Criticizing Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice Presidential nominee, is easier than shooting fish in a barrel. The governor of Alaska is under investigation for using her office in an attempt to fire her former brother-in-law. This advocate of abstinence-only sex education has a pregnant teenage daughter. The self-proclaimed fiscal conservative left the small city of Wasilla, population 5,500, $20 million in debt after she left the mayoralty there.
Palin’s shortcomings are many, but are actually no worse than those of Joseph Biden, Barack Obama’s running mate. Biden seems to have all the right credentials to run for Vice President. He has been a United States senator for more than 30 years and is chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. The political establishment and corporate media gave him unanimous approval, but a closer look reveals that Biden is no better than his Republican rival.
Biden was himself a presidential candidate in 1988 and in 2008. Both times he was known for a bad case of foot in mouth disease which resulted in bizarre statements. His declaration that “You cannot go into a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent,” was just one of many memorable jaw dropping comments. When asked earlier this year if a “northeastern liberal” could appeal to southern voters, Biden quickly disputed that description of himself and of his state. “You don’t know my state. My state was a slave state. [Emphasis mine.] My state is a border state. My state has the 8th largest black population in the country. My state is anything from a northeast liberal state.”
It is interesting that Biden chose slavery as a means of escaping the liberal label. He certainly knew that his audience sought a politician who would not give black people so much as the time of day. How better to make the case than to identify himself and his state with slavery, the ultimate form of white supremacy? The gaffe-prone politician quickly caught himself and sought to temper his words by adding that there are colored people living in Delaware too. But the words were out, and their intent was clear to anyone paying attention.
“How better to make the case than to identify himself and his state with slavery, the ultimate form of white supremacy?”
It also wasn’t Biden’s only racist statement this campaign year. No one wants to mention that Biden made news with his so-called compliment of Barack Obama. The collective and very selective amnesia is quite stunning. “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy…. I mean, that’s a storybook, man.” Obama was clearly telling the truth when he said that the words didn’t offend him. Both men know that insults directed at black people are tools for electoral success.
Biden is a committed hawk, with little use for democracy. He also hopes that the rest of us care about it as little as he does. In 2005 he fantasized about a nation that willingly paid for nothing except defense spending. “The Lord Almighty, or Allah, whoever, if he came to every kitchen table in America and said, ‘Look, I have a Faustian bargain for you, you choose. I will guarantee to you that I will end all terror threats against the United States within the year, but in return for that there will be no help for education, no help for Social Security, no help for health care. What do you do?’ My answer is that seventy-five per cent of the American people would buy that bargain.”
Biden enthusiastically voted in favor of the resolution to authorize the occupation of Iraq. He advocated invading Iraq as early as 1998 and eagerly spread the lie that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. When asked if he regretted authorizing the use of force he told a blatant, bald faced lie “…everyone in the world thought he had them. The weapons inspectors said he had them.”
“Republicans shrewdly appeal to white America’s reptilian brain.”
The vastly different media responses to Palin and Biden prove only one thing. The press are comfortable with known quantities, especially when they adhere to establishment beliefs. Hawks, whether smart or stupid, are always in with the in crowd.
Not that Palin has cause for worry. Republicans shrewdly appeal to white America’s reptilian brain. The image of a frontier, gun toting, uber mom facing sneers from eastern liberals is a sure vote getter. Press pouting about lack of access will diminish quickly, and Republican tutors will make sure that Palin doesn’t fail on the stump.
Barack Obama is sounding more and more like McCain every day. He declared on Fox News that the “surge” in Iraq has ” . . . succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.” He and McCain both have awful running mates. The only difference is that one has been awful for a longer period of time. The bright spot for voters is that they don’t have to spend any more time wondering if there will be change or not. The question has been answered. You may now spend your time pondering something else.