Sarah Palin and the Politics of Divisiveness

[Deb Della Piana]

You can put lipstick on a pig, but you can't cover up the smell. And right now the Wicked Witch of Wasilla smells pretty bad. If Senator McCain is looking at the most recent polls with open eyes, he'll come away with the conclusion that Sarah Palin is the single biggest detriment to his presidential candidacy. Yes, that's right. At this point in the 2008 presidential race, his association with Sarah Palin is a bigger liability than his association with President Bush, the most unpopular president in American history. While McCain spends his time blaming left-wing feminists and the liberal media for Palin's drop in popularity, the fact is that Sarah Palin has brought this on herself because she fosters the politics of divisiveness and exclusion.
It was Sarah Palin who decided that the McCain campaign get nasty. I believe that she referred to it as “taking off the gloves.” And, of course, McCain listened and approved the strategy of moving away from the issues and into character assassination. It was immediately after that Palin began to stretch the truth about Obama's association with the Weather Underground's Bill Ayers. She accused Obama of “palling around with terrorists.” The right wingnuts in the McCain camp knocked this one out of the park, yelling out epithets like, “kill him,” “terrorist,” and “off with his head.” Even Dick Morris (remember him?) got into the act by stating that Obama's association with Ayers is the equivalent of being friends with Osama bin Laden. Once again, the Republicans jumped on the politics of fear and invoked the “terrorist” theme. Hell, why not! George Bush has used this to successfully control the quivering American population for the past eight years. See. There it is again. Somehow I just can't get away from drawing similarities between McCain and Bush.

While McCain has received kudos for toning this ugliness down over the past couple of weeks, let's be frank about it. McCain only toned it down publicly when the Secret Service announced that it was interested in finding the people in the McCain audiences that were yelling these little ditties. Truth be told, McCain then quietly invested in 'robocalls' (automated messages) that linked Obama and Ayers. Again, here's a similarity between McCain and Bush. President Bush used 'robocalls' in 2004 to sink John McCain in South Carolina. Might I suggest to the Secret Service that the people yelling in the McCain-Palin crowd were only accessories after the fact. The root of the problem, the instigator, is Sarah Palin (with John McCain's backing).The McCain campaign has managed to tap into the lowest common denominator in American society: The ultra-patriotic, God-fearing bigot.

Palin's divisive nature continued at an October 16 fund raiser in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she said, “We believe the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation.”

Let's not stop there. Palin certainly didn't. “This is where we find the kindness and goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom.”

The upshot here isn't that she's insulting Washington, D.C. No sir. She's insulting everybody who isn't living in a small town. Those living in, say New York, Chicago, or San Francisco apparently are not real Americans. Secondarily, Palin is accusing those who disagree with our government of being un-patriotic. I suspect that Sarah Palin spends very little time educating herself about our forefathers and what they had in mind for our government. She prefers her history to be Palinized because it better suits her purpose. She might be interested to learn that our forefathers not only called for protecting the Constitution from threat by forces outside our government, but also from those within our own government who seek to undermine it's basic principles. We've had plenty of that over the past eight years, and a McCain-Palin regime promises even more. By the way, I'd like to take the opportunity to remind Sarah Palin that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been equal opportunity killers. Americans from all walks of life (not just farmers and factory workers) and from everywhere across our nation (not just small towns) have been killed. However, they have not died protecting the virtues of American freedom as she suggests. They've died protecting our access to Middle Eastern oil in order to feed our all-consuming addiction.

Speaking of assaulting the Constitution, the Wicked Witch of Wazilla has broken with McCain and emphatically stated her support for a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. I'd call singling out one group for oppression to be divisive. Wouldn't you? And wouldn't you call a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage writing discrimination into the Constitution? This very act undermines the basic principles behind the Constitution. If an amendment is added, it should strengthen the Constitution, not weaken it. The objection to same-sex marriage is clearly based on religious ideology. For example, we now know that the Mormon church is the driving force behind California's Amendment 8. There is no place for religious ideology in the formation of national policy. That is why there is a separation between church and state. The issue of same-sex marriage is a question of basic civil rights. It is not a topic to be voted upon by Congress, and it does not belong on any ballot in any state.

So, here we are with November 4th fast approaching. I learned today that the GOP has spent more than $150,000 on make-up, clothing and accessories for Sarah Palin and her family since she was selected as McCain's running mate. She spent $13,200 on make-up alone during the month of September (so much for being just an average hockey mom). It's all about image, but image only goes so far. While it may be possible to physically transform Sarah Palin's appearance into something more vice presidential, it's almost impossible to hide the dark side of her divisive and un-Christian character. That has been laid bare for all to clearly see.

[Deb Della Piana]

Let me just answer your comments: First of all, the Democrats are not the "fight dirty" party. They didn't pay off the Swift Boaters to lie. In fact, the Democrats aren't dirty enough for the Republicans. Secondly, patriotism isn't about "my government, right or wrong." That's anything but patriotism. True patriots are faithful to the country and the Constitution, not to whatever administration is in power. Please spend some time reading the Constitution so that you and others can understand what our founding fathers had in mind.

Thirdly, it has been proven time and again that the invasion of Iraq was based on lies. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9-11. And let's be honest here, George Bush never had any intention of going after Osama Bin Laden. He had no plan when he invaded Afghanistan. Both of these wars have resulted in too many deaths for absolutely nothing.

As for same-sex marriage, let me give you a personal view: I am a lesbian and I have been with my partner for 17 years. We married in 2006. We have planned and had two children together. They are normal, happy children with many friends. They go to public school, belong to clubs and and it isn't an issue in my neighborhood. And who are YOU to pass judgment on ME and infer that I have the morals of an alley cat. Take a look at yourself in the mirror. I'd have a hard time calling YOU a Christian. Getting back to the real issue at hand, since when is it the job of government to legislate morality? It isn't. There is a separation between church and state for a reason. The president of the United States is the president of all the people, not just those chosen by the Christian right. And, by the way, the Constitution says ALL men are created equal. It doesn't say all men are created equal, except blacks, gays, Hispanics, Jews, etc., etc., etc. The right to marry is a constitutional right. This government is based on the Constitution, not the Bible.

And yes, Sarah Palin is mean-spirited, intolerant and an outright liar. Last time I looked, that was considered un-Christian. I don't care if she goes to Church every day and prays every night. I don't care if she's anti-abortion. I don't care if she calls herself a Christian. Anybody can do that. In the end, it's all about how you treat others.

It's time to get rid of the stench of the last eight years, and restore America's place in the world. We're not going to do that with John McCain and Sarah Palin in office. It's time for a change.

[N Hester]

Palin "took the gloves off" to protect her and her family from the Democrats and medias "feeding frenzy"!!. The minute McCain announced her as his running mate they set in on her like buzzards on a dead carcus. When you are thrown in a ring with an opponent that fights "dirty" you fight back "dirty" or get beat to a pulp. That showed she has GRIT!!!!

What is wrong with patriotism and God fearing people. This country was founded on these very principles! One of the problems with this country today is people straying from these values. When you kill all the goodness you end up with a cesspool and that won't support life for long.

Small cities tend to maintain the fundamentals on which this country was built. The people of these towns SHOULD be commended!! When was the last time you were in a large city that a total stranger smiled and said "hello" or offered a lending hand without having to ask? If you are short a few cents at the register does the person next in line reach in his pocket to check his change? In rush hour traffic does someone stop, smile and motion to let you into the flow of traffic? I doubt it. We need more of these practices in our country, no matter where you are!!! If you are on the giving end you will not only feel better about yourself but be more apt to help again. THANK YOU SARAH PALIN for recognizing these folks!!!!

We aren't fighting the war in Iraq and Afghanistan to open the path to oil!!! We have been getting oil from Saudi Arabia forever and the path wasn't blocked when we went to war!! We endured a MAJOR TERRORIST ATTACK on our country!!! The funding and organization for these terrorist acts are in the Middle East. You can't stop weeds unless you kill the roots!!! AGAIN, people haven't forgotten the date of the attack but they ARE forgetting the emotions and fear that was rampant that day. I knew one of the people that jumped to his death that day leaving behind a wife and two small children. In order to find fault with President Bush it MUST be about oil. He WANTS to tap into OUR RESOURCES but the enviromentalists (and OBAMA) are against that. Those are the very people that yell the loudest when the cost of gas goes thru the roof. Do you depend on oil in your everyday life??

As for same sex marriages, it is not so much about politics as it is about salvaging some moral values in this country. Somebody HAS to step in and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!! Why are people fighting to kill our moral values????????? It doesn't make sense!! This is a public issue that has an influence on our children. Does nobody care about the future of America? We do not need our children growing up with the morals of an "alley cat"! And you have the audacity to label Sarah Palin as an un-Christian character? And you ask if "it's all about image"? We certainly have protected Obama's image!! How much has that cost the American people? And, if he is elected, it may well cost us more than you can touch with a price tag!!!!! Is it worth the gamble???