Posted on 11/01/2008 1:47:26 PM PDT by CE2949BB
Election Day is quickly approaching and the United States will likely elect the first African-American man to the most powerful office in the world. His political views aside, this would be a major victory for race relations in this country; it should end the argument that because of the color of your skin, there are still feats you cannot reach because of inherent racism in our system. Indeed, there is no higher position one can attain as President of the United States of America (though, it can be debated, I suppose, the highest position one could reach is that of the Pope). Yet on the heels of such a truly historic occasion, we are stained with the rancid scent of intolerance by the so-called “Progressives” of this country.
The other historic possibility next week is the election of the first female Vice President in this nation’s history, but you do not hear much of that coming from the Left, who love to tout themselves as the party of tolerance. You would think that even the notion of a female Vice President, regardless of her politics, would have some positive impact of the minds of the Progressives –but they don’t.
To be a feminist is merely a label for Progressives who want to see women gain the same positions of power as men, so long as they believe in every tenet of the Progressive movement – otherwise, they are seen as setting women back decades. A feminist columnist for the Detroit Free Press, Rochelle Riley, wrote that, in essence, Sarah Palin is politically insipid, her mere presence as a nominee sets women back, and that she is not “ready to represent women.” Similarly, Kim Gandy, the twice-elected President of the National Organization of Women (NOW), told the nationally syndicated Phil Hendrie Show that because she feels Palin is unqualified, her election would “set women back.”
That’s right: a woman reaching the highest position as a politician to date is not a victory for women! Yet, an African-American reaching the pinnacle of political power would change the landscape of race relations in the United States and signal to the rest of the world – which, by the way, is decades behind us in racial understanding – that we’re finally a society that properly values something other than an old white man. The hypocrisy is staggering, yet expected of the Progressive movement.
Progressives are anything but progressive. They preach tolerance, when at the same time they wholeheartedly reject any opinion other than their own. They resort to name calling and, especially in Sarah Palin’s case, there’s a notion that it’s not about a minority reaching a position of power anymore, but whether or not that minority is qualified and capable of the job in their eyes. Of course, a progressive will scream “racism” when someone rejects affirmative action in higher education admissions or will decry how the typical straight white man will pre-judge a woman, before giving her the chance to prove that she is just as capable as anyone else to perform a certain job. Yet before Palin even takes office, Progressives and so-called feminists like Ms. Gandy or Ms. Riley want to rain on Palin’s parade as a woman who just may be our next Vice President – they are, in essence, committing the same moral crime as a man does when he thinks a woman is incapable of running a business or sitting beside him on a board because she is female.
In Sen. Barack Obama’s case, the progressive movement says “The One” is not only ready for the job, but is already the best President we will ever have (and he’s not even been elected yet). These positive predictions of his presidency are plentiful, even though Sen. Obama has not achieved a single, major legislative accomplishment as a Senator or even a community organizer, a task he took on as part of his effort to pad his résumé to help propel him to where he is today. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, has more experience as an executive, along with actual accomplishments as, dare I say, a “maverick” of her own party in Alaska. Yet because of her politics, she is shunned by members of her own gender because she happens to choose life over abortion, or does not think a woman should advance in career for the sole reason of her lack of male organs.
In just a few days, we will have a new President and Vice President and on both tickets, a historical choice will be made. Before we judge either Obama or Palin’s performance in their jobs that they don’t yet have, Progressives should, as Americans, as people, as historically conscious beings, acknowledge how we’re about to change history, and not let petty politics say an African-American as President is somehow more important and meaningful as a woman being Vice President. Time for Progressives to grow up and live up to what their original tenets meant to celebrate: the prospect that a woman, independent in her beliefs from that of what a man may tell her to believe, will be the most powerful female in the country.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Jason Rantz is the Executive Producer of the Phil Hendrie Show and President of Rantz Productions LLC.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
If it looks like communist, walks like a communist, and quacks like a communist, it **IS** a communist!
It is time we called self-labeled “progressives” what they really are: Communists and Marxists.
You got that right. Add the likes of Reid, Polsie, Frank, Dodd, etc., what ride this will be. There will be a huge pile of silly Americans that voted for him as they take it up the butt. Especially the 40 or so percent that pay no income tax get their once a year 500 or 1000. Wow, that sure will go a long way. Of course these nitwits forgot that as the rich are hit, so the price of the goods or services they provide will go up, and up, and up as the anointed one hits this rich with more and more tax.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.