WHY MRS G&T IS PISSED-THE-FUCK OFF
In politics, I am mostly an observer. I enjoy marketing, theater and rhetoric (classical rhetoric, defined as using language effectively and persuasively, not the modern definition of: "bag of hot air"). Presidential politics are a playground for all of these things. The speeches are only secondary to the story the candidate is trying to tell you through subconscious cues... music, sets, signs, colors, reaction shots... it's all scripted.
(Which reminds me... Mr. G&T... put Wag the Dog on the top of our Netflix cue, please.)
So, for the past few days, I've been mildly amused at the introduction of Sarah "Just-a-Hockey-Mom" Palin.
Just-a-Hockey-Mom gets her VP nomination to appeal to me.
Me and women like me.
Independent Moms Who Vote. Women who care about their families and their society. The fact that she doesn't actually appeal to IMWVs like me isn't her fault, and the scope of the blunder has been, well, fun!
Beauty Queen, oil whore, Troopergate... what's hiding in the next closet?
But now I'm outraged. Just-a-Hockey-Mom has 5 kids. Her 17 year old is pregnant. Her youngest is 4 months old and has Downs Syndrome. Her 19 year old is about to be deployed to Iraq.
Just a Hockey Mom looks around and says to herself: "Yeah, I think now is a good time for me to run off and be Vice President to a medically questionable 72-year-old. That's a perfect job with all the flexibility I need to really be there for my Hockey Family, help my pregnant teen make a healthy transition to her new roles as mother and wife, care for my special needs infant and provide stability to two adolescents who may lose their brother to war."
Who the fuck thought that this was a good idea? Who in the hell said "you know, that Clinton chick got a lot of girls to support her. We could really wrap up that voting block by choosing a VP with a large family in desperate need of a mother, and sending her on the road for the good of The Grand Ol' Party??"
And mostly, what kind of selfish, egocentric, black-hole of a values system does Just-A-Hockey-Mom have to have to put her Stepford family from small-town Alaska through the sausage press of a national presidential campaign, and then, according to her plan, 4, 8, or even 16 years of international politics??
I'm enjoying seeing the evangelicals' hypocritical response to the news of Palin's daughter's pregnancy. The holier-than-thou heads of the Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family are saying things like, "We're all sinners." and "Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect." They are making all the apologies to protect their beloved pro-life (unless its a caribou's) candidate. If one of Obama's daughters was knocked up, they would crucify (perhaps literally) that poor girl and her family for lax morals and the racial stereotyping would bandied about.
ReplyDeleteAs for Sarah Palin's decision to go for VP during this time in her family life, all I have to say is that plenty of women have stepped up for their families when their husbands have run for office so now its time for a husband to step up. I hope Todd Palin is up to the task better than his wife is up to the task of running for office.
Amen sister ... I agree whole heartedly! As a strong American woman, who backs Obama but respected Clinton ... I think it's disgusting that anyone would think that just because Palin has breasts she'll somehow impress me or attract my vote. She is the Anti-Hilary. Breasts or not ... I would never consider voting for a ticket that includes her. In fact, I worry now, even more! If McCain wins and dies ... she'll be the leader of our country. Dear Lord - what a scary thought.
ReplyDeleteI had not even considered this valid point until Mrs. G&T brought it up, and now my amusement with Palin has given away to a slight disgust.
ReplyDelete...and this is why we like her better, might I add.
Lighten up people, McCain could have choosen the mormon dude and we all wouldn't have anything to blog about.
ReplyDeleteMcCain could have picked jesus christ and the ticket would still be doomed.
Sit back and watch the circus.
I made Bristol Palin preggers so that the Republican Delegates would be outraged and demand Palin be removed from the ticket, thereby making way for my Mitt (whose spirit name remaind a secret to you non-believers) to become Veep and thus second in line to your mortal throne.
ReplyDeleteOne day, when Mitt is President, My only begotten Mormon Son, Mormon Jesus, will return unto you and the world will start anew.
So it is said, so it will be done.
As far as the Palin choice is concern, it indicates to me that McCain and company are either:
ReplyDelete1.) Liars; or
2.) Excersize poor judgment.
In either case, not fit to occupy the executive office.
I find it hard to believe McCain and staff knew Bristol Palin was pregnant.
If they did know, how idiotic would it be to recruit Mom as Veep candidate? Women these days are super moms, but I do not think I would put anyone's daughter under that type of public scrutity. A 17-year-old who discovered her baby bucket is fully operational, she is still a child.
Even though children and family should be "off limits" nothing ever is "off limits" to the media. The media is probably trying to discover which room of the Alaska Governor's pad Bristol did the nasty.
McCain needs to make big calls, like what to do about the war in Iraq, what do to about the budget, what to do about the balloning debt and he picks a running mate with a pregnnt un-wed teenaged daughter, disregarding the public light that would be shed on that child. Surely there was not another Republican in the entire Union that could have fit the bill and show he or she could exercise good judgment.
Which leads me to believe that McCain and Company did not know Bristol was pregnant until maybe moments before Palin told the world.
Fred does make a good point about Dad stepping up to parent. Let's hope he's at least as good a parent as KFed, because his wife's judgment rivals Britney's.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I'm very concerned for the son, who ships out to Iraq 3 weeks before the election. What an election boon a dead soldier son would be to the GOP.
Yes, I'm that cynical.