How I was suckered by Sarah

Image via Wikipedia

Wisdom has it that there’s one born every minute.

This time, it’s me.

Two days ago Sarah Palin called for the resignation of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for making a profane reference to the developmentally impaired. Having been told that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party wanted to run an attack ad aimed at fellow, if conservative, Democrats, Emanuel got angry and called the progressives “f—ing retards.”

Palin took to her Facebook page looking for blood, suggesting that public officials should not be participating in talk demeaning the developmentally impaired.

This isn’t about politics; it’s about decency. I am not speaking as a political figure but as a parent and as an everyday American wanting my child to grow up in a country free from mindless prejudice and discrimination, free from gratuitous insults of people who are ostensibly smart enough to know better… Have you no sense of decency, sir?”
Via Facebook

Who could argue with that? And while I thought that calling for Emanuel’s resignation was well over the top, I certainly agreed that the Chief of Staff deserved to be taken to task for his comment.

Governor Palin’s sensitivity is completely understandable. As the mother of a child born with Down’s Syndrome, I would expect that she loses countless hours of sleep over how her son will be treated by the world as he grows up. Indeed, I would have agreed with Ms. Palin’s complaint even if she were not the mother of such a child.

And so, I found myself in the very rare circumstance of actually defending Sarah Palin.

My liberal friends suggested that I was getting sucked into Palin’s cynical effort to score political points against the Obama Administration. I wholeheartedly disagreed. After all, even the most partisan politician is capable of an honest emotional response when it comes to something so close to the heart. Surely, this reaction had to be sincere as the Governor’s concern for her son would surely trump any desire Palin might have for gain – either political or financial.

Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves to add insult to injury-

Our political correct society is acting like some giant insult’s taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards,” Rush said, adding that Rahm’s meeting yesterday with advocates for the mentally handicapped was a “retard summit at the White House.”
Via The Plumline

This was interesting, I thought. Now Governor Palin would have to come out against Limbaugh and call for his resignation just as she had done with Emanuel. While what Rahm had done was certainly wrong, Emanuel had committed his infraction to a closed audience in his office while Limbaugh had broadcast his profane message directly to his millions of listeners.

Believe it or not, I actually felt badly for Palin. Here was her ally adding to her pain for his own gratification and benefit.

I waited about an hour before bringing up Palin’s Facebook page to read her response.

Nothing.

I found myself returning to the page every hour on the hour until I went to sleep last night and immediately upon getting up this morning.

Nothing.

Finally, this afternoon – a full day after Limbaugh made his unfortunate remarks – Palin’s spokesperson, Meghan Stapleton, responded to a request for a comment from a reporter. Here’s what she had to say –

Governor Palin believes crude and demeaning name calling at the expense of others is disrespectful.
Via The Plum Line

Really? That’s it? Are you kidding me? Not only was the response tepid beyond any rational belief, she never even mentioned Limbaugh’s name.

It turns out that Palin had actually used her own child’s life challenges to score political points after all. What’s more, so afraid is Sarah Palin of Rush Limbaugh she actually gave him a complete and total pass.

Am I a putz or what?

But then, other than John Edwards, who does such a thing?

When popular politicians turn out to be perfectly awful human beings, it’s not just about that politician. It’s about us. While I readily admit that I’ve never understood how anyone could be supportive of Sarah Palin as a politician, I could nevertheless appreciate how one could support her as a person.

Wrong again.

A politician who lacks the character to stand up to a bully in support of her own son, or would use her own child’s challenges for political gain, has no business representing a can of sardines let alone holding a position in a city, state or, God forbid, federal government. And no matter how conservative you may be, if you can still support such a person for office, there is something seriously wrong with you.

As for me, it’s time to hit the shower…I feel so dirty.