Palin on Ledbetter

This is rich:

Couric: Where do you stand on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act?

Palin: I’m absolutely for equal pay for equal work. The Ledbetter pay act - it was gonna turn into a boon for trial lawyers who, I believe, could have taken advantage of women who were many, many years ago who would allege some kind of discrimination. Thankfully, there are laws on the books, there have been since 1963, that no woman could be discriminated against in the workplace in terms of anything, but especially in terms of pay. So, thankfully we have the laws on the books and they better be enforced.

Couric: The Ledbetter act sort of lengthens the time a woman can sue her company if she's not getting equal pay for equal work. Why should a fear of lawsuits trump a woman's ability to do something about the fact that women make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. And that's today.

Palin: There should be no fear of a lawsuit prohibiting a woman from making sure that the laws that are on the books today are enforced. I know in a McCain-Palin administration we will not stand for any measure that would result in a woman being paid less than a man for equal work.

Couric: Why shouldn’t the Ledbetter act be in place? You think it would result in lawsuits brought by women years and years ago. Is that your main problem with it?

Palin: It would have turned into a boon for trial lawyers. Again, thankfully with the existing laws we have on the books, they better be enforced. We won't stand for anything but that. We won't stand for any discrimination in the workplace - that there isn't any discrimination in America.

Is it even possible to unpack this? McCain-Palin is all for equal pay for equal work in theory, they just don't want to pass any new laws that will let you do anything to get it. And of course, they're all for enforcing existing laws which, in the case of Lilly Ledbetter, demonstrably didn't help her achieve equal pay for equal work. But Palin can't support a law that would have remedied the situation, because she claimed it would "turn into a boon for trial lawyers who, I believe, could have taken advantage of women" by, you know, use them to get rich by filing a large number of very small claims that turn out not to be merited.

At this point, the only way to respond to Palin-speak is, WTF?!?!

Comments

[low-tech cyclist]

I suppose that in the world Palin lives in, women who are discriminated against in the workplace can just walk into court, without the aid of a trial lawyer, and magically be made whole.

My only question is: what color is the sky in her world?

[litbrit]

ltc, I think it's a pretty rainbow-colored sky. And rainbows are wonderful things, because we need to take them back from the gay Americans who support a surge, a surge to bring America together and go forward because it's gotta be about job creation. With rainbows. And not gay marriage, because John McCain and I won't stand for it. Gay marriage is threatening marriages right now, making our marriages look dull and boring because US-Americans who want marriage and believe in it can't compete with the gay marriage folk who, ya know, they have much better flowers and everything is all pretty and our food on American wedding tables is only one or two colors and, well, mooseburgers are kind of a light gray-brown--like your hair, Katie!--and you're lucky if you get vegetables that aren't overcooked and salad that has some chlorophyll in it. Very dull, and Bristol, well, Bristol wants a gay marriage because she says they have better taste. If you take the fight to the gays, you only get flowers and laughter and rainbows, so you have to take the rainbows back, America! *pumps fist*

[I happened to write that one, but there are lots more answers out there--you too can interview Sarah Palin!.]

[Sir Charles]

These are rarely the kinds of cases that so-called "trial lawyers" take. They are usually handled by schmucks like me and they are often not very profitable. Only where a big class action suit can be assembled is there much possibility of a big payday on this kind of claim, and even there it is not like a big personal injury or securities verdict.

Some of us, though, have a taste for justice. I won a Fair Labor Standards Act suit in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently after getting screwed at trial. After settling it out due to the threat of bankruptcy by the company, I think my firm is losing $170,000 on the deal. So Fuck You Sarah Palin. You, surprise, surprise, don't know what the fuck you are talking about.

[litbrit]

Sir C, you've noticed, I'm sure, that the dreaded "trial lawyers" meme is trotted out by the right whenever someone brings up any issue related to unfairness?

I think the phrase--trial lawyers--was part of the Safe Word Cocktail they forced down Sarah's throat while they were programming coaching her for interviews.

The debate is going to be hilarious. Think I'll lay in a good supply of Newman's Own Organic Popcorn, along with a couple of bottles of something bubbly and insubstantial. Might as well honor a dearly departed person along with a nearly departed one.

[oddjob]

litbrit, the only caution I offer about anticipating too gleefully is this, from today's Boston Globe.

[cletus]

to be fair, this isn't really Palin specific nonsense. This is the GOP position on Ledbetter.