Family Values: The GOP Double Standard

It is alarming enough to hear leading Republicans assert that 1) Sarah Palin's experience surpasses that of Barack Obama, who has been presenting himself and his views to the American people for nearly two years---and won the nomination and 2) that Governor Palin is prepared to handle an international crisis of the magnitude of 9/11 (Rudy Guiliani said it today).

What I find most unsettling is this simple, unassailably true observation by Ezra Klein:

"...(I)t really is impossible to imagine the outcry that would occur if Barack Obama had a pregnant, 17-year-old daughter. My sense is that Bristol Palin's pregnancy is being understood as a family matter, and Sarah Palin's compassion and commitment to her daughter is shining clearly through. That's as it should be. But if there were a teen pregnancy in Obama's family, it would end up confirming something altogether different, and much more sinister, even if the circumstances were exactly the same."

My only addition to this is that the same would apply if Joe Biden was in a similar situation.
Coming from a family of religious fundamentalists, I will confess a particular antipathy for the harsh, judgmental attitude that some of these folks apply to others. I agree emphatically that this development should not be the subject of political commentary, but do not believe for a minute that would be the case if it were happening on the other side.

- Richard Holcomb