Sarah Palin and the First Amendment: An Appeal to Undecided Voters
Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 6:24PM As I write this, only 50 hours and 36 minutes remain until 8 PM, 4 November, when the polls close here in California. Then it will be too late. The die will have been cast. All that will remain is the tallying of the vote and the screaming and gnashing of teeth from one party or the other. Until then, if you haven't voted, there is still time. You can help choose who will lead this country for the next four years, and I beg you to consider this: Sarah Palin does not even understand the First Amendment to the Constitution.
During a radio interview Palin said, "If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations, then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."
This is not gotcha journalism; this in not a hard question like asking about the Bush doctrine or the capital city of Vulcan. Understanding the First Amendment* is high school level civics.
Imagine that John McCain wins the election and then, God forbid, something happens to him early in his term. At McCain's age, with all his marginally repressed anger, he could blow a gasket at any time. Imagine Sarah Palin, who doesn't even understand the basics (like the meaning of the first amendment) attempting to run this country for four years.
Put aside any ideological preferences you have and consider what a Palin admimistration might mean. Palin has already demonstrated that she doesn't understand the nature of the vice president's job, and she doesn't understand the first amendment. In Alaska she doesn't understand the ethics laws. What else does she not understand? Can we afford the fight to defend the Constitution, while we discover what she doesn't understand?
Put all questions of political differences aside and ask yourself, "What kind of judgment did John McCain display in picking a running mate who lacks even a high school level understanding of our government and the constitution?" Even if you like John McCain, plainly Sarah Palin is not fit to assume the office of President of the United States. That makes voting for John McCain too risky to consider. Think about this as you cast your ballot.