My conservative buddy and I have been talking up Sarah Palin’s actual record vs. her proclamations about herself. More on Palin in a moment, but first let me introduce my friend: He’s a very conservative evangelical Christian. He’s also intelligent, respectful to a fault, and pretty damn funny. He and I agree on a lot of issues: social justice (he’s a social softie—weird for a ‘Pub), conservation (we both hunt/fish/hike/camp and figure Man ought to make room for a few million wild salmon and whatever remaining old growth that hasn’t been pureed into paper pulp yet). We diverge on the Constitution (Christian nation? Bulls****! Oops, did I say that?). Abortion (I think pro-choice, fetus’ rights, and responsible behavior can find seats at the ideological table). I digress. Bottom line: he has the capacity to think through the issues and come up with an opinion that lies outside GOP talking points. Except in regards to Sarah Palin.
So what the heck is his fascination with Sarah Palin? On Day 1 of Sarah’s Coming Out Party, this guy was positively gushing that a (Woman!) could be cute, pro-life, conservationist, and outdoorsy all in one package. Frankly, I was already doubting both the conservationist and outdoorsy credentials. Killing a moose does not make one a hunter/naturalist in the Teddy Roosevelt mold.
Then the warts started to show. First it was Pregnant Teengate. My friend once had a conversation about the movie "Juno" (pregnant kid decides not to abort the baby, instead giving it to the wildly deserving supermom). His take on "Juno" was that ‘Hollywood should not be trying to normalize teen pregnancy’. Pretty predictable ‘Pub point. However, when the seriously pregnant young Ms. Palin enters the scene, my buddy is suddenly understanding of the world’s "Junos", Jamie Spears, and other teen mothers who, heretofore, had merely been ‘sluts and bad examples’.
The next blow was the ‘bridge to nowhere’ uber-lie. Palin really did herself up proud on this one. My buddy, denouncer of pork-barrel spending, has himself doing some impressive philosophical gymnastics in order to rationalize away the fact that Ms. Palin was for the bridge before she was against it. I brought up the fact that Governor Palin ordered the "road to nowhere" (the access road to the now non-existent bridge of the same name) and his answer was a weak "it was cheaper". What the heck? What happened to the guy who before would have pilloried such an obviously wasteful use of taxpayer money?
We’re just scratching the surface on Troopergate, but I expect more of the same. As near as I can tell, Palin could be caught performing on-stage during Ladie’s Night in some Anchorage strip bar, and my friend would find some way to pass it off as community outreach. I guess the thought of a Liberal (ominous musical chord) winning the White House and deconstructing 8 years of Dubya is just too much for him to contemplate.
Anyone else out there dealing with seriously deluded Republican friends? I feel bad for the guy. He knows Palin is a dirtbag, but he just can’t stop himself from making excuses.
UPDATE #1
We had the troopergate conversation. My buddy came out biting with news that the trooper in question 'tazed an 11-year old'. Being a former typical 'Pub myself, I kinda figured this would be his main talking point. I wouldn't want this trooper on my state's force, and I doubt many of you would want him, either. However, that ain't the point. The point is that Palin was the guy's sister-in-law and we are supposed to believe she had ZERO knowledge of his misconduct prior to he and her sister going through a divorce. Yeah, bullshit
I let my buddy know that the driving point to the controversy is that Palin didn't do anything about this trooper until family politics made it personally advantageous for her to try and get him fired. Also, her husband was improperly involved in the attempted firing, and somehow unauthorized people accessed the man's employment records. These are all serious abuses of power.
My buddy got pretty quiet after that, and it looked like he spent a couple of hours researching his talking points. I hope he stumbled on some truth in the process. I feel like I punched the guy, and I hope I don't overstep in the process of trying to educate my friend.
UPDATE #2
I'm serioiusly annoyed with this guy. I've got him pretty much turned in favor of national health care. I've got him acknowledging that gay marriage is not a threat to his religion. I've got him used to the idea that taxation is a necessary part of running a government. BUT HE JUST CAN'T MAKE THE LEAP that lying to the public in order to win an election is a gross perversion of conservative values.
I'm a conservative (okay, a centrist conservative, but a conservative just the same). I believe in values such as service and integrity. The crap McCain and Palin have been spinning make a complete mockery of every conservative value I've ever held. As for my buddy, he knows and acknowledges this but he just can't bring himself to admit that whatever the GOP is today has nothing whatever to do with what we thought we were supporting for most of our voting lives. He just chuckles at the lies and admires them for their sheer audacity. He smirks at the bold illegality of the ballot shenanigans in Mississippi.
I've never seen such a breathtaking display of obtuseness. Time to move on.