GOP Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin has rocked the world in a matter of days. First John McCain’s selection of Palin as the first GOP vice president candidate, followed by the revelations of her teenage daughter, Bristol Palin’s pregnancy. Initially Sarah Palin was the wrong choice because she was inexperienced. The only major political positions she has held are mayor of a small city for six years, and governor of Alaska for two years. Now political pundits are having a field day with the discovery of Bristol Palin’s pregnancy. Barack Obama has said that he will not make the pregnancy a campaign issue, since the families of candidates are off-limits and also because his mother was only eighteen when Barack Obama was born. The pregnancy was made public because after Sarah Palin’s selection, as McCain’s running mate, there were rumors that Sarah Palin was not the mother of, Trig, her youngest child but that Bristol Palin was the real mother and that Sarah Palin had just covered for Bristol Palin’s pregnancy. To clear her family’s name, Sarah Palin disclosed her daughter’s pregnancy and Bristol’s plans to marry the father of the child after she gives birth to their child.
Republicans are crying foul over the source of the rumors, claiming that the Obama-Biden campaign was responsible for it. This is not the first time that the Obama campaign has been in the midst of cheap politics. Last year it was revealed that Philip de Vellis a strategist employed for Blue State Digital, a marketing firm working for the Obama campaign, created a video spoof of Hillary Clinton, “Hillary 1984”, with Hillary as “Big Brother”. Originally the Obama campaign claimed that neither they nor anyone working for them was involved in the creation of the video, but liberal pundit Arianna Huffington unmasked, Philip de Vellis, as the creator of the video. After the revelations, Philip de Vellis resigned and the Obama campaign distanced themselves from him, but Blue State Digital is still the marketing firm for the Obama campaign. It isn’t known if the Obama campaign is directly responsible for the rumors, it has certainly put a lot of pressure on McCain’s choice of Palin as his running mate.
Many are overlooking the guts shown by Sarah Palin in openly disclosing her daughter’s situation. Being a pro-life candidate, Sarah Palin made some tough decisions, to first give birth to her youngest child, who was born with Down syndrome — a chromosomal abnormality that affects about one in 800 babies born alive in the United States each year — and later to support her own daughter’s pregnancy. It is refreshing to see a politician practice their ideals; since most politicians just impose their ideals upon the public but never put them into practice.
The pregnancy of Bristol Palin shouldn’t matter in the presidential race, it is the Palin family’s internal matter and it should stay that way, we already have plenty of fluff news in the media. What should matter is how Sarah Palin handles the situation; so far by supporting her daughter she is showcasing her ability to withstand hardships and also her ability to support a person in need. It doesn’t matter if you are a vice presidential candidate or an average parent dealing with this situation, it requires a lot of strength, and will always highlight the faults in a person’s character. Most parents faced with an unwed daughter’s pregnancy would go ballistic without realizing that even if the daughter made a mistake, the only thing you can do is support her decision and help her through such a tough time. At least in this test, Sarah Palin has passed with flying colors. South Asian communities could learn a lot from Sarah Palin’s commitment to pro-life, since we lead the world in female feticide.
Even though all my ideals might not match with Sarah Palin’s, but I do commend her for practicing the ideals that she preaches and her willingness to fight through life, rather than take the easy way out. She might just be the right vice presidential candidate for the ever stagnant Republican Party, after all.
