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|| Election 2008 ||
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Sarah Palin’s Average American Family Doesn’t Support Mine

OPINION: As Sarah Palin stood before the average American family Wednesday night, touting hers as one and the same -- her five-months-pregnant, 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, dressed in formfitting fabric appearing to almost accentuate her baby bump while the daddy-to-be, clean-shaven (unlike his rougher-looking MySpace photos), sat alongside adoringly, the picture of Abercrombie perfection -- for the first time, I saw what all this gay marriage fuss was all about.


OPINION: As Sarah Palin stood before the average American family Wednesday night, touting hers as one and the same -- her five-months-pregnant, 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, dressed in formfitting fabric appearing to almost accentuate her baby bump while the daddy-to-be, clean-shaven (unlike his rougher-looking MySpace photos), sat alongside adoringly, the picture of Abercrombie perfection -- for the first time, I saw what all this gay marriage fuss was all about.

I’ve always understood the practical reasons -- health care benefits, tax credits, custody rights -- but, to be frank, I’ve been a little perplexed by semantics. Marriage equality versus civil unions -- what’s the big deal?

The big deal is it’s different, and people like Sarah Palin view us as such. This is a woman who would use her daughter’s out-of-wedlock, underage pregnancy as a way to shore up the pro-life vote by touting the decision to keep the baby. This is a woman who cut funding for underage mothers and for sex education programs only to put her daughter on a national stage -- not as an example of what happens when you cut those programs but as an example of how you can “take lemons and make lemonade.”

This is a woman who, standing before thousands of “average American families” Wednesday night, lied through her teeth, telling the parents of special-needs children that they would have an advocate in the White House. Never mind that before she gave birth to a special-needs child of her own, Sarah Palin voted to cut funding for special education programs.

On and on, so on and so forth, Sarah Palin painted herself to be the picture of the average American family -- a woman who will fight for the rights of the steel mill worker, the stay-at-home mom, and the family with five kids struggling to make ends meet.

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FILE UNDER:  2008 Election

Reader Comments
  • Name: NARVA THOMAS
    Date posted: 9/6/2008 10:26:00 PM
    Hometown: HOUSTON

    Comment:

    I AM VERY DISSAPPOINTED AT MC CAIN FOR USING PALIN TO WIN THE ELECTION. JUST THE FACT THAT HE ASKED HER TO DO SOMETHING THAT COULD PUT MAJOR STRESS ON PALIN'S FAMILY SHOWS THAT HE IS SELFISH AND SELF-CENTERED. HE REMINDS ME OF THE TIME WHEN HE DUMPED HIS CRIPPLED FIRST WIFE FOR CINDY AND HER FORTUNE. HE EVEN CREEPS ME OUT WHEN HE USES THE TERM "MY FRIENDS" WHEN ADDRESSING AMERICANS. HE SOUNDS LIKE A USED CAR SALESMAN. I DO NOT TRUST HIM. HE IS A FLIP FLOPPING POLITICIAN AND A UNDERCOVER WOMANIZER. I FEEL SORRY THAT PALIN LET THE INVITATION TO BE V.P GO TO HER HEAD. SHE'D BE BETTER OF IN ALASKA WITH HER FAMILY.

  • Name: Jim
    Date posted: 9/5/2008 4:49:00 PM
    Hometown: houston

    Comment:

    Chela, your comment is sexist.

  • Name: TJ
    Date posted: 9/5/2008 12:02:00 PM
    Hometown: Washington, DC

    Comment:

    I'm serious... if that old guy and that bitch (well, she was the one who compared herself to a pit bull, not me) win the election in November, I told my wife that I'm putting the house on the market and we're moving to Canada. I've already had the experience of being discriminated against for my color, and that was just from average folks on the street. I don't need to be discriminated against by my government for who I sleep with... and I pay taxes, so technically they work for me!

  • Name: Mike Gordon
    Date posted: 9/5/2008 5:26:00 AM
    Hometown: London

    Comment:

    I really don't care if it is a father or mother with Five children and one of them have illegitimate child too(Well!, I do care about that). In any case I just think that Sarah Palin lacks morals of Society and it was very irresponsible for McCain to select her running mate. This is not only an insult to average family but a slap on the face of American Society. McCain should be more intelligent then this. I changed my vote to Democrat after seeing Sarah being greeted by all stupid Republican. I wonder what happens to Republican first an idiot cowboy from Texas and now half autistic candidate with immoral running mate. Don't they have a normal or an average person left in the Republican party

  • Name: Mike Gordon
    Date posted: 9/5/2008 5:25:00 AM
    Hometown: London

    Comment:

    I really don't care if it is a father or mother with Five children and one of them have illegitimate child too(Well!, I do care about that). In any case I just think that Sarah Palin lacks morals of Society and it was very irresponsible for McCain to select her running mate. This is not only an insult to average family but a slap on the face of American Society. McCain should be more intelligent then this. I changed my vote to Democrat after seeing Sarah being greeted by all stupid Republican. I wonder what happens to Republican first an idiot cowboy from Texas and now half autistic candidate with immoral running mate. Don't they have a normal or an average person left in the Republican party

  • Name: Chela
    Date posted: 9/4/2008 6:15:00 PM
    Hometown: Chicago

    Comment:

    I am appalled that Sarah Palin is running for V.P. What kind of a mother with 5 children, one being a newborn, runs for V.P.?? Even if I was Republican, I WOULD NOT vote for her!! She might want to think about spending more time at home, particularly since her 17 yo is pregnant!!! I am a single parent and did everything in my power to stay home with my child. She is obviously extremely self-absorbed. I feel sorry for her family. Also, could she not come up with anything else during her speech other than to make jabs at Barack Obama??

  • Name: red3953
    Date posted: 9/4/2008 4:58:00 PM
    Hometown: washington

    Comment:

    She doesnot support My family or acknowledge we exsist. Me, my wife, 3 biological children, one adopded & one grandson...so far. I think she is a hippocrate. Her daughter standing there with her boyfriend like it's ok to be 17 & pregnant. And looked like "get me the @#$% out of here" Using her handicapped son to get votes, bad karma. She remonds me of Anita Bryant.



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