Mama grizzly

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Mama grizzly is a term that Sarah Palin coined during the 2010 Congressional elections for female candidates that she supported. The term was formally introduced in July 2010 in a YouTube video released by Palin's Political action committee, SarahPAC, but the term first gained interest as early as May 14, 2010 when she said in a speech to the Susan B. Anthony List "If you thought pit bulls were tough, you don't want to mess with mama grizzlies". The grizzly bear is a subspecies of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) found in North America. They are known for their aggressiveness, especially of the mothers in protecting their young. The term implies that Palin expects from the candidates she supports to exhibit that same ferocity in fighting for the causes in which they believe. The day after the 2010 midterm elections, Palin made a "Morning in America" style video which concluded with a roaring grizzly bear, a reference to her mama grizzlies.

History

Alaska's contribution to the 50 State Quarters designs
Elements: Grizzly bear with salmon (state fish) and North Star,
Caption: "The Great Land"

During her tenure as Governor, Palin chose as Alaska's contribution to 50 State Quarters series, a design showing a Grizzly bear grasping a salmon in its mouth. At the time the design was unveiled Palin said, "I like to think this is a mama grizzly doing what she does best: taking care of her young."

Nearly one year later, while promoting the Alaska natural gas pipeline project to federal officials in Washington D.C., Palin said, "Don't tell me that we should ever be on our knees to any dictator because of our desperation for energy, not when we have supplies here at home." Referring to her son's imminent deployment to the Iraq War zone, she added, "This mama grizzly ... has more reason than ever to protect our young." By October of 2008, Palin's usage of the bear metaphor to describe herself was reported in a New York Times article, "Provoking Palin's Inner Bear," which quotes her as saying that when she hears negative media coverage about her children, "the mama grizzly bear in me comes out, makes me want to rear up on my hind legs and say, ‘Wait a minute.’"

Palin addressing the 2008 Republican National Convention. During her speech, she called herself a "pit bull". In a May 2010 speech she noted, "If you thought pit bulls were tough, you don't want to mess with mama grizzlies."

Soon, other media outlets began picking up on Palin's self description. In January 2009, Margery Eagan of the Boston Herald penned a column, "Unbearable Mama Grizzly clawing way to Oval Office" in which she notes that a YouTube interview of Palin had nearly three quarters of a million views, proving "that mama "grizzly," as she called herself, remains irresistible." The Vancouver, Washington newspaper, The Columbian commented in January 2009 that "Sarah Palin is on the prowl, snorting that when the media poke fun at her family, it brings out the mama grizzly in her." The connection between Palin and "mamma grizzly" was made internationally in July 2009 when the New Delhi, India based Hindustan Times reported on a Palin twitter that described mama grizzly bears that Palin had seen in Alaska. In August 2009, an opinion piece in The Columbian suggested that Sarah Palin could be a Mama Grizzly head of a third party or fourth U.S. political party.

Speaking before the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List organization in May, 2010, Palin referred to novice female political candidates running in the 2010 election as "momma grizzlies". Referring to her earlier self-description as a "pit-bull" in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, she said, "If you thought pit bulls were tough, you don't want to mess with mama grizzlies." Later that day, Shannon Bream of the FOX News Channel reported that, "Palin says, women who she calls Mama Grizzlies will lead a national republican wave in November."

Reaction

Emily's List, a political action committee that supports pro-choice female candidates, launched a website and a video ad called "Sarah Doesn't Speak for Me", to oppose Palin, her "radical agenda" and the candidates she had endorsed. In the video, women dressed as bears say that they are "mama grizzlies" who fight for their cubs' right to choose, and that is why they oppose Palin and her candidates. Politico reporter Andy Barr described the ad as an attempt "to raise money off of Sarah Palin and the vitriol that she inspires".

New York Times columnist Gail Collins there was an "ongoing argument over whether Sarah Palin or her Mama Grizzly candidates could be regarded as feminists" and said she did not understand how a feminist could be opposed to government programs that help low income mothers who work.

In September 2010, Newsweek called the mama grizzly term "a familiar part of the lexicon" but questioned whether the grizzly candidates stood for policies that were good for women and children..

Candidates called mama grizzlies in 2010

The following is a list of candidates whom Palin has endorsed, nicknamed "mama grizzlies."

Challengers

Photo	Candidate	Office	State	Date	Endorsed via	Result
	Sharron Angle	U.S. Senate	Nevada	08-18-2010	Facebook	Lost general election (Palin's endorsement came after Republican primary)
	Kelly Ayotte	U.S. Senate	New Hampshire	07-19-2010	Facebook	Won
	Cecile Bledsoe	U.S. House of Representatives	Arkansas	06-03-2010	Facebook	Lost Republican runoff (Palin's endorsement came between the Republican primary and the runoff)
	Pam Bondi	State Attorney General	Florida	08-18-2010	Facebook	Won
	Ann Marie Buerkle	U.S. House of Representatives	New York	07-12-2010	Facebook	did not face a Republican primary; won general election
	Renee Ellmers	U.S. House of Representatives	North Carolina	08-18-2010	Facebook	Won general election (Palin's endorsement came after Republican primary)
	Mary Fallin	Governor	Oklahoma	06-17-2010	Facebook	Won
	Brenna Findley	State Attorney General	Iowa	08-18-2010	Facebook	Lost general election (did not face a Republican primary)
	Carly Fiorina	U.S. Senate	California	05-06-2010	Press Release	Lost general election
File:Screen shot 2010-06-28 at 28 Jun 17.17.19.png	Nikki Haley	Governor	South Carolina	05-14-2010	Appearance with candidate	Won
	Karen Handel	Governor	Georgia	07-12-2010	Facebook	Lost Republican primary
	Vicky Hartzler	U.S. House of Representatives	Missouri	08-18-2010	Facebook	Won general election (Palin's endorsement came after the Republican primary)
	Cecilia Heil	U.S. House of Representatives	Tennessee	07-08-2010		Lost Republican primary
	Susana Martinez	Governor	New Mexico	05-14-2010		Won
	Rita Meyer	Governor	Wyoming	07-30-2010		Lost Republican primary
	Angela McGlowan	U.S. House of Representatives	Mississippi	06-01-2010 (election day)		Lost Republican primary
	Christine O'Donnell	U.S. Senate	Delaware	09-09-2010	Call into Sean Hannity radio show	Lost general election
	Star Parker	U.S. House of Representatives	California	06-17-2010	Facebook	Lost general election (did not face a Republican primary)
	Martha Roby	U.S. House of Representatives	Alabama	08-18-2010	Facebook	Won (Palin's endorsement came after the Republican primary)
	Jackie Walorski	U.S. House of Representatives	Indiana	08-18-2010	Facebook	Lost general election (Palin's endorsement came after the Republican primary)

Incumbents

Photo	Candidate	Office	State	Date	Endorsed via	Result
File:Beth Chapman HighRes.jpg	Beth Chapman	Alabama Secretary of State	Alabama	08-18-2010	Facebook	did not face a Republican primary; Re-elected
	Michelle Bachmann	U.S. House of Representatives	Minnesota	01-20-2010	did not face a Republican primary; Re-elected
	Cathy McMorris Rodgers	U.S. House of Representatives	Washington		won blanket primary; Re-elected

Related uses

On August 23, 2010, Phillip Rucker of The Washington Post published an article whose title was "In South Dakota, Democrats' own 'mama grizzly' vs. 'the next Sarah Palin' ". The article is about Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin ("the Democrats' own 'mama grizzly'") who is running against Kristi Noem ("the next Sarah Palin"). At the time of the article, neither candidate received Sarah Palin's endorsement.

In Slate, Noreen Malone used the term to describe conservative women at the Smart Girl Summit, and their effective use of social networking in 2010 political campaigns.

Non-political usage

The term also appears in the context of a woman fighting back against a perceived threat.

External links

• The Washington Post's Palin Endorsements Tracker (includes both male and female candidates)
• Sarah Doesn't Speak for Me - Emily's List response to Sarah Palin and her Mama grizzlies
• Sarah Palin tweets ode to mama grizzlies