Best Column

Has the Left finally found its Sarah Palin?

Virginia Democratic Congressional candidate Krystal Ball is young, ambitious, and defiantly dismissive of her critics, says Noreen Malone in Slate. Sound familiar?

For a moment in mid-October, it seemed like Krystal Ball would be just another laughing-stock politician, says Noreen Malone at Slate. When photos emerged of the Virginia congressional candidate dressed as a "sexy Santa" fellating a sex toy attached to her then-husband's face, things didn't look good. But the 28-year-old Democrat's response, an "unapologetic but defiant" statement of umbrage, positioned her as something else entirely. "Society has to accept that women of my generation have sexual lives that are going to leak into the public sphere," she wrote at The Huffington Post. "Sooner or later, this is a reality that has to be faced, or many young women in my generation will not be able to run for office." With this bold "manifesto of Facebook-generation feminism," writes Malone, Ball begins to resemble another mainstream, female politician: "Ball may be the left's answer to Sarah Palin." Here's an excerpt:

It's not just that Ball's young and attractive, plays up her traditional femininity (without styling herself as overtly sexy), and talks at every chance about how concern for her daughter's future is motivating her campaign. Or that her husband, like Todd Palin before him, is an active and supportive but unofficial campaign adviser. It's also her emphasis on fiscal responsibility. She's a CPA but also implies it's the housewifely role of balancing the family books that helps qualify her for reining in wasteful government spending. (Ball's first TV ad is particularly Grizzly-esque, as she herself pointed out to me, though she says it isn't so on purpose.) Or that, like so many of [the so-called Mama Grizzlies], she's brand-new to politics but had the jet-propulsive self-confidence to run without waiting her turn.

Read the entire article at Slate.

Recommended

Will Ron DeSantis run for president in 2024?
Ron DeSantis.
Briefing

Will Ron DeSantis run for president in 2024?

DeSantis' no good, very bad week
Ron DeSantis at a podium
Behind the scenes

DeSantis' no good, very bad week

How Stephanie became Stormy
Stormy Daniels smiling for a photo
Profile

How Stephanie became Stormy

Indicting the 'Teflon president'
Two hands in cuffs, one giving a thumbs-up and the other giving a thumbs-down
Talking point

Indicting the 'Teflon president'

Most Popular

Russia's spring Ukraine offensive may be winding down amid heavy losses
Ukrainian tank fires near Bakhmut
Attrition

Russia's spring Ukraine offensive may be winding down amid heavy losses

DeSantis' no good, very bad week
Ron DeSantis at a podium
Behind the scenes

DeSantis' no good, very bad week

Adam Gopnik recommends 6 classic books for literature fans
Adam Gopnik.
Feature

Adam Gopnik recommends 6 classic books for literature fans