Column:
Republican hypocrisy and ignorance a voter turn-off
Published Oct. 27, 2008
With only one week left until the national election, the John McCain campaign might be regretting putting the governor of Alaska on the Republican ticket.
And, while Sarah Palin seems to be headstrong and unaware of the inner strife, many analysts believe she is already starting her Palin 2012 campaign. All I can hope is that the $150,000 worth of clothes for her and her family, purchased at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, are enough.
Palin, the regular Josephine Six-pack, has not done a marvelous job this election season on the campaign trail. When she's not avoiding questions, getting back to Katie Couric or claiming to be a hockey mom but wearing expensive clothing, Palin is giving depositions in abuse of power cases in Alaska, shooting wolves from planes and injuring all-star St. Louis Blues goalies. With vital swing states like Missouri still in the balance, she cannot go around injuring goalies on the only pro hockey team in the state. Not a way to endear yourself to voters.
It seems that, after only a few weeks, we know almost nothing, yet at the same time far too much, about Palin. Obviously someone of her 'stature' can't be too happy trying to do stump speeches for un-American Americans. But I'm sure that all the pro-America Americans are really happy to hear that Palin believes that dinosaurs and humans coexisted only 6,000 years ago. The Los Angeles Times reported that, "She had seen pictures of human footprints inside the tracks."
Yep, she could be in charge one day.
In many ways, I feel as if I am beating an old drum. Sarah Palin's name might as well be hypocrisy. Brought in to be the working, typical hockey mom, yet she's wearing clothes that are overpriced for even the golden-parachute executives of the Wall Street mess, paid for by a campaign that is by all accounts strapped for cash.
It was just reported by McCain that Palin had yet to wear a third of the outfits. Palin is a member of a ticket claiming that Obama is inexperienced, yet she, running to be a main ambassador to the world, did not have a passport until last year. Mind you, she claims she could deal with Putin because of her proximity to Russia.
It was also reported this week that Palin's makeup artist is the highest paid "adviser" in the campaign. What is the campaign all about? Trotting out a hot chick from Alaska who loves guns and then making her say the opponent is a "socialist" and that he "pals around with terrorists." This is the lowest level of reactionary politics, which only makes our citizens dumber and leaves our nation stuck in the McCarthy era. Talk about conservatism.
We've heard the words "communist" used in reference to Hillary Clinton, and "socialist" and "terrorist" in reference to Barack Obama. These are name-calling tactics that are childish, ignorant and regressive.
Obama is not a terrorist and he is not a socialist. People who believe that do not know the correct meaning of those words.
And, for those who don't believe me, Obama wants to raise taxes on those making $250,000 each year or more.
If you disagree with that policy, that is your prerogative. And, as an American, you are entitled to have that prerogative. But to call such a thing socialism is belittling our nation and actual socialism itself.
This is what the political candidates of the Republican Party are saying. These are fear tactics in the first-degree and unacceptable for any human being to perpetuate. Whether it is the hypocrisy McCain and Palin have shown, or the words of ignorance and fear they proliferate, there is no way I can, with a good conscience, vote for them to run my country, now or ever.
