Chicago Daily Observer

Prejudice is ugly and ignorant. It has no place anywhere, particularly in journalism. Yet, when I read the words written by black Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell in the Sunday paper, I was both amazed at what she wrote and disgusted by it.

Mitchell wrote the very words that – had they been written about Senator Barack Obama – would have been cause for a columnist’s termination. She wrote, “Palin’s on the ticket because she’s a woman.” As I recall, Geraldine Ferraro was roundly called a racist when she mentioned that Senator Obama surge in politics was helped because he is black.

Is one statement more biased, more prejudiced, than the other? More offensive? In one sentence Mitchell attempts to displace the experience of this impressive woman from Alaska with what can only be labeled raw sexism.

But that’s not all Mitchell writes about Governor Palin. She also adds that the ... Read More...

From the comments section of the Financial Times Foreign Affairs Blog:

First, we find out Sarah Palin and her husband opted to have a baby knowing full well the risks of having a Down Syndrome baby after age 35. Then they parade the child’s disability around like a pity cry. I feel so sorry for that child having to be raised by ignorant, exploitive parents. Next, we find out that her daughter has been living in sin and is now pregnant. I suppose there will have to be a maternity wing added to the White House to accomodate all the Palin offspring, illegitimate and otherwise

Mark VanGelder

If the McCain/Palin ticket loses in November—perish the thought—maybe we could talk her into moving to Illinois from Alaska to run for governor here.

Sarah Palin is everything Illinois needs in a governor, but never had, at least for as long as I can remember. Besides setting Alaska’s finances in order, she demonstrated her seriousness about ethics reform by siccing investigations on her fellow Republicans. “She doesn’t care for the Republican Party [in Alaska] and the old guard doesn’t care for her,” said her former Washington D.C. representative, Larry Persily.

An NPR story, of all things, noted: “As governor, Palin says she’s tried to instill public confidence in the government of a state that’s been shaken by political scandals. She won’t invite lobbyists to her office and has introduced ethics reform legislation. One of her first acts as governor was to kill the now infamous ‘bridge to nowhere’ ... Read More...

Just as Barack Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as his running mate told us much about how the campaign perceived its weaknesses and strengths (see last week’s column), so the choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tells us what John McCain & Co. really think about their own chances.

I think they think they’re in big trouble and consequently chose a high-risk strategy. They’re gambling she will be the same help to McCain as Lyndon Johnson was to John F. Kennedy but run the risk she will be as Spiro Agnew was to Richard Nixon.

First off, like the Obama campaign, they eschewed electoral geography. Tim Pawlenty, Tom Ridge, Rob Portman or Mitt Romney would have been helpful in the key battleground states of Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan respectively. There are various reasons why any one of them would be rejected, but essentially the campaign is saying none guarantees ... Read More...