Palin blasts 'Neanderthals,' defends Democrat woman

CHARLESTON, WV - OCTOBER 30: Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin speaks to supporters of Republican John Raese during a rally for his U.S. Senate campaign October 30, 2010 in Charleston, West Virginia. Raese and West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, are embroiled in a hotly-contested race for the seat vacated following the death of Robert C. Byrd. (Photo by Randy Snyder/Getty Images)

On Election Day, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin vented some ire over criticisms leveled against her during her campaign, blasting those that question whether women of small children should be working outside the home as "Neanderthals" that should "evolve" to be more "with it."

Palin appeared during Fox News Channel's live election coverage alongside the only other woman to be nominated on a major party's presidential ticket, Geraldine Ferraro, when Fox host Megyn Kelly commented on how Gov. Palin had been "attacked grossly" during her campaign.

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After taking a few moments to recap how Ferraro had also been attacked and praising the Democrat for "busting that glass ceiling," Palin answered Kelly's question:

"It kind of seems, Geraldine, that some things haven't changed," Palin said. "There are still the Neanderthals out there who pick on the petty, little, superficial, meaningless things – like looks, like whether you can or can't work outside of the home if you have small children – all those type of things where I would so hope that at some point those Neanderthals will evolve into something a bit more with it, a bit more modern, and a bit more understanding that, yeah, women can accomplish much."

Video of the exchange can be seen below:

Palin ran on the Republican ballot as Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate in 2008, while Ferraro ran on the Democratic ballot as Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984. Both were defeated in the popular election.

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During the '08 campaign, Palin had been widely criticized and lampooned on a number of issues outside of her political record, including being mocked for her religious faith, becoming the center of several "lipstick" controversies, fielding rumors about the parentage of her child, being depicted in cartoon and Photoshop images as a sex symbol, even being subjected to a "Saturday Night Live" skit about incest in her family.

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"Geraldine has also been grossly attacked, back in '84," Palin said, "and I remember, as a young college student, watching what it was that you were going through and knowing that – and more power to you for busting that glass ceiling and standing on the shoulders of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and others who had come before you, of course, so many years ago, and, then you busting through and then the opportunity that I and other woman following you have been able to seize – that's just been wonderful. It's been great for our nation, it's been so good."