According to that right-wing social viewpoint, divorce, teen pregnancy, and other lapses in family values are the fault of liberals. According to this political movement, respecting the right of gay and lesbian people to formalize their relationships; refusing to censor the Internet, books, television or movies; supporting age appropriate sex education; and refusing to allow religion to be inculcated by official government means, are the causes of social dysfunction in America. And every indication we have is that Palin believes this viewpoint.
That is why the questions of divorce and teen pregnancy are relevant in discussions of the McCain/Palin ticket. The individuals involved in these cases deserve to be treated with compassion, but so do millions of other Americans who find themselves in similar situations. But, sadly, they are often met with criticism and hostile public policy formulated by those who now claim Palin as their political champion. Too often, people on the right seek to impose strict standards on others, and blame them for falling short, while making exceptions for those close to them. Respect and compassion should extend to all who find themselves in similar situations.
Congressman Barney Frank represents the 4th Congressional District in Massachusetts. He is also the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. I've been thinking about him a lot since the nomination of Sarah Palin. Back in 1982 Barney had just served his first term in Congress when he was affected by redistricting. He had to run against Margaret Heckler, a popular Republican incumbent who had represented her district since 1966. The race was considered likely Republican because most of the new district included Heckler's old district. Additionally, there was a dilemma on the part of women voters who wanted to support a woman over an unknown man with little experience and obviously lacking a Boston accent. The fact that he was Jewish and she was Irish Catholic also played a role in the race. One mitigating factor with this was that Barney had won the seat of Father Bob Drinan who was a wildly popular priest. Drinan was forced to resign by Pope John Paul, in part because of his votes supporting choice.
Barney Frank won by over 20 points by tying Margaret Heckler to the policies of Ronald Reagan, pointing out her support for more extreme right wing positions (although she would look like a moderate compared to Palin), and focusing on the economy. Reagan was deeply unpopular in Massachusetts and Heckler had a voting record that made her support for Reagan's economic policies quite clear. Additionally, Barney met with smaller groups of women and made the difference between his and Heckler's positions quite clear. She had voted against choice and was far more conservative than her constituents. He didn't have to get into the details of Heckler's relationship with her husband, which were swirling around at the time and exploded in 1984.
Barney also knows quite a bit about having one's personal life splashed across the tabloids and turned into a political issue. In 1990, Barney reported to the House Ethics Committee that a man staying in his home had been running an escort service from the apartment. Once Barney learned of the situation he severed ties with the individual and reported himself to the House. He was issued a formal reprimand for "his relationship with a male prostitute" although the House found no evidence of Barney knowing of or participating in any illegal activity. It's interesting to note that Larry Craig led the charge to expel or censure Congressman Frank. Barney won reelection that year with 66% of the vote.
Republicans continued to make Barney's sexual orientation an issue. Dick Armey, then House Majority Leader, referred to him as "Barney Fag" in 1995.He has responded to them with humor. He joked that he couldn't finish reading the Starr report on President Clinton because it was "too much reading about heterosexual sex."
In today's Boston Globe he continues:
The problems that have affected Palin's family are part of the experience of millions of people who face the stresses and strains, moral dilemmas, and difficult choices of contemporary life. The right wing, of which Palin is one of the acclaimed leaders, rejects this view, and argues that it is the failure of many of us to adopt their particular moral view that is the cause of these problems.
The glaring inconsistency between the social philosophy that blames liberalism for divorce and teen pregnancy and the facts of Palin's family life further underlines the serious shortcomings of that philosophy...
The relevant political point about the existence of these incidents in Palin's family is not that they reflect badly on her or her relatives, but that they further reveal the central flaw of the harshly judgmental and intolerant philosophy she exemplifies: She advocates restricting the personal freedom and right to fair treatment of many Americans in a fruitless effort to eradicate the kind of behavior that, as her own experience shows, does not lend itself to this sort of approach.
There is so much about Barney Frank's words and experiences that are relevant to this race. Focus on economics, make the differences on choice clear to women, and stay away from tabloid issues unless it relates directly to policy. Barney Frank said, "I'm used to being in the minority. I'm a left-handed gay Jew. I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority." I would imagine that Barak Obama could say something similar. Sure Barney Frank wasn't like us based on his accent. But that didn't stop him from getting elected when he focused on issues.
The Republicans are trying to paint Obama as different and Palin as similar to "real people," whoever they may be. Don't get distracted, get focused on the issues. Economics, economics, economics. No one can tell me that women would rather elect a "hockey mom" when they're faced with losing their homes. We too can prevail as Barney Frank did.