Not Everyone Will Grow Up To Be President

There have been many interesting moments in this 2008 election campaign.  From the moment that Sen. McCain won New Hampshire and there was a battle between Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton for the Democrat nomination—that was so close that Rush Limbaugh decided that he had a chance to get involved and make a difference in that campaign—it was easy to tell that this would be a year like no other.

And yet, I don’t think that there has been a surprise this season to match the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin for the Vice Presidential spot.

The Governor

The funny thing is that in her selection, few focused on the fact that she actually made it to the Governorship of a big state, while instead they focused on her daughter’s pregnancy, her possible implication with a situation with a police officer, the number of colleges that she went to, etc.  From the beginning, the media template was that she was dumb, that she was not someone to emulate and that she was definitely the wrong choice for the Vice Presidential spot.

The media, who love celebrities and chronicling every twist and turn in the lives of Britney, Paris, and Lindsay decided that Gov. Palin wasn’t a good enough role model—or so you would think from what they chose to focus on.  They encourage young girls, by the way they treated these other celebrities, to dress trashy, have no talent, and get by on looks, but when a woman of character, who has worked hard, and is truly a mother to her kids and a wife to a guy for many years they choose to portray her as not fit.

Speaking of kids…

I don’t watch nearly as much television as I used to, but when I was watching more there would invariably come at least once a show a commercial showing various kids telling you what they’d be when they grew up.  There were the usual doctors, lawyers, teachers, and they’d invariably have some little girl saying that they were going to be the President of the United States.

And there’d be these references to dads telling their little girls in movies and on commercials that they could be anything that they want to be—even President of the United States.

Now, for one thing, after seeing what’s happened to the last few Presidents, I’m not so sure that you shouldn’t have your head examined for wanting the Presidency.  Not only is all your dirty laundry aired for all to see, but it’s not about what you think, just who you associate yourself with.  It’s not about your ideas, but whether you’re even fit to express them—just ask Joe the Plumber.

Not for Everyone

But, if we are to believe the media, telling children that they can grow up to be President of the United States is getting to be akin to telling them that there is a Santa Claus or a Tooth Fairy.  It’s a nice thing to say to spark their imagination, but not something that we actually believe.

It’s getting to a point—and it’s being fostered in both parties—that if you’re like the common man, if you have common values, and if the common man likes you, then you’re not fit.

Why do I say this?  Read the latest article by Peggy Noonan where she tells us that she laments hearing grown-up talk (hearing “Mother and Father” instead of “Mom and Dad” and losing the ‘g’s off of the ends of words).  She tells us that although some can rise from nowhere to command the occasion, Gov. Palin is just average, and by that she means that Gov. Palin isn’t fit to be President, let alone she’s going to cause Sen. McCain to lose.

The Blame Game

In fact, what I see is that some of the moderate Republicans are starting to set up Gov. Palin to take the fall should Sen. McCain lose the election.  They will say that she was unqualified, or that she was not moderate enough.  They will decry speaking like the common man, and credit Sen. Obama’s oratory skills.

Again, look at Noonan’s article—Sen. McCain won the debate, but Gov. Palin isn’t cutting it.

She’s a Girl

But let me ask you something—something for you to truly ponder.  Much has been made of the fact that there are people in this country that are still racists.  There are people that will not vote for Sen. Obama for President because he is black just as there are people that will vote for Sen. Obama only because he’s black—even though they may differ on policy.

Is the same true for Gov. Palin?

I know that there are many in the Conservative Christian circle that do not believe that a woman has any place in a position of power—spiritual or civic.  These will not vote for McCain-Palin because of that.

I know that there are some that are having trouble voting for her because of the number of her children, the fact that her last child has special needs, etc.

I know that some will have a perspective of her that because she’s a woman she’s not an equal—or at least that’s what the media tells us, that there are people that are out there that believe this.

So, is it possible that there are people out there that would otherwise vote for McCain-Palin that will not because she’s there?  how many?

Setting Expectations

So, maybe something that America really needs to do in the aftermath of this election is to sit back and actually think through what it’s saying to the next generation.  America needs to think through its core concepts, to reason through who she is and why she believes what she believes.

Because if it’s not true that anyone can be President—if commoners with ideas are not fit, but only those that have served in government can serve—then we shouldn’t tell our kids they can be… or make sure they at least know the truth about it.

If America is still a country divided by race, where a black person will vote for another black person they disagree with simply because of the color of his skin—and white people will vote for the black person because they don’t want to be seen as racist—then we still have quite a long way to go in race relations after all.

It’s time we figured out what our core principles are, and decided who we really are—because the only way that we can be consistent and have a consistent vision and be respected in the world community is if we know who we are.  Without that, we have no common vision, and we might as well give more states rights so people can be free to diverge.