The Anti-Palin Smear Campaign--AIP, Teen Pregnancy, and National Politics

Last week Sarah Palin became the presumptive nominee to be the next vice president of the Republican party. Since then, an angry blog mob as well as a hard left leaning media has tried every concievable way of running Gov. Palin through the ringer.

I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss some of the objections.

AIP
The blogs and MSNBC have been eagerly discussing the possibility that Palin is a member of the Alaskan Independence Party.

First of all, even Palin's critics acknowledge this is not a proven fact, and even the person running the division of elections says it is not true.

Second, very few people have a knowledge of what the AIP means in Alaska politics. In 1990, when I was a senior in high school, Alaska had a gubenatorial election that had two main party nominees, both of which were more liberal and pro-choice. This was unacceptable to mainstream conservatives like myself. Those conservatives worked with the AIP to draft Walter Hickel as a nominee--a Republican that served in the Nixon administration. Thus, several Republicans, especially pro-life Republicans, developed relationships with the AIP machinery. This has disappated since then, as the AIP has once again returned to the lunatic fringe of conservatism/libertarianism.

Third, most people of both parties in Alaska are sympathetic with the AIPs stance that the government has overstepped its bounds in retaining between 80-90 percent of all land as federal lands. This becomes particularly sensitive as it relates to taxation of oil company windfalls. Currenly, the drilling in Prudhoe Bay is done on state land, and the state gets the tax on the oil companies for budget and permanent fund dividends. ANWR is on federally owned land, and right now the federal government is claiming 100 percent rights to oil royalties. Alaska citizens believe they should have 100 percent of those dividends for income made in their state.

All in all, most Alaskans dont affiliate with the AIP, but many of them agree with some of their more salient points. I suspect this is the case with Palin.

Teen Pregnancy

People really need to back off on this issue. The accusation that Sarah's child was really her daughters was rediculous. Everyone has family issues. Even politicians do not have perfect families. Even Obama says let it go. Let it go.

Liberal Sexism

There is much in liberal blogs about Palin simply being eye candy, and one well-known blog even refers to her as a VILF.

I do not deny that Palin does have some visual appeal, or even that this may be part of the consideration of having her on the ticket. The same could be said about Obama's success, but it rarely if ever is.

What I object to is that these are the same people who are militantly pro-choice to advocate for women, and then dismiss a serious nominee for Vice President as simply a sex object. It very hypocritical.

Political Backup

It is obvious that Palin needs back up on foreign policy. I think that the wisest move for McCain to consider is to name a Secretary of State with foreign policy experience in his acceptance speech at the Republican Convention this week. This is not without president. Bush did the same with Colin Powell in the 2000 election, and it worked for Bush. It may work for McCain as well.