Why Politician’s Personal Lives Matter
Watching the Republican Party have a fit over the reporting on Sarah Palin’s personal and family life (which the McCain campaign revealed in a press release, by the way, it wasn’t dug up by some Democratic operative) got me to thinking about why the personal lives of politicians matter. They matter because when the personal life of a candidate is not reflected in their policy positions, we need to ask why?
You see, I think it’s great that Sarah Palin will be an advocate for special needs children in the White House, but what does that mean from a policy standpoint? One of the most special children in my life is the son of a good friend of mine, CJ. CJ has downs syndrome too and he is an amazing kid, but his mother struggles to get him the medical care he needs, even though she has health insurance. What about all the other CJ’s in this country who are not as fortunate to be born to parents who have access to adequate healthcare? Sarah Palin and the Republican party believe that CJ’s family should “take care of their own” and not expect an assist from government, just as she is doing with Trig. Barack Obama and the Democratic Party believe that people should be able to find help. That is relevant and it’s the debate we need to have.
Or, in the case of Sarah’s daughter’s pregnancy. It’s wonderful that Brooke plans to marry the father of the child and keep the baby, but what about the other pregnant teenagers who aren’t fortunate enough to have health insurance, a family who can support them during the pregnancy, financially and emotionally, or a father willing to step up and support his child? This election is about those pregnant mothers and the fact that John McCain, Sarah Palin and the Republican party don’t get that government can and should be providing help to ensure that the same support Brooke has is available for all pregnant teenagers.
We need to know about the personal lives of politicians, because when their personal lives are not reflected in their policies, it raises questions of veracity. Why isn’t a person like Sarah Palin pushing for more help for special needs children, for more resources to assist pregnant mothers and to prevent teen pregnancy in the first place? That’s why these so-called “personal issues” are relevant.
Sphere: Related Content
September 4th, 2008 at 7:59 am
What I find disingenous about Ms. Palin, in particular, is that in her story of a special needs child, it is made known that she CUT health care for children in her own state. And that, in the face of their own teen pregnancy story, she line item vetoed funding for homes for unwed mothers in Alaska.
And the idea that the same people who preach that birth control is not something you want to teach to “children” don’t appear to understand the consequenses of such short sightedness even when it is staring them in the face.
As you say, not everyone is as fortunate as her children and the difference between the Democrats and Republicans appears to be that understanding that as the Bible says) to those that much has been given, much is expected. The POLICIES of Ms. Palin’s PARTY is what bothers me.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:34 am
“Sarah Palin and the Republican party believe that CJ’s family should “take care of their own” and not expect an assist from government, just as she is doing with Trig.”
I didn’t watch any of the GOP convention, including Palin’s speech, so I’m wondering if your source for that statement was part of her speech or just exactly what.
Incidentally, my younger brother was born with Down syndrome and lived to be 70 years old. Our parents had 6 children who were born just before, during, or in the aftermath of The Great Depression. My father had only four years of formal education, yet he learned a trade and then formed his own company providing jobs for others. Back in those days there was no such thing as employer or government-provided health insurance. Since government became involved in health care the cost of health care has skyrocketed and doctors have told me that part of the cause is government, thus making health care less affordable for people who don’t have health insurance.
It seems that government created a problem so government could take more control of our lives saying it is necessary in order to alleviate the very problem it created.
Government control of our lives doesn’t equate to liberty. Some of the principals this nation was founded on were personal liberty and freedom from government control.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
September 8th, 2008 at 5:39 am
My source is what was not said in the entirety of the convention and what is not said in the Republican platform, and seems to be confirmed by your very statements, Don. I certainly appreciate what your father did, but for the many success stories from the Great Depression, there were many many people who were not so fortunate.
Doctors may tell you that the government is the cause for skyrocketing healthcare costs, but there are many countries around the world who have government-run healthcare that is cheaper than the American healthcare system. And no one is proposing “government run” healthcare any longer, we’re simply trying to fill the gaps of those who cannot get healthcare, but desperately need it.
And quoting from the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is not an argument for anything. I honor our founding fathers, but they lived over 200 years ago and no one can say how they would deal with the problems we are facing as a country today.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:48 am
The evangelical right seems to me to be quite blood thirsty. Never see a war, just or not, that they don’t like. They will vote for McCain who is an admitted serial adulterer. I haven’t heard them condemn the pregnancy of unmarried, 17 year old Bristol Palin.
How they distort Jesus’ message. He was a peace maker and spoke repeatedly against the sins of fornication and adultery.
And the faith-based initiative-giving our taxes to preachers–isn’t that unconstitutional?