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

[gifu]

I believe it is " Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven" is how that cop-out of a bumper sticker always read.

[Aylah95]

I know a lot of Christians, myself included, who think Sarah Palin is unworthy of the mantle they have bestowed upon her. More worthy of being a "what not to do with your life" than running for VP. God Bless her, she needs to "focus on her family," something James Dobson ought to agree with.

[Suzie813]

While I am sorry for Sarah Palin's trouble, the fact that she has a pregnant 17-year-old daughter is really all I need to know about her.

[gifu]

Personal ambition seemingly knows no bounds. Bush is still worried about "his" legacy, not the millions screwed, lies told and billions stolen. McCain and Palin are both cut from that same overly-ambitious, self serving, righteously indignant mold, too. " Country first" is the most ironic and insulting slogan the GOP could have hatched in the year 2008.

[mezz1962]

Actually "Country First" is their exact message to the people. Obamas "Change" is recycled from the 92 Clinton Campaign.

[jgzeger]

As one journalist said in a recent piece, it used to be said that anyone in the U.S. can grow up to be president, but now you don't even have to grow up.

[Rumba]

Actually Bush proved that anyone could be President that is why they are now all coming out of the woodwork.

[sufi66]

Reagan proved it too. Bush, Reagan, Palin. Show me how they essentially differ.

[MissingAmerica]

Good one. It doesn't necessarily suprise me that one who has shared the experience of a pregnant unwed teen or woman would feel empathy. What surprises me is that it would swing them to her when they know that she would be able to appoint a Supreme Court who would not only remove a woman's choice in whether to have the baby, but would remove the woman's right to try to prevent a pregnancy in the first place. She would demand a woman carry through with a pregnancy even in a case of rape or incest. To me this is vile, not admirable. Here's hoping they have the sense to look at the whole picture.

[Rumba]

Compassion has never been a hallmark of republicans in the last few years. Palin's views on most things are abominable and scary.

[dagnew]

"Compassion has never been..." nor common sense.

[sufi66]

We have MTV, American Idol, and reality TV, all mostly garbage, so why not Palin.

We may be in a post-fact environment, as Marshall McLuhan has written even before the Internet.

Marketing may be all. History may be irrelevant. If so, then there will be hell to pay----particularly on issues of global warming where damage will not be reversible.

I would vote like you life depended on it.

[midwesthousewife]

Because it does.

I hope the American voters realize this is not American Idol.

[mezz1962]

You have to insert Obama in between TV and the Mostly Garbage

Just because the Republicans upstaged Obamas presence the Dems are in an uproar.

I wonder when the Republicans using the same attacks against palin did you object as strongly?

[sufi66]

The racists are looking for a reason not to vote Obama, so Palin is as good an excuse as any, though inane.

[brooklyncitizen]

becasue mtv ,american idol ,and reality tv can't start wars.

and so you are right-vote like your life depended on it.

[Shea4O]

"Vote Like Your Life Depended On It" - the next bumper sticker and T-shirt to Vote for Obama! You hit the nail on the head. After watching Guiliani and Mitt; after the repubs decided to use the "fear factor' and unbelievably showed 9/11 in graphic form....an­d then, this Sarah Palin person in hiding...b­ecause McCain said so....it is time to Vote Like Your Life Depended On It. Vote Democrate and get the repubs out of office so they know what it is like not to have a job. (Yes, I know, they are the wealthy, but wealth doesn't last forever for those that deceive and manipulate the people of this country. It's time to take our country back and the people of the US to ban together and be "community organizers" to make this country a better place.

I keep seeing the scenes from Terminator­....the republicans are the machines to destruction.

[attyroz]

I agree with sufi66. Global warming is by far the most critical issue. Palin does not believe that humans have anything to do with the environmental crisis. I cannot figure out what Mr. McCain believes anymore. However, he is frail and Palin may inherit the power to help destroy the earth. All of us must see "An Inconvenient Truth." Then we must not only preach to the choir as we do on this blog, but tell all who will hear that this GOP slate must be defeated. For godssake, I have a grandchild.

[boing007]

But Sarah Paliin's LOUSY JUDGMENT (and ambition) has put her daughter's illegitimate child out in the world for all to see!!!! What kind of mother does this????

An opportunist.

[boing007]

2. What message does this send to the children of America and around the world that we will possibly have a teenage mother in the White House?

The Right Wing will love it. Call it counter-spin.

[brooklyncitizen]

the teenage mother is the least of my worries- life happens, people have problems, it gets messy- look at sarkozy in france- divorced and re-married to a celebrity model...th­at's fine.

it's the fact that this Palin woman has a choice, her daughter had a choice and her mother if elected will in turn remove this choice from other women.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SwwO00aWqM&eurl=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/05/obama-defends-community-o_n_124295.html

[neo1]

The more I hear, the worse it seems to get. OMG, what is happening to our country?

We need to wake up and take our country back from the people who do not have our best interest at heart. We have been manipulated, lied to, and managed by the corporate elite since the day we were born and it doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. That's why it's time for US, you and me, to regain our common sense and bring order back into our lives.

Common sense tells us that when someone has lied to us, we should NOT believe them again? Especially if they never apologized for lying previously. Why would you want to accept anything past the lies as the truth? You don't lie one time and then change in midstream.

One candidate has lied on numerous occasions constantly. Why do you believe he's telling the truth now? Why are we giving these people the opportunity to persuade us that whatever they are saying is NOW the truth?

Think for yourself for a change. If it doesn't feel right, then it isn't right. If it doesn't sound right, then it isn't right. If it doesn't make you feel good, then it is not good. If it doesn't explain to you how things will change to help you, then what good is it?

[attyroz]

The electorate is acting like an abused spouse. Beating after beating, then when the abuser says they are going to change, the victim runs back home

[terramartom]

Palin is the Taliban in a Dress.
No abortion, no birth control, teaching fanatical Christian Creationism in public schools?
No, this is more like the Dark Ages returning to the USA.
McCain looks like death and Palin is a sorry act that has nothing to do with advancing women's causes only her own!

[Shea4O]

Great post!

[boing007]

However, with the pathetic history of personal attacks the Right has unleashed on the Democrats, their spouses and families for the past 30 years it is very difficult to have much sympathy for their whinning about this situation. Bullies run and cry to their mommies when they get punched back.

If you think that Republican smear tactics will quietly go away even if we drop the Palin family topic then you are living in a dream world. Screw them!

[Nikonicus]

Sarah Palin is an impulse buy, not a thoughtfully considered purchase. She is arousing a flaccid campaign, but she's hardly vice presidential material, much less presidential.

nikonicus.net

[CSE]

What you see as what the Roves of the world are saying is not diminished by giving that association. The observations being made are relevant. The GOP base may well be filled with grandparents supporting their children and/or their children's children (and possibly without government assistance) as a result of teen pregnancy. While it can be argued that these parents failed, you cannot ignore that they may well blame the greater society within which they live for their plight. How many in here have experienced raising a child well in their formative years - only to have him/her seated next to the worst little Johnny Rotten on the first day of school? If you cannot afford to send your kid to a private school or do not have the ability to home school - you send your child with only six years of life under his/her belt to mix with children whose formative years were ignored. These are the nuts and bolts of the "family values" mantra - and while using that term will trigger uncontrolled reaction inside the heads of those who disparage the so-called religious right, you cannot ignore their organization, their dilligence or their block vote.

[gardengranny]

You are turning in your Democratic registration? Because you don't like the fact that many of us, including the writer , believe that Sarah Palin is a poor choice for VP.

Let me take a wild guess here - you are not, and never have been a Democrat.

What you probably are is someone who FEARS having a bi-racial president.

I see it all the time in the red state I live in - the excuses for why Obama will not get their vote - "it's not because he is black, it 's because he is (fill in the blank here) "incompetent", "shallow", "elitist", "inexperienced" - or some combination or addition to the above.

But they will vote for another dumbed-down Republican who thinks his 5+ years as a POW makes him qualified.

They will vote for McSame b/c he chose a "hottie" as his VP. One who describes herself as a pit bull with lipstick.

[mnkors]

It is not pleasure to come closer to the GOP’s gutter, but – is it true that Palin’s son signed for Iraq because of a trouble with the law? Since Palin herself refuses to answer any questions. So there is no other way but to ask the Internet users, if there is any truth in the Palin junior story?