I'm Voting for McCain... And Yes, I Wrote the Us Weekly Cover Story

"Shame on you for writing that article! Shame on you!!!"

"I'm calling you because what you wrote is so politically slanderous. I'm shocked that a woman would do that. You are a disgrace to your gender and your country."

"Yeah, great story. You and your freak publisher. Just quit writing those kinds of stories. It's stupid, it's demeaning. People aren't as stupid as you think they are. Get a different job."

These bon mots are just a sampling of the messages recently left on my home answering machine. Seven others simply hung up. I didn't receive this many phone calls on my birthday. But everyone has a birthday; I was the only one to have a byline on the much-scrutinized Us Weekly story about Sarah Palin. That was me who explained the Alaska governor's grandma predicament, outlined her poor judgment traveling while having contractions with her fifth child and detailed her political controversies. And the whole experience left me reaching for my bottle of extra-strength Tylenol and wishing I had a flask in my office. Call it the latest side effects of being a John McCain supporter.

It's true. I am the Elisabeth Hasselbeck of Us Weekly. During our spirited office debates, it's up to me (along with the office's outnumbered Republicans -- hey, it's New York City) to defend the old man from Arizona, while the Democrats cheer for Barack Obama like he's a Jonas Brother. For months, I've touted McCain's vast experience and his economic policies without a trace of postmodern irony. (The credit -- or, uh, blame -- mostly lies with my parents, the only conservative Jews in Detroit). My take on his VP pick? "I think she's fascinating!" I chirped to my editor in chief early on September 1. "She's a mother of five and she hunts!"

A few hours later, Palin announced that her 17-year-old daughter was knocked up. All I could do was shake my head and sigh at the realization that the original "mom under attack" angle was going to change into a far-more tantalizing story -- and rightfully so. Rule No. 1 when running for the second-most important position in the free world: Never allow yourself to draw comparisons to the Spears family. The day only grew more frustrating as the revelations trickled into my inbox: The vetting process was rushed... Palin got her passport last year... wait, she called her former opponent what?! Oy.

The facts were out there, and there was no way to sugar-coat them. All I could do was address the relevant issues -- and, most importantly, remember the readers' needs. We're a magazine that thrives on babies, intriguing women and scandals. For this particular week, our potential vice president just happened to fit the bill. (Sorry, Angelina).

As I typed away in my cramped Manhattan office, I never expected the article to become a Fox News rallying cry (the jeers were all the more perplexing given that so few people had even read the piece beforehand). Nonetheless, despite the baby-mama dramas -- and the stinging phone calls -- I still feel that McCain would make the best president. And, no, I'm not ashamed of myself. Beep.

Comments

[Housewife]

Check it out
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/comments_blog/2008/09/gloria-steinem.html

[Kalifornika]

Your judgment is clouded . . .

[Tinsdale]

That's nice, Mara.
I hope you don't want the same pay as your male colleagues performing the same job as you at Us Weekly. You would not want to make Mr. McCain upset with you now, would you? I didn't think so. That's nice, now go back to doing whatever it is that you do.

[PlantGod72]

McCain's "vast experience" left him no more able to see through (if he even WANTED to) the bull***t lies, obfuscation and sabre rattling of the NeoCons to get us into Iraq!

THOUSANDS of our young men and women dead.......TENS OF THOUSANDS of soldiers wounded...... HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Iraqs dead and probably MILLIONS homeless refugees!

THIS you praise and defend??? And he's just ITCHING to get us into Iran.......

WTF!

[AuntSally]

What, exactly, about the nation's current track do you want to continue?

[athenasword]

So you are someone we can thank for glamorizing her. Thanks for your honesty here, but I hope you can see that this candidate (note, I didn't say woman) is not a role model, not a wise, effective leader and has some of the most extreme views on the issues, most especially issues that affect women.

I hope you reconsider your vote. And, maybe you'll write another article later. You could title it "Mean Girl". "No Cigar". Or "Sarah Plain and Small"

[whowhatwherewhenwhyhow]

Win or lose, we got you guys shakin' in your boots. Libs are supposed to be all inclusive. What a joke. Showing your true colors. Very satisfying. What we all knew all along.

[CitizenInformed]

You never said "why" McCain would make the best president. Perhaps because there is absolutely no logical explanation....even if you're traditionally Republican.

[Indubio]

People placed trying to defend the indefensible don't deserve sympathy since intelligent folk can recognize and admit a mistake, and, change opinion. In 2000, McCain offered commendable political and personality aspects. The GOP trashed his family and personal record and McCain's response was to embrace the man and support base responsible for his trashing (527 organizations made the attacks but Bush never distanced himself). As the 2008 election progresses, McCain took his pseudomaverick reputation (a maverick doesn't vote with Bush 90% of the time) and gave it a sabbatical. McCain has flip flopped on immigration, torture, campaign finance reform, and his opinions of the religious right... to name some of his conspicuous aboutfaces (Palin's nomination panders to the party's base and reminds us of McCain's willingness to sell himself). Indeed, one hardly knows where McCain stands on important issues and what opinions he won't sacrifice to win. Ross Perot is correct: McCain is a social and political opportunist bereft of personal values who would do whatever is necessary to achieve his goals. It's hard to respect an individual's views when they're based on platitudes. Obviously, you're entitled to an opinion but claiming your support is owing to McCain's 'vast experiences' represents a worn out cliche. Hopefully, debates with co-workers compel you to examine and think about facts. Once you do this, set aside fanciful childhood ideology, perhaps you'll find it hard to remain a McCain supporter.

[MinneapolisBob]

The current day rebushlican is far from being conservative. They have totally abandoned true conservative values. All you have to do is examine the record of the every rebushlican administration since Tricky Dickie. They have all left the country in worse shape than how the inherited it. Biggest deficits, biggest governments, higher unemployment, higher taxes, higher poverty levels, less rights...need I continue?

This is not the party of Lincoln.
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VOTE! Save the Supreme Court from the right wing extremists.

[nanoscare]

I especially liked the line, "The facts were out there, and there was no way to sugar-coat them." Your vote tastes like saccharine.

[LeninCommunist]

Build Communism, support Obama!!!
Viva Che, viva Cuba, Viva Marx and Engels

[maxwellinformed]

Some people are willing to take a 10% chance on change. I'm not.

[Juster]

Palin's qualifications are arrogance and sarcasm, which unfortunately are the same qualifications President Bush offered when he was put in office. The 'base' loved him for it and are eating it up from Palin. Palin-McCain: More of the same.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/palin.investigation/?iref=mpstoryview

[Chbronze]

You know by blogging about this here you will recieve the wrath of the liberals as well. I hope you aren't looking to your readership for weekend plans.