A NEWT ONE- THE TRUTH SURGE!

Snooper makes some very good observations and is completely justified in examining these things in the open. I'd just like to offer my thoughts and observations.

Identity Politics. We hear quite a bit about this but what exactly is Identity Politics? The all-knowing answer to that question is elusive even though the term has been used since the early 1970s.According to some, identity politics is when an individual votes for someone for the sole purpose to advance an agenda. The same can be said in reverse as when a politician targets a specific "identity". Classifying such action as demographics covers this up. No matter the paint used to cover up an ugly process, it is still identity politics.According to many, identity politics is the process in which interests of special groups are advanced because they have been allegedly oppressed and deserve more attention than any other group. Such loathsome attitudes appeal to the emotion and not the intellect and we see identity politics at work each and every day in the areas of sexual orientation (fancy terminology to disguise confused men and women), religious tendencies, gender, race, ethnic background and other identity crisis prone agendas.

Ratifying all of my good friend's observations, I would add the sickening identity politics of party. Someone voting for the 'R' or the 'D', simply because it is an 'R' or a 'D', is guilty of the same emotionalism exhibited by those who only vote for the woman, the black, or the Hispanic.

In this current election cycle in 2008, we have witnessed Identity Politics tear a political party nearly in half with no unity in sight for the foreseeable future. We have a black man fighting a white woman for their party's race to the White House and apparently the black man won that race. This made the women angry. Had it been reversed, it would have made the blacks angry. And, why is that? Perhaps it is due to each "section" within the DNC thinking that the blacks have been oppressed more than the women. Neither argument is true but they believe it just the same.

Once again, all that Snooper says is true. While one camp says "vote for our candidate because he is black", the other side says "vote for our candidate because she is a woman". What is completely lost on both sides is that both candidates are morons with no more business running for President than humpty dumpty. Neither have executive experience and neither has any kind of a compelling slate of ideas.

Seeing that the black guy chose an old white guy as a running mate, we now have young white and black women upset. I haven't heard the reports of all the other hyphenated Americans' take on any of this but if Identity Politics is what drives elections, why wasn't there an Asian-American placed on either position for the White House? I am indeed curious. For that matter, why wasn't there a homosexual or at least a same-sex team selected? Weren't their feelings injured as well? Could it be that the DNC utilizes Identity Politics as a ruse just to justify for their tactics of lies and deceit in order to win? Is winning an election all that matters?

The question is a rhetorical one, of course. For we all know that, for Liberals, being in power is- indeed- all that matters. For the Democratic party, all we hear about is that the Candidate is young or black or Irish or Catholic (by name only) but we never hear anything...anything that either person on the ticket has done or will do to improve our public policy, improve lives and make Americans safer.

Among the many truisms in the DNC race to occupation of the White House, a
particular truth sticks out like a sore thumb. The black guy wasn't a black guy
but chose that identity for the sympathy vote. Barack is neither black nor
white. He is a mixed race, a hybrid. So, a hybrid was running against a white
woman. If he ran as a hybrid, he would have surely lost. He won by lying. I
suppose now the DNC will have to invent another category for Identity Politics
for the census roles and that new category will need to be listed as HYBRID.
This new category can be used for any combination of hyphenated Americans.

Well, If not contested, that could very well be the result. If not contested.

The GOP escapes not the Identity Politics quagmire. Not now. At first I was
excited about the pick of Sarah Palin. Not now. The GOP has apparently felt the
need to plunge into the cesspool of Identity Politics to a) rub the face of the
DNC into the mud by picking a woman and b) picking a woman in order to win an
election and c) panic-picking a woman. The whole thing pisses me off.Is the GOP
bowing to the pressures of Identity Politics? Is the GOP now the Hard-On Party?
Did the GOP chose Sarah Palin just to say to Barack, "AHA! GOTCHA!"? Or, did
they do it just to win and was it a panic-pick? And please don't insult my
intelligence by speaking to me about the cowardly term "demographic" because I
saw what that really is decades ago. If I have to explain it to you it is too late.

The GOP has certainly swum into the cesspool of identity politics. How else to explain Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins and Christie Todd Whitman? What about these Women is compatible with the Conservatism of Reagan? Why was Mel Martinez given a leadership position in the RNC and why else does every Republican from George W Bush to John McCain launch Hispanic only debates and commercials?

Was Colin Powell the best choice for Secretary of State in Bush's first term? You'll have a hard time selling me on that. Even the tepid defenses of Miguel Estrada and Priscilla Owens, were made based on identity rather than on merit.

It is, indeed, sickening.

However, Conservatives must be careful not to become so over sensitized to identity politics that they assume a candidate is disqualified by belonging to a particular identity. The problem with the term "Demographics" is that it is reality. The reason demographics exists is because people have been taught that they have to think, look and act like everyone else in their tribe. Sarah Palin is not part of that, she is the antidote to that poison. Sarah marches for no one!

When advocating Sarah Palin, some weeks ago, it was suggested that I only supported her because she is an attractive woman.

Let's test that. Let's make Sarah Palin, Joe Palin.

Joe Palin is a pro-life, pro-family, Father of 5. One of those kids is a special needs child. Joe is a staunch reformer with 8 years of executive experience and an 84% job approval rating. Joe is an avid fisher and hunter who strongly favors gun rights. A proven reformer who roots out corruption in his own party. A proven record of denying pork barrel or special interest money and a visionary taking practical steps towards energy independence for his state and nation.

Joe is a young, forceful, dynamic speaker who inspires everyone in the room. A devout and passionate christian and patriot with a son being deployed to serve our nation in Iraq. In a year (2006) of visceral anti-Gop hatred, when Republicans were going down everywhere, Joe mopped the floor with incumbent Republican fossil Frank Murkowski (51-19) before going on to win the Governorship.

If Joe Palin was not #1 on your VP list, he'd be on a list with no more than 5 names on it. Bobby Jindal might be on the last, maybe Eric Cantor.
What has happened to America? When did winning an election become the
preeminent thrust? Didn't it used to be that candidates offered up their
platforms and let the people decide? When did winning an election for the sake of winning an election override the betterment of the nation that many others and I fought for, bled for and died for? Did we fight to fix the quagmire that the politicians got us into just so they could take the credit and win an election, consequences be damned?
By all means, do that. Don't compare Joe Biden to Sarah Palin. Compare Joe Biden to Joe Palin. Which one will defend America? Which one will fight corruption? Which one will balance the budget? Which one will defend the unborn? Which one will help increase our fuel supply? Please- by all means- examine this race as a Joe vs Joe contest.

Have we sunk to such a level that the blood of the fallen has no merit or worth? Did we fight, bleed and die so the politicians can play their silly games with our national treasures?There are so many questions and so few answers, at least viable answers.As we have witnessed Identity Politics tear the DNC asunder, we are now witnessing history in the making in several ways. We see the DNC torn apart and we are now seeing the GOP adopt the Identity Politics meme. This is truly a sad day for America.

I couldn't disagree more, because it's not Joe Palin...it's Sarah Palin. This is a joyous day for America. I am sick and friggin tired of being told-by conservatives- that I don't understand because I'm not a woman. No, I'm not a woman. However, my mother is. My wife is a woman and so are my two daughters. They are sick and freaking tired of being told that the only women allowed to speak for them are women like Kate Michaelman and Christie Todd Whitman and Hillary Clinton and Kathleen Sebelius. After years of having to tell your daughters "Yes, I could support a woman for President....just not that woman or that one or that one or that one, you can look them in the eyes and say "Yes, I can support a girl for President....that girl!"

Sarah Palin is Ronald Reagan in a skirt. Please quote me on that.

The only downside of Palin being on this ticket is that she is on the wrong half of it. Given a choice between John McCain for President or Sarah Palin for President, my choice would be Palin without a nanosecond of hesitation.

I love Sarah Palin for the same reason I love Michael Steele. They are the answer to identity politics. Micheal Steele and Sarah Palin are the answer to our prayers because they are proof of what we have always said we believe. The best candidate should win, regardless of identity.

The sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits appealed to women to fall in gender line and support a woman who stood by a man who was 4 times credibly accused of rape. They are now expected to fall in line behind a marxist and America hater.

The message is stark.

You can't be a woman and love your children...like Laura Bush. You can't be woman and love the military...like Deborah Johns, Debbie Lee and Melanie Morgan. You cannot be a mother and love the soldier and be devoted to him....like Katy Benko. You cannot be a woman and have a strong, conservative opinion...like Michelle Malkin.

No freakin' wonder young girls have such self esteem issues!

I'm a proud dad today because my College age girls have a role model they can be proud of.

~Sonlit