Northern Exposure

I don't consider Alaska to be part of the United States.

There, I said it. And I've been slowly revealing this opinion of mine to co-workers and friends alike. And most, if not all of them, are sympathetic to this sentiment (even the Republicans).

First, I don't know what Alaskan values are. I don't see any values, really, emanating from the Palin family, that seem admirable. A short list of facts about the Palin brood: a recent teenage pregnancy and alleged drug use, a young son in trouble and therefore shipped to War, the abandonment of a newborn with down's syndrome to mommy's ambition, and the systemic abuse of power at work (including the personal destruction of those who disagree).

Second, how often has Palin been around the country as a mere citizen? The press never explains if she has. What states did she visit? How can Palin relate to Iowa, to California, to Florida, to Colorado from a brief, frenzied rally? I have no idea what Alaska is like. I'd never run up there and try to take charge of the government. I'm not even sure I know enough about the states surrounding my own to do such a thing.

My point is this: why are we allowing this woman to assume a mantle of supreme patriotism and knowledge of America, when she is not exactly of America?

For the last several months, right wing pundits have derided Obama's birthplace of Hawaii as an example of his "otherness." If this is their take, how can they support Palin? Unlike Palin, Barack Obama eventually made his way onto the mainland. He was schooled here, he has worked here, he has built a family and a home here. He is a United States Senator for a state in the Heartland, for pete's sake.

But with Palin the standard is different (plus, she's white!). Because she talks mean and shoots guns we are all prevented from asking: Who heck is Sarah Palin?

Honestly, under normal electoral circumstances, my instinct would be to not care. I've seen enough to know Sarah Palin is obviously a misguided, paranoid woman with no set of values beyond babies, drilling and killing. So, fine. I would like to turn away and fill my time with more purposeful pursuits, such as the election of Barack Obama as President.

There's just one little thing.

Sarah Palin is messing with the national fabric in a deeply destructive way. She is wandering around the real United States these days--my United States- and she's spewing some pretty harmful and divisive language about the Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. This week she has deemed it acceptable to essentially call the guy a terrorist who doesn't love America. Her crowds are yelling, "Kill him!" after her words are spoken.

As the biographer of Robert Kennedy, Thurston Clarke, writes today in a post at The Daily Beast:

The line between a political smear that is merely unpleasant and one that is dangerously inflammatory is a matter of judgment, difficult to calibrate, and different depending on the candidate. Justice Potter Stewart’s famous statement is probably the best standard for rendering a judgment. I would argue that Governor Palin crossed the line when she accused Obama of being “not someone who sees America as you and I do—as the greatest force for good in the world…[but] someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country.” This is an incendiary charge to make seven years after real terrorists killed thousands of Americans, one that risks encouraging extremists to consider Obama fair game—and his assassination as a victory in the war on terror.

People who know me would most likely admit that I love to argue. I like political fights. I'm not averse to the ugly side. But there's ugly and then there's Palin.

Whoever wins this election will need to govern. The real America (down here in the lower 48) is having a crappy time. There's no way around it. It is weighing upon every one of us. It starts at the front door every day when you leave: the gas in your car costs a lot, the neighborhood around your house is falling apart, once you leave the driveway it's evident the roads aren't being kept up, the traffic is simply awful, the people driving are nasty, the office is crazy because you are essentially working two jobs, the food prices at lunch are astronomical, and so on... this doesn't even include the pressures of family, of children and parents at every stage. Education. Health care. It's endless. And no matter your walk of life these days, the closer you look around the more you understand the unyielding, serious set of problems the country faces.

Does Palin understand the American condition right now?

All she speaks of, as a voice for John McCain, is snark and hate. Condescension. Division. Nastiness. Arrogant, uniformed generalities. She is speaking as if there are no problems. She is delivering speeches based upon pure and simple delusion.

With a fragmented, insecure media, no one will make Palin stop. Senator McCain has proven he maintains no control over his impulses once they have been put into thoughtless motion.

So for the next few weeks we must endure the drive-by insults of a self-impressed princess. I didn't think America could get much worse. Palin is proving me wrong.