Let Your Voice Be Heard

Thanks to Mary Cullen who writes the Business Writing Info blog for her shout-out yesterday about my previous post, Branding Jill Biden. It is worth putting front and center here, along with my response. She comments:

Bravo! It’s posts just like this one that will help stop the perceived need to tone down the commendable intelligence of prominent political women with a dose of mom-ness and beauty.

Should appearance be at all relevant to a candidate’s “brand,” including spouse carry-over? No. Why is there no media commenting of Biden’s looks, while Palin has endured excessive commenting on her appearance? I don’t support Palin politically – in fact, her positions scare me. But, it’s her positions alone that matter.

There are a whole lot of women blogging now, and I say we echo your call to keep focus on the issues, and who is best suited to solving our national problems. Candidates should be branded only by their positions and plans to solve issues.

To which I respond:

Thanks, Mary. This has become even more urgent now as we face an election of personalities over policies. The crucial issues are being lost in in the subterfuge of hockey moms and lipstick, of women being put forward for the symbols they represent rather than for the substance they offer.

I agree whole-heartedly…..we must blog until we drown out the noise–for it is just that, and it will bring us all down if we’re not vigilant.

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