Sarah Palin: A Symbol of Political Hypocrisy

Sarah Palin, the darling of the political right, is now being touted as the front-runner for the 2012 Republican nomination.  It is clear that all of the so-called qualifications that used to be necessary for a potential presidential candidate have been thrown out the window.  Her followers are so blinded by their shock and awe of a black man in the White House that they are willing to support someone who, in the past, would not have been given a second thought.

Let's see, President Obama is one of the most highly intelligent people in government, has excelled in every arena he's entered (e.g., educational and political), married well, is a devoted father and family man.  He was handed the worst mess of any U.S. president ever, had to actually start working before he was sworn in because the public had lost complete confidence in the sitting president (Bush), and has dealt head-on with all of the major problems he's faced. 

The economy has survived the worst, corporate profits are at an all-time high, Wall Street is making money, the banking system has stabilized and third-quarter GDP growth was higher than expected.  And, by the way, in the face of nearly universal Republican opposition, Obama's actions saved General Motors and the auto industry, which, two years ago, was left for dead.  GM issued an IPO last week and their stock sold at near record levels, netting $11.7 billion for the U.S. Treasury.  All of these accomplishments are lost on Palin's supporters, who would rather focus on the fantasies of Obama's Muslim, terrorist and socialist connections. 

If Obama had daughters old enough to bear children and one became pregnant when he was running for president, it would have been considered a disqualifying factor.  Yet, the so-called "values voters" completely ignored the fact that Palin's daughter Bristol had a child out of wedlock.  Palin took 6 years to get a 4-year college degree, matriculating at several different schools before finally finishing.  She has no advanced degrees, no areas of expertise, no depth of knowledge about any subject.  She has little, if any, knowledge of the world, believing that Africa is a country and that foreign policy is equivalent to a flyover of her home state, as long as she can visualize Canada and Russia from an aircraft.  She served as mayor of a Alaska town with a population smaller than most four-year universities, and quit after a half term as governor of one of the least populous states in the Union.

Her sole qualifications seem to be that she's attractive, has folksy language, takes cheap shots at her political opponents (especially President Obama and first lady Michelle), hunts, fishes and shoots caribou from helicopters.  But she's white and, as far as Palin's supporters are concerned, it doesn't matter how qualified President Obama is or what he's done while in office.  They would rather elevate someone who would make America a laughing stock around the world than to support the current occupant in the White House -- the man who saved capitalism and, thus, saved them from themselves.