Handcuffed by Hypocrisy

Much has been made about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin being John McCain's vice-presidential pick. Many have chimmed in their opinions on how either she is far to inexperienced to be a vice-presidential candidate, let alone a vice-president. Others have argued that she has the executive experience necessary to be ready to handle such a high position. No matter how you see politics, or how you see Sarah Palin as a nominee for vice-president one thing is true. Her place in this election has put the hypocrisy of rhetoric and politics on full blast.

The most obvious example of hyprocrisy is by the conservative values crowd (that trends politically to the right) on the matter of the teenage pregnancy of Gov. Palin's daughter. Sen. Obama has asked that the Palin's family privacy be respected, proving he has opted for class on the matter. However, there is one thing that must not go unsaid. Gov. Palin's daughter Bristol is no worse than any other young lady who is a pregnant teenager. She is no more a social outcast or misfit than any other young woman to be impregnated during her teenage years. The apparent class that it takes to say that, is something that many on the right have been lacking. They are willing to say Bristol Palin made a mistake, but other young women must have some deplorable moral compass.

For years many conservatives commentators and politicians have made themselves famous by chiding teenage pregnancy in urban (read Black and Latino) communities as evidence of the lowering values of the nation, and poor parenting. Some politicians even believed that out-of-wedlock birth becomes a drain on our economy. Bill O'Reilly in his talking points section criticized Mary Mitchell for race baiting when she noted the hypocrisy to teenage pregnancy. O'Reilly instead suggested that "as long as society doesn't have to support the mother, father or baby it is a personal matter. Once the taxpayers do have to support the young family it becomes a public policy matter." O'Reilly's remarks reek of condescension, and sublminally suggest that when White teenagers get pregnant their families can handle the financial burden of a baby, thus making it a private matter. But when Black teenagers get pregnant and need financial assistance from the government they lose all right to privacy.

When examining this issue one may argue that you can not get too caught up in race. The real issue is class. This (like almost every other issue that involves race) means we see race and class going hand in hand. That would mean many White conservatives would lambaste fellow Whites as "poor white trash" . However it is not safe to assume that Blacks with financial means would escape the judgemental wrath of the "values voters". One can safely predict that if Sen. Obama were to run for vice-president, senator, or even congressman with a pregnant teenage daughter he would have to drop out of the race because of all the questions surrounding his and his family's moral standing.

The hypocrisy isn't limited to the commentators, nor is it limited to speculation as to what would happen should the shoe be on the other foot. The hyprocrisy is tangible and legitimate. Take for example Congressman David Dreier who suggest that Bristol Palin's pregnancy shows that her mother is someone who "understands the challenges of the real world." This must be political spin, because I'm sure the countless Black mothers weren't appreciated for their ability to "understand the challenges of the real world" when their teenage daughters got pregnant. This hypocrisy rises to all new levels when you consider that Rep. Dreier voted for the 1996 Welfare Reform Bill. That bill sought to, among other things, discourage teen pregnancy by denying welfare to teen mothers. This behavior and rhetoric is shameful and speaks to the hypocrisy that makes it difficult to take seriously those who argue the nation has lost its moral values. Apparently it has also lost its sense of fairness.