Topic category: Other/General
Just keep it up.
So, I’ve tried to stay away from it even though most of you have probably figured out that I tend toward a world view that won’t have me voting the Obama/Biden ticket.
Still, here are a few thoughts regarding Sarah Palin - the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States.
I was born and raised in the South.
I remember it as a place of Sunday mornings in church. A place where “Yes, Sir” and “Yes, Ma’am” were expected. A place where right and wrong were understood and the boundaries of good behavior were well marked. A place where emphasis was placed on things like fairness, tolerance of others’ opinions, and a nose-holding dislike of anything that smelled of hypocrisy.
Truth be told, it probably wasn’t much different, except for the heat and accents, than where you were raised.
When John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate, my first thought was that it was a master stroke. Obama had just passed over Hillary and many were upset (to put it mildly) over the way Hillary had been treated by the press.
Was there calculation in McCain’s pick of a running mate? You bet there was and to those who see this as being some form of skullduggery, I’d offer the example (among many) of JFK’s pick of Lyndon Johnson and ask, “And your point is?”
On the other hand, the pick resonated with me because when I began learning about Ms. Palin, it was as if I already knew her.
It was as if I knew her because I was raised by women like her. It was as if I knew her because there were women like her in our neighborhood, in our church, teaching at our school, and even coaching a Little League team I once played for. It was as if I knew her because I’ve managed, worked with, and even worked for women like her throughout my career.
They were ordinary women capable of extraordinary things. Women who were strong without being strident. Women who could juggle a career and still raise a family. Women who tackled problems without wilting under pressure. Women who had a sense of humor and could hold their own with anybody. And women who could, when needed, skin and gut you with their words and smile as you slowly bled out.
I don’t know who’s going to win this election, but I do know who could lose it and here’s how:
(1) Instead of trying to defeat Ms. Palin on issues and ideas, keep showcasing the now truly exposed hypocrisy of the “true feminists” who’ve always said that women can be anything they choose to be.
In this case, it would’ve been nice to hear them say, “We see in Ms. Palin what we wish for every woman. Someone who’s succeeded on her own ability and even though we vehemently disagree with her positions, we applaud her.”
Had they done that, they might’ve been seen as principled opponents instead of the chronically bilious mooonbats they’ve now so thoroughly proven themselves to be.
(2) Continue to allow the major networks, news magazines, and newspapers to push their bias to such a degree that even the blind can now see how badly they want “their” candidate to win.
(3) Have those who speak for you continue treating her as if she’s a know-nothing, do-nothing, gun-loving, bible-beating hick who needs to return to her trailer and leave the business of governing to those who know how (and who’ve been oh-so-properly raised) to do it.
In this day and age, I don’t know why anyone would subject themselves to all that a political campaign entails, but I do know one thing.
There’s a deep streak of fairness and an abiding love of the underdog in Americans. People of every political stripe saw what the media did to Hillary and they see what’s happening to Sarah Palin now. If it continues, they’re going to get angry.
And, should that happen, then the only view of the White House a certain candidate may have will be the one he gets from behind the tour ropes.
And that would be a true (and long overdue) lesson in what’s called payback.
Larry Simoneaux
Biography - Larry Simoneaux
Larry Simoneaux is a regular columnist for The Everett Herald in Washington state. He is a retired ship driver for the US Navy and NOAA.