Finally, Obama touched me.....

Like some in my family. I stood with Hillary every step and even when I wanted her to quit, when I couldn't imagine her staying in the race, withstanding the constant sexism, she stayed. I would have quit a million times over but I was more than willing to stand with her. The strength of purpose, the will, the calm perseverance made me proud.... and even when the primary race was down to "The One", I did not become a part of the Barack Brigade. I thought his convention speech was just that, conventional, but of course, I realize that I have been listening to him for a long time and there was nothing new in that speech. Having heard it all before, I fell asleep.

But, yesterday, with one simple sentence, I was touched. Obama said, (in response to the Palin pregnancy)... I was born to an 18 year old mother. Zap!! Connected. Finally. Like many, I thought Obama's speech in 2003 at the DNC was amazing. I remember thinking...watch out Hillary. And, of course, look what happened --but I have not been an Obamamaniac. Yet, with that one personal, brief but real line, Obama touched me. He stepped up and defended the personal privacy of the new VP candidate. How I wish he had stepped up against the blatant sexism displayed in the primary race against Hillary or even after the primary or maybe just a little something at the convention but he didn't...... until now......

I think John McCain has made a bold choice. He has said, "You want change. You want no more Washington Politics as usual. You want historic." And he picked a woman. OMG!!! The media will have another punching bag to blast and they haven't waited one second. They were lost without Hillary to kick around. They should be thanking John McCain instead of questioning his sanity. What great fun!!!

Gov. Palin is 20 months into her term as Governor (of Alaska!!!) but that does gives her more executive experience than Obama, a senator for one year before he stepped out to run for President. Oh, but we have gotten used to him and he has run a great campaign which to some, shows his ability to run the country. (and he does have that appendage) Let's see....mmmmm....the Democrats put the least experienced at the top of the ticket while the Republicans put their least experienced at the bottom. Oh yes, the people in the primaries voted for the top dogs but one man, McCain, picked Palin, a person who upended "politics as usual" in Alaska; went against both the Republican and Democrat establishments there. And.... Obama picked Biden, a seasoned Washington "politics as usual" insider, who got one percent of the vote in Iowa.

But, let's talk about the person, Palin. She is definitely not a Hillary gal!!! But she is an independent, straight talking, gun-toting, Feminist for Life, who walks the walk. It may not be the same walk that some of you want to take but you know, supporting women's rights is more than standing up for Hillary. And Hillary, who immediately congratulated her on the historic nature of her opportunity, knows that. We all know we had the best qualified, most courageous, experienced woman ready to take this step into history and we said NO....we said NO to even placing her on the bottom of the ticket. (And I want the record to show that I said it first....."If Obama really wanted to win, he had to put Hillary on the ticket.") I knew he wouldn't but he cannot make it without her. And along comes Sarah.....She is the opposite of Hillary on many issues but personality-wise, they might not be too far apart. I am talking about strength of purpose and guts.

McCain has put life back into the Republican Party and all the pundits can say is...Alaska may be cold...but She is HOT!!" (wink, wink--good old boy Mike Barnacle on MSNBC today)

Palin will solidify the Republican base, fire up the Christian Conservatives which McCain was not doing and there is that chance that she will play well with blue-collar conservatives and maybe white men in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Do not count Sarah out my friends or you may look like Mark Penn who didn't think the first term senator from Illinois was more than a younger version of Jesse Jackson.

The media types do not have their hand on the pulse of the people....ordinary people. It became apparent when Bill Clinton who they had bashed and maligned during the primary walked up to the podium at the convention to the "people" who gave him the longest and loudest ovation of anyone. The "people" will decide the future of Sarah Palin and right now the Republican "people" are ecstatic. Just ask my daughter who hasn't been fired up ever about a candidate but Palin for President is her mantra now. (yes, I said president)

And I think the regular families who have struggled with a handicap child or teen-age pregnancy ---- working mothers who juggle family and careers---will like this woman, yes, a modern woman who is not a liberal but still a pioneer woman. If those of us who have been in the trenches of gender warfare for half a century fighting for women's rights and equality, really mean what we say, then we all must smile at what John McCain has done. Whether we vote for him (and her) or not, he has made history with a woman!!!!

That guy has guts in case you didn't know it and I think he has a match. Game on!!!!