Why liberals hate Palin

Sarah Palin is back and going rogue. Her new book has sent waves through the media, and the discussion about her public appeal has resurfaced. During this coverage, I've noticed some reoccurring themes about why it is posited that liberals dislike her. They say that it's because she's a strong woman, a pro-life advocate, a hunter, a blue-collar American, and last but not least, because she is a maverick. While I of course do not claim to be the voice of liberals, I do believe I can refute some of these statements with a general consensus from the left. Sarah Palin is disliked, but absolutely not for these reasons.

First off, the argument that the left does not like Sarah Palin because she is a strong woman is absolutely ridiculous. Do liberals not spend much more time trying to retire traditional, antiquated gender roles than conservatives? I think it is terrific that a woman who identifies herself as a Republican has the courage to enter a male-dominated career. It shows that America does have the ability to move away from extremism (on both ends), and that you do not have to be a liberal to want to work outside the home and that not all Republicans believe in gender stereotypes.

Her pro-life stance is not as threatening as the media makes it sound, either. My views on abortion will be forever conflicted, but I think the DS has overdosed on abortion debates recently, so we can save that discussion for later. I can, however, speak my perspective as a liberal. I am in no way bothered that Sarah Palin is pro-life or that anyone in America is pro-life. As a female, I can freely say that people who are anti-abortion do not personally offend my rights as a woman. Pro-lifers have their ideology because of deep seeded moral beliefs about protecting human rights. How this exactly plays out through legislation may be up for debate, but I will never chastise anyone for trying to protect human life, including Sarah Palin.

When it comes to the fact that Mrs. Palin (or governor Palin? Can I still say that?) hunts, the supposed anger it causes liberals is completely fabricated. The media is mixing up liberals with PETA. This argument also suggests that no Democrats hunt, which is of course ridiculous.

Finally, let's look at her life as a blue-collar American-it does not exist. Sarah Palin is a celebrity; she does not represent the average American. Her constant declaration that she is blue-collar is what is annoying, not what being blue-collar actually stands for. Leftists want to protect the middle class from big business and tax burdens. That is why many Democrats propose taxing the wealthiest of the country at higher rates, so working class Americans can have a break. Being blue-collar is not offensive to liberals; claiming to be blue-collar while wearing designer shoes is offensive.

So, is Sarah Palin really a maverick? I don't believe so, and that is why liberals can't stand her. She doesn't know how to navigate through the nuanced system that is our government efficiently. Her claim that being a hockey mom makes her suitable for positions of great power is frightening. Just because you're nice, pretty, and folksy doesn't mean you have credentials. Sarah Palin stands for the argument about the supposed evils of liberal elitism-the idea that being educated is to be frowned upon, but being ignorant and accessible is to be celebrated. Liberals hate that intellectuals are demonized as being "elitists", and Sarah Palin represents a culture that believes there is something anti-American about being smart.

She represents a culture that believes the entire Eastern side of the country is less wholesome and patriotic, that believes literature and graduate degrees characterize the type of people who do not support our American soldiers.

Being educated does not signify that you're less patriotic or less devoted to the country. Sarah Palin could be the most wonderful person in the world for all I know, but her platform utilizes the rhetoric that symbolizes everything that is wrong in politics today. That is why liberals (and many conservatives, by the way) hate Sarah Palin.