I found out Palin was the VP nominee when I was half asleep on the Friday morning of the announcement. We have a habit to turn on the news in the mornings sometimes, and there she was.
Over the weekend, the feelings of dread and anger crept in. My Facebook status wondered if I would look back on the Bush years with fondness when Palin is our president. My wonderful (but conservative) cousin Aaron stepped in and said I was being a sourpuss and not to worry about it too much. Unfortunately, I snapped back with a litany of why I was so depressed and two other people chimed in on the conversation. Aaron was taken aback and most likely offended and isn't communicating with me presently. I have incredible guilt about this because Aaron actually didn't do anything wrong at all. Plus he's one of the nicest people I know. Sorry Aaron.
But I don't think I'm wrong to be dismayed by Palin. Her speech on Wednesday proved that the situation is even worse than originally thought. McCain has managed to pull such a divisive and wicked move with this pick that I'm beyond incredulous.
With the RNC speech, Sarah Palin demonstrated that she disdains half of America. She's proud of her country, but only her part. She especially hates San Francisco, which last time I visited, was a part of the USA. She does not believe in the freedom of the press. She looks down on community organizers. She doesn't believe in human rights. She thinks Ebay is a good free market tool for government. She especially despises people who tilt left. And she hasn't even gone into specific issues yet!
My conservative friends and family love this woman. How is it that the same person can create a sense of wonder and magic in one group of people and a sense of horror and suicidal dread in another? Can this person really be good for the country at large? The same people who were saying things like "well, we just don't know Obama yet" or "Obama doesn't have the experience" etc. etc. etc. are now defending their avid love for a woman who has been on the world stage for a little over one week.
Wednesday night, Palin said -
"No one expects us to agree on everything. But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and ... a servant's heart."
She may have clear convictions, but I didn't see any good will in that speech Wednesday night except towards the people in the convention hall and to John McCain.
