In France, Sarah Palin has the media buzzing
September 11, 2008
French newspapers, tv shows and blogs weigh in on Republican Vice Presidential nominee
In France, where powerful women raising a family and conducting a career in politics while retaining a certian je ne sais quoi of femininity is nothing new (think Segolene Royal), Sarah Palin, the new Republican Vice Presidential nominee, is raising some eyebrows–and even some ire.
“The Republicans have found their Obama,” sneered Le Monde, a newspaper in France known for its left-of-center views. Obama is wildly popular in France, and he met in a cosy tete-a-tete with French President Nicolas Sarkozy followed by a joint public appearance during Obama’s much-vaunted and sometimes ridiculed tour of Europe, the pinnacle of which was Obama’s speech in Berlin before cheering throngs. Sarkozy is known as a conservative politician; nevertheless he welcomed the fresh face and liberal politics of Barack Obama as being somewhat like his own.
The nomination of Palin, ultra-conservative governor of Alaska, to the Republican ticket was viewed in France as inspired by some and an act of reckless desperation by many others. Palin believes in Creationism, is against abortion, and genrally adheres to all the tenets of the Christian far right, without actually heavily promoting the fact that she is a Christian herself. But her addition to the ticket gives the right-center McCain a hefty shove to the right, which does not sit well with many in France.
Add to this the story of her pregnant 17-year-old daughter, which is getting plenty of play in France. it isn’t the sort of story the French would run about one of its own politicians. The sexual peccadilloes of those in power, their families and unwed mothers are taken in stride in France. But on French blogs and in the press, Palin has not been popular, probably because of her conservative viewpoint. It certainly isn’t her look; her stylishness has been grudingly ackowledged by many in France while they disagree with her political affiliations.
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