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Friday, December 19, 2008

Politics / Drugs "We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity."

Posted by Dan Savage on Fri, Dec 19, 2008 at 12:19 PM

Charles already posted a link to what I consider the story of the day: the arrest on drug charges of Sherry L. Johnston.

Sherry Johnston is the mother of Levi Johnston. Levi Johnston is the impregnator of Bristol Palin. Bristol Palin is the unwed teenage daughter of Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin is the governor of Alaska, John McCain's pick for VP, and, according to a majority of rank-and-file Republicans, the unofficial leader of the GOP and a front-runner for the GOP nomination in 2012.

During her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention—which I watched from the floor—Palin quoted "a writer" who had nice stuff to say about people who grow, or are grown, in small towns. It popped into my head when I read about Sherry Johnston this morning. Now I don't think folks who deal drugs are bad people—p'shaw—but without a doubt Sarah Palin and the delegates at the Republican National Convention don't regard drug dealers as "good people." So the fact that Sarah Palin may have a small-town drug dealer in her family—Bristol and Levi are still getting married, riiiiiight?—makes the unflattering comparison Palin was attempting to draw between herself and Barack Obama, who grew up all over the world and whose children are gettin' grown in a big scary city, all that much more hilariously hypocritical.

Now let's sit back and imagine the reaction from the right—from champions of small town "values" like Sarah Palin—if it had been the mother of a thuggish future son-in-law of Barack and Michelle Obama who got arrested for dealing drugs...

Oh, and that writer Palin quoted? The guy with such nice things to say about small towns? A racist and an anti-semite who called for the assassination of Robert Kennedy. They do grow good people in small towns—and big towns. But Sarah Palin ain't one of 'em.

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I'll bet Palin is good and humiliated.. I can't help it, it just feels sooooooo good. snicker, snicker, snort!

Posted by Gato22 on December 19, 2008 at 12:27 PM

Why won't you people just let us be and go back to believing that Alaska is its own country... or Canada.

*facepalm*

Posted by Lily Fluffbottom on December 19, 2008 at 12:32 PM

Schadenfreude...so wrong, but it feels so right.

Posted by Leslie N. on December 19, 2008 at 12:32 PM

Here's how I see the scenerio unfolding:

1. Sherry Johnston will cry and say she's sorry and ask people to pray for her to give up her sinful ways.
2. Palin and company will pray for her and accept her back into Jesusland.
3. Republicans will deflect all attacks by saying, "but she's changed her ways and gone back to the lord, so... no backs."

Posted by Urgutha Forka on December 19, 2008 at 12:33 PM

Well, I hope the Alaskan State Troopers are happy. They've simply ruined Christmas dinner at the Palin house.

"Bristol, dear-- could you pass the potatoes to the son-of-a-crack-fiend at the end of the table?"

Posted by eclexia on December 19, 2008 at 12:34 PM

I think the thing that bugs me the most about Republicans/conservatives/right-wingers is not their beliefs or values, per se. It's the fact that they're into SELF-DECEPTION. Their insistence that the world needs to look like Leave it to Beaver despite the fact that, in their little perfect world, there are gay people, and drug dealers, and single moms who got out after being beaten up, and guys who put on women's clothes behind closed doors, is just ridiculous; their world is not part of the REALITY-BASED WORLD! It's all conveniently ignored as long as you keep up that happy facade. Is that what God wants? I highly doubt it.

Posted by Chris down in The Couv on December 19, 2008 at 12:36 PM

Anybody who has ever actually lived in a small town recognized Palin's portrayal of small towns as Norman Rockwell America as an absurdity the moment that line tumbled out of her mouth.

Posted by flamingbanjo on December 19, 2008 at 12:36 PM

Small towns. Is that the term for freestanding structures surrounded by parking lots near highway off-ramps?

Posted by PedestrianMe on December 19, 2008 at 12:39 PM

She was selling meth to a gay right wing preacher

Posted by Thought I Saw A Bum on December 19, 2008 at 12:39 PM

Hmmm...does this mean they're going to push the wedding date back?

Posted by Mr. X on December 19, 2008 at 12:42 PM

Joe over at Joe.My.God was calling her MethMaw. Hahaha!

Posted by Balt-O-Matt on December 19, 2008 at 12:44 PM

OK, one thing keeps gnawing on my brain... state troopers.... She was busted by Alaska State Troopers who report up to Palin.

What are the chances that in a state like Alaska, somebody didn't phone the Governor and let her know what was about to go down?

Or maybe the whole thing is just a family smack-down. Palin wanted to get Bristol's mother-in-law out of the wedding. "Let's see her try to argue about caterers from prison".

Posted by eclexia on December 19, 2008 at 12:56 PM

Now let's sit back and imagine the reaction from the right—from champions of small town "values" like Sarah Palin—if it had been the mother of a thuggish future son-in-law of Barack and Michelle Obama who got arrested for dealing drugs...

You forgot a couple "ifs" there: if Obama were the VP candidate and not presidential candidate, and if Obama had lost the election. Somehow in that case I don't think anyone would much care.

But by all means, keep on acting like you've discovered some epic "gotcha" that is going to make life in America better by harping on it. Maybe make a series out of it: "We Grow Good People in our Small Towns"

Why is "imagine what the right would do in this case" always an excuse for engaging in the same behavior, ie acting like a petulant asshole?

Posted by w7ngman on December 19, 2008 at 1:03 PM

The story says she's being charged with "manufacturing or delivering drugs." Fuck! What if she had a grow house or meth lab?

Posted by Trevor on December 19, 2008 at 1:04 PM

ummm...how do we know she's a republican at all? but, yay, let's all rejoice in someone's downfall...it's the cool thing to do.

Posted by taint on December 19, 2008 at 1:14 PM

@15
Hell ya! and I'd poke her with a stick if I had one.

Posted by Walk Softly on December 19, 2008 at 1:35 PM

at 15? what the hell does that even mean? i have a name, y'know.

Posted by taint on December 19, 2008 at 2:01 PM