This rant was posted at my personal weblog this morning, but I felt like it might need to be shared with my kossack brethren as well.
I need to say a few words about Sarah Palin,
and then I will link to an article that pretty well sums it up much better than I can.
I have been holding off venting my outrage at John McCain's veep pick -- mostly because of the realization that many of the potential readers of my blog are either already GOP supporters, conservative leaners, or members of McCain's target audience... and let me say: there is nothing wrong with any of that. I also don't want every politically-themed post on my site to be angrily thrust toward the side I am not supporting. Finally, as mine is a personal blog, I would rather spend my political posts laying out why I believe what I believe about the key issues. I intend to do all of that, but as I arrived in my office this morning and turned on the radio, the first story I heard was more of the same™ Sarah Palin love-fest that has been going on for the past week and a half. Enough!
What struck me first off -- within seconds of hearing news of the pick -- was how shallow this decision was. Without even knowing the extent of how un-vetted she actually was, it was obvious that this was merely a play for the votes of people who are not paying attention. It was a pick made in the hopes of syphoning off Hillary Clinton supporters that were so gender-driven and out of touch that they would be willing to vote against everything they and their former candidate stood for just to see a woman elected to high office.
On the other side, it was a pick that would be sure to energize the Republican Party's ultra-right-wing conservative base. These are the people who believe, as Sarah Palin does, in the extreme views that no abortions should be allowed under any circumstance, that creationism should be taught in public schools, that abstinence is the only form of contraception that should be discussed (more on this later), and that homosexual couples do not deserve the same rights as heterosexual couples, to say nothing of the strict adherence to every other plank in the Republican platform. These extreme -- and I intend to stress extreme -- social conservative views are deeply rooted in the Christian religion. Now I still consider myself a Christian (though I have my own skepticisms and concerns about that which will probably need to be explored in another post), but I believe very strongly that Christian theology should not in any way be a part of our government's public policy. Not. Even. A little.
Look at many of the established governments in the Middle East. Look at the Taliban. This is what happens. We live in a society that at its earliest beginnings at Plymouth Rock was at least partially founded on the notion of freedom from religious oppression. Now we would impose our religious views -- our personal versions of morality -- on every citizen of the United States? That would be a perilous path to continue to walk down.
But there are people that justify the entirety of their vote on a single one (1) of these issues. Now these people have a politician they can call their own. Intolerance, thy name is Sarah Palin.
Now there is this discussion going on about how her teenage unmarried daughter's pregnancy is not news and is nobody's business. I say, under normal circumstances, that would be true. But she is the vice presidential nominee of a party that, when it comes to teaching kids about sexual responsibility, holds the position that our children should be taught abstinence exclusively. How well did that one work, Sarah? Sorry -- this is relevant.
Furthermore, this is someone who has a history of using her executive power for settling personal vendettas and removing from office people who do not play her games or subscribe to her version of partisan politics. This is someone who is motivated singly and unashamedly by personal ambition. This is someone who will tell the American public exactly what they want to hear -- regardless of the truth. See her support/non-support of the evil-earmark "The Bridge To Nowhere",to which she told the federal government "thanks, but no thanks" once it was politically advantageous for her to do so. (And then see what she did with that 300 million in taxpayer dollars instead of giving it back.) See the private jet she sold on e-Bayat a profit that did not sell on e-Bay and had to be sold at a loss by an aircraft broker to a hunting group that shuttles millionaires to and from the Alaskan wilderness.
Finally -- there is an argument that "how can you attack Sarah Palin for her inexperience (mayor of a small town and small-state governor for 1 1/2 years) when Barack Obama is equally inexperienced?". It is true that Obama has not been on the national stage for very long, and that his resume -- while legislatively impressive (despite the smears) -- does not include executive experience. But the difference is this: Barack Obama declared himself a candidate for President, campaigned for 19 months introducing himself to the country, and was ultimately selected to be his party's Presidential nominee by some 18 million American citizens. Sarah Palin was selected, hastily, by the party elite.
The McCain/Palin campaign has become a fountain of bullshit whose strategy is rooted in playing the American public like ignorant hicks. It is the worst kind of politics. It is insulting, and every citizen -- from feminists to conservative Christians -- should be insulted by this transparent ploy.
Here is today's Times Online article by Andrew Sullivan. And before anybody cries "foul," I know this is an editorial from a writer whose views are biased, but that doesn't mean his points are not valid. Anyone who wants to refute any or all of these claims should feel free to do so. Dialogue is good. Just play nice.
I'm going to send out some good vibes soon, I swear.
...
UPDATE: I just stumbled across a gem of a quote from Lake Wobegon's own Garrison Keillor:
Meanwhile, he [McCain] posed a stark question for voters to ponder: How much would you like to see Sarah Palin of Wasilla, Alaska, as the next president of the United States? And what does the question say about Mr. McCain's love of the country that she might suddenly need to lead? No need to discuss these things at length, really. The gentleman played his card, a two of hearts. Make of it what you will.
Read the whole article here.