I was at a dinner party this weekend with at least a dozen smart, interesting 30something women. All we could talk about, all night....was Sarah Palin.
We're obsessed. The past two weeks we've furiously sent each other links and blogs and petitions and letters. We've written snarky updates on facebook. Our voices get higher and louder when we talk about her.
At the dinner party, my new Canadian friend asked: "Sure, she's a horrible candidate but why all the emotional reaction?"
For me, I initially thought it was cool there was another female candidate in the mix even if I didn't agree with her. The tipping point came when she said: " I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."
And like that, she hit inside of me a dark, primal fear button.
Like Sarah, I grew up in a small town, actually very close to Scranton, Pa. We moved there from San Diego in 1980.
1980 in Central Pa was a time when, as Billy Joel writes, ".... they're closing all the factories down. Out in Bethlehem they're killing time, Filling out forms, Standing in line."*
Lots of parents were out of work, interest rates were high, and the whole area was in a deep, dark funk of unemployment and union-bashing. Leadership in such times and places can go one of two ways: it can pull people together and lead a community through change. Or it can prey on collective fear, keep people from speaking out, and encourage bigotry and ignorance.
My town's population continues to shrink and I suspect in my lifetime it will just cease to exist.
So Sarah Palin to me, in putting down the idea of a community pulling together and instead reveling in her own personal Mayberry Machiavelli-ness, represents that dark, fear- based leadership of my childhood.
Other women at the party had differing reasons, but here's the thing:
John McCain is running for president. No one actually likes John McCain. The GOP base, independents ..... in their heart of hearts ..... they think he's kind of a tool.
The more we focus on hating Palin, the more the Palin lovers defend her. And while we're fighting over our collective emotional reactions to Palin and her culture war, the real issues -- the economy, foreign policy, health care, energy -- are obscured.
Obama is a brilliant, warm, caring candidate who is willing and ready to lead us through difficult change.
McSamey wants to keep us stuck in the sort of fear-based politics and intolerance that stagnates growth and kills vulnerable communities and small towns.
We have to move past Sarah** and change the collective chatter level back to things that matter.
................................
* That Billy Joel video is way more homo-erotic and cheesey than I remember. It explains a lot about the aesthetics of those of us who grew up in the 80s. Note the guy in the tighty-whiteys throwing the flaming baton. Why did the hottest mostly naked guy have to get fired?
**All that said, I asked the hairdresser this weekend for bangs so I can dress up as Palin for Halloween. I can see Russia from my house!
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2 comments:
you need to put that on a pin -- "i can see russia from my house!"
i think you make a good point. she's an excellent diversion from mccain. why are we focusing on someone so divisive when the big guy himself is really pretty enh by everyone's estimation? is this is brilliantly executed plot to get us to forget about the keating 5? about his dismal voting record on immigration? about his hawkishness and his subterfuge and hypocrisy about his own faith, while trying to court the evangelical vote?
she's like a chihuahua in mccain's purse.
I'm one of those friends who's been sending around the crap about Palin... I know you are right-- we all need to get past her and focus on the issues. But dang it's sooo hard. Every time I hear another story about her in the news, my blood pressure rises.
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