Political Feminism and the Problem of Sarah Palin

This chapter suggests that it is Palin's candidacy, rather than Clinton's, that gives us the better measure of the impact of the feminist movement of the past forty years. That there are women—and men—in the Republican Party who were genuinely energized in 2008 by a tough female candidate unapologetic about her political ambitions suggests that the position of women in the party and in American politics has shifted in the decades since Second Wave feminists sought to transform the role of women in society. The chapter thus considers the seeming contradiction of a feminist, pro-life Republican and recalls a time, as recent as the mid-1970s, when feminist women filled the party's highest leadership roles. It argues that Palin's ongoing popularity shows how profoundly the feminist movement has changed American values.