Democracy Alliance Donor’s Group Defends Palin

The nomination of GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is causing a schism on the feminist left.

A group founded by philanthropist Susie Tompkins Buell, a wealthy member of the secretive left-wing Democracy Alliance, accused journalists of sexism in its coverage of Palin and told reporters “to back off,” Jonathan Martin of the Politico reports today:

WomenCount, a group co-founded by top Hillary [Clinton] fundraiser Susie Tompkins Buell, posted a lengthy item on their blog decrying questions over whether Palin can, as a mother of five, juggle her family responsibilities and still be vice president.

“The very notion that Sarah Palin should not have accepted this nomination because she is a mother with demanding challenges underscores just how far we have to go,” wrote Rosemary Camposano, the group’s communications director.

She added: “It will be good for America to watch Sarah Palin on the campaign trail – bouncing from parenting to politics. That’s how most women function – multi-tasking, leaning on friends and family, and waking up each morning and doing it all again.”

Camposano added in the blog post that her group, which was “born of the passion its founders had for Hillary Clinton’s clear view of social issues and progressive values” doesn’t necessarily support Palin but “will defend Sarah Palin against misogynist smears not because we like her or support her, but because that’s how feminism works.”

But that’s not how feminism works, or at least — it hasn’t worked that way for a long time. Feminists generally toe the left-wing line.

For example, Gloria Steinem denounced Palin, saying her addition to the GOP ticket wouldn’t attract those women who supported Hillary Clinton’s bid for the Democratic nomination. “Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton,” Steinem wrote. “She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.” Steinem is the elderly feminist leader that feminist dissident Camille Paglia has called the “Stalin” of the feminist movement. There is no reason even to ask Steinem if she supports over-the-top attacks on Palin: of course she does. To Steinem and others on the hard left the end always justifies the means. (Steinem is not above lying either. Some of her allegations about Palin are refuted here.)

Returning to Susie Tompkins Buell, she is a member of the Democracy Alliance, a George Soros-led political consortium that arranges grants for left-wing groups. Buell co-founded the clothier Esprit with her former husband, Douglas Tompkins, who is president of the Foundation for Deep Ecology.