I Remember
Editorial: During the 1950s my family drove to Florida each December to spend the Christmas holidays. I remember the thrill of anticipation as we drove through Georgia smelling smoke from wood-burning stoves. I remember the excitement knowing that we would soon be in the warmth, blue skies and sunshine of a magical place.
In 1957 the Sunshine State Parkway was opened and it hastened our trip to Fort Lauderdale and our days on the beach. It was a wonderful new road, a portend of the Interstate highway system that was to come.
I remember the "White" and "Colored" Coke machines at the rest stops on that new highway. I remember the "Men" and "Women" and "Colored" restrooms at those rest stops. I remember the "Restricted" signs in front of Lauderdale hotels that warned Jews not to even think about trying to stay there.
Now, some fifty years later, my children will remember the night our country did something that would have been unthinkable when I was a child. Our country nominated a man of color to run for the Presidency of the United States.
This night our country has said once again that we believe in freedom and equal opportunity for all - that all are welcome and all may vote and all can run for high office.
And this time it isn't just idealistic talk. This time the world will believe us. This time it's how we live and how we are.
On the protection of America's children
While Palin is protecting America's unborn, she might start with her own. Her failure to inform others of her early labor, her insistence on continuing to speak in Texas after her water broke, getting on a plane for a several hour trip without medical care for a special needs delivery, and her insistence on continuing on to the delivery location of her choice- a non-teaching hospital- endangered the health and even life of her son. This is advocacy for children? Sounds like she has very mixed feelings toward this little one. Let's hope her judgment is better on political issues. She doesn't represent my mothering views.
and one more thing....
What kind of person would knowingly put their child in the spotlight? She knew that the media would jump on this! She's off base with her own family...do you think she gives a hoot about the economy,health care or unemployment...things that effect the the majority of voters?
She mocked Obama's community service...does she mean the ALL who are community organizers should be mocked?
Blame the victim
Some pretty tacky bloggers put her child in the spotlight. I think rather than blaming her we might want to blame the bloggers and the news media. Perhaps that way the next woman and daughter will not have to face the same problem. (This blaming of Sarah Palin reminds me of the old tactic of blaming the rape victim: "she was asking for it." I had hoped we were past that era.)
No one could have anticipated the overwhelming level of sexist attacks that have been launched against Governor Palin. It is without precedent.
Palin did a good job mocking the idea that being a community organizer qualifies one for a decision-making position at the level of the presidency.
crap...
she isn't getting any more or less than every other politician gets, Dem or Republican. She knew how it is and she jumped in anyway.
Whether it's a politician in a bathroom in Minn. or a senator hitting on pages or the Bill Clinton they all know the extreme scrutiny they are under...
I remember it all now
Oh yeah, you're right. I remember people asking if Obama should run given he has young kids. Thinking back there were all sorts of stories about how Joe Biden should not have taken that senate seat since he had two very young kids. JFK, same thing with the presidency. Al Gore, same thing.
I also remember all those stories that focused on Chelsea Clinton as a child.
ct, the degree and sexist nature of the media and blogger attacks on Palin have been absolutely unprecedented. The good news is the media are being seen for what they are (GP excepted of course).
Oh yeah. That's right.
Oh yeah. That's right. Liberals invented sexism. Remember these?
According to Rush Limbaugh, it all matters little for the male presidential candidates, because when men age they look "more authoritative, accomplished and distinguished".
What does matter, says Limbaugh is that Hillary Clinton, who turned 60 in October, is starting to wrinkle.
On his radio show Limbaugh asked this question about the former first lady's presidential prospects: "Will Americans want to watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?"http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22946872-2,00.html
And this, after Mrs. Clinto cried
Using her husband to advance her career, crying up sympathy... none of these things advance the cause of woman's rights.
I'm all for showing emotion outwardly and I'm against sexual discrimination, but if I were a woman, I would be offended and a little embarrassed by this.
I'm not suggesting that she "act like a man", I'm saying she's using her gender as leverage.
Democrats and Republicans are eqully to blame for being sexist in politics when it plays to their advantage. McCain wanted to roll out Palin like a rock star, and he got his wish. Now she gets to live the rock star life, where everything is on display whether she likes it or not.
Michelle Obama has been accused of hating whitey. Barack Obama has been accused of not being born in the country. It's just American poltics, Paul, where we get distracted by the traffic accidents and lose track of where the road is heading. But to accuse one side of inventing name-calling or dirty politics is absurd. If the Palin story had been switched so that a Democratic name had been in the headlines (for instance, Chelsea Clinton had become pregnant), Republicans would have been equally rabid.
Mainstream media treatment
You are certainly correct about a number of what I would call more fringe commentators and some of the bizarre websites. What I was thinking of at the time, but poorly expressed, was the sexist treatment by the mainstream media (e.g., CNN's John Roberts).
It sounds like at least we agree that sexist treatment is inappropriate.
Yes, it's a disgrace
I hadn't heard the John Roberts bit. Ugly, ugly commentary.
Here's the transcript, for the curious:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2008/08/29/cnn-s-john-roberts...
JOHN ROBERTS: There's also this issue that on April 18th, she gave birth to a baby with Down's Syndrome.
DANA BASH: Yes.
ROBERTS: The baby is just slightly more than four months old now. Children with Down's syndrome require an awful lot of attention. The role of Vice President, it seems to me, would take up an awful lot of her time, and it raises the issue of how much time will she have to dedicate to her newborn child?
yeah, I agree...
Palin is just as driven by personal ambition like the male politicians...and is every bit as self centered as the rest of them.....but put her 17 year old and family through this kind of scrutiny?
Good points....
I wonder if the GOP and their new pit bull Palin will go all the way with their nastiness and start the 'dozens'......for the white folk who may not know what the dozens are they are the 'your mama..." jokes.
In an attempt to reach the black vote maybe McCain and Palin will show up on tv with baseball caps worn to the side, baggy pants showing their butt crack and a DJ in the background spinning beats!!!!!.."See,we're blacker than Obama!"
Even if it means losing the race I hope Barak doesn't sink to their pathetic level.
Lipstick on a pig
You mean like calling a woman a "pig"?
That's gonna cost him some votes.
Which is worse?
Which is worse: intentionally killing your unborn child or being negligent with your unborn child?
If you have intentionally killed your unborn child does that disqualify you from becoming vice president?
VP of Motherhood
Thankfully she's not running to be Vice President of Mothers.
I can see your vision of how things should work:
"I'm terribly sorry Ms. Smith. While you're absolutely qualified for this job - and we love your portfolio - there are some issues. It says here that you didn't breastfeed your baby and it looks like you may have drank a little too much coffee while you were pregnant. Tough luck, kiddo."
Say what??
I suggest you reread comments for content before responding.
Sex of the parent aside, advocacy for one's own children should trump career, especially in issues of medical care and prenatal safety measures. Maybe you disagree on the order of those priorities.
Mostly what I'm thinking is
Mostly what I'm thinking is that it's none of your business what she decides for her personal life, y'know, within the law and all.
Just because you have certain opinions on what is right for yourself and your (unborn OR grand) children doesn't make it the law.
This has nothing to do with becoming the Vice President of the United States.
You know this.
Please.
...a woman who was mayor of a town barely bigger than Granville (and ran it into the ground)...
...a creationist woman that is so rabidly pro-life that she wouldn't abort Rosemary's baby...
...a woman whose professional qualifications make her better suited to be a companion on the Oregon Trail than the Vice Presidency...(hey, moosehunting is hard, and I'm pretty sure Gov.Palin can ward off Cholera)
...and a woman whose selection is blinding political pandering, and flies in the face of her party's slogan of COUNTRY FIRST.
Spare me.
The "R" Word
Sarah Palin became governor of the richest state, took on corruption in her own party, and managed to raise a family.
And she does have experience - more than Obama, but she didn't get it by affirmative action, or by complaining.
Btw, I wish that mouthy director of the Special Olympics could hear you call her kid "Rosemary's Baby."
"raise a family"
I hardly think that her family is "raised." Sarah Palin still has many young children (including a special needs infant and a grandchild on the way), and her family could really use her constant focus right now.
Before you jump all over me telling me I'm saying this just because she's a woman, just know that I would say the same thing if the VP choice were a father in this situation. Despite this great opportunity, now is the time to put family first.
Barack has children too
Barack Obama has young children too. Perhaps he should put family first.
It is also clear that Biden had very poor judgment when he accepted his senate position at his sons' time of need when his wife died.
And imagine how awful the result will be if a single teenage woman becomes pregnant and needs to work. Just ask Obama; that is what happened with his mom.
This is a very slippery slope.
hey now
I didn't call "her kid" rosemary's baby. I used "Rosemary's Baby" as an obvious exageration to highlight how extreme Palin's social views are. Palin is on the record of opposing abortion *even in* cases of rape. Thats a pretty out-there position.
And if I read that Palin has more experience than Obama one more time I am going to throw up. Wallin Alaska has fewer employees and a smaller budget than the Obama campaign (which, I might add, has Obama as the chief executive). 600 or so days running a state thats half the size of Franklin County does not trump 8 years in the Illinois Statehouse, and a term in the US Senate. If we're just going by this mythical "executive experience" tripe, then Palin has more experience than John McCain too. Can you say that with a straight face?
I find it difficult to explain this pick, given who else was an option, as anything other than Affirmative Action.
Palin has more, and more relevant, experience than Obama
Palin clearly has more experience than Obama. In addition, she has executive experience while Obama has none.
There is a major difference between being one of many legislators and being the one who has to decide, sometimes in a very short period of time, what course of action will be taken.
The world is full of people who can work very well as part of a committee but are unable to coming up with a decision on their own. For an example of the difference one need only look to Hillary's experience with health care. Her poor executive abilities led to the inability to get any useful result out of months and months of work.
We have seen this lack of executive ability already with Obama when his position on Georgia "evolved" over a period of two to three days. Funny that McCain did not need to change his positiion over that period of time. He knew immediately what needed to be done. This is not surprising given that he had significant executive experience as a squadron leader in the military.
What the press thought before she was a VP candidate...
For a glowing report on Palin check out Newsweek:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/42534/
Interesting perspective
Less than a week into the selection for VP and you're already sick of hearing it? You have many ill days in your immediate future.
It is good to know that selecting an inexperienced black man for a Presidential nominee is no longer considered political pandering in this country. It shows the strides we have made as Americans to consider ourselves as one people, not "hyphen Americans". However, I'm equally disappointed that selecting an inexperienced woman as a VICE Presidential selection is considered pandering in your eyes. In our effort to bridge race relations, have we left our women behind? Somehow I think your latin immigrant mother would be disappointed in your implication.
Straight Faces
I hope you typed in your "obvious exageration [sic]" comment with a straight face. A guilty one, more like. You can't backtrack now.
"I totally didn't mean to laugh at the short bus. It was a cough!"
The McCain campaign took the wind out of Obama's sails and you know it. Time for a change? A historical campaign?
Politics is a game and you're being sour grapes. It was a brilliant, if admittedly risky move.
Her "inexperience" only adds to the genius of it.
When will the GP to come out in support of Sarah Palin?
I mean, y'all seemed simply giddy when Obama received the Socialist - er, democratic party nomination and celebrated his color as if it really mattered in 2008.
So... here's my take (a parody, of course):
During the 1960s my family drove to Holmes County each Autumn to spend a weekend in Amish country. I remember the thrill of anticipation as we drove through Coshocton smelling smoke from the steel furnaces. I remember the excitement knowing that we would soon be enjoying warm pumpkin pie cooked by women, while their husbands provided a living for their families in the fields.
In 1964 the four-lane highway to Newark was started and it hastened our trip to Holmes County, and our days in "God's Country". It was a wonderful new road, a portend of the exiting highway system that was to come some 40 years later connecting Granville to Columbus.
I remember when people respected and celebrated the differences of men and women. Men were allowed certain nuances without fear of the political correctness police; and women were allowed to acheive without fear of being harassed by the likes of Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson or Bill Clinton.
Now, some forty years later, my children will remember the night our country did something that would have been unthinkable when I was a child. Our country nominated a woman of intelligence, a woman with sound moral fiber, a woman who believes in the sanctity of life, a woman who believes the government is not the answer to all problems financial or social, a woman committed to her family and to family values to run with John McCain as the next Vice President of the United States.
Friday afternoon in Dayton, Ohio our country has said once again that we believe in freedom and equal opportunity for all - that all are welcome, all may vote and all can run for high office. Bravo John McCain!
And this time it isn't just a superficial pick by a presidential candidate with no chance of winning (Mondale). This time the george soros /michael moore / daily kos / move on.org crowd will realize that ALL of America has a unique opportunity to be heard; for the dreams of Middle America rest in the heart of Sarah Palin!
Alaska? Isn't that near Russia?
Are there any black people in Alaska? Do you think Obama is the first she's ever met?
Ouch
I believe you may have just offended 3.2 percent of the population in Alaska. Or are the blacks in Alaska invisible?
Are there any black people
Are there any black people in Granville? Do you think "ct" has ever met one?
"History didn't go anywhere." The late, great Utah Phillips(RIP)
"We're getting our country back and the world is warming to that news as well."
I like both previous comments, but I say keep yourselves honest-- check yourselves.
Your words quoted up above convey the way we felt post-Watergate and post-Viet Nam. It's been a long strange trip since then.
People backslide sometimes. Usually, it's about $ or the like.
Besides that, history really doesn't "go anywhere"-- does it? It's working in everything. We're damned if we forget that.
Generations are very short. It becomes clear in middle age or later.
Good news: Succeeding generations can help us out-grow prejudices.
Bad news: Succeeding gens know less history and know it less personally-- susceptible to buying into rewrites innocently.
Having said all that-- CHEERS!!! Great column and comments!
singlepie
RE
While this is an important perspective, I think the really exciting thing for American progressives is that so many of us actually *don't* remember things like this.
I'm 21. I've *never* seen segregated anythings. I don't remember busing riots in Boston. Heck, I don't even remember Willie Horton. The racial tensions and hurt that perhaps other Americans lived through and remember are alien to many members of my generation. We have minority friends, we date minorities, and the idea of being led by one doesn't seem nearly as big of a deal.
I'm not so naive to think that we're growing up in some sort of post-racism world (growing up with a latin immigrant for a mother in Licking County drummed that idea out of my head pretty quickly), but I think the wind is at our backs in terms of finding and understanding a great racial equality.
Obama getting the nomination is a wonderful news story. But whats even more wonderful, is that someday soon, it won't be a news story.
Segregation's history and change
Great comment with a dynamite and wise last sentence. Let's all hope that race, sex, age, gender, weight, and any other irrelevant factor become non-news worthy. We're getting our country back and the world is warming to that news as well.