September 4, 2008

Just One More Reason That the Religious Right Deserves Our Unmitigated Admiration

My guess is that John Sidney McCain III looked into Sarah Palin's eyes and saw her soul.

A staunch opponent of Federal earmarks, the Senator managed to look past the earmarks that Sarah Palin requested and obtained as mayor of Wasilla, and past the earmarks that she has has sought as governor of Alaska including "$2 million to research crab productivity in the Bering Sea."

He looked past the fact that her alleged opposition to Alaska's famed "bridge to nowhere" is a sham, given that she supported it when she ran for governor, and voiced opposition to it only after it was clear that Congress would terminate the program.

He looked past the fact that Sarah Palin's alleged reputation for a willingness to buck the leadership of her party appears to be based largely on her willingness to start (and win) a fight with any politician that doesn't see everything her way.

He looked past the fact that Sarah Palin was nearly recalled as mayor because of this kind of behavior, having fired people because they were not supportive enough.

He looked past the fact that she is under investigation for abuse of power as governor ― she fired the Public Safety Commissioner who refused to fire her former brother-in-law.  (It is of interest that the trooper former brother-in-law had already been disciplined on the basis of the Palin Family complaints.  No further discipline was available under state law.)

He looked past the fact that Sarah Palin's behavior in office does not reflect the "reform candidate" mask that he has sought to don.

He looked past the fact that Sarah Palin has had a potentially unsavory relationship with embattled Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.

He looked past Sarah Palin's still undefined relationship with the Alaska Independence Party, a political party that advocates Alaskan secession from the union.  (Argument concerning her husband's and her AIP membership/support continues.)

Hell! he looked past the fact that Sarah Palin thought that the Pledge of Allegiance was known to the Founding Fathers!  (It was written in 1892.)

John Sidney McCain III looked into Sarah Palin's eyes, he looked past all of that minutiae, he delved into her soul, and he gazed upon a vibrant, attractive, gun-toting, oil-drilling gimmick who, when asked to meet any challenge, will enthusiastically respond with a hearty, "Absolutely!  Yup, yup."

Yup, yup, I said gimmick.  The rumor first appeared on left wing blogs, as best as can be determined, that Sarah Palin's youngest child, Trig, was not hers but Bristol's.  The story ran that Bristol had been removed from school under a suspicious excuse, that Sarah Palin never did appear to be pregnant, even in her seventh month, etc.  The story had huge, undocumented holes, and some considered it implausible, but, more to the point, it had a Desperate Housewives flavor that gave it legs.

The MSM (MainStream Media), the Press, did its job, tracked down the rumor and, for the moment at least, killed it.

In the last two days, I have heard about this rumor over and over and over ― from Republicans complaining about it, suggesting that Democrats and the Press have been unfair.  The Republicans are the only ones talking about the rumor.

And last night's speeches ― Giuliani, Romney, Huckabee et Palin ― continued with development of the gimmick: Ignore the message; instead, redefine and attack the messenger.

And for this we have the RR (Religious Right) to thank.  I understand, the Republicans must return to their base, and such.  But the important thing here is that the RR demonstrates a faith and a grace and a sense of forgiveness that is new and fresh.  As someone who has dawdled on this planet a decade and more longer than has Sarah Palin, I especially appreciate this.  I was brought up as a Roman Catholic, you see.  We never even heard about abortion in those days.  And . . . .

Back then, a candidate like John McCain who divorced his wife under unseemly circumstances would never have been given a chance.

Back then, it would have been fair game to ask about Sarah Palin's leadership and character in light of her daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

Back then ― for crying out loud! ― Sarah Palin might not have entered politics at all because her oldest child was born eight months after her marriage!

Back then, John McCain would have been yelled at whenever he talked about "victory" in Iraq until he could specify who, in Iraq, would be surrendering.

Back then, creationism actually was taught in the schools, along with science ― just as Sarah Palin has said she wants ― only, we called it catechism because we understood that there is a difference between science and religion.

But now, through the grace of the RR, we have this . . . .

We now understand that false and malicious Internet rumors about women not named Hillary are despicable and bad.  On the other hand, false and malicious Internet rumors about the race, religion and patriotism of certain men are OK because, after all, he's different from us, don't you know?  **nudge, nudge, wink, wink**

We should all be proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby.  But we should be careful about allowing other women the opportunity to make such decisions.

While teen pregnancy remains a crisis in the African-American community, it is now ― Praise the Lord! ― a blessed event among white people.

And, above all, please remember: what really counts in life is not what you did yesterday, or what you may plan to do tomorrow, but, instead, what you tell the crowds today.