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The positive side of presidential politics
Filed under: Opinions
Welcome to Red Mom Blue Mom, ParentDish's special coverage of the 2008 Presidential election. Each Tuesday through November 4, columnists Rachel Campos-Duffy (Red Mom) and Ada Calhoun (Blue Mom) will take on issues relevant to parents on both sides of the aisle. You can find past Red Mom/Blue Mom posts here.
Blue Mom: The Purpling of America
By Ada Calhoun
I'll be heading down the block to my polling place at six a.m. this morning to vote for Barack Obama. This is the first time in my adult life there has been a candidate I so desperately wanted to see elected. I've always loved my country, but for the first time, I'll be able to cast a vote for a politician who embodies so much of what I love about it:
Ultimately, We're All on the Same Side
Obama has consistently emphasized our common ground. In his nomination acceptance speech, he listed a number of issues that have divided us that need not keep us apart. For example: "We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country . . . This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort."
Everyone Counts, Even Young People
Obama's campaign has gotten young people involved (really young people, judging by the number of kids on YouTube saying "Obama"). More impressively, he's kept them focused and organized. Whenever anyone has started to get negative in his crowds, he's said, "You don't need to boo; you just need to vote." And he's encouraging young people to serve their country in exchange for help with college tuition, which to me seems totally brilliant.
We're Not Afraid
Obama's race speech acknowledged the anger and mistrust that exists in America, but said, "This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected." You sure don't see that conversation happening in France.
If predictions hold and Obama takes as many "red" districts as predicted, we will have the proof: there is no red and blue America, only one America, a country where an optimistic black man raised by a single mother can embody the hopes of a nation. That's a good country.
Red Mom: And the winner is ... Sarah Palin
By Rachel Campos-Duffy
Both Saturday Night Live's liberal humor (and fan base) and conservatives agree on one thing: the bright spot of this election has been Sarah Palin. SNL loves her Fargo accent and offbeat biography (beauty queen, moose hunts and caribou stew). And while conservatives cheer the fact that she is the only life-long card-carrying member of the NRA on either ticket -- and liberals jeer her reasoning and readiness -- lotsa folks just, well, kinda like her.
Conservatives admire the fact that her strong pro-life record is backed up by real-life pro-life decisions; namely the beautiful way in which she handled the unexpected pregnancy of her fifth child during the first year of her first term as governor. Not exactly great timing! And while 80% of prenatal babies diagnosed with Downs Syndrome are aborted, according to the Washington Post, the Palins welcomed Trig, their special-needs son, to the world with open arms, describing him as "perfect" in their birth announcement. There's no such thing as a perfect mom, but every child is indeed perfect.
From taxes to energy, conservatives have found in Sarah Palin a strain of the unapologetically American Ronald Reagan. Like Reagan, Governor Palin is telegenic and attractive. And while few modern politicians can match Reagan's charm, Palin is a pro on the stump thanks to her unparalleled relatability to middle class Americans. Interestingly, Reagan was also underestimated and written off by critics as insufficiently intellectual. History has proved them wrong; I think the same will be true of Palin.
For conservative, pro-life women, Palin has finally given us a voice. Gone are the stereotypes of uptight, old-fashioned pro-lifers à la Phyllis Schlafly. Palin is thoroughly modern and attractive, juggling kids and career just like the rest of us. I am amazed and inspired that she has maintained her sunny conservatism and good humor despite the pummeling she has received from the media and the angry left.
The good news for conservatives like me is that win or lose, Sarah Palin is here to stay. Far from the media predictions that the conservative, religious wing of the Republican Party would be its downfall in this election, Sarah Palin's nomination has proven that no candidate can win or generate excitement without it. So what to say about that Sarah Palin 2012 T-shirt Tina Fey was hawking on SNL's hilarious QVC sketch? I say, "You betcha!"
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
11-04-2008 @ 10:11AM
CLM said...I find it interesting that the liberal in this post discussed the positive aspects of this race, while the conservative found multiple opportunities to put others down. Angry left? Hmmmm, that's not what I'm seeing here.
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11-04-2008 @ 12:02PM
Mihir said...i'd disagree. where exactly is the conservative poster putting people down?
11-04-2008 @ 10:06AM
Emily said...Fortunately, Sarah Palin has stayed true to her anti-abortion beliefs for her own family, but not forced those beliefs on others, which is supposed to be what the Republican Party is all about - letting people have the freedom to make their own decisions. So she gets my vote today! Oh, along with that other person on her ticket.
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11-04-2008 @ 12:43PM
Amanda said...That's all well and good, but if McCain and Palin are elected, they will definitely try to impose those beliefs on everyone, with the Supreme Court nominees they choose and in other ways as well.
11-04-2008 @ 10:49AM
EK said...I certainly hope Sarah Palin is not here to say, as you predict. She is the biggest reason I switched from a red voter to blue. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she goes away and we can bring the country to a more unified place. Palin in 2012 is a frightful thought.
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11-04-2008 @ 1:05PM
Jennifer said...Palin has "unparalleled relatability to middle-class Americans"??? Seriously? Which ones? I live in a conservative CA community (which happens to be the home of the Reagan library) and the women I know are horified at the idea of being compared to Palin. I find it an insult to Reagan that you put Palin in the same league as him (and I am a Democrat.) From her continued lack of basic knowledge (we are at war in Iraq, NOT Iran) to her mean-spirited attitude, Palin has proven that she is just another "Mean Girl" trying to force everyone to like her. In a way I hope she runs in 2012, then the Democrats will be assured another victory.
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11-04-2008 @ 4:05PM
EH said...Fortunatley, Sarah Palin's 15 minutes are almost up...even members of her own party are convinced of her ineptness..2012 is a pipe dream and a joke, as SNL proved with a huge laugh.
I, for one, am hopeful that after tonight my six year old just may live in a world less racist and less discriminatory. Today's vote will prove wether American's want the "conservative values" (hypocritical, at that) that embrace judgement, control and ignorance or if American's want what Obama stands for.
Here's crossing my fingers to yes on Obama and No on Prop 8 (California)....then will find out just who looks up to Sarah Palin.
I am ready for less driscimination and judgement all the way around. Palin represents everything most American women disagree with. "Mean Girl"....perfect description!
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11-04-2008 @ 4:27PM
LS said...Remind me again... exactly WHAT does Obama stand for?
He wants to build coal plants and then bankrupt them.
He wants us to be "our brother's keeper" and yet members of his family live in abject poverty.
He wants us to give to the poor, and yet his charitable giving is paltry, at best.
I don't WANT what he stands for. Because he stands for nothing.
11-04-2008 @ 5:30PM
Mihir said...LS...to be fair, Obama didn't say HE wants to build coal plants, just that he will bankrupt any that do get built.
11-04-2008 @ 6:49PM
SKL said...I think Obama's own words, memberships, and votes prior to the campaign - and a few slips during the campaign - make it quite clear what he stands for. Socialism, racism and hate against whites, anti-semitism, radical Islam, disdain for life and family, totalitarianism, and taking the US down a peg or two. Rah, rah, rah.
11-05-2008 @ 9:46AM
EH said...SKL:
"Socialism, racism and hate against whites, anti-semitism, radical Islam, disdain for life and family, totalitarianism, and taking the US down a peg or two."
You just got added to my list of ignorant's who I no longer respond to....wow, keep reading and spreading the propaganda.
11-05-2008 @ 12:26PM
SKL said...EH, each of those statements I made came from Obama's own mouth or pen. Propoganda is Obama's team lying and saying "I didn't say/write that, desperate liar" (I'd love to see a count of how many times the dems made that statement about a true statement or valid question in this campaign), followed shortly by "I obviously meant the opposite of what I said" followed by "move on, shall we, it's time for change and McCain doesn't get it!"
I don't expect many people here to agree with me, but that's because I'm more informed, more experienced, and have a better memory than most of you. And I'm not blinded by your idealism.
So anyhow, Mr. Obama, when can I expect my promised tax breaks? After all, I make less than $250K per year.
11-04-2008 @ 10:36PM
queenoqueens said...By all means, include that Palin is "attractive" as a pertinent fact, because we all know how important that is in an election. Puh-lease! We're not voting for homecoming queen.
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11-05-2008 @ 3:43AM
hope said...Re: Emily wrote, "So she gets my vote today. Oh, along with that other person on her ticket."
Wow. Really insulting thing to say about John McCain. He's a true American hero. But I guess in your eyes, being a beauty queen is equal to that.
You also wrote that Sarah Palin hasn't forced her beliefs on other people. Okaaaaaay...let's take a look at her pregnant teenage daughter and the boyfriend. Obviously abstinence failed here (but she forced her beliefs about not teaching safe sex), and these kids' futures are being sacrificed for political gain.
This is what scares me about American voters. Very few people are educated about all of the issues, particularly the important ones. You have people who voted for (and against) Obama simply because he is black, voters who supported Palin just because she's a women, Christians who support the Republicans because they're anti-abortion, liberals voting for Democrats because they're pro-choice. But those aren't the real issues. Who's going to protect my husband (and at this rate, my ten-year-old nephews!) in the war against Iraq? Who's going to make sure I can keep my job, pay my mortgage, go to the doctor without going broke, not have to eat cat food when I'm 80, pay for my daughter's college education, and until then keep a roof over her head and clothes on her back? Who's going to protect our country and our children, now and in the future? Those are the real issues. The rest is drivel and distraction.
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11-05-2008 @ 8:42AM
LS said...Well, Hope.... it's YOUR job to make sure you can pay your mortgage, keep a job, clothe and feed yourself and your family, send your children to school.
It is the job of the President to see that our country is safe - that includes WINNING wars, not pulling out in the middle. Keeping our country safe means keeping a strong military, not calling those who serve "murderers and rapists".
It is not the president's job to manage your money, feed you your vitamins, and pay your mortgage.
At least, that's what the Constitution says. But that's just an old piece of obsolete paper, now that Obama is in.
11-18-2008 @ 8:20PM
Stephanie said...I'm sorry, but does McCain get a pass on everything he says and does or does not say or does not do since he was a prisoner of war? Come on, hold him to the same standard we hold all other human beings - be responsible for your actions and your words. Yes, he's a hero, but, yes, he has done flip-flopped and changed his persona for this election and that is a shame.
11-05-2008 @ 9:54AM
Emily said...Yes, hope, you sound very educated. And I bet the president is the one who was supposed to assist everyone in New Orleans to leave before Katrina, right? Not the Dems in charge of that state. Here's a little education for you - the police powers (health, safety, welfare, and morals) are state issues, not federal ones. And not even the state (let alone the federal gov't) is supposed to pay for your mortgage, or your children's education, or your medical care. Get off your butt and do something for yourself!!
You are correct that Palin backed abstinence-only education. Not every candidate is perfect. Sounds like a good reason to get the federal government out of education. Last time I checked the Constitution, the federal gov't did not have the power to run education, anyway.
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11-05-2008 @ 2:20PM
EH said...SKL:
Congratulations on your tax break..as for my family, we fall well above the line of increased taxes so we will gladly be "spreading the wealth" so that out dated, judgmental conservatives as yourself can continue living in your "anti, anti, anti bubble" exercising your freedoms to spread propaganda while trying to deny others their rights.
Thankfully, like dinosaurs, these too will be extinct:) A landslide election proved most of our citizens along with our youth demand it.
And just when did Obama say the following?
"Socialism, racism and hate against whites, anti-semitism, radical Islam, disdain for life and family, totalitarianism, and taking the US down a peg or two."
Racism and against whites from a man who is half white?...what a joke you are:)
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11-05-2008 @ 3:15PM
SKL said...EH:
As I've stated before on this site, it's not my job to provide research material so you can be informed. I don't catalogue everything I read just so I can provide the cites for people who don't bother to research.
I wouldn't call Obama's win a landslide by any measure. A landslide was what happened when Carter only won four states during his bid for reelection - which may be what happens to Obama if he tries too hard to carry out all his preferred policies.
I also think they ought to be required to count the military absentee ballots in every state, even though they might not be sufficient to change the election result. I think it is the biggest slap in the face to exclude the votes of the people fighting to preserve our freedom. They voted overwhelmingly for McCain and would bring the actual popular vote count closer to even.
Getting a little more than 50% of the vote doesn't mean that the concerns of the other half of the country suddenly become invalid.
I'm glad you are so optimistic that racism is going to go away now. I know you are wrong, though I wish you were right.
I'm glad you like the idea of spreading your wealth around. I do too, and I have historically, voluntarily donated more money than I've spent on myself and my kids, notwithstanding the high taxes I also pay. Obama cannot say the same; he gives very little to charity and even less to his own family members. But as for you, great soul, you have always had the opportunity to spread your wealth; why wait for the tax man to come and do it for you? You honestly feel better doing it that way? Whatever floats your boat.
And finally, what exactly which "rights" have I been trying to deny to others?
11-05-2008 @ 8:50PM
EH said...SKL: your memorable words of wisdom...
"I'm glad you are so optimistic that racism is going to go away now. I know you are wrong, though I wish you were right."
You KNOW I am wrong? Maybe because you know you will carry it on..
"I don't expect many people here to agree with me, but that's because I'm more informed, more experienced, and have a better memory than most of you. And I'm not blinded by your idealism."
Being that you are more informed then the rest of us maybe you can hit up the Governor from Alaska and be her running mate in 2012:)
"I'm glad you like the idea of spreading your wealth around. I do too, and I have historically, voluntarily donated more money than I've spent on myself and my kids, notwithstanding the high taxes I also pay."
Well aren't you a Saint? I bet under real scrutiny that "claim" would prove otherwise as it seems somewhat RIDICULOUS...in your proclaimed tax bracket eligible for tax cuts under Obama why would you ever deprive yourself or your children of neccesities in order to donate more then 1/2 your earnings? You sound like a closet Democrat:)
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