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September 06

More on Palin
I find it odd that Palin found time to harass her local librarian over her book selection, but not to monitor her own daughter's sex life. A pregnant high schooler is not some little problem that all families face, as many correspondents have alleged. It's not a speeding ticket or a bad grade or a naughty word said in class. It is very, very serious.

I used to argue with my friends at the conservative Heritage Foundation over their studies on teenage pregnancies in the African-American community. They wrote about how it ruins young peoples' futures and creates families in poverty. I would say, "I agree with you, but why are black people the only ones put under the microscope?" I noted that even when a pregnancy leads to marriage for teens of any race, a divorce quickly follows. And many of these women end up having several children with different fathers-- and very difficult lives.

As for single motherhood, liberal sociologists would argue, well, that's normal among poor black people. And the great Sen. Patrick Moynihan would argue back that they are "defining deviancy downward."

And so it astonishes me that people who claim to be holders of traditional values now label the pregnancy of an unwed high school girl as normal.

2:58 PM GMT | Read comments(1)

September 05

Sad about John McCain

McCain's speech last night left me misty-eyed, because he was someone I used to adore and still respect. The maverick has clearly been coralled and muzzled by the religious right. The noisy Sarah Palin, whose accomplishments are overshadowed by her flakiness, is now doing the talking for a man who used to talk pretty well, and with considerably more wit.

I await the new polls. If McCain's new support among social conservatives isn't outweighed by losses among independents, I will be surprised.

Columnist Peggy Noonan, a moderate-conservative whom I also respect, spoke to this reality when she thought the microphone was off at the MSNBC studios. Speaking of the McCain campaign after the Palin choice, she said, "It's over." (YouTube clip and transcript comes courtesy of TPM.)

10:02 AM GMT | Read comments(1)

Is Palin's daughter fair game?
More than one correspondent has criticized me for finding fault with Sarah Palin's "conservative family values" and citing her pregnant 17-year-old as evidence of them. I have no problem with her alleged values. I have trouble with her ignoring of them. The issue isn't the number of children anyone has or working mothers. People can have 20 kids if they want, and most mothers of young children work no harm done to the kids.

The point is that if you have children, someone has to raise them. It could be a husband or a grandmother, but someone ought to know about what a 17-year-old is doing and with whom. And if they don't want to delve that far, they should ensure that the 17-year-old is having protected sex.

No one seemed to be raising Bristol Palin. While Sarah Palin was harassing a librarian over the wholesomeness of the books on her shelves, her daughter was out having a full sexual relationship with the town stud. The apologists tried to portray dealing with an unwed high school mother as an average problem. The late great New York Sen. Patrick Moynihan would have called this argument "defining deviation downward." I would agree.

5:26 AM GMT | Read comments(5)

September 04

Republicans after Palin Speech

Guest column by Deb Morais:

St. Paul --

Last night’s cheers and chants inside the Excel Center spilled out into the streets, continued on the shuttle bus taking us home, and then late into the night in our hotel’s little breakfast bar/lounge. I expected a pep rally at the convention. I had no idea the fevered pitch would last so long.

Some gathered around the CNN screen, panting for the media and Dem’s reaction, some just for the replay of the countless, memorable-but-not-yet-quotable salvos. Some dashed to the computer room for the online responses. Everyone agreed that she hit a home run.

Expecting that every female delegate, alternate and guest- myself included- would be supportive, I turned instead to the male contingent. I initially suspected their repeated standing ovations would be expected responses from faithful party-members. From every direction on the floor, RI men, young and old, screamed with the genuine delight I have only heard at touchdowns and grand slams. Could this mark a lasting change of the male perspective on women? True change? (Am I hearing applause from undecided women, too?)

“She’s one tough rooster,” commented our 80-plus, seasoned and salty Ambassador Bill Middendorf. Nods, chuckles, and raised fists filled the room, from the RI party chair to national representatives to the FEMA members assembled at our hotel. Next morning, even the Governor’s security staff were psyched up and quoting Sen. Palin’s edgy lines.

I can’t imagine not getting swept up in the moment while being on that convention floor. From the masses below to the red, white and blue balloons suspended high above, the excitement is palpable – even on the faces of those myriad photographers who came from New Zealand.

3:29 PM GMT | Read comments(1)

Palin's speech

From Sarah Palin's speech you'd never guess that the Republicans have been running this country for most of the last 26 years. She offered not one real solution for our problems. Not a word on health care or deficits. As for energy, yes, drilling must be part of the mix and the Democrats are remiss in not giving more attention to nuclear energy. But we don't have to endanger our California and Florida coasts, which are national treasures and massive economic engines, besides. We've been drilling and drilling for a decade and the easy-to-get oil is no longer there. We've become more and more dependent on foreign oil. And the way to end that dependence is to get us off of oil.

Palin is a big personality and an entertaining speaker. She did a masterful job of mocking Barack Obama, something I have done. The Democrats have new reason to regret not having chosen Hillary Clinton. But four more years of national decline as Republicans wage another culture-war circus would be intolerable.

6:38 AM GMT | Read comments(1)

Friday, May 23 5:15 p.m.

Friends in Seattle: I'll be on the David Boze Show on KTTH after 4 p.m. PST.

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Froma Harrop

So I have heard and do in part believe it. -- Hamlet's friend