A Good Day to be Human

 

Just when I thought, “It’s a terrific time to be a woman,” news broke on Sarah Palin’s daughter and her teen pregnancy.

 

But let me back up. Friday morning, just like you, I was stunned to hear the announcement that completely up scaled the Obama speech the night before: for the first time in history, the Republicans have chosen a woman to be the vice president nominee. Sarah Palin dropped into the limelight like Cinderella on the day of the Ball, and has caused just as much stir. 

 

Nobody knew that she was a serious candidate, merely a remote possibility, such as Dani Carlson pointed out in her article about the choice of the Alaskan governor for the position. The New York Times painfully hinted this morning that the choice of Palin was rushed and made under pressure, and had more to do with the theatrics of politics, than politics itself.

 

But just like millions, I spent most of the day googling her and reading article after article that brilliantly portrayed a strong, go-get-em type of woman. While under her leadership, Anchorage has become a vibrant, economically strong city; a near impossibility when you consider, “damn, it’s Anchorage.” She has positioned Alaska to become America’s only source for oil, removing us from our need for the Middle East, and (finally!) $4.00 per gallon trips to the gas station. Further, a fragile environment, a delicate eco-system that is Alaska has actually improved while under her leadership, not to mention the breakdown of typical party lines. Personally, she has five children, one deploying for Iraq, three beautiful daughters and a young son, born with Down’s Syndrome. She is a hunter, wife of an Iditarod racer, and clearly very frank, as my favorite quote of hers makes obvious,

 And despite the fact that the brain child behind the Republican movement, Karl Rove, was as surprised as the rest of us at this announcement, McCain’s decision has resonated with the 18-35 year old voters that Republicans have unsuccessfully courted for decades, mostly because her lack of partisanship, and clearly strong sense of loyalty to the good of a community, rather than to the good of a party.

 

All in all, my type of woman.

 

I spent the weekend chatting up anyone who would listen about this surprising turn of events in the most bizarre and exciting elections in history. Most felt like I did, and was both encouraged by the Republican choice, while baffled at its astonishing implications.

 

But true to form, Sarah Palin surprised America this morning by making another shocking speech; her seventeen year old daughter is pregnant and is marrying the father.

 

I think most political analysts would say that this is the moment where you should hear a pin drop, but the reality is our 18-35 demographic could care less. We could care less that her husband was arrested for drunk driving twenty-some-odd years ago, and we could care less whether her 17 year old daughter will be marrying the father of her baby or not.

 

We could care less because quite frankly, it’s refreshing. It’s refreshing to know that a politician can be frank, honest, forthcoming, about something that typically ruins a career (in the Republican world). It’s refreshing to know that she has aired her dirty laundry for the whole world to see, instead of hiding behind mass cover-ups. And dog gone it, it’s refreshing that she’s actually human. I mean, come on, already. Do we really still live in some utopian dream world where we think our politicians are perfect? Time has certainly squashed that fairy tale, so why are we so hung up on the imperfections of our elected leaders?

 

Today, I still stand by my original thoughts when I heard the dramatic news Friday morning. It is a good time to be a woman. Because, finally, we have come to a time in history where women no longer have to be superman to break the glass ceiling – we can just be human.