Sarah Palin: The Unexpected Child to Barack Obama's Only-Child Syndrome

I'm not going to say that there aren't *some* people who are mostly enamored by the Rock Star status of Obama. There are, and several of them are here on Newsvine.

On the flip side, I think that *some* people (and many of them are on Newsvine) are so determined to unfairly peg *every* Obama supporter with that designation, simply because it means they don't have to think when they discuss things.

Further, many of those who were so adamantly against blind supporters of Obama are now lending the exact same sort of blind support to Sarah Palin, either out of spite, or out of ignorance. Either way, it's incredibly annoying.

My issues with Palin aren't due to her experience. (Though, I do have some concerns about whether she wants the job, or whether she wants the attention. It's hard to argue that Obama doesn't want the job as he's pretty much sought political office for as long as he's been able. Meanwhile, Palin often refers to herself as someone who just ended up where she is, and not through design.) My issues aren't due to the fact that reality came crashing down on her family and the fact that the Republican party is now shuffling to pretend that they've always welcomed and been nothing but supportive to reproductive mistakes prior to marriage.

My issue is that, on social issues, she's *as far right* as Obama is left, if not more so. Obama is pro-choice, yes -- but he *at least* wants to address unplanned pregnancies which (surprise) tend to lead to abortions.

Palin doesn't offer that, and she's so dogmatically rigid on abortion (no exceptions for rape and incest) that I simply cannot believe that America will support her, once she's forced to speak to her real opinions.

And, ultimately, I don't like what I've heard about her. I don't like that she's being billed as a maverick, when her short political history proves that she's willing to do anything it takes to get into office. She turned a small town election into an anything goes style process.

I don't like that numbers are being skewed when presenting information about her: Referring to the size of Alaska rather than it's miniscule population when talking about her responsibilities. Referring to her duties with the Alaska National Guard when, so far as I've heard, there isn't that much to do on that front, and nothing to do once they're deployed out of the State.

I don't like that being Mayor of a town *smaller than the small town I grew up in* is being put forth as some sort of actual credential for the job of VP and (as is very very possible) the President.

I don't like that she can put forth that job because it invovled handling money, only to ridicule Obama when he (rightly) points out that his experience on the campaign alone involves more management duties and vastly more money.

So, was Obama an only child?

Perhaps.

But, if he needs to be put in his place, the GOP probably should have tried to put him there with someone who isn't a duplicate of the problems they've been criticizing -- and a poor copy, at that.

The "she's a woman so she'll do" mentality from the McCain camp is insulting, but not as insulting as trying to pretend that wasn't there strategy.

I'm also incredibly annoyed that they disparaged Obama's role as a community organizer -- and not in specifics, just the idea that he *was* a community organizer -- despite claims of wanting to put country first. To claim that they want to run on a campaign of change after that insult is ridiculous. And yet, people eat it up.

I also have no problem they are limiting her exposure to the press. Who in the hell decided the press get to decide our elections? The press have become this organization that thinks candidates and politicians owe them information. No. The press have a responsibility to get the information, and a freedom to speak on their findings, but their entitled attitudes towards public figures (and celebrities for that matter) is sickening.

What that essentially means, is that she doesn't have to answer tough questions, and she needs to spend little to no time talking about issues. You seem so intent on spiting the press, that you don't care about whether or not any of these candidates are dragged, kicking and screaming, back to talking about the issues.

I find it absolutely bizarre that you don't care about that. I'm getting the sense that you love this process as a personality conflict, but aren't so interested in the aftermath. This isn't an episode of Survivor, it's a presidential election.

Without the press doing interviews, what we are going to get is a great deal of information about how she is a hockey mom, and hunts moose.