Sometimes I hear people describe criticism of Sarah Palin as “hate”. “All you liberals are hating on Sarah Palin!”
It’s not hate, it’s patriotism.Â
If you believe, as I do, that she is utterly unqualified, and that the country is in deep trouble, you have to believe that Palin is a threat to our country. It’s not just politics. I don’t agree with a lot of conservative positions, but usually from a moral, philosophical, or economic basis. I don’t usually think they are trying to destroy our nation. We can argue over minium wage, a woman’s right to choose, and proposition 8 (hate). These are important arguments, and the Republicans are morally wrong. But lots of people are wrong. I’m sure I’m wrong about something too.
Patriotism is a different thing. Patriotism starts from the premise that this is my country, and I care about what happens to it. I don’t think it’s the greatest possible country, or that it’s always right. But I live here, as do most of the people I love. It has given me life, prosperity, space to become who I am. I owe it something in return.
One thing I owe it is criticism of its leaders. If we’re going into a war we can’t win, for reasons that are misguided, I owe it to myself, to the troops, to the future of our country, to object. Also, while my politics are important, I owe the country at least the awareness that people who disagree with me are still Americans. We’re in this together.
If I were to push a person or an agenda that satisfies my personal interests, the economic status of my class, or the specific requirements of my religion, that has to be balanced against the interests of the country as a whole. I can do so, of course. But if I push for my particular bracket to get great tax relief, while other brackets suffer, that’s not patriotic. If I take it to the extreme, undercutting the financial health of the country as a whole, I’m being unpatriotic.
After the Katie Couric interview, it became obvious to me that Palin is not ready to lead. Not even close. If you don’t see that, and you are for Palin still, that’s fine. We disagree. But if you did see it and are ignoring it because she represents your party or your religion, then you are being unpatriotic. The most patriotic thing I can do, right now, is to strive against her. It’s not because I hate her, it’s because I love this country.