Compromise

November 4th will only deliver good news. Either we get Barack Obama, or we get four years of Tina Fey impersonating Palin. Laugh through the tears, right?

Actually, I laugh through the tears at the red suit the GOP spent $75K on for Sarah. A genuine Saks Fifth Avenue purchase! Oh my! Who woulda thunk a hockey mom from Alaska would don a gen-u-ine outfit from Saks - all the way from New York! Joe Sixpack, look out - Sarah's on the prowl, and she's lookin' for you.

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What concerns me the most is that I not only prefer Tina Fey's impersonation to the actual woman, I forget that somewhere outside the elite media's radar, she's actually contributing to the Republican campaign. I forget she's real, and thus a threat to most civil liberties I've spent my little idealistic, anti-American-residing-in-new-England-life enjoying. It's interesting, though, to think about the bullheadd ways in which she's standing behind her beliefs. She does not believe in abortion; she does not believe in sex education. Consequently, her daughter, seventeen and pregnant, will wed her boyfriend, a fun-loving hockey player who, I bet, did not see this coming one year ago. Is this kind of loyalty to one's convictions admirable, when beliefs override someone else's best interest? At what point does it change from loyalty to stubbornness? Flexibility and willingness to adopt other viewpoints, especially in the best interest of a loved one, are pinnacle to one's character. With versatility we don't stand a chance in upholding relationships, because everytime we hit disagreement, the only choice is to walk away. Same with political character. Politicians cannot simply "walk away" when someone (or, another country) does or decides on something they disagree with. I'm not comfortable with someone in office - someone "in charge of the senate" - who so stands by her beliefs that she was willing to publicly end her daughter's childhood.

Teenagers are morons. We all know this, we were all teenagers once. Hell on most days I still feel like a teenager. But the best part about teenagers is that they're transient. Adults will, however long it takes, ultimately emerge. Thus, how crucial it is to cushion some of their fall - no, I'm not saying kids that should be blindly forgiven and given a free pass whenever they mess-up. But, what parents have that children don't is perspective. My parents were careful to express their perspectives - versus their beliefs - in such a way that motivated me to to craft my own, and consequently, I always felt sure that my emerging identity (or, adulthood) was safe. While the President and the VP are not meant to be our parents, they are meant to present the sort of perspective that presents the possibility of change. The Republican social agenda, as it stands, emits a sense of social suffocation and paralysis. When a President is not willing to generate change, there is little left for us to do but sit and wait for the next election year. We're one of the freest nations on the planet. This kind of outlook is devastating. Further, if there's someone in office who would rather see her daughter married than revise her opinion regarding sex ed in high schools, I can't imagine where she'll stand in the name of a billion strangers.

Forget Palin going against feminist beliefs (and then ironically becoming iconicly feminist), or misspeaking as if Alaska employs a different language. What scares me the most is that she agreed to be co-pilot when she has no idea how to fly.