What I do mind, though, is that this type of person now is influencing the future of our country.

The spunky former governor of Alaska stepped into the spotlight when she became John McCain’s vice presidential running mate in the 2008 presidential election.

Now, with talks of Palin running in the 2012 race abound, she is back in the political spotlight.

She is attractive, has strong family values and was the belle of the ball for Republicans wanting to increase the number of female voters.

However, I don’t think anyone expected her to become a glamorized American icon for all the wrong reasons.

For starters, Palin believes in the improvement of women’s rights everywhere — except your uterus. Her “new feminism: pro-life, pro-sisterhood” stance ironically works to further restrict the rights of women.

During the 2006 general election, Palin told interviewers, if her daughter were ever to be raped and impregnated, she still would not support an abortion.

Her daughter was 14 at the time.

It doesn’t stop there. She says women are capable of anything and that it is possible for any woman to handle an unintended pregnancy while pursuing educational goals.

But she also is saying we are incapable of making our own decisions about that same unintended pregnancy by prohibiting our choice on the matter.

Maybe in a perfect world where college tuition isn’t on the rise and where it’s easy to study with a newborn baby wailing in the background, this fantasy could be reality.

Maybe in this same world, it’s possible to juggle a job, a full-time school schedule and raise a child at the same time.
But we are far from that world, and as a figurehead in our government, she should know that.

As much as we all loved Tina Fey’s impersonation of Palin on several episodes of “Saturday Night Live,” the skits only encouraged America to dote upon her every word. Now we find ourselves waiting in anticipating for the next statement that baffles politicians and leaves us wanting more.

“Refudiate,” “misunderestimate,” “wee-wee’d up” were some of the words used in one of Palin’s headline-grabbing tweets on July 18, 2010. She then compared herself to William Shakespeare, declaring that he liked to “coin in new words too.” Initially, I was at a loss for words regarding this ignorant thought. Yes, Shakespeare threw in a few words of his own now and then, but he is also perhaps the greatest poet and playwright in the English language.

Just because Shakespeare made up words, that doesn’t mean everyone can, and I’m pretty sure he wasn’t using his “play on words” as a poor attempt to cover up his mishaps with the English language, like Palin obviously was.

Even though Palin brought attention to sexism during her 2008 campaign, let’s be clear on one thing: To take pictures and comment on her short skirt is sexist, but questioning Palin’s credentials is not.

She is underqualified to be influencing as much as she is, and for all of our sakes, I hope she straightens up.

Lauryn Schroeder is a State News staff writer. Reach her at schro193@msu.edu.