For the first time in American history, a major political party devoted a substantial portion of its national convention to attacking grassroots organizing. Those attacks reflected a longstanding tradition in American politics -- the conservative elite's fear of "the people."
Palin is sending a strange message on abstinence-only sex education; it clearly didn't work for her daughter. Indeed a lot of women are angry about that message and panicked over the enthusiasm Palin seems to be inspiring. Let me offer four reasons to calm down.
Community organizing -- or any sort of genuine grassroots effort -- is a real threat to Bush, McCain, and Palin. On that level, people start looking at actions instead of words.
Palin has already demonstrated her lack of judgment by accepting the role assigned to her, slapping on lipstick and regurgitating a speech that was no doubt written for a man two months ago.
Sarah Palin has been touted from the beginning as somebody who has made real decisions. I'm getting flashbacks to another "decider" and his brand of leadership.
Bush and Palin claim to have the inside track that they are already chosen and been told what God's will is. That leads to the scariest, most personal form of an in-group/out-group dichotomy.
Sarah Palin is a "Dominionist" with an apocalyptic End Times theological viewpoint that sees the war in Iraq as part of God's plan. That's different than practicing a form of "Dominion Theology" or "Christian Reconstructionism."
Following McCain's announcement of Palin as his running mate, Lindsay Lohan to former teenage moms have weighed in on the issue of Bristol's pregnancy. The Middle East and North African blogospheres are no exception.
Obama will face tough issues that include Jeremiah Wright - again - and affirmative action. Navigating these complex issues of race, as well as issues having to do with gender, will have a lot to do with whether Obama is elected in November.
