Sarah REALLY has a way with words. While I've been using the term mainstream media (msm) to characterize the liberal media that exist today, leave it to Sarah to truly call it like she sees it and referring to them as the "lamestream" media (lsm) after borrowing the phrase from Bernard Goldberg. I like this term so much that I am going to borrow it from Sarah for the purpose of this blog post. I don't think she would mind because we both view the media as not what it once was. I wanted to admit something with all of you that I feel terrible about now. I have to admit that I was just a tad bit jealous of all my friends and Twitter followers who got their copy of Going Rogue: An American Lifee before mine came in the mail. As I heard of all their joyous celebrations, I got a little impatient. Now, I know what you all are thinking to yourselves: "Big girls don't cry!" I know, I know. I feel bad for being jealous of all those who got their hands on one of the first copies. What made it even harder was having to read about it on Twitter. My buddy, Patrick (@iammob) sent me a picture of himself holding his newly bought copy. My sister, Adrienne Ross (@adrienne2012), tweeted of her adventure to her local Walmart-as it happened- where she was one of the first to buy a copy at midnight, no less. I chuckled and said to myself, "Why you gotta tease a girl this way?" Don't get me wrong, I was happy for my buddies, but I wanted my copy to arrive!!!
There is no doubt in my mind that I was being taught an important lesson in patience. While I couldn't wait to get my copy and read it (being home sick from work with a cold didn't help matters), I knew that all good things come in time, so I decided to sit back and wait my turn. My turn came the following day as I pulled from my mailbox my copy of Going Rogue: An American Life. I don't think I was as excited since I found out last May that I had been chosen to be a contestant on the game show Wheel of Fortune. I let out a small "woo hoo," for my cold-ridden voice wouldn't let me say much more. I immediately opened up the cardboard packaging and pulled out my copy. I couldn't wait to read it, and I realized that if I had to get stuck home sick with a cold, what a better time, right? I crawled into bed, and even though I was drugged up on cold medicine- all legal by the way- I began to read about a woman who inspires me to want to do more to make America great.
Last night, I happened to be flipping channels, as my regular readers now I am prone to do-I'm an avid surfer, I admit it. Sarah's face popped up yet again on MSNBC, which I have discovered is a very common occurrence given the obsession this network has with all things Palin. Chris Matthews', whiny voice and all, was discussing none other than Sarah's Going Rogue Book Tour. While I know Matthews and this liberal network cannot stand Sarah and clearly fear her, he seemed to hit a new low last night, as if his leg tingles and lovely-dovey Obama rhetoric wasn't already enough. Matthews was talking to Norah O'Donnell who was traveling along the tour covering Sarah. Gee, what fun it must be to have a liberal, biased woman hot on your trail as you meet with God-fearing, freedom-loving Americans across the country. Now, let me give you a little background about Ms. O'Donnell. It is no secret that this woman cannot stand Sarah. Throughout the entire 2008 campaign, Ms. O'Donnell treated Sarah terribly, not only belittling her, but wondering how she could be vice president of the United States while caring for five children, one of whom with Down Syndrome. I remember saying to myself: "How dare this woman say these things when she in fact has young children of her own?" It clearly all comes back to the fact that Sarah chose life; Sarah chose life for little Trig, and women like Ms. O'Donnell know that they would never make a courageous decision like Sarah did, yet they would NEVER admit this.
While talking with Ms. O'Donnell, tingling Matthews asked her about the crowd in general and what they were telling her. I was very surprised and frankly astounded by her response to Matthews' question:
"I think it's an emotional connection, Chris, because they feel too that they've been beat up on whether, it's the economy, or they feel like outcasts. They like the outsider, if you will, in Sarah Palin. And that's why people are willing to wait- 1,500 of them- since 7 a.m. this morning to just get a glimpse of Sarah Palin who, by the way, this is not just a book signing, Chris, I mean because that's largely what's in it, but she's about to arrive any minute, and there's a stage out front, and she's going to take to that stage and make her remarks almost like a mini campaign rally."
An emotional connection? The felling of being beat up on- do you feel beat up on? Is that the only reason why you support Sarah? Come on, give me a break. While I look up to her for being the strong, fearless woman she is, this is not the only reason I support her. Contrary to what Ms. O'Donnell may think, I do not feel beat up on or trampled on either. I am a strong woman who is able to think for myself. People like Ms. O'Donnell just don't get it. They don't understand how conservative women can believe in the things they do.
Ms. O'Donnell didn't end her outrageous assumptions there. She went on to say that when she talked to those in attendance about why they supported Sarah, not only did those she talk to only give the emotional reason mentioned above, but they couldn't name Sarah's position on the health care debate as well as other policy beliefs Sarah holds. I, for one, am very suspicious of Ms. O'Donnell's report. You can't tell me that Sarah's supporters don't know her stances when everything she says is practically dissected and evaluated on the news everyday, and her Facebook notes are updated regularly. Sarah has discussed everything from death panels to ideas for health care reform to her belief in the importance of listening to General McChrystal and the other generals on the ground regarding troop numbers in Afghanistan. Hello, Ms. O'Donnell, anybody home up there in that brain of yours? I hate to be rude, but it is so obvious to me that Ms. O'Donnell is attempting to belittle and mock those who support Sarah, in hopes that Sarah is discredited in the process.
While I admire and look up to Sarah for the strong woman and phenomenal mother she is, I support Sarah because I agree with her common sense message. I believe in her conservative platform. I support her because she believes in life, a strong national defense, capitalism, personal responsibility, smaller government, the free market and tax cuts. Her character and integrity are the icing on the cake. Maybe it's time lsm members like Ms. O'Donnell realize that, like Sarah, her supporters are smart and intelligent as well. Like Sarah, we do not want the lsm to feel sorry for us or to think we are weak because we are strong. I am a young woman, who graduated from college and went on to receive a masters degree, graduating from grad school with a 4.0, I might add. I am not some bimbo who used her charm to achieve this. Wake up, lsm! Sarah is here, and she isn't going anywhere, and we stand with her.
It wasn't just Ms. O'Donnell's report that offended me as a Sarah supporter. Here is how Matthews' responded to her report:
"Well, they look like a white crowd to me.... Not that there's anything wrong with that, but that's pretty monochromatic up there... no surprise to the level of ethnic nature of the people showing up, nothing wrong with that, but it is a fact. I think there's a tribal aspect to this thing, in that white versus other people...."
"White versus other people"- huh? I usually would ignore things like the above quote, but It seems as if race has become more of an issue ever since President Obama was elected last year. While watching the crowds gather at the book signings, the issue of race never entered my mind, just as if never entered my mind if an African-American held a book signing. Where does Matthews get off assuming Sarah's support all comes down to race. If he feels this way, then, does he feel the same about President Obama's supporters? Would he say the same thing if President Obama held a signing event? Not only is it outrageous to think race plays any role in terms of who supports Sarah, but it is frankly untrue. I have friends of all races who support Sarah. How dare Matthews say this. Not only is he offending me as a white woman to say that I only like Sarah because I share the color of her skin, but he is offending all the other individuals of other races who support her. President Obama's supporters are from all races and backgrounds. Is it too hard to imagine that Sarah's supporters are full of a variety of races and backgrounds as well? I have a feeling that it's because of instances like these that clearly help to define just how out of touch the lsm are with "Mainstreet U.S.A."
Sarah's life story is a story that so many people can identify with, and the lsm know this, although I guarantee you will never hear them admit it. Whether or not you agree with Sarah politically, it is clear how much of an every woman she is. As a 28-year-old woman from San Diego, California, I have never been to Alaska, yet can identify with her childhood in so many ways. Like Sarah, I grew up in an active, outdoor-loving family. Like Sarah, I played a variety of sports, including softball like she did and, through sports, learned so much about life, the value of hard work and the importance of team work. Like Sarah, I was awarded the MVP award on one of my sports teams (softball) as a high schooler. Like Sarah, I loved sports and, like her, I wanted to be a sports reporter (in college, I was sports anchor for the journalism group assignments). Like Sarah, at a young age, I began fishing, dug for clams (on the beaches of California, making fresh clam chowder with our catch) and picked wild blueberries in the summer with my siblings at our family's cabin in the Sierra Nevadas. I still enjoy picking wild blueberries to this day in the summer, and I cannot wait to share this tradition with my children. Like Sarah, I was a little dare devil who also had the passion for reading as a child. Like Sarah, I had a passion for writing, which is the reason I studied English and Journalism in college. Like Sarah, I attended multiple colleges and it took me six years to graduate because I decided that, while I loved journalism, I wanted to study English too. (She even got a "D" in a Macro-Economics course, and I had a "W" for withdraw in a Micro-Economics, a course I did not understand or enjoy.) Everyone is different, and not everyone fits into the four-year college mold. Like Sarah, my parents taught me the value of hard work, and this is a value I live my life by.
While Sarah and I grew up in very different parts of the America, I have so much in common with her, as I'm sure you do as well. It is so cool to have a conservative woman to whom I can really identify with. Something tells me, Hillary Clinton has never been fishing and probably wouldn't know where to begin to find a clam in the ocean, but that's okay. I guarantee there are many out there who identify with her. As I mentioned above, identifying with a politician should not be the sole reason for voting for them. I supported Sarah during the 2008 campaign because I agreed with her and John McCain on the issues. I knew I had some things in common with Sarah, but it wasn't until I began reading her memoir that I realized how much I can identify with her. I told my mom how much I am able to relate to this woman who I am proud to call a role model. Sarah's book is not only inspiring, but a book about a woman with a true pioneering spirit. I think this is the reason so many can identify with her. It isn't emotional or a feeling of getting trampled on that draws people to her; instead, it is the fact that she is so real and so easy to relate to. Sarah is truly the real deal. Sarah is unafraid to be herself, and this scares the socks off the liberal left, and to this I raise my glass and salute her for doing what so many are afraid to do in this unfortunate age of political correctness.
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