Health Promo 03 (Getty) | Advocate.com
||  Election 2008  ||
Comments (8)Post a CommentShare this page  Page: 1 | 2 | 3
 

Sarah Palin’s Average American Family Doesn’t Support Mine

OPINION: As Sarah Palin stood before the average American family Wednesday night, touting hers as one and the same -- her five-months-pregnant, 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, dressed in formfitting fabric appearing to almost accentuate her baby bump while the daddy-to-be, clean-shaven (unlike his rougher-looking MySpace photos), sat alongside adoringly, the picture of Abercrombie perfection -- for the first time, I saw what all this gay marriage fuss was all about.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted September 4, 2008
Sarah Palin’s Average American Family Doesn’t Support Mine

OPINION: As Sarah Palin stood before the average American family Wednesday night, touting hers as one and the same -- her five-months-pregnant, 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, dressed in formfitting fabric appearing to almost accentuate her baby bump while the daddy-to-be, clean-shaven (unlike his rougher-looking MySpace photos), sat alongside adoringly, the picture of Abercrombie perfection -- for the first time, I saw what all this gay marriage fuss was all about. 

I’ve always understood the practical reasons -- health care benefits, tax credits, custody rights -- but, to be frank, I’ve been a little perplexed by semantics. Marriage equality versus civil unions -- what’s the big deal?

The big deal is it’s different, and people like Sarah Palin view us as such. This is a woman who would use her daughter’s out-of-wedlock, underage pregnancy as a way to shore up the pro-life vote by touting the decision to keep the baby. This is a woman who cut funding for underage mothers and for sex education programs only to put her daughter on a national stage -- not as an example of what happens when you cut those programs but as an example of how you can “take lemons and make lemonade.”

This is a woman who, standing before thousands of “average American families” Wednesday night, lied through her teeth, telling the parents of special-needs children that they would have an advocate in the White House. Never mind that before she gave birth to a special-needs child of her own, Sarah Palin voted to cut funding for special education programs.

On and on, so on and so forth, Sarah Palin painted herself to be the picture of the average American family -- a woman who will fight for the rights of the steel mill worker, the stay-at-home mom, and the family with five kids struggling to make ends meet.

Page: 1 | 2 | 3
Keywords:  2008 Election 
Related stories from Advocate.com

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: NARVA THOMAS
    Date posted: 2008-09-06 10:31 PM
    Hometown: HOUSTON

    Comment:

    I AM VERY DISSAPPOINTED AT MC CAIN FOR USING PALIN TO WIN THE ELECTION. JUST THE FACT THAT HE ASKED HER TO DO SOMETHING THAT COULD PUT MAJOR STRESS ON PALIN'S FAMILY SHOWS THAT HE IS SELFISH AND SELF-CENTERED. HE REMINDS ME OF THE TIME WHEN HE DUMPED HIS CRIPPLED FIRST WIFE FOR CINDY AND HER FORTUNE. HE EVEN CREEPS ME OUT WHEN HE USES THE TERM "MY FRIENDS" WHEN ADDRESSING AMERICANS. HE SOUNDS LIKE A USED CAR SALESMAN. I DO NOT TRUST HIM. HE IS A FLIP FLOPPING POLITICIAN AND AnUNDERCOVER WOMANIZER. I FEEL SORRY THAT PALIN LET THE INVITATION TO BE V.P GO TO HER HEAD. SHE'D BE BETTER OF IN ALASKA WITH HER FAMILY.


  • Name: NARVA THOMAS
    Date posted: 2008-09-06 10:26 PM
    Hometown: HOUSTON

    Comment:

    I AM VERY DISSAPPOINTED AT MC CAIN FOR USING PALIN TO WIN THE ELECTION. JUST THE FACT THAT HE ASKED HER TO DO SOMETHING THAT COULD PUT MAJOR STRESS ON PALIN'S FAMILY SHOWS THAT HE IS SELFISH AND SELF-CENTERED. HE REMINDS ME OF THE TIME WHEN HE DUMPED HIS CRIPPLED FIRST WIFE FOR CINDY AND HER FORTUNE. HE EVEN CREEPS ME OUT WHEN HE USES THE TERM "MY FRIENDS" WHEN ADDRESSING AMERICANS. HE SOUNDS LIKE A USED CAR SALESMAN. I DO NOT TRUST HIM. HE IS A FLIP FLOPPING POLITICIAN AND A UNDERCOVER WOMANIZER. I FEEL SORRY THAT PALIN LET THE INVITATION TO BE V.P GO TO HER HEAD. SHE'D BE BETTER OF IN ALASKA WITH HER FAMILY.


  • Name: Jim
    Date posted: 2008-09-05 4:49 PM
    Hometown: houston

    Comment:

    Chela, your comment is sexist.


  • Name: TJ
    Date posted: 2008-09-05 12:02 PM
    Hometown: Washington, DC

    Comment:

    I'm serious... if that old guy and that bitch (well, she was the one who compared herself to a pit bull, not me) win the election in November, I told my wife that I'm putting the house on the market and we're moving to Canada. I've already had the experience of being discriminated against for my color, and that was just from average folks on the street. I don't need to be discriminated against by my government for who I sleep with... and I pay taxes, so technically they work for me!


  • Name: Mike Gordon
    Date posted: 2008-09-05 5:26 AM
    Hometown: London

    Comment:

    I really don't care if it is a father or mother with Five children and one of them have illegitimate child too(Well!, I do care about that). In any case I just think that Sarah Palin lacks morals of Society and it was very irresponsible for McCain to select her running mate. This is not only an insult to average family but a slap on the face of American Society. McCain should be more intelligent then this. I changed my vote to Democrat after seeing Sarah being greeted by all stupid Republican. I wonder what happens to Republican first an idiot cowboy from Texas and now half autistic candidate with immoral running mate. Don't they have a normal or an average person left in the Republican party


  • Name: Mike Gordon
    Date posted: 2008-09-05 5:25 AM
    Hometown: London

    Comment:

    I really don't care if it is a father or mother with Five children and one of them have illegitimate child too(Well!, I do care about that). In any case I just think that Sarah Palin lacks morals of Society and it was very irresponsible for McCain to select her running mate. This is not only an insult to average family but a slap on the face of American Society. McCain should be more intelligent then this. I changed my vote to Democrat after seeing Sarah being greeted by all stupid Republican. I wonder what happens to Republican first an idiot cowboy from Texas and now half autistic candidate with immoral running mate. Don't they have a normal or an average person left in the Republican party


  • Name: Chela
    Date posted: 2008-09-04 6:15 PM
    Hometown: Chicago

    Comment:

    I am appalled that Sarah Palin is running for V.P. What kind of a mother with 5 children, one being a newborn, runs for V.P.?? Even if I was Republican, I WOULD NOT vote for her!! She might want to think about spending more time at home, particularly since her 17 yo is pregnant!!! I am a single parent and did everything in my power to stay home with my child. She is obviously extremely self-absorbed. I feel sorry for her family. Also, could she not come up with anything else during her speech other than to make jabs at Barack Obama??


  • Name: red3953
    Date posted: 2008-09-04 4:58 PM
    Hometown: washington

    Comment:

    She doesnot support My family or acknowledge we exsist. Me, my wife, 3 biological children, one adopded & one grandson...so far. I think she is a hippocrate. Her daughter standing there with her boyfriend like it's ok to be 17 & pregnant. And looked like "get me the @#$% out of here" Using her handicapped son to get votes, bad karma. She remonds me of Anita Bryant.


Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • Great American Couple
    In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, Hollywood Bohemians: Transgressive Sexuality and the Selling of the Movieland Dream, Brett L. Abrams explores the relationship between Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, who led homosexual lives right under everyone's nose.
  • Mormons Gone Wild
    After one man undresses missionaries for his calendar, LDS Church–owned Brigham Young University strips him of his degree.
  • Constructive Impatience
    Stung by the Warren decision, GLAAD's former executive director Joan Garry offers the Obama transition team some sage advice.
  • Boxer Goes Trans for Eli Stone
    Often perceived as male by confused casting agents, boxer-body builder turned actor Dallas Malloy felt a deep connection to the trans minister she plays on Eli Stone.
  • Mamma Mia! Rises Again
    Meryl Streep and company managed to top Harry Potter and Titanic at the U.K. box office, and now Mamma Mia! is poised to break similar records on DVD. Director Phyllida Lloyd talked to Advocate.com about bringing one of the biggest musicals of all time to the big screen.
  • The Other White Meat
    As one of the subjects of the documentary about the drag pageant circuit, Pageant, opening in select theaters, and one of the contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race, premiering next month on Logo, Victoria "Porkchop" Parker may not look or act like your typical female impersonator, but make no mistake, she is one of the best.
  • The Religious Defense
    In an excerpt from her new book, Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, author Candace Chellew-Hodge incorporates the wisdom of Xena: Warrior Princess to illustrate her theories as to how gay and lesbian people of faith can protect themselves from those who attack their views.
  • Photo Finish
    Did Prop. 8 backlash cause art censorship -- or its reversal -- at Brigham Young University? Could be, as BYU photography student J. Michael Wiltbank found when his contribution to a two-week-long art exhibition -- eight pairs of benign portraits, each depicting an LGBT-identified BYU student alongside a supportive friend -- had been removed.
  • The Divine Miss M.
    Since the death of performer Wayland Flowers in 1988, his over-the-top puppet creation Madame has been seen only sporadically. But with the launch of her new casino tour, Madame is back.
  • Whither NLGJA?
    The leading professional organization for LGBT journalists is facing a crisis that threatens its very survival. In a changing media landscape and a tough economy, how does a small nonprofit live up to its mission and retain members?
  • The Road to Equality
    Barbara Boxer, the U.S. senator from California, understands why her gay constituents are furious over Rick Warren's role in the inauguration -- it feels like Proposition 8 redux.
  • A Call to Action for Barack Obama
    In the wake of the decision by President-elect Barack Obama to select Reverend Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration, Equality California executive director Geoff Kors calls on Obama to live up to his promise of "One America" and prove he is the ardent supporter of LGBT equality he claims to be.
  • Gays Shut Out of Cabinet
    As if the news of antigay pastor Rick Warren's invitation to deliver Obama's inaugural invocation weren't insulting enough to LGBT Americans, we're now hit with the reality that no openly gay people will be seated at the cabinet table to weigh in on the next antigay flap.
  • Wading Your Way Through Hollywood
    Reichen Lehmkuhl switches hats for his second column and leaves the activist at the door as he offers some sage advice for Hollywood hopefuls. Whether you're gay or straight, what Reichen has to say about "talent" puts the business that is entertainment into perspective.
  • The Better Angels?
    President-elect Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration puts LGBT Americans on notice: While the next four years hold unprecedented promise for our rights, we may sometimes feel forsaken.
  • Stage Doubt, Screen Doubt
    On Broadway, Doubt -- the story of a steely nun facing off against a heroic priest, whom she fixates on for giving special attention to the school’s only black (effeminate) kid -- worked because of a top notch cast and its unique brand of stylized narrative. If only the excellent Meryl Streep and Viola Davis were enough to make the movie work quite so well.
  • People of the Year: Al Gore, Chad Griffin, and Lawrence King
    This week Advocate.com is going to highlight our remaining People of the Year, who range from activists to entertainers, politicians to students. Today we take a look at environmentalist Al Gore, political strategist Chad Griffin, and slain student Lawrence King.
  • Dame Edna's Fond First Farewell
    As Dame Edna prepares to bid audiences adieu with her First Farewell Tour (take that, Cher), she sits down with Advocate.com to talk about her maybe gay son, Michelle Obama's dresses, and her plans for matrimony in America.
  • Push for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Review Gains Steam
    In the last week both Gen. Colin Powell and the Joint Chiefs chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, have gone on record about reviewing the military's gay ban, leading some D.C. insiders to conclude that the incoming administration has put the wheels in motion behind the scenes.