When 'Bitter' Comes Home to Roost

Back in April, a political firestorm spread across the country when one citizen journalist opined that Barack Obama's comments concerning why he thought working class Americans oftentimes voted against their own economic best interests (also known as Bittergate) in favor of wedge issues sounded 'elitist.' The backlash was quick and unequivocal. Everyone from Republicans to Democrats quickly pivoted from seeing Obama as a change agent to an out of touch elitist who had no idea what 'real Americans' valued. The response was nothing the Obama campaign or anyone with a cursory understanding of American identity politics expected.

On Friday August 29, 2008 - with John McCain's announcement of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate - the gates of bitter flew wide open. Sarah Palin was introduced as a hard-working, gun-totin', bible-beatin', anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-environment hockey mom ready to take 2nd in command as leader of the "free" world. The politically expedient and "mavericky" move was disguised as an attempt to win over disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters, but Fast Johnny didn't pull one over on me. This move was done to attract those voters who really do vote against their own economic interests...the voters who favor standing in judgment over everyone else like the Pharisees and Sadducees of the Bible they so willingly bludgeon the rest of us with. Every issue that is championed by the so-called Conservatives and the Religious Right is in direct contradiction to the "Good News" of the New Testament. According to the Bible I read, everyone has to stand in judgment for their own decisions. If I am hell-bound there is no way laws and legislations are going to turn me around. If that were the case why do we need Jesus when Governor Palin, James Dobson and the rest of the holy gang can get us to the Promised Land?

Well now, Ladies & Gentlemen, the proverbial chickens have come home to roost. The announcement of Sarah Palin has invigorated the Religious Right across this country in a way that I thought only the Second Coming would do. These folks are fired up and ready to go because they have been to the mountaintop and know Sarah Palin will cut off access to personal freedoms from the womb to the classroom. To be fair to Gov. Palin, though ...she will let you shoot anything you'd like!

Forget the fact that we have a federal deficit the likes of which has never been seen before. Forget the fact that our most precious natural resource - our children- are playing 'mommy and daddy' while totally unrealistic policies are put in effect in the name of God. We can even forget the fact that for every soldier that dies in the name of oil (and finding Daddy Bush's weapons) more families are ripped apart, communities potentially lose congressional representation (remember the idea that everyone counts?), and those who fought risk never finding themselves again.

People can call Senator Obama what they like but his words were on the mark in an eerily prescient way. John McCain has taken a gamble that the bitter-issues hold more sway then anyone in April was willing to admit. Let's pray (but not like James Dobson!) that the people with Hope and a belief in the real Good News get to the polls in record numbers on Nov. 4...if for nothing else, do it for the Polar Bears!