President-Elect Barack Obama said he intends to go through the budget “line by line” and look at every expenditure and program. I would hope that our 44th President takes on this task with an eye toward fixing some fundamentals: equal access to quality education; employment that pays a living wage; and affordable housing. Addressing these fundamental issues is critical to making opportunity in America truly equal for all. Most people would not choose poverty; but absent quality education, marketable skills and employment, what’s the alternative?
But, before we go there, indulge me for a minute as I take a step back to give a bit more context on psychological healing….
What is it like to be born with the scarlet letter “N” branded onto your psyche? To be born with the historical constitutional stigma of being three-fifths of a person? What is it like to bear that legacy for over 200 years, in a country that preaches “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”, but largely practices “separate but not equal”?
And what is it like to finally rise up from beneath the weight of that legacy, to defy and discard it, and have one of you become President of the United States of America? What happens to the psyche of that 60% person, that citizen-of-sorts? What are the possibilities of affording yourself equal opportunities because, finally, you believe Yes, You Can?
Sarah Palin exceeded everyone's expectations in her debate performance. She was, for the most part, reasonably articulate, capable of matching the right talking points to the right questions, poised and, by the end of the debate, confident. Moreover, in her winky, folksy, ya'll drawl, I'm convinced that she reassured those who want to believe in her that she is capable of not humiliating herself (and the rest of Americans!), given adequate time, powerful resources and strenuous preparation.
But has the bar for vice presidential candidates really been set so low that success is defined as "he/she didn't embarass us"? Moreover, is Sarah Palin's greatest feminist aspiration in life to prove that women -- working class mothers -- can be sufficiently mediocre as to pass the litmus test of "See, I can sound smart if I practice"? Has she drank so much of her own moose-flavored Kool Aid that she honestly believes 72 hours of cramming to avoid past confusion and misstatements can alleviate the need for thoughtful understanding and analysis of domestic and foreign policy issues? And does she have so little to offer that the best she can do for McCain is to portray an exaggerated caricature of a working class American, complete with scripted winks, ya'lls and "say-it-ain't-so-joe's"? Say it isn't so, Sarah.
Gov Palin is a social conservative. With regard to abortion, Gov Palin believes in "NO Choice" in any situation, including rape or incest; her position stems from her religious beliefs. Gov. Palin's policy on contraception, and more importantly, on sex education is "Abstinence only", in spite of the rising teenage pregnancy and teenage AIDS rates. Again, her position is based on her religious beliefs. Although she lives "near Russia", Gov Palin has no foreign policy experience. Moreover, Gov Palin is, in her own words, a "Pit Bull with lipstick". And I haven't seen many Pit Bulls that are able to achieve results using the compromise, diplomacy or inclusion necessary to resolve our economic and other domestic and foreign policy challenges.
I won't harp on Gov Palin's NRA membership, the alleged firing of a cabinet member because he wouldn't fire her ex brother-in-law -- and the pending "shotgun" nuptials of her teenage daughter (although the latter does speak to the ineffectiveness of "abstinence only" policies). But I will say that you cannot flaunt your family in the public eye as an asset to your candidacy, and then cry "no fair" when questions arise as to whether that asset may likewise be a liability. It's hypocritical.
Senator McCain and Gov Palin speak of "change" and "family values", and I believe they honestly intend to focus on reform. Unfortunately, it's the most socially conservative approach to reform. Moreover, "Pit Bull Palin" does not strike me as open-minded or tolerant, two attributes which I believe are essential to effective leadership.
Though not surprising, it's also interesting to me that the McCain campaign has effectively ceded the black vote. Thursday's Washington Post, In a More Diverse America, A Mostly White Convention, reads:
