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I could not believe my eyes when I saw the following things:
-> The former mayor of New York City using "cosmopolitan" as a pejorative
-> Republicans talking up a war most people don't like and most of the rest couldn't care less about
-> Chants of "zero, zero, zero" from Republicans, apparently digging Obama on his meteoric rise in politics (and say what you want about him, he earned it) and historic achievement. This after Democrats went out of their way to pay respect to McCain's sacrifice and public career and Obama personally defended Palin's credentials and boundaries.
-> Teen pregnancy being exalted and a good education mocked by the party that used to pride itself on values
-> Community service being demeaned in the most cruel and base way imaginable. As a young person who has spent years doing community service, I was saddened and repulsed.
-> A VP candidate promising to be "a friend to families with special needs children" while her own special-needs baby was handed off to a seven-year-old (and no, the father didn't step up to hold the baby)
-> Civil rights--a proud American tradition--being turned into nothing more into a nasty laugh line by a major party candidate. I bet McCain's captors never "read him his rights" either.
-> A nineteen-year-old future soldier identified to the world as the child of a prominent political figure. I didn't appreciate that when Biden did it either.
-> Hockey moms being called pit bulls with lipstick. That stuff may play in Peoria, but my mother thought it was the most sexist remark she'd ever heard from a national party candidate.
-> Republicans somehow taking up the mantle for "real change" after their party has been in power for 6 of the last 8 years and held the presidency all that time. Better late than never, I guess. Not to mention how they can't figure out whether they want to be moderate reformers (go unions!) or red-meat Republicans. A totally conflicted message.
This was jaw-dropping, and not in a good way. I was for Obama all along, but my parents are moderate Republicans. My mom leaned Obama, my dad was undecided. Mrs. Palin's speech, and the creepy, borderline-schizophrenic tone of the Republican convention, have driven them into the Obama camp for good--and doubled my commitment. We live in a swing state.
