles can attest that "devastated" or "horrified" might be more appropriate. I'm not sure there's even a word to describe how I would feel if Sarah Palin made her way into the White House, and I'm only hoping they never have to invent one.

Rubin claims that "affective forecasting," a type of positive visualization, is the key to handling the post-election blues. "It turns out that when we try to forecast our emotional state in the future," Rubin writes, "we tend to overestimate how horrible or how great we're going to feel as a consequence of a certain outcome." Rubin argues that the gloom and doom we all feel about a potential McCain presidency won't be as strong if the real thing actually occurs; things are always better or worse in our minds than in reality.

But beyond the immediate reactions to the Election Day results, I'm pretty sure the majority of post-election blues will come from a disconnect from America's current favorite reality show: Presidential Campaign '08, with all of its wacky and interesting characters, its insane and unending and at times, inspiring or infuriating story lines. I am only 27 years old, but I can't think of an election in my lifetime, even the Bush/Gore mess of 2000, that spawned so much discussion between family members, co-workers, and of course, throughout the internet.

It will be a strange withdrawal from the daily election cycle. In some ways, I'm sure, people are quite sick of the whole thing and can't wait until it's over. Yet when it ends, and these stories fade into the background or come back again in quieter, re-tooled versions in future political campaigns or scandals, the topic that has crossed age, race, gender, and pop-cultural boundaries will be missing, only to be replaced by stories of our new President, whoever he may be, and the potential competitors for his job in 4 short years.

Perhaps the best way to handle the post-election blues is to mark your calendars for 2010. The race never really ends, it just hides for a while and comes back with a vengeance that sucks us all in. And until then, we should make it a point to continue the most important legacy of this campaign: the fact that politics has taken center stage, that the voters, especially the young voters, of this country are involved and seeking to be informed and interested in the future of America as well as the future of the rest of the world.

Presidential Depression: Dealing With The Post-Election Blues [HuffingtonPost]

"Barack Obama has an ideological commitment to higher taxes, and I say this based on his record," Palin told the crowd. "Higher taxes, more government, misusing the power to tax leads to government moving into the role of some believing that government then has to take care of us. And government kind of moving into the role as the other half of our family, making decisions for us. Now, they do this in other countries where the people are not free." Apparently, Palin picked up this info on the way to becoming an expert in misusing power and taking advantage of taxpayers in order to ensure that her family was taken care of, no?

In any case, it appears that hinting at socialism, last week's no-no word, has now been replaced by hinting at communism. So look out, totalitarianism! Palin is comin' to getcha! Because Sarah Palin isn't down with a big bad government, makin' all the rules. No! Sarah believes that "individual Americans and American families who can make better decisions for ourselves than government can ever make for us." Except, you know, women and their wacky wombs and vaginas, because the government should totally make decisions for them, right Sarah?

Palin's continued insistence on preaching one thing and practicing another is, at this point, becoming terrifyingly expected. No longer are we shocked by the vitriol and bizarre statements that come out of her mouth. That does not mean, however, that we should not be concerned about the messages she continues to spread on her Hate Talk Express tour around the country. A particularly disturbing revelation on Palin's part is her belief that abortion clinic bombers should not be considered terrorists, despite the FBI's insistence that abortion clinic attackers are, in fact, domestic terrorists. When asked about the terrorism designation by NBC's Brian Williams, Palin responded, "Now others who would to engage in harming innocent Americans or facilities, I don’t know if you’re gonna use the word ‘terrorist’ there, but it’s unacceptable, and it would not be condoned of course on our watch.”

Ok. So you're not going to use the word "terrorist" to describe an individual who BOMBS a clinic as a means of religious or moral protest in order to spread a message of fear and hate and intimidation, but you are willing to call Barack Obama someone who "pals around with terrorists" because he was on a school board with Bill Ayers 10 years ago? Could you please explain the logic of this to me, Governor Palin?

Terrorism is defined as "the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion." If abortion clinic bombings aren't domestic terrorism, then I'm not sure what is. As Josh at RightWingWatch notes, "it’s disturbing that after 7 murders, 17 attempted murders, 41 bombings, 175 acts of arson and hundreds of cases of death threats, stalking, assault, and break-ins, Palin doesn’t think it’s appropriate to use the T-word."

Perhaps Palin's actions over the last few weeks are the reason why The Anchorage Daily News has officially endorsed Barack Obama. Though the Daily News gives Alaska's governor some credit for her abilities, the paper concludes that "despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time."

Good call, Anchorage Daily News, though I'd say based on Palin's increasingly inflammatory rhetoric, inability to match her words with her actions, and failure to understand the horrors that befall American citizens, regular Joes and Janes who are just trying to work and live, (and who, as it stands, have the protection of the United States government and the right to freedom of religion) every time an abortion clinic is bombed, I'd say any time is too risky a time to have Sarah Palin anywhere near the White House.

Obama For President [Anchorage Daily News]
Alaska Funded Palin Kids' Travel[AP]
Transcript: Time's Interview With Sarah Palin [Time]
Palin Disagrees With FBI Over Terrorism Designation[RightWingWatch]
Palin Says Obama 'Palling Around With Terrorists'[HuffingtonPost]
Palin: Obama's Tax Plan Could Mean Nightmare Communist State[HuffingtonPost]
Palin Allies Report Rising Camp Tension [Politico]

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

How do you like your coverage? We've got everything from the straight to the analytical to the gleeful to the disgusted to predictably defensive statements by the McCain campaign. We've got commentary from other women in the public eye, stylists and prize-winning fashion writers.

And then of course there are all the servicey pieces! From high end — replicating Palin's spree at Saks and Neiman's (several times), attempting to spend $150k, to low end — creating her looks at Loehmann's and Wal-Mart! HuffPo helpfully puts the expenditures in terms of the average plumber's salary, ratio of clothes to Edwards-haircuts, typical American clothing budgets and "the cost of health care for 15 or so people." There are also polls and analyses of how much this would undercut her image, and photo essays of her ensembles.

For all this, the funny part is that there's really not that much to say. Here's the gist. Palin spent a ton on clothes, more than anyone can justify, even given arguments for the increased scrutiny on female politicians. She seems to have done so at a deliberate moment post-convention, once her Real American credentials had been established. She looks pretty good. But the timing could not be worse (global economic crisis, anyone?) and it flies directly in the face of her average Joe Six pack, hockey mom appeal just when the McCain campaign was trying to push a common touch agenda. Consensus? Republicans are pissed at the stupidity, McCain is pissed at having to talk about it, and whatever the eventual fallout, it's not good for them.

So, was it worth it? No. Obviously not. She doesn't look that different, she's undercut her sole selling point, and made herself look even more ridiculous. What was the RNC thinking? Having beaten the $400 haircut drum and played the elitism card with such enthusiasm, who could possibly have green-lighted this kind of excess, even were the economy not in free fall? Were they trying to make the most of her looks? Sure. Were they hoping to make her look like a politician? Probably. Was this shopping spree some kind of grotesque hail mary, a kind of attempt to bolster a crappy show with lavish sets and costumes? (And yes I know that's like five metaphors.) What's ironic about this is that in the past, Republicans have successfully marketed rich men of privilege like Reagan and George W. Bush as simple men of the people. And yet, they've taken a Sarah Palin and dressed her like a rich person!

I keep thinking about Stylista, the new show where magazine sophisticates whip kids into stylish shape. "Wearing the right label doesn't make something right," they say at one point to the designated villain. Meanwhile, the girl showing too much cleavage wails that she "loves her clothes" and "loves the way she looks in them," while the others pressure her into wearing something more tasteful and appropriate. They send the contestants to H&M and have them put looks together to show they have real style. Obviously the RNC didn't have that kind of confidence in their VP nominee. And sure enough, they'll pay through the nose.

Sarah Palin's $150,000 Makeover [BBC]
Sarah Palin's RNC-Funded Makeover: A Fashion Do Or Don't? [LA Times]
Palin's Fashion-Gate [WWD]
Republicans Disgusted By RNC Spending On Palin [Marc Ambinder]
For Women In The Public Eye, Looks Matter [CNN]
Stylist: Palin Fashion Buys Worth It [Politico]
After A $150,000 Makeover, Sarah Palin Has An Image Problem [Washington Post]
How To Spend $150,000 At Saks And Neiman Marcus [NY Mag]
The Saks Girls On Sarah Palin [Newsweek]
How To Spend $150,000 Just Like Sarah Palin [Slate]
If Sarah Palin Shopped For Her Campaign Clothes At Walmart… [The Frisky]

Palin Clothes Spending Has Dems Salivating, Republicans Disgusted [HuffPo]
Poll: Is Sarah Palin Elitist? [Guardian]
Look Is The Same; The Labels Have Changed [NY Times]
Sarah Palin's RNC-Funded Makeover: A Fashion Do Or Don't? [LA Times]
McCain Responds To Palin Shopping Bill [Time]

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[

John McCain's first wife, Carol, was quite popular on Capitol Hill, and many, including Nancy Reagan, never forgave McCain for leaving her. As the Times notes, "Carol McCain was still a presence on the social scene, working in the Reagan White House and as an events planner. Everyone knew her story: she had stood by her husband during his captivity in North Vietnam, never passing word of a debilitating car accident, only to discover, a few years after their reunion, that he was leaving her for a younger, richer woman."

What happened between John, Carol, and Cindy McCain is nobody's business but their own. But the public perception, and the Washington opinion, was quite clear: the Washington wives loved Carol McCain, and Cindy Hensley was no Carol McCain. Rejected, Cindy headed back to Phoenix. “I think Cindy made an intellectual decision: I could stay here and fight this, or I could go and do more productive things,” her friend Barbara Ross told the Times.

The article goes on to touch upon Cindy's pill addiction, her role in the Keating Five scandal, and notes that "those close to Mrs. McCain say she aspires to be like another blonde, glamorous figure married to an older man: Diana, the Princess of Wales. Mrs. McCain sought out the same mine-clearing organization that the princess supported, joining its board and traveling to minefields, just as her role model had. Mrs. McCain recently told British reporters that as first lady, she would take her cues from Diana, throwing herself into international philanthropy."

The article also touches on the blurry sides of Cindy's story, how even her own recollections don't always seem to add it. "Whatever stumbles she may have made in telling her story," the article notes, "Mrs. McCain has exhibited the signal trait of the political spouse: a burning desire to win."

The McCain campaign clearly does not like this story: "gutter journalism," apparently, is a look inside the life of a woman who has been shunned, hurt, and confused. The article, though quite unflattering to Mrs. McCain, also paints her in the most sympathetic light I've ever seen her in. It is perhaps the most humanizing piece out there, in regards to giving the public some insight into what's going on behind that icy expression and platinum blonde hair, but apparently John McCain thinks otherwise. I consider John McCain to be a bit of an expert in gutter journalism, but this piece doesn't fit the bill. It isn't "gutter journalism" to point out that even a potential first lady has problems, even a Senator who preaches family values might have some messed up family issues, and that no matter what happens to these families in November, they are, in the end, human after all.

Behind McCain, Outsider In Capital Wanting Back In [New York Times]
Make-Believe Maverick [Rolling Stone]
'NYT' Profile of Cindy Draws Angry McCain Response — Including Release of Email and Facebook Message [Editor and Publisher]

Cavell's execution is seen as one of the turning points of World War 1: the British government was able to capitalize on the overwhelming public outrage surrounding her death by creating anti-German propaganda that bolstered military support in the United Kingdom and public support for the Allied cause in the United States, which had not yet entered the war.

In a time when patriotism is still being watered down to the kind of pin you wear on your lapel, it's important to remember what a real heroine looks like. And Edith Cavell was one; not only for her bravery, for her strength, for her willingness to put the lives of others above her own, but for her ability to hold these beliefs and act upon them without resorting to hatred for others in order to bolster them. Edith Cavell stayed true to her beliefs until the end, knowing that it wasn't just patriotism, but patriotism and the knowledge that her actions brought some good into the world that would give her the peace she was looking for before she met her fate. For you can try to conjure up ideas of patriotism all you want, but if your heart is in a bad place, and you're using "patriotism" as a means to create more hatred in the world, there's nothing heroic about your actions at all. And that's a lesson certain politicians could certainly stand to learn right about now.

Edith Cavell [Wikipedia]
"The Heroine Who Humbled Me" [Nightingale Declaration]

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]