So Sarah Palin. I like her. Graham woke me up the other day with a "He picked his VP and it's Sarah Palin, the Gov. from Alaska" text message.
K that didn't mean much to me. Alaska. It's cold there. Like, really cold. Glaciers, ANWR, and block parties with Russia. Isn't that pretty much it? Still, after I started watching a few things on TV and doing some reading online, I really started to like her. She's young and eager and not afraid to take on this huge battle of proving her competency and capability regardless of being "experienced" or not. It is this huge stink the Democrats have raised that pisses me off, though. Here we go:
1: Sarah Palin on perezhilton.com
I read Perez Hilton on a regular basis because a little gossip is kind of fun from time to time. It's what he's been saying about McCain's VP candidate that has been driving me crazy though. These thoughts are just things that popped up while I was reading a few new posts he has up.
This little snapshot was featured in Perez's most recent overblown tidbit about Palin's "Skeletons in the Closet". Apparently Palin's people released this picture to AP, God knows why, but who cares?! In case you can't read it, her shirt says "I may be broken but I'm not flat busted." Ummm she was in college. The fact that she was young and had a sense of humor, be it cheesy or not, doesn't make her incapable of being a successful VP. It just disgusted me. The bit about her that featured this picture also went on to say how she may have lead her teenaged pregnant daughter Bristol by example with her shotgun wedding in 1988. Her oldest, Track, was born 8 months later. Ummm she was 24. She was young. She married the guy, and they're still married and going strong. People make mistakes. We get up. We try our best to make things right, and we go on with life. He also posted a few of Bristol's MySpace pictures that show her drinking at a party. She's 17, and he is basically mocking Palin by pointing out her daughter's participation in underaged drinking. Come on! Hey, Perez! How many times did you dabble with a little alcohol before you turned 21? I know I did. Again, it doesn't make it ok, but come on! Kids do things, no matter how much their parents advise against it. That doesn't demean Palin's capabilities in the slightest.2: Palin's Completely Compact Platform of Values
Perez, in an earlier post, said "Everybody's got their skeletons, but not every gun-toting, pro-life, anti-gay rights mother of 5 is running for Vice President!"
A) It was a recent decision for me, but maintaining the institution of marriage as a union between a man and woman doesn't exactly qualify as anti-gay rights. I'm against gay marriage, but that doesn't mean I'm against the concept of things like civil unions which grant complete economic, etc. rights to homosexual couples in America. If your loved one is in the hospital, by ALL means, you should be allowed in the room; if you love someone and live with them, you deserve all the rights to tax breaks, insurance, all that. Beyond my newly rediscovered conservatism, I am a Christian who believes marriage is a God-breathed sanction between a man and a woman. It's a technicality, but that's how it works in my opinion. It really is as simple as that. Many would say that denying marriage is anti-gay rights, and I can see your point, but I have to disagree.
2) Palin also supports the second amendment and wants to allow citizens the option of owning a firearm. Guns scare the crap out of me! I hate them! ...but it's because I know nothing about them. It's also why I'm scared of traveling to China not knowing the language or whatever. There's lots of reasons why the second amendment is important, but you've heard them all before, so I'll continue with the list.
3) Britol's Baby and Pro-Life Conservatism: So her daughter got knocked up. I hate when people are all down with lots of sex, safe sex, but if you get pregnant, you're a slut. Ok, so the condom broke, and oops now you're a slut. It's stupid. Again, it doesn't make it ok, but leave the kid alone! She made a bad choice, but she's almost 18 and she's choosing to marry the father. She didn't choose to murder Cupcake or Atlas or Ukulele or whatever she decides to name the little one. She chose to face the fact that she made her choice when she had possibly unprotected sex at her age and in her situation. Her mother and the rest of her family are supporting her and plan to help her through this process. I think that is highly admirable of Palin, not because she possibly went through the same thing, but that she is showing a strong family unit, based on unconditional love regardless of outside circumstances (like, umm, running for Vice President of the United States). Good for her. Bristol is so blessed to have parents who are supporting her and not just kicking her out to fend for herself... or, like Obama has said he'd do, encourage Bristol not to "ruin her life" by having a baby and to have it "taken care of".
3: Country First
They're also reporting that Palin used to support the Alaskan Independence Party, the kids that support Alaska's separation from the US and becoming its own country. (Bad call, by the way. We're talking like Greenland: The Sequel, and who wants that? Except could you imagine how crazy rich they'd be once they could drill as much as they wanted and start selling the oil to the US... actually maybe that is a good call, hmmmmm) Anyway, they (the liberals who are nervous and have resorted to covering their worry with candidate gossip) say her involvement with the party is not in line with McCain's "Country First" campaign theme. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought "Country First" implied that other political approaches looked at politics first, what is expected of them on the Hill and what the people "expect" from their leader. The concept of "Country First" means who gives a crap about what Capitol Hill wants?! What is best for the country as a whole? What does the country need? What can be done to help improve the country, not the reputation and wallet size of its elected politicians? Just because Palin once saw the potential of a successful, independent Alaska doesn't mean she doesn't support the concept of looking out for the people. Her personal life obviously has enough red flags to rake her over the coals; if she didn't put her country first, why would she put herself through this? If McCain didn't put his country first, if he wanted to fit the mold and play the games, he wouldn't have taken the risky but right choice of Palin.
4: To sum it up...
Palin has executive experience, more than all the other parts of this foursome combined (which is zero). She is a hardworking mother and successful leader. Her son is going to Iraq next week, so her choices concerning the war in Iraq aren't just "Country First", they're "Family First", and that is a good component of motivation. She supports and believes in the core values of the Republican party. Who cares if the woman has a couple kids who have rebelled a little?! Nearly half the country is going to rebel against her in a way as soon as she takes office, so oh well. People do that. People get headstrong, like me, and think they're right, like me. Except not like me, because I AM right. :)
So there you have it. A rambling, I know, but I just had to vent about that one. Have a lovely RNC!
