McCain-Palin No Real Surprise

When Republicans act like, well, Republicans why is anyone surprised? And let's further clarify that point, when religious right Republicans are hypocritical in how they act, why is anyone surprised?

Phyllis Schlafly and Beverly LaHaye have been traveling around the country for DECADES telling women to stay home and care for their families. These two women don't, but they certainly think YOU should. ha

Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell were constantly changing their positions on issues and candidates if they thought it would 1) raise more money for their work or 2) give them greater access to power. And on telling lies? Hell yes they have lied! Again I ask, why is anyone surprised???

Look at what's happened since the closing night of the Democratic Convention. Sen. Obama gave what was indisputably a great speech -- a historic speech. A speech that people should have been talking about for DAYS. But did they? NO, because politics is war, and McCain shot back immediately with his Gov. Sarah Palin assault rifle. And guess what has happened? For more than a week now all people are talking about is SARAH PALIN.

McCain had a full week of publicity for his campaign, while Sen. Obama pretty much fell off the radar screen.

And guess who is helping fuel the fire? The so-called progressive blogosphere.

Labor Day weekend is the traditional start of the political season. Voters who are just now tuning into the fact that a national election is coming up, who haven't been watching the past 18 months like the rest of us, are seeing basically one political party. The Republican Party. Yes, it was their convention week, but even so there has been almost no coverage of the Obama/Biden ticket.

And what many voters are seeing is an attractive women, with five children and a "first dude", who doesn't look at all threatening to them. I would bet that many of them are wondering what all the fuss is about, since I'm sure many of them have faced similar challenges with their own children.

My sister, who was older than Bristol at the time, had a baby out of wedlock. The difference between my family and the Palin family is that my dad (my mother was deceased when it happened) basically kicked my sister out of the house. I was furious with him, but could not get him to be reasonable.

Gov. Palin has a teenage daughter who is pregnant. Was she supposed to banish her from the stage? Or kick her out of the family completely? Is that a feminist message to be embraced? Would that represent the family values of the left? I hope not.

Should we make, as Bill Maher might say, a "New Rule" that women with children under 18 can't run for public office? Or any mother with a special needs child? Should we suggest that women who oppose abortion not be allowed to mention that they are walking the talk if they decide not to abort a fetus they know will be born with Downs Syndrome? We do have religious freedom in this country, and people are allowed to believe as they wish.

Why not instead focus on the FACT that Gov. Palin would oppose allowing OTHER women to exercise their freedom of choice, if that choice is to HAVE an abortion. Why not focus on the FACT that Gov. Palin thinks abstinence-only education works, when statistics and her life experience proves that it doesn't. And why not focus on the FACT that Gov. Palin believes that creationism should be taught in public school science classrooms -- and therefore possibly thinks "The Flintstones" is a documentary.

The list of reasons to oppose McCain/Palin is endless.

What I object to is holding Gov. Palin to a standard that is different from what men are held to. No one is suggesting that Sen. Obama can't be president because he has young children, or that Sen. McCain should be disqualified because he has seven children.

The clock is ticking, and voters need to assess each ticket on its ability to solve the mess being left behind by George W. Bush. There is plenty of evidence to suggest the McCain/Palin ticket cannot get the job done. So my suggestion is to make sure every voter is aware of THAT before they step into the voting booth.

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