Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Family Values

It was interesting to learn that Barak Obama has declared Sarah Palin's family problems to be off limits. This would be in keeping with his need to avoid the tag of being "an angry black man." Obama certainly cannot risk middle American seeing him in this light. It is a tag that will not sit well with the majority of voters both black and white. I have heard him referred to as this generations Jackie Robinson. That may be quite accurate. One only has to think about what Robinson had to endure to equate it to Obama. It's the need to avoid conflict that will keep him from saying anything negative about Palin. It would only antagonize the neocons who are waiting to pounce at the first word from Obama's mouth. But the question is, in avoiding the subject does he let down those who are looking for some kind of statement concerning family values. This is a tough spot for Obama, and a very touchy issue. I suppose it may be a no win situation. But he best get used to it if he intends to occupy the Oval Office.

But expect to hear plenty from the opposition in reference to Bristol Palin. But it will not come from Obama.

My question is this: Why would the mother of a special needs infant want to be VP and basically spend the child's infant years away from him? Why would the mother of a pregnant 17 year old daughter basically spend the next years away from her daughter and her grandchild? Is this the family values that the neocons scream about? What values did she teach her daughter? And now we are getting the really outlandish excuse that the daughter told her mother that she would feel terribly guilty if her mother gave up the possibility of becoming VP just because her daughter is pregnant. Excuse me? What about deciding on your own, Mrs. Palin, that your family needs you and that being VP was a distant second to being a mother. Now the question will be, "If she was a man she wouldn't have to make this decision." No, in this case I would expect the father to make the exact same decision. We aren't talking here about a mother or father working eight hours a day at the office. We are talking about being a heartbeat from the presidency. We are talking stress, world affairs, 24/7.

I have no idea what type of person Mrs. Palin is. I'm sure she is a fine woman. She just was a bad choice, one of many by McCain who was undoubtedly pressured into this by the extreme right of the Republican Party. His choice was Lieberman from the start. But Mrs. Palin brings the donations from the extremists that Joe would be unable to do.

I doubt we'll hear much about family values from here on in. Let's remember this about McCain. He cheated on his first wife (a former model from Philadelphia), a woman who suffered serious injuries in a car crash, and was left permanently disfigured. She actually lost four inches of height from the accident. They had three children before he divorced her. Then he married Cindy McCain a month after his divorce. The second wife's family was quite wealthy, and in fact started McCain on his political trail. John and Cindy are worth in excess of $25 million. He stated that you are "rich" if you have more than, oh, $5 million. WHAT!

I wonder how much of a "hero" he is to his first wife. His campaign centers on two things: Being a war hero (remember wife #1) and American values ($25 million worth).

Say WHAT?