There are problematic elements to her nomination; of that there is no question. It is true that I would like a candidate with a bit more foreign policy experience. But I'm sure many Democrats wish that Obama had more of the same - or had never had the pleasure of meeting a certain Reverend Wright . We all acknowledge (or I hope we do) that no one is perfect.
Be that as it may, if you tend towards the liberal left or follow the Democratic Party line to the T, your criticisms aren't innovative. Surprise: you're not going to like Sarah Palin any more than I like Joe Biden. And if you say that we should have a vice president who speaks for all of us, allow me to gently encourage you to come down out of those clouds and join me here on earth. Short of claiming that there exists an absolute truth (and my guess is that you don't want to open that messy can of worms), we're going to have to agree that we disagree and that we bring two different viewpoints to the table, much like the two vice presidential candidates. Therefore, I will not use this forum to defend Palin's positions on abortion, taxes, or energy: she is a Republican. Enough said.
What I do take offense to is the media's presentation. If there is no absolute truth, as much of the left will claim, then why not give me a balanced view of this woman? Why the focus on her "faults" - not all of which I would label as so - without equal attention given to her accomplishments? Sadly, polls and studies have shown that the media does not represent the nation (the great majority of news reporters have voted Democrat in presidential and congressional elections, even at times when more than half of the population has voted Republican), but even so, isn't the news supposed to be reported without bias? As my journalism professor in college would tell me, though, there is no such thing as a "spin-less story."
And in the Palin spin there seems to be a disproportionate amount of attention given to her personal life, which has become the focus of many of the same people who hailed Bill Clinton's right to privacy during his impeachment proceedings. (To the best of my knowledge, though, Palin has not lied under oath.) I've heard it called hypocrisy that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant out of wedlock since the Republican Party is all about family values. (Dear me, I hope the Democratic Party is about family values as well!) Hypocrisy? To be imperfect? Since when? And all I've seen is family values from the Palins; Bristol is not being shunned or condemned for her pregnancy and instead her family is coming alongside her as a new life is being welcomed . Hypocrisy would be if Palin encouraged her daughter to get an abortion or tried to cover up the pregnancy. But Palin knows first-hand that life - all life - is to be celebrated. I applaud Palin, who, in spite of being pressured by doctors to abort her own baby , who has Downs Syndrome, chose not to succumb to an effort to create the "perfect" race but rather to embrace the humanity (read: imperfection) of a new little blessing.
Oh dear, I've found myself focusing on abortion again. After the controversy of last week , I think I'd better move on. Which is exactly what the news media should do when it comes to Palin's personal life, which in my view, often points to integrity and humanity. Let's look at what she would bring to national government instead. A woman with strong moral principles and a desire to reduce government and taxes in favor of empowering the people through ethical reform is the type of person we need in office. (Dare I say it? I greatly prefer her to her running mate.) After listening to her speech, I am greatly looking forward to the upcoming vice presidential debate , and anticipate a forum in which Sarah Palin can prove herself once again.
