Sarah Palin is now John McCain's running mate. Sarah Palin is Alaska's freshman governor with only 20 months in office. Prior to that she was the mayor of Wasilli, a town of 6,000 people. And prior to that she was Miss Wasilli the runner-up for Miss Alaska. She has 5 children, and she believes that killing animals is fun, wearing fur is fashionable, and saving the environment is akin to a waste of space.
She also believes that creationism is science, and that evolution is the religion of others. That is even more surprising given that she has a son with Trisomy 21 (a.k.a Down Syndrome) which is a genetic disease. But then again, there is very strong speculation that that son is actually her daughter's son which she is passing off as her own to maintain an idyllic family values image. But that is now just speculation.
She is also an anti-abortion advocate, which with five kids I wouldn't expect anything different. But she is a far-right advocate of no abortions no matter what. No exceptions for rape, incest, or health risks to the mother. On this issue she is an ideologue with little civil or policy sense. She's essentially a heartbeat away from throwing pregnant women into jails to make sure they go through labor even if its a 9-year-old raped by her father, or a 40-year-old in danger of dying in labor.
She claims to be "pro-contraception" though there is very little evidence she has ever used it. At least we know of five distinct times when she did not use it.
She is pro oil even as she claims to have stood up to the oil companies.
Finally, she is NOT Hillary Clinton.
I am a strong advocate of Ms. Clinton, even if I chose to support Barack Obama. But my support for Obama came from my want for a fresh start for the party. I rejected Hillary's campaign just as I would have rejected Ted Kennedy or Al Gore had they campaigned for the Presidency, and just as I did reject Edwards, Dodd, and Biden, during the primaries. But nobody, NOBODY, can take away from us who Hillary Clinton is, the best advocate for health-care, unions, and working families.
But Sarah Palin is not Hillary Clinton, She isn't even Laura Bush.
Sarah Palin is a gimmick. A news cycle oddity. A distraction at best, a disaster at worst for the Republican Party.
If the McCain campaign chose her, a complete unknown and after meeting her only once, it is because she fits neatly into an election year strategy. One that targets women motivated by Hillary Clinton's campaign, and equally placates the evangelical crowd.
But putting God first has always meant putting women last in American politics. Palin is a clear example of this.
Even if she was as qualified as Condoleezza Rice, the whole women-have-no-right-to-their-bodies thing would anger most women, and many men.
As a Masculine American I am upset that Palin is anti-abortion, but especially in cases of rape and incest. How utterly heartless and irresponsible do you have to be to tell women that they cannot have an abortion after being raped. Or tell me that my wife, girlfriend, or daughter must carry to term the baby of a rapist. Do you have any idea, Ms. Palin what that does to a woman already traumatized by rape? What it does to a family? No, of course not, because that's what happens when you live in an extremely conservative state where most people are the same religion and live 100 miles from each other. You forget to care for others.
But Palin is more than an insult to women's rights, she is the latest embodiment of the disdain for the intelligence of the American Voter constantly exhibited by the McCain Campaign.
For months the McCain campaign has made an issue of Obama's supposed inexperience and youth, but instead they chose someone less experienced to complete McCain's ticket. And let there be no doubt, if elected he is going to die of old age in office.
When Obama chose Biden as his running mate, McCain blasted the decision saying that Obama was disregarding the will of 18 million Democrats who voted for Hillary. And yet he disregards all republican primary voters by not even choosing one of the other primary contenders. Again there's that streak of hypocrisy, accusing Obama of something which he then exemplifies himself.
If the respective political campaigns are any measure of the readiness of the candidates for the office of the Presidency, these most recent antics of McCain compounded by the campaign's behavior during the past six months, leaves little doubt that his potential effectiveness as an administrator and executive of the nation will leave much to be desired and a nation in peril. For now, its just a nation insulted.
7 comments:
Palin proves in deeds her love and courage: being a proud mother of five children, and a son with Down syndrome, is a good sign. I do not agree with creationism (I agree that there is a Creator God, a different thing). In any case, I think that I could trust in this woman. Even with a not long political experience.
Good luck, America!
Santiago, Granada (Spain)
http://opinionciudadano.blogspot.com/
Having a kid with down syndrome is tough, but that doesn't qualify her to be anything other than a mother with a kid with down syndrome. The part of real importance is the issues and she is too far right for much of the country.
Santiago thanks for the comment. Got to say I'm surprised someone in Granada, Spain is following this. How is it playing overall there?
Well it is fine you like her but she will not rule you, she will have no say in your country, or how you live your life. If that was the case your people might think different.
Free thinker
Actually Free Thinker, there are many who might like her in Spain. As conservatism goes, Spain is right up there. I don't want to assume that of Santiago here, but by shear proportion of Spain's population, I'd say palin would fit nicely among many of Spain's fascists. Of all the places in Europe to be a free thinker, Spain is one of the toughest. Though Santiago has not said enough here to make such a judgment of the man, and his less than enthusiastic remark about creationism tell me he isn't a fascist. Besides all things being equal her life story as presented is not a bad one, it is however still irrelevant to the issue like Ramon said.
Thanks for stopping by Free Thinker
1. Despite your time-worn platitudes of rape and incest, the majority of pro choice advocates look at abortion as a "morning after pill" rather than using discretion or sound judgement. And if anyone disagrees, your ilk happily sends them straight to hell via podium or blog.
2. We'll see how Sarah Palin does at the polls...as little known as she is now, she has more experience to be PRESIDENT than Obama, without the dubious background (Ayres, Wright, et al).
3. I understand that the lion's share of your journalism is personal opinion, but if you want to play with the big boys, you really need to sprinkle some facts in with your rhetoric - like it or not, the majority of America is still conservative, and God is still (and has always been) in charge. Sure there are some "nuts" in our basket, but "If it feels good, do it" was the anthem of the seventies, and most of us have grown brains and moved past that puerile mode of thinking.
4. Lay off the politics - you're not very good at it.
Hello again Scott,
1) The majority of Pro-choice bloggers actually understand that the right to an abortion is a necessary right for the protection of women. Nobody wants abortions being used as a "morning after pill", that's why we support the morning after pill, which stops conception before it happens. Look it up.
2) There is nothing that qualifies Palin for the Presidency. If you want to make it all relative then that's different, because nobody has enough experience in this race. Second, Obama's background, in terms of the people he's known over the years, is no different than that of anyone who has worked in community organizing across the country, or who has spent any decent amount of time at a university. Some of your college professors may easily have FBI records. And if you haven't noticed, you're not winning any converts here by calling the names of Wright and Ayers, many of my readers like them both, Ayers specially. Maybe you missed the suggestive title of this blog.
3) The big boys can all bend over and toss each other's salads for all I care. My blog, my posts, don't like it? I don't care.
4) "Lay off the politics - you're not very good at it."
Let me say to you: HA!!!
You whining little pimple of a man don't you realize that politics is life. We live it everyday whether we like it or not and in a democracy we all have the responsibility to engage in politics.
In all, what you're saying is your opinion of my opinions is that I should not have an opinion...But if I do that don't you see, that your opinion then becomes worthless without mine to opine upon, think about it.
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