We all heard Sarah Palin talk about pro-American parts of the country.
“We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe — We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation.”
There’s no misunderstanding this or twisting it. It’s pretty clear; if you don’t live in a small town or Washington DC, you’re not part of the “best of America” and you’re not “pro-America”.
“This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom.”
I don’t need to tell you how ridiculous this is. It’s been all over major news sources for a week. I already know how she feels about small towns. She’s put an emphasis on how valuable they are since she arrived on the scene. These comments don’t surprise me, especially coming from someone who hasn’t spent a lot of time outside her own cocoon. (I am not suggesting that small towns aren’t valuable. I’m from a small town, my family is all from a small town. I just think that it’s unfair, and frankly, quite stupid to suggest residents of small towns are better or more patriotic than those of us living in larger cities. And wouldn’t being pro-America mean that you see the value in ALL of America, in ALL of our residents?)
No, the real eye-roller is her attempt to take it back. In an interivew with Brian Williams that aired Thursday, Williams asked Palin if she is a feminist. She has called herself this in the past. Palin responded with this gem (emphasis mine):
“I’m not gonna label myself anything, Brian,” said Palin. “And I think that’s what annoys a lot of Americans, especially in a political campaign, is to start trying to label different parts of America different, different backgrounds, different . . . I’m not going to put a label on myself.“
She’s perfectly happy placing that label on the rest of us, you know, until the country calls her out on it. Suddenly she feels she knows what annoys a lot of Americans. Why didn’t she know this before she diced the country up into two Americas?
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