You should read this article by Wendy Button, speach writer for Obama, Edwards, and Clinton on this election. Here are some of my favorite lines:
“As the nation slouches toward disaster, the level of political discourse is unworthy of this moment in history. We have Republicans raising Ayers and Democrats fostering ageism with “erratic” and jokes about Depends. Sexism. Racism. Ageism and maybe some Socialism have all made their ugly cameos in election 2008. It’s not inspiring. Perhaps this is why I found the initial mocking of Joe so offensive…”
“…Governor Palin and I don’t agree on a lot of things, mostly social issues. But I have grown to appreciate the Governor. I was one of those initial skeptics and would laugh at the pictures. Not anymore. When someone takes on a corrupt political machine and a sitting governor, that is not done by someone with a low I.Q. or a moral core made of tissue paper. When someone fights her way to get scholarships and work her way through college even in a jagged line, that shows determination and humility you can’t learn from reading Reinhold Niebuhr. When a mother brings her son with special needs onto the national stage with love, honesty, and pride, that gives hope to families like mine as my older brother lives with a mental disability. And when someone can sit on a stage during the Sarah Palin rap on Saturday Night Live, put her hands in the air and watch someone in a moose costume get shot—that’s a sign of both humor and humanity.
Has she made mistakes? Of course, she’s human too. But the attention paid to her mistakes has been unprecedented compared to Senator Obama’s “57 states…”
And here’s to changing your mind! I am a die-hard republican so of course I applaud this article. But honestly the ugly part of politics is just so infuriating. I have always thought the treatment of Joe the plumber way way out of line. And I am just appalled at the treatment of Sarah Palin. So she got a new wardrobe? Why is that news? And I don’t get how in 2008 the level of sexism is tolerated. Women should bail on the democratic candidate in droves. (Setting aside the fact that McCain picked a female running mate.) If you look at the people McCain has on staff for his campaign, the women he’s hired earn $1.04 to Obama’s .83 cents on the dollar compared to male staff. I am no feminist but I find it insulting that the tactic democrats are using to neutralize Palin’s popularity is to attack her intelligence and fashion sense. It seems a huge step back to me.
