Will Women Abandon Palin, Too?

And here's how she gets away with calling herself one

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin sure sounds like a feminist these days, using the words "feminism" and "feminist" a dozen-plus times at a recent speech, along with choice phrases like "pro-woman sisterhood." But "Palin isn't a feminist," writes Jessica Valenti, "not in the slightest." She and her so-called conservative feminists "don't support women's rights," like access to abortion and emergency contraception. And they get away with it "by aligning themselves with a history that most women are proud of—the fight for suffrage." More»

Don't be so quick to judge Palin

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin's critics say she was unqualified to be vice president, but don't be too quick to label her the worst pick ever, writes Matthew Cooper. In the Atlantic , he runs down others since WWII who need to be part of the conversation:

• Spiro Agnew: Nixon's VP had to resign on bribery charges and had scant experience before being picked. "In terms of corruption and temperament, has there been anyone worse in memory?"
• Richard Nixon: His paranoid personality would have made him a disaster as president in the '50s had Eisenhower died in office. Nixon dealing with Stalin, Khrushchev, and Castro? Yikes.

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin's resignation has fueled talk of a presidential bid, but the first female occupant of the Oval Office may yet be a Democrat, the Washington Post surmises. Here are some of the leading possibilities.

• Kirsten Gillibrand: the New York senator has impressive fundraising chops and a killer instinct—her nickname is "Tracy Flick," after Reese Witherspoon's insanely competitive character in Election.

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin's resignation speech on Sunday showed how far she's fallen, writes Maureen Dowd: "Once a blazingly confident media darling," the now-former Alaska governor has become a ranting, whiny "Nixon with hair extensions." It's a marked contrast from Hillary Clinton, who on the same day gave an hourlong interview to Meet the Press. Her trajectory has been just the opposite—once "paranoid and press-loathing," the secretary of State is now radiating self-assurance. More»

It's the agenda, stupid: Goodman

(NEWSER) - This election showed a female candidate won’t automatically draw women’s votes if most women disagree with her on the issues, Ellen Goodman writes in the Boston Globe: “It’s not the gender … but the agenda.” With women traditionally putting economic issues—and more governmental control—atop their list, the female vote has long been Democratic. Sarah Palin really didn't have a chance of upending that trend. More»