Anyone Can Become President

When my five-year-old kept talking about what he would do when he became president I always ended the conversation saying, "all you have to do is study hard and if you want it, anyone can become president." Of course I never believed that. I knew a week later he would want to be an actor or a scientist so I thought that was the easiest way to go on to another conversation. But Sarah Palin proved me wrong. ANYONE can now be president.

I like Sarah Palin's public speaking ability. I think she is fun to look at, certainly the hottest vice presidential candidate in history. But I looked up some facts. The United States has 10,000 nuclear weapons, 100 aircraft carriers, 3,000,000 people in the armed forces, and ten trillion dollars of debt.

I am now hearing from the Karl Roves of the world that having a 17-year-old daughter pregnant out of wedlock will make Palin sympathetic to millions of Americans who know the pain of that situation. But my question is WHERE WAS THE ADVICE? Do we want a president who cannot communicate to their own child that possibly having a baby a year after you get your driver's license is not the smartest thing to do? Is this the new way for women to break the glass ceiling? To have their daughters throw their babies at it? I want my president to control their children, then they can tell the Navy what to do.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate

Comments

[caterpol]

You aptly point out a fairytale that Americans love to tell ourselves, our children (to our own detriment and certainly contrary to every single example in nature); albeit an uplifting myth based on our misguided "patriotic" and idealistic belief that all of us are born equal. No we're not. We're limited by our IQ, genes, gender, skin color, access to health care, education, geography-----which only rosy-eyed dopes or charlatans would argue does nothing to limit our opportunties.

In what history clearly proves a white male patricarchy from the time of Adam and Eve, Senator Obama, Senator Clinton, and now Governor Palin, are EXCEPTIONS to the rule, not evidence that any one of us can aspire to the same American dream (check statistics, naysayers). But that STILL doesn't mean that all who manage to beat the odds did so on their own exceptional merit. Some got there with hard work. Some got there because it was politically expedient----or were simply in the right place at the right time. Palin is the only one who has no public record regarding national or international policy. Never mind her personal views regarding women.

You lost me on "A President who can control their own children?" I don't expect mothers to "control" their children; I just find it ironic that a woman who proscribes abstinence only for all us, would STILL insist that the rest of us hold to her ideals which clearly haven't worked in her OWN family.

[LA2000]

Sarah Palin is symptomatic of a republican party that has become so very, very comfortable and confident in their use of the lie that they don't even care if you can see the lies. They don't feel the need to use obfuscation or sleight of hand to disguise the lie. They would much rather you see how brazen they are, the better to appreciate the sheer audacity of it all.

This is a culture war, alright. But the war isn't between liberal values and conservative values. That would require that the republican party have a consistent set of values. They don't. The shifting sands of their arguments show them to be an empty shell of slogans, contradictory positions, excuses, and blame.

No, this culture war is between those who value truth and those who value the expediency of deceit.

[MIVOTE]

Bravo!

[grailknight]

Of course anyone can become president. Look over the last twenty-eight years:

Ronald Reagan, a B movie actor who put style over substance;
Bill Clinton, worked himself up from the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder, much in the same fashion as Jackson and Lincoln;
George Walker Bush, the most unprepared, detached, and negligent person, who were it not for being enabled by his daddy could never be president. So with a trail-blazer like Shrub, the possibility of Palin isn't unplausible at all.

[jeanrenoir]

Smart people can sit around guffawing at Palin and the horde of morons who love her all we like. But, unfortunately, that won't move a single vote Obama's way. The stupid mob simply outnumbers those with any brains at all. The Republicans always make this the starting point for their highly effective presidential campaigns, and, as usual, realism carries the day. All the smart people are left with is sitting around for four more years feeling superior, though totally helpless, watching Stewart, Colbert, and Maher. But if the Dems can't defeat the Republicans after eight years of the most unpopular president in our history, after years of the most widely unpopular war in our history, and with the worst economy since the Depression--and Palin has now blown them away yet again with her appeals to the mob--when will the Dems EVER win a presidential election again? Certainly not in '12, when Palin wipes the floor with Hillary for being a phony Wellesley liberal hypocrite pretending to be one with Hillary's "hard-working, you know, WHITE" fans in Appalachia.

[RhymeAndReason]

Amen--I don't care what the republicans say--she's no success and their attempts make unwed teenage pregnancies acceptable is appaalling. I'd say her family needs her more way then the country; besides she has done so good with a her family if you ask me seeing as how her unwed teenage daughter is headed into motherhood with her dropout "baby daddy". They should be ashamed of himself for exploiting that family the way he has all in the name of winning at anyONE's expense.

[RhymeAndReason]

Amen...As a woman, professional and mother of three (including two daughters) I don't care what the Republicans say-Sarah Palin is not a sucess nor a good example of work family balance. Sorry but if your unwed 17 year old daughter is pregnant- you're closer to a failure than a success. Focus on the Family.

[Ron S]

The advice point is good, but what about character and caring and this is for both Sarah and Todd in equal measure. Being pregnant is a difficult enough situation for a teenaqer, but to knowingly put your child infront of the world can only harm her emotionally and that is a bad judgement call (and bad parenting call) on their part and the "caring" Republicans only care about winning..."so what if it ruins this child's life...it could mean that we win!". If the Palins didn't think that this would get out then she really is too inexperienced to be VP. Also enough ofthis Real Woman crap, that is sexist on their part, my wife gave birth to two and she works part time, so I guess she is not as real as Palin...please

[Balloonman]

What gets me are the 10,000 newclur missiles, My GOD ALL-MIGHTY! Wat about Gorbachov/Reagan nuclear treaty? What we have then, 7,000? Extras legal because of inflation? 3 million troops in the MILITARY all over the world and once even some here. Would you say we are in pretty good position? To get going anwhere whatever and however it is stirred up, we jump in, always claim in our interests and security, and takeover for our MONEY interests. Rule the foreign policy and we rule the world so to speak. Foreign policy as miliary might is the global MONEY game plan scheme? More so than ever with over a hundred bases in IRAQ, and largest EMBASSY IN THE WORLD. You bet Mission Accomplished. IRAQ conquered, our central base. Israel. Always umbilical United States. SAUDIA ARABI p lay us like we allow them too. Only they may be ahead what wtih Brother OSAMA and 14 Saudi highjackers destroying a piece of New York City. Connect dots, don't we see the MIDDLE EAST MUST BE OURS! We are new EMPIRE. DEMOCRACY wielding its type of new democracy. Ruled sometime by hurting creatures. Sitting right now with a hard book to read in our Republic's sacred chambers. We are NEW TYPE EMPIRE POWER. Courtesy our new type democracy that stolen elections bring. We are a new beacon for the world. Dimming our real intentions. Ten trilion debt or will that be next month? And by the way, screw the VETS! MCCAIN did.

[BarackMan]

Pending.......

Obama - Biden '08/12!

[RealHRCFansVoteObama]

I don't have anything against Palin's family situation. As a mother, I have my doubts about how effectively a mother can have so many young children (and now a grandbaby) AND still be 100% effective at work (like it or not, women are still the primary caregiver in the families that are still lucky enough to survive on one income), but she seems to have erred in favor of her career, and according to her, it's working for her family. Who am I to judge who's a good mother.

Then again, I am not running at the vanguard of a party that has been trying to tell the rest of us how to be good mothers. I hope I would never use my children as a prop in a political campaign, but if I were so anxious to drag their stories in front of the nation, I would not 'whine' when people start questioning my decisions as a mother.

[zann]

She's hot and a bad mother? You're setting a very bad example about how to assess candidates for high office.

[MIVOTE]

I know this is new territory for men, but it's about character and judgment.

[ManhattanRat]

Except for the 'hottest VP' part, the rest of the article makes perfect sense.

I simply cannot believe the line the GOp is using "Life happens."

If this topic is not brought up during the VP debates, it will be a 100% sign that the entire media is dominated by the conservatives. With Murdoch controlling everything, I doubt any hard questions will be asked...again. Usually, the topic of abortion and sex ed comes up. But who out there thinks it will this time? The GOp candidates are treated with kid gloves, and never does a slightly offending question face them by the conservative press. It makes me embarrassed to have studied journalism. Not one of the practices or ethics we were taught to follow are applied by any form of media today, except perhaps PBS.

This woman Palin attended a 2-year college, then experimented with 5 others before deciding to graduate in 6 years? what lows will we go to, when our presidents don't even require a basic college degree that has some merit? What next...an elementary school dropout could be president.

For such an elite group, the GOP has low standards for intelligence and education.

[justobserve]

They don't care about their trophy's standards for intelligence and education, as long as she can use her look to attack with a smirk.
Vote for issues, not beauty nor lies: AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE, WOMEN'S CHOICE, VETS BENEFITS, EQUAL PAY.

[Blurp]

OMYGOD! I just want this election over with already!

[jennylou]

This might be really rude to point out, but why does any woman get PRAISED for having a baby (or grandchild) that her publically stated pro-life convictions pretty much dictate she must have
--- how could a different decision have been made without ruining her political career? The decision might have been the same if the ambition hadn't been there, but, since it was, the ambition sure eliminated any other choice.