Thursday, September 11, 2008

Please Vote for the Pitbull With A Lipstick That Represents You!

I understand how the average-joe and Texas "cowboy" images worked for President Bush, jr. However, despite his presidential legacy and reputation ,at least he had been a governor for two entire terms before he ran for president. Even though, he was an average student and might've had an edge because of his family, at least he was an average student at Yale.

Yet, this Sarah Palin thing, I don't get. Well I do...but it's unfortunate. She's had a record of attending 5 different, mediocre colleges, in 4-5 years just to get her undergraduate degree. While she was a two-term mayor, she's only been governor for 20 months, and being governor of Alaska isn't the same as Texas. So other than having a vagina and being young and "exciting!!!," what's her appeal?

Check out this piece by Washington Post columnist, Marc Fisher: For Working Moms, 'Flawed' Palin Is the Perfect Choice . Fisher while presenting the perspective of female Sarah Palin supporters, does a qood job of succinctly analyzing the depressing situation.
We don't live in an age of looking up to authority anymore. We don't cotton to the idea that there are people who are our betters. In this time of "American Idol," bedroom bloggers and the belief that experience, knowledge and education don't necessarily mean a whole lot, Palin is a symbol, a statement that anyone can make it if he or she really tries.

In this hyperdemocratized society, the national conviction that anyone can succeed is morphing into a belief that experience and knowledge may almost be disqualifying credentials.
This is what her supporters had to say to Fisher:

"She's just as flawed as we are," Tweddle said. "It's not the fact that she's a woman but the way she does it all. And let me tell you: There're more American parents with unwed pregnant teenaged children than American parents with Harvard grads. She's real."

For hours, I walked through the crowd talking to people, mostly women. Again and again, I heard variations on this idea: "She's more like us than Obama, McCain or any of the others," as Rupp put it. "She knows what we go through."

"Being a mom is tough, and being a mom and working is really tough," said Carol Buro, who could spare only an hour before she had to pick up her daughter from kindergarten in Vienna. She went to the rally anyway, because she just had to see Palin. "I was going to vote for McCain, but I wasn't very excited. I felt he was a little too political -- saying things because that's what people want to hear. Now I'm just so proud of Sarah. You know, we've all been through a lot. And she's seen some tough times, and she's stood up for what she believes in."

Most people I spoke to readily conceded that Palin lacks experience with or knowledge of many important national and foreign issues. But, as Allison McGarvey, a teacher who lives in Stafford County, said, Palin is "a courageous woman, and what she doesn't know, she can learn quickly. Let's face it, no president knows all the issues. Anyway, I don't see how a candidate can pick one stand and just stick to it. The world situation changes every day. It's their moral and ethical background that's important."

Seriously women, what the hell is wrong with you?! Does she feel you because she knows what a bitch PMS can be, or how annoying tampons really are? How is Sarah Palin courageous? It's a slap in the face of strong women like Hillary Clinton who's experience, education, and hardwork make her more worthy of such attributes. She's the one that put up with Bill and his hoes, being maligned for years, and finally reaching to the top. The most courageous thing about Palin is that she's willing to submit her family to this dog-and-pony show and scrutiny when she's clearly not qualified.

No wonder our education system system is going to the shitter when you have such piss-poor logic coming from teachers like McGarvey. She says "no president knows all the issues," so as a result we're willing to forego candiates who know some or most of the issues, for one who doesn't know anything about the issues. It's not about their moral and ethical background either, clearly if you're book-censoring Miz Palin. It's supposed to be about their understanding of the world, history, and policy. It's about leadership and being able to pick a competent person who proudly represents the US as the best we can offer in the global scope. Do we want Palin to represent the best that we have to offer?

As for Tweddle-dumb's statement : "There're more American parents with unwed pregnant teenaged children than American parents with Harvard grads. She's real." Honey, you just revealed your flaw...sheer ignorance. Of course we have flaws, of course we want politicians to be honest, yet the problem with the Bristol Palin pregnancy scandal is that own her mom advocated interfering with other women, their sexual history, and their pregnancies while preaching about "good values" and "morals," especially when she cannot get her own house in order.

Maybe, if the poor girl had been properly educated about contraceptives she might not have "chosen" a shotgun wedding at 17 to some bonehead. Also, don't we want a country with more American parents with Harvard graduates then unwed pregnant teenaged children?? Is she really accepting the reality that easily? Would you prefer babies having babies as opposed to you know, attending a prestigious, world-reknown, and purely American institution? I guess not, she rather vote for someone who clearly doesn't know how to steer her own family away from the teenage pregnancy statistic.

Lastly, it is hard being a mom, and being a working mom is even tougher. Our mothers are an important part of our lives and they give so much. My own family and I would be nothing without our parents' efforts and hardwork. Yet, why are we so hard on them? Why do we pressure mothers of 3-5 or more children to go out an earn a living? Unless there's another parent who is at home full-time or most of the time that can help raise the children, it's difficult and a disservice to these families. With that said, Palin has 5 children, one's pregnant, one has health issues, and her husband works as well. Are these kids really getting the time and attention that they need?

1 comment:

Droidaphone said...

"She's had a record of attending 5 different, mediocre colleges, in 4-5 years just to get her undergraduate degree."

Well ShEE-it. gimme a few years and I can run as for VP too!

Oh wait, no. that record is still better than my best-case scenario. le sigh.