posted September 4, 2008
Call me old-fashioned, but as an Independent voter I’m deeply concerned and, yes, kind of embarrassed, by events leading up to this week’s Republican convention.
We were all as a nation vigilant regarding Hurricane Gustav and its effect on the beleaguered residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. What we do know about hurricanes is that they pick up speed in warm waters, such as the Gulf, and that these waters have been rising in temperature over the past 10 years due to global warming. This is a fact. Yet, during the Republican Convention, out of left field, we are introduced to Sarah Palin, McCain’s choice for Vice President of the United States, who does not believe in global warming. Ouch. How ironic is this?
Secondly, Where Oh Where is the Evangelical Right when we really need them? All four days of the convention, we have been confused….and I must say, embarrassed. A party who has preached abstention from sexual activity until marriage during the Bush administration has now turned a blind eye to the fact that our Vice Presidential nominee’s 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. Don’t get me wrong here….I’m not judging as obviously this is a rather delicate family matter and not uncommon, but we have to admit, this is an issue, because it is so obvious. People around the world notice and will chat about this…it’s really a first.
My issue is that the hypocrisy lies with the Republicans who are turning a blind eye and expecting the world, including journalists, to do the same. I guarantee you this…if Sen. Obama and Mrs. Obama were parading around a minor, pregnant child during the Democratic Convention, you know the very same Republicans would be all over the issue in an extremely demeaning way, to say the least. Does anyone see the hypocrisy here?
Furthermore, after some very nasty comments from the father of the child exclaiming that he “just don’t want any (bleep) kids”, this very young woman may be better off without this guy rather than a convenient marriage on the day of her next birthday. If we must adjust to the pregnancy predicament, we can certainly adjust to this child’s single parenthood.
Thirdly, let’s talk about the Republican convention battle cry for 'change' from Washington politics. We all knew that whoever the Republican candidate would be, they would have to distance themselves from George Bush and Dick Cheney for obvious reasons. Over the years and, admirably, John McCain has worked with both Democrats and Republicans, but as a presidential candidate, he has changed remarkably. During this convention, every other word from McCain and Palin has been about distancing themselves from Washington as usual politics, the White House, and about being rabble-rousers who will do their own thing and confront anyone in Washington who gets in their way…’mavericks’. Wow, I could have sworn that it looked like a Bush-McCain family reunion this past week. What happened? The McCain-Palin ticket looks more and more like the Bush-Cheney partnership, perhaps replacement, though we must admit that Gov. Palin delivered her highly scripted speech Wednesday night quite naturally.
On the topic of experience, V.P. candidate Joe Biden’s has 35 years on Capitol Hill, on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where his expertise, diplomacy, insight and hard work have helped to inform and ease many of the volatile crises our country has faced in the past. This invaluable experience far outweighs Gov. Palin’s brief two years in government; too brief to consider as a Vice President who may, at some point, have to step in for a President who has medical issues which could recur at any time. But then again, she may just be that maverick puppet that old guard Republicans have been waiting for in this campaign.
This may be the worse hypocrisy yet…choosing a woman to camouflage the agenda that is of so much concern to American voters during this crucial election year.
Melinda Whiteman
Mindiwhiteman@aol.com
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What would happen if this were the Democratic convention week?
A woman is nominated as Vice President, media would go wild. Woman has baby and nominated. Liberals would extol her as the embodiment of feminism. Woman finds out that 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. Media would respect their privacy as they went to the abortion clinic to terminate the pregnancy. Or Obama would allow them to put it off until after the January inauguration because late term abortion is OK then, too.
Hurricane hits right before convention. Party goes on and the free money would flow to get votes. Democrats would also give every hurricane shelter a TV so they could watch the convention and the doling out of money.
These things happen at the Republican convention and to a female, conservative Republican and people vilify her. They say she is not fit to be a mom and Vice President. They say she claims her daughter's illegimate child as her own. They say the hurricane is God's punishment on the Republican Party.
The hypocrisy is priceless.
Johnny Franks
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Ms. Whiteman,
Are you sure you're an independent voter? Anyway, I have a couple of issues with your opinion article. First, do you really think Gov. Palin approves of her daughter having a baby out of wed-lock and at 17? As more and more parents are finding out nowadays, you can tell a child not to do something as much as you want, but it is ultimately up to them to choose what to do and what not to do. Should we chastise Gov. Palin for not forcing a chastity belt on her daughter? Because that is the only thing she could have done to absolutely see to it that her daughter didn't get pregnant. That can happen to anyone, and unless I'm mistaken, it is Gov. Palin, not her daughter, who is running for VP. Gov. Palin did not have a daughter out of wed-lock. Her daugther did, and her daughter is her own person. Did you ever do something you mother or father told you not to (I'm assuming you're an adult)? And when you did something they had previously told you not to do, was that their fault or yours? Did that make them a hypocrite? No, of course not. I'm sorry, but your characterization of this situation as hypocrisy is simply absurd.
Secondly, you cited Sen. Biden's 35 years of experience on Capitol Hill to be one of the reasons he would be a more competent VP than Gov. Palin. So, my question is, do you just disregard that experience when he said Obama is not ready to be president? Yes, he reneged on that statement (as Obama has on issue after issue), and I'm sure that had nothing at all to do with the possibility that he would soon be chosen as his running mate (give me a break).
You wanna talk hypocrisy? How about Sen. Biden supporting and running with someone who he previously said was not ready to be president? That sounds like the epitome of hypocrisy to me.
Dallas Cole
Chattanooga
Dallas-Cole@hotmail.com
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