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Welcome to Doug Gibler's International Politics Blog! This blog serves to familiarize students with both contemporary and historical events mentioned in class. I'll do my best to keep the posts current with class, but please feel free to let me know if you think the blog is missing coverage of something. Enjoy!
3 comments:
Quite honestly, I think people are starting to grasp at straws with the Palin situation.
Since her selection by McCain, every minute detail has been raised in an attempt to paint her as unqualified.
As for this speech issue, for starters, I thought it was a good speech. That makes me biased answering the question, but I'm willing to bet the original blog poster is no less biased, simply towards a different perspective.
If we were to compare every speech to others, we would find hundreds of "striking similarities." The Republican and Democratic parties have been keeping with their same, general planks for awhile now. Things are going to come up again. Her message was one of strength, qualification and conviction. So Palin's speech shared the idea and direction of Nixon's "Checkers" speech. When's the last time a candidate had truly original material? Politicians borrow ideas, speeches and catchy one-line phrases all the time.
A better question, in my opinion, is so what?
Republicans for the longest have held onto the premise that they are the party of "family values".
(I even saw it when Twinkle Cavanaugh was running for Public Service Commission...tell me...what does being a "person of deep family values/pro-life" have to do with keeping my energy rates low? JW...)
Now what does that mean? Does that mean no Democrats have houses or the proverbial "white-picket fence?" No...but they (Republicans) have painted a picture of their party as being the neighbor next door, the neighbor everyone wants to have. The neighbor who is friendly, nice and cordial...someone like you and me.
The Democrats are the party you want to belong to if you want to go out and have a drink...you can't or shouldn't really do that with kids...but I digress...
But I find it so hilariously funny...and over the top hypocritical of the parties in this "Palin's unwed daughter is preggers at 17." I honestly believe that if Obama's daughters had been older and they would have had the opportunity to make a child, the Republicans and pundits would have trounced Obama saying, "He doesn't have family values. His daughter's pregnant and not even married!! How can he be President?"
I can hear it...coming from Rush Limbaugh...saying "It's just not something we do here in the USA." But now, family is said to be "off-limits" in politics. And even Obama came out in defense of Palin's daughter, saying his mom was 17 when she had him...and this is a time when families need to stick together.
I say if families are not part of the campaign, do not have them part of the campaign. Don't campaign on family values. Don't bring the candidates family into the political process at all...because it makes them a fair target. Like it or not...this goes for the GOP in TN as well as the Democrats(...referring to Michelle Obama's comments the GOP took out of proportion)
Palin's speech was the first time she came out swinging at Obama...I think overall, she was the best speech at the convention(McCain was ok...telling his POW story was the highlight of his speech)But like Nixon, you are part of a party system...and you have to go with your party...
So HELP us, GOD!!!
I could go on about McCain and Palin for days, but instead I would just like to agree that I don't find this particularly surprising or newsworthy. She was just regurgitating the party platform and mixing in some untrue remarks about Obama. The speech was okay, she's palying her part fairly well.
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