Caribou Barbie

Last night I heard some info babe on MSNBC refer to Sarah Palin as “Caribou Barbie” … bragging that she was the one who coined this appellation (she didn’t use the word “appellation” as I think it was above her pay grade.) I just Googled these words and find that Stephanie Miller, a progressive radio talk show host, is credited with this snot-nose term. And apparently this insult has been around from before Sarah Palin made her appearance on Saturday Night Live. (Surprisingly, Stephanie’s late father, William E. Miller, was Barry Goldwater’s running mate for his failed 1964 bid for the presidency.) Ms. Miller’s talk show, “The Stephanie Miller Show”, is L.A. based (surprise, surprise) and apparently is also in modest syndication (including Sirius Satellite Radio) … although I’ve never heard of it before.

So, I’ve been asking myself why am I bothered by this elitist comment? … particularly, when I am not upset by Rush Limbaugh’s insulting term, “femiNazi” or his aphorism,“feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society.” I think what puzzles me most is why liberals seem to hate Sarah Palin with such a crazed zeal. It feels that liberals despise her mainly for her old-fashioned values (self-starting, family-first orientation, corruption fighting, rugged individualism, etc) combined with her good looks. To pose an analogy -- if Barry Goldwater (ironically) were to have a child with Annie Oakley, the result would be something like Sarah Palin. Perhaps (to play psychoanalyst), Stephanie Miller may be exhibiting a latent hatred of her father and consequently his politics? Or maybe she just wants to get more ink (like this blog entry).