Commentary: Defending Sarah Palin

A Response to Mary Mitchell of the Chicago Sun-Times
Ever since Senator John McCain (R-AZ) the GOP presidential nominee announced his surprise selection of Governor Sara Palin of Alaska as his Vice President Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell has been hammering away at Palin. This commentary is an attempt to respond to Mitchell and her charges.

In her first column ” The Gender Game” Mitchell mentioned the historic nature of Gov. Palin’s selection as Senator McCain’s running mate and even called her a reformer. She also thought that Palin was a fighter, but then the rest of the column set a negative tone. She bemoaned that the “Choice feels sleazy.” She then diminishes the choice by claiming that it is not Palin’s brains that McCain is after, but her gender because of Hillary voters. She called the selection a desperate and sleazy game for which women would not fall.
If Sen. McCain’s selection of Palin were just about capturing the Hillary voters by choosing a women there are others he could have chosen like Rep. Heather Wilson (NM) or Gov. Jodi Rell of Connecticut. These two women are also very intelligent and capable of leading the country. Some thought he might chose fellow Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (TX), however, rather than going with the two known individuals or the eastern Republican he chose the Gov. of Alaska. Granted Hutchison and Wilson are insiders and he was looking for an outsider. That would leave Palin or Rell and he chose Palin because according to McCain Palin campaign manager Rick Davis “He saw alot of himself in her ( Newsweek, 30 Aug 08)”. There is nothing sleazy or cynical here. This was a choice based on his instinct of who he would be able to work with the best.


Second, in ” Palin not on board Straight Talk Express” Mitchell called it ‘melarkey’ that they thought it was a beautiful thing that their daughter was going to bring a baby in to the world because Republicans don’t extol the beauty when a girl similar to Bristol Palin on the South Side of Chicago turns up pregnant. They call it a tragedy. She calls Palin and her views part of the problem. She blames the absence of comprehensive sex-ed and the presence of abstinence-only programs. She talks about 17 year old girls throwing caution to the wind and having unprotected sex regardless of the messages that adults send to children. She also calls melarkey that the Palin’s were happy that their daughter was gong to marry the young man. She reasoned that Gov. Palin should have publicly acknowledged the disappointment she felt about the situation. She calls for compassion for those in the less fortunate areas.

It is folly to blame either the absence of comprehensive sex-education programs or fault the presence of abstinence-only programs for the complex problem of teenage pregnancy. It is also difficult to completely blame the parents of Bristol Palin or any other unwed, pregnant teenager when we know that some will get pregnant no matter weather we send the abstinence-only message or the message sent in comprehensive programs. It is hard to expect these programs and parents to completely cancel out the effects of friends and culture as a whole. Young people are bombarded with sexual messages through the very media that we expect to provide the message of responsibility, which does not sell that well. I do believe that the Palin’s were disappointed in their daughter for getting pregnant, but if they would have come off as reprimanding her in public then there would have been an outcry. This delicate situation should be dealt with privately and not made in to a platform for policy and politics.

Third in ” Palin knows how to throw a punch” Mitchell makes the assertion that Palin was only selected because she can throw a punch. She speaks to Palin’s “heart of a street fighter.” The column goes on to chronicle some of the highlights of Palin’s acceptance speech at the Convention. She mentions that Palin made the media the enemy because she didn’t feel accepted by them. Her conclusion was that even if Palin’s selection was a scheme the battle is real.

Hockey (or other Sports Moms for that matter) moms sure do know how to throw a punch and stand up in a fight. However this was not the only reason she was chosen, she was chosen for the reason stated above and those that will follow. I thought her acceptance speech was an excellent speech. This selection was not a scheme but a gamble that will pay huge dividends for Sen. McCain.

Fourth, in ” Is attack dog’s bite even worse than her bark?” Mitchell talks of Palin overshadowing McCain and her feeling that Palin is being divisive. Her claim is that Palin pit small-town people against everyone else and black against white. She thought Palin was mean and seemed to believe that Palin was saying that good people can’t come from cities. She also bordered on accusing Palin of saying that others were not patriotic. Though Mitchell admits that Palin’s war memorial comment was not meant as anything against Obama she could see how some could take it that way.

Gov. Palin will not overshadow Sen. McCain in the same way that Hillary Clinton, though immanently qualified would overshadow Barak Obama. Gov. Palin and Sen. McCain Complement each other very well. He is a war hero and a reformer and she is a reformer as well as having administrative experience. In her convention speech Palin was neither mean nor divisive. Mean spirited and divisiveness can be read into it though by those who wish to fan the flames of discontent. In her comment about good people coming from small towns she was recognizing her roots and not slighting large urban areas. Palin never said anyone was unpatriotic. All she meant by her war memorial comment was that it is people who have served this country that are on war memorials in small towns and they are usually the names of hometown heroes. I also understand how this comment could be taken in the other context, but we do not need columnists at major newspapers fanning the flames on this.

Finally, in ” Palin should be a laughingstock to all feminists” Mitchell asserts that Palin makes her sick even though she liked a fiesty character on Thelma & Louise she could not stand Palin’s fiestiness at the convention. She also has a problem with her appearing to be caught off guard by the question about the “Bush Doctrine.” She asserts that the media has crowned her as a new age feminist, but Mitchell does not think so. She also asserts that it is a stretch that Palin is reform minded, even though earlier she said that Palin was a reformer. and then reveals some things that she believes tarnishes the claim. There is also the claim that she would not have had any time to attend any events for her children at school. Mitchell believes that her views on abortion and abstinence are extreme. She wraps up by saying the fact that Palin is a star should make any feminist sick.

Feminists should be proud that Gov. Palin has been chosen as the GOP nominee for Vice President, even though they disagree with her on policy and don’t plan to vote for the McCain Palin ticket. Just her presence on a major party ticket advances women and shows that women can work and raise a family. I can understand where she wouldn’t have time to attend school functions, but I believe that she did attend some. Mitchell had claimed earlier in her writing that Palin was a reformer. Palin’s reform credential were gained in the battle to reform her home state of Alaska. I disagree with her personal opinion on not allowing abortion in cases of rape or incest but agree that states should decide the issue and not the federal government. I also am glad that she understands and is willing to work with all to reduce teenage pregnancy. I think that Palin was genuinely caught off guard by Charlie Gibson’s question about the “Bush Doctrine” and handled it well because it is not something that many people can definitively describe, as there are at least four definitions of it and Gibson could not even answer the questions. The media has not crowned Palin a new-age feminist, but derided her and tried to stop her from busting the glass ceiling. It is outrageous to dislike a woman who is feisty in real life and extol the virtues of a television character. Palin is not and should not be a laughingstock. Palin and her candidacy should be celebrated and exalted even though you may not vote for her or like the GOP. Palin’s selection as Vice Presidential nominee is as historic as Barak Obama being nominated by the Democrats.