The Mother of All Hockey Moms

Whoa! I listened to the Republican National Convention last night and I must say it scared me. Giuliani and Palin were out for blood and let nothing, including the truth get in the way of them thrashing their opponents and praising John McCain.

Now I don’t expect anything really important to be said at a convention, they’re mostly for rallying the troops, but I do expect them to be somewhat civil. Giuliani and Palin didn’t even come close. Baseless and hypocritical attacks that verge on the irresponsible are what I expect to read on poorly written blogs, not hear from a politician who wants to be vice-president.

Still the old white people in attendance really seemed to eat it up….which again scares me. The rising culture of mean spirited criticism that has risen with the anonymity of the Internet is not something I expect to be applauded at a political convention, unless of course that political convention is made up of barbarians or perhaps zombies. Then it would be okay.

What has pissed me off most during the RNC has been the calls by conservative politicians and pundits to “lay off” Palin and her family. Giuliani pinpointed what I’m talking about last night when he said, “how dare THEY question whether Palin will have enough time to spend with her children while vice president?” (I guess by “they” he is refereeing to bloggers because I have yet to hear a Democratic politician say anything resembling a snipe at Palin and her ability to mother.)

Listen guys, if I was to run around calling myself Will the Soccer Guy while always wearing shin guards, cleats and goalie gloves don’t you think people would begin asking questions about my soccer skills? These would be legitimate questions, just like the questions that might be asked about someone who champions herself as a “hockey mom,” continuously talks about her children and always puts them center stage.

Now, if I applied for a job to sell men’s suits I would expect the interviewer to ask me how much I knew about men’s suits including where they’re made, fit, quality, fabric and types of stitching. This would make sense, the same way it would make sense to question someone wanting to be vice-president about their foreign policy experience, their dealings with lobbyists and if they have ever used past positions for private reasons.

Turning away from the convention but not Mrs. Palin, I was asked if I did in fact think she was a good mother. Of course I have no way of knowing for sure, but from my point of view all signs point to no.

Now, I’m not sure of what to think about her returning to work 3 days after the birth of her youngest son. It sounds a little rushed and emotionally cold but that’s really hard for me to judge since I have never been a pregnant working mother. I’m also not sure of what to think about her 17-year-old daughter being pregnant. My questions around that would concern what, if anything, Palin told her daughter about sex and why her daughter didn’t listen. Still teens will be teens, but for better or for worse their actions do reflect on their parents.

Those issues aside, what leads me to guess that she’s probably not the best mother figure, is that she made her daughter the face of teen pregnancy for the entire country. Her daughter, Bristol , is now the butt of jokes, the subject of tabloids and the cause of town hall meetings. She’ll have to deal with what most people deal with in private on the public stage on which her mother knowingly put her. How did she feel when she read about her soon to be husband’s MySpace page that never mentions her and states that he doesn’t want kids? Will she think the Saturday Night Live skit about her is funny? What about the YouTube videos that are bound to lambast her? It really seems that Palin put herself before her daughter and that doesn’t read right in my book.

Random Web site: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bobcats5-2008sep05,0,2286826.story

Bobcats move in!

I couldn't resist giving a double post with more Palin goodness:
http://disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/8143/Daily_Show_on_Republican_hypocrisy/

Ohhh Baby!

This presidential election just gets better and better. Monday it was announced that vice-presidential nominee and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter, Bristol , is five months pregnant.

Whoa! I didn’t see that coming, but honestly I’m not interested in the actual pregnancy, but more in the reaction to it by both sides.

Liberal bloggers were on the attack early, actually suggesting that Palin’s youngest son, Trig, is really Bristol ’s baby. Not the nicest thing to suggest, actually it’s quite despicable, but democrat/liberal mainstream talking heads pretty much ignored the rumors. With the truth that the 17-year-old daughter is knocked up it’s remained pretty much the same. Most aren’t slamming Palin or her daughter but are more interested in how conservatives/Republicans are reacting to the announcement.

And boy have they reacted, not with anger but with great happiness!?!? Yes, they are ecstatic! Republican politicians, pundits and convention goers see nothing wrong with Palin being a “family values” conservative who doesn’t want anything to do with explicit sex education programs even while Bristol is next door knocking boots with an 18-year-old Alaskan “redneck.” They’ve praised Palin, her daughter and the entire family for keeping the baby and rejoiced at the news that the two teens would marry in the very near future. One convention attendee was almost in tears as she described how this humanized Palin and plenty were disgusted by the media making the story a big deal.

(I still question whether this is really happening. All the media I have heard have been more interested in how this news was hitting the conservative electorate than in why Palin’s underage daughter was pregnant, but anyway…)

What’s struck me, is the shear hypocrisy of the whole business. “Personal lives are off limits” they say but Michelle Obama is scrutinized for not being the perfect wife, Slick Willy Clinton is impeached for his sexual shenanigans in the oval office and rumors are launched by Karl Rove and the Bush campaign during the 2000 election about Cindy McCain being a drug addict and her husband fathering a “BLACK” child.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not just Republicans, Democrats are just as bad (although these things tend to hit Republicans much harder because they style themselves as the god-fearing, family values, personal responsibility, moral judges of the country).

So what is it guys, can I make personal attacks against my political rivals or not?

All the politics aside, I hope that the issue of teen pregnancy doesn’t get lost in the miasma of patriotic rhetoric. Teen pregnancy is a serious problem with massive consequences for the country. It’s one of the main causes of poverty and results in lower education levels and quality of life for both the mother and her child. With the issue currently on the main stage, the country has an excellent opportunity to expose it to the public and to actually explore the larger issue of sex education, contraceptives offered in schools and teen motherhood in general.

Clickability: http://gralienreport.com/ufos/ufo-video-sky-squid-filmed-by-discovery-channel-crew/

Sky Squid!!!

It's so conventional

So the Democratic National Convention is in the bag. Hilary Clinton didn’t raise hell, Biden talked a lot but not so much that he put everyone to sleep and Obama rocked the mic to close the whole shebang Thursday night.

In my opinion the best and most powerful speech was given by disabled Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth. She really stressed Obama’s emotional and political investments with soldiers, sailors and airmen by giving concrete examples of actions the presidential candidate has taken. Not only that, she talked up Obama as strong and right, not only for veterans but for the military.

Hands down, the best line out of any of the speeches was Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s bit about Bush starting on third base and stealing second. Classic!

Overall all I’d say the Democrats did a pretty good job of getting their message across; painting Obama as a common man with excellent judgment and McCain as out of touch, but more importantly as Bush’s little crony. Over and over again, McCain was linked to Bush and his failed policies, which I think is really going to put the heat on McCain during next week’s Republican Convention.

I assume Bush will speak, but I highly doubt he’ll be seen with McCain. However, even having McCain’s name coming out of Bush’s mouth is going to leave a taint. It’s going to be a very interesting and I’m actually looking forward to the Republican convention more than I did the Democratic one.

Linkity goodness: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3981669.stm

Why I voted for Bush, a message board from 2004.