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Ever since I returned to my home state of Massachusetts, the strangest thing keeps happening. People keep confusing me for a conservative… at times even labeling me a Republican. I am not sure why. My values are the same as they have always been. I am sure my friends in Alaska and Arizona would find this very amusing. They think I am a liberal… to a fault. I just cannot win.
As I watched the local (Boston) news last week, I turned to my husband and asked “did you ever imagine we would be watching Sarah Palin on a local Massachusetts news station?!” He replied in the negative. A lifelong Alaskan, he does not understand the fascination with the gal we used to see around town in Wasilla. So I explained it to him: she opened her mouth and we can’t let it go! She is far too entertaining to leave alone.
It was hot in Fairbanks, Alaska on Sunday, July 26, 2009 when thousands gathered for a farewell picnic in Palin’s honor. Among those present was Donna Michaels who wore a red t-shirt that read “Palintologist” and defined the term as “someone who studies Palin and shares her conservative values, Maverick attitude, and American style.” It is just too good to let go. I have to break it down. But brace yourselves. I am not going to be as nice this time.
One who studies Palin…
Does she really require study? She may be entertaining media fodder, but the woman is not an enigma. She is a working mom, grandmother, and wife… who has unrealistic political aspirations. Rather than study, the interest in Palin centers around speculation about whether or not she will run for president in 2012. In my case, that is not study. That is fear for the future of our country.
Conservative values…
I was a relative newcomer to Alaska, enjoying an adult beverage at a local watering hole, when I was informed of the following: once I had children, I would become a Republican because then I would be “more concerned with morals and values.” I thought my head was going to explode. So Democrats have no morals or values? Really? Obviously, the statement stayed with me. And maybe it is the reason why I cringe every time I hear the word “values.” What values, exactly, are they referring to? The answer usually has something to do with concern over family and country. Why is this concern reserved for the conservatives? Why divide ourselves over values we all share, liberal and conservative alike? It is infuriating.
By the way, I feel the same way when I hear the expression “Mid-Western values.” But that is a whole other blog!
Maverick attitude…
Dictionary.com defines maverick as “a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.” Is quitting part of this independent stand? At the aforementioned picnic, Larry Landry held up a red, white and blue sign that read “Quitting: the new American value.” And the other side read “Thanks for the laughs.” Evidently, when the going gets tough, Sarah quits. All that crying over media bullying... if she can’t handle the “east coast media elite,” what makes her think she can handle the east coast that is Washington D.C.? Suck it up buttercup!
American style…
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My mind immediately goes to fashion. And a picture of Palin in the capacity of governor wearing a black skirt suit coupled with red patent leather slide sandals… the kind of footwear one wears with capri pants or shorts on the weekend. Is that American style? I believe that New York City is the epicenter of American style. But maybe that is just me being an east coast elitist. The GOP must have shared my belief when they dropped a reported $150,000 making over the former Miss Wasilla. Carhartts are fine for Alaska, but not for D.C.
I will stop now. In case I was not clear enough: I am not a Palintologist. But that is not to say I am devoid of morals or values. I will not be pigeonholed!
