You can’t turn on the television or radio, or pick up a news- paper these days without seeing or hearing the name “Sarah Palin” plastered throughout an article, or her name being discussed as the potential next presidential candidate for the Republican party. But over the last few weeks, Mrs. Palin has decided to engage in a fight that has upset both Democrats and Republicans alike.
Mrs. Palin’s obsession-like paranoia with Mrs. Michelle Obama’s efforts to show kids a healthier way to eat has put her at odds with her own words in the 2009 State of the State address and the views of her own party.
The program the First Lady is advocating is voluntary and geared towards schools and parents to encourage kids to eat better and to make exercise a daily part of their routine.
Mrs. Obama’s childhood antiobesity campaign has received the approval of members of both sides of the political spectrum, except Mrs. Palin, who see these efforts as “too much government” and a “government take-over.”
In an interview with conservative host Laura Ingraham, Palin said the First Lady’s effort to curb childhood obesity amounts to a lack of trust that parents can make the right decisions for their children. Palin said;
Take her anti-obesity thing that she’s on. She is on this kick, right. What she is telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, for their own families in what we should eat. And..and..and I know I’m going to be again criticized for bringing this up, but instead of a government thinking that they need to take over and make decisions for us according to some politician or politician’s wife priorities, just leave us alone, get off our back, and allow us as individuals to exercise our own God-given rights to make our own decisions and then our country gets back on the right track.
But these are not Palin’s first comments against Mrs. Obama’s campaign. She previously called Pennsylvania a “nanny state run amok,” when some schools in the state decided to serve more healthier foods to their students. Then, to show her disgust in these schools, Palin proceeded to hand 200 sugar cookies to a Bucks County school fundraiser. In her most annoying voice yet, Palin then said;
“I had to shake it up a little bit because I heard there is a debate going on in Pennsylvania over whether most schools condemn sweets, cakes, cookies, that type of thing. I brought dozens and dozens of cookies to these students.”
Palin’s On The Wrong Side
The Wall Street Journal, a conservative opinion page is often critical of the Obama administration on various policy decisions, but on the Palin vs. Michelle Obama issue, the Journal recalls Palin’s own words in her 2009 State of the State address, when referring to Health Care reform. She said;
” ‘Health-care reform on an individual basis is often just this simple: we could save a lot of money and a lot of grief by making smarter choices. It starts by ending destructive habits and beginning healthy habits in eating and exercise.’ “
The Journal continues;
“Mrs. Obama’s campaign is grounded in similar sentiments, and in that sense is unusual for this White House in emphasizing personal responsibility. Mrs. Palin would be more effective if she made some distinctions among the Obama policies that really are worth opposing.”
Even the conservative 2008 Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, is siding with Michelle Obama on this one. Asked on a recent radio show what he thought about Palin’s desire to attack childhood obesity, Huckabee said;
“With all due respect to my colleague and friend Sarah Palin, I think she’s misunderstood what Michelle Obama is trying to do, Michelle Obama’s not trying to tell people what to eat or trying to force the government’s desires on people, but she’s stating the obvious: that we do have an obesity crisis in this country … The first lady’s campaign is on target. It’s not saying that you can’t or should never eat a dessert.”
Sarah Palin has been the Republican golden child since John McCain anointed her the 2008 vice presidential candidate. She has since taken on a lot of policies decision by this administration and question, even lie about the effect of those policies. She has never been rebuked as a liar, except that one time when her “death panel” explanation was called lie of the year by PolitiFact – a political fact checking organization.
Now, Mrs. Palin is at it again and this time, she’s on her own. She was for healthy eating in her State of the State address, but now is against it because a Democrat in the White House is trying to educate children on healthy eating.
The politics of the moment dictates her moves. And the $100,000.00 speaking fees for criticizing the White House doesn’t hurt either.
