This "small-town America is wholesome and good, and liberal areas of the country are anti-america" narrative is so painful and disgusting to me that I have to speak up. All I can think of when Sarah Palin disses big cities and particularly NY are the heroic images of the line of firefighters going up into Tower1 and Tower2 that day. She may have forgotten, but I sure haven't.
And because I haven't seen an argument other than "we're all patriotic" - I thought it was time we put it in starker, harsher terms to really highlight the poisonous nature of what she's saying. Her comments manage to convey that the liberal folks are all elite, rich, ethnic in some way, preying on the hard-working, white, wholesome, conservative America.
Ad I wish I could run on TV:
"Governor Palin, since you've led a very sheltered life, and you've not been out in the world to anything larger than a village, really, it's not your fault that you don't know what large-city values are. Let me introduce you to the values of these big cities.
* We in the large cities favor public transport and use less gas - thereby sending far less American $$$ to those who are actually funding terrorism.
* We in the large cities have actually lived through terrorist acts - remember 9/11? And you know what? The men and women who had to deal with those disasters did pretty damn well. In fact, they did more than pretty damn well. And we in the large cities understand we are much more likely to be the victims of a terrorist attack (you wouldn't know - as you don't read and have not been exposed to life outside Alaska, but the WTC was actually the target of a previous attack).
* We in the big cities give to charity and pay our taxes and give our lives for this country, Ms Palin.
* Unlike your actual anti-american sentiment - as your support and your husband's long membership in an actual Anti-American party , whose leader was buried in Canada rather than be buried under the flag of "damned America", demonstrates - we actually are pro-America.
* Unlike your actual socialism (taking money from the oil companies and spreading it back to every citizen of Alaska because it's a "common resource") - we support Barak's vastly preferable and common sense approach to taxing the middle-class less, and the heavily rich more, as proportional taxation is a fair and balanced taxation system.
* Unlike your stance that paying taxes is unpatriotic - our values say that paying taxes is fair and American - because we pay for the services we ask of our government. An example of the services our government provides is paying soldiers - and buying them the ammunition and the weapons and the protection they need when they go to war for us.. Those our our values, Ms Palin. We pay for what we get. We don't believe in free lunches, being given something for nothing - because you know what? That's actually communism. Or stealing. We'd rather pay our taxes as that buys us good roads, bridges that don't fall down, water supply, garbage pickup, and dare I mention them - mayors and governors and senators and presidents.
* In big cities we learn that we are a nation of immigrants - and a pluralistic, diverse, secular society. We welcome and learn how to live with people from all walks of life, color, religion, ethnicity - and we make them better Americans. We have the best damn attitude in the world in terms of our inclusiveness - and you know what? That's what makes people from all over the world want to come here. And you know what? That's what's made America a better, stronger, wealthier nation ahead of every other country on earth!
* In big cities we have understood why the founding fathers wanted separation of church and state - we see the injustice when minority groups are disenfranchised and disadvantaged."
I could go on and on, Ms Palin. There is so much to educate you on! Sadly, that's all the time I have...
[Cross-posted at TPM, but moving blog here due to technical issues]