Don Zeigler dot Info

As Sarah Palin continues to refuse to back off of her claim that healthcare reform would create death panels, something interesting has emerged from her time as Alaska governor. Last year as governor, Palin endorsed end of life counseling in a Healthcare Decision Days Proclamation. Palin was for death panels before she was against them.

According to Think Progress, the proclamation stated, “WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions, related to end of life care and medical decision-making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves and to encourage the specific use of advance directives to communicate these important healthcare decisions…

WHEREAS, one of the principal goals of Healthcare Decisions Day is to encourage hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, and hospices to participate in a statewide effort to provide clear and consistent information to the public about advance directives, as well as to encourage medical professionals and lawyers to volunteer their time and efforts to improve public knowledge and increase the number of Alaska’s citizens with advance directives.

WHEREAS, the Foundation for End of Life Care in Juneau, Alaska, and other organizations throughout the United States have endorsed this event and are committed to educating the public about the importance of discussing healthcare choices and executing advance directives.”

This is quite different from the argument that Palin continues to make on her Facebook page, “Yesterday President Obama responded to my statement that Democratic health care proposals would lead to rationed care; that the sick, the elderly, and the disabled would suffer the most under such rationing; and that under such a system these “unproductive” members of society could face the prospect of government bureaucrats determining whether they deserve health care.”

She said the consultations could be coercive, “With all due respect, it’s misleading for the President to describe this section as an entirely voluntary provision that simply increases the information offered to Medicare recipients. The issue is the context in which that information is provided and the coercive effect these consultations will have in that context.”

So it seems that Palin was in favor of the same “coercive death panels” last year that she now opposes. Apparently before she wanted to run for president end of life counseling was fine to encourage, but when Obama proposes the same thing, they are death panels. Palin’s obvious hypocrisy and flip flops are what make her such a joke. I am sure the cult of Sarah will have some sort of lame defense, or maybe Palin wants to kill grandma too.

Sarah Palin’s decision to step down as governor of Alaska has the right shedding tears of disappointment and sorrow, and naturally the first thing they do is blame the big bad liberal media and the Godless liberal left wing loonies.

Time for a fact check, my right wing friends – politics is a dirty business and adherents of both parties have been guilty of gutterball tactics. Everyone’s favorite bellowing right wing pundit, Rush Limbaugh, once called Chelsea Clinton “a dog”. Hillary Clinton was, and continues to be, the butt of jokes regarding her husband’s dalliances, her own physical appearance, and even her sexual preferences. And let’s not forget the endless baseless accusations bandied about concerning Barack Obama’s citizenship, his “palling around with terrorists”, his patriotism and his religious persuasion.

Still, this type of nonsense is part and parcel of a prominent politician’s life. Countless leaders in our government have endured this, remained above the fray, kept their head held high, and continued to serve. By resigning her governorship, Mrs. Palin shows that she simply doesn’t have what it takes to play the game. This is a person who many see as a potential presidential candidate? Would we want a president who has shown a remarkable lack of fortitude in walking away from a job because the going got tough? Would President Palin decide to step down the first time her approval ratings dropped or one of her measures failed in Congress?

Many on the right are spinning her resignation as a smart move in preparation for a 2012 presidential run. Of course! The best way to show you’re presidential material is to quit.

Deep down, not even those spouting the spin really believe it.

Now that we’ve had some time to let the thought of a new president sink in, it’s time to get back to work. After what feels like an unending campaign, it would be so easy to just ignore the next four years. After all, America chose its first black president. We created history. Gay people still can’t marry, but I guess there’s a limit to how many barriers we can break down per election.

That being said, as a collective society we need to gain some perspective. Yes, Obama is the first black president to be elected, but he is not the “black president.” He is simply our next president. People are focusing far too much on what he symbolizes, rather than what he has done, or will do. We need not question the significance of his election, but we cannot judge him on superficial accomplishments alone. He is not a novelty president.

I’m not speaking to the ultra-conservative base at McCain rallies. I’m not pointing to citizens hoarding weapons like children hoard their toys, fearing Obama will take them away.

This is for my fellow Obama supporters: We voted Obama into office, and it’s our responsibility to hold him accountable for his decisions. It’s our responsibility to criticize and praise as necessary. President-elect Obama is going to have to make the most difficult decisions possible, and in a very short period of time.

He will succeed and he will fail. It’s inevitable. We need to be ready for some great decisions, and some we may not like. This is how it goes for a president. Certain decisions will be made for the benefit of the country, not the benefit of a few.

While America bids farewell to the Bradley Effect, we need to look out for the “Kennedy Effect.” Obama has on numerous occasions been compared to John F. Kennedy for his ability to inspire hope, his confidence and charm. JFK was a handsome fresh face against an effective, but tiresome Eisenhower administration, and – well, Richard Nixon.

Obama replaces a president with a 22-percent public approval rating, and ran against John McCain. That’s where the comparison should end. Throughout history, JFK has been struck with an aura of brilliance. But as history continues to hash up the past, it’s clear Kennedy’s mythology did more than his policies.

Kennedy showed intelligence and resolve during the Cuban Missile Crisis, only because he failed miserably during the Bay of Pigs invasion. And yes, he threw money into the space program, but it wasn’t out of love for science. It was a power move against Soviet technology and influence.

Unfortunately, Kennedy died just as he was beginning to have an aggressive domestic agenda, yet the legend of Kennedy lives on much stronger than his policies ever did.

This shouldn’t happen with Barack Obama. Granted, he is a charismatic figure whom many millions admire, and his message of hope and inspiration are by no means something to turn away from. But we must find a balance. America needs to accept that the honeymoon is over.

The problems facing our country haven’t changed. When I hit the polls on Election Day, I didn’t select a black presidential candidate. I didn’t select charm or charisma. I didn’t select the next JFK. I selected the candidate I believe will change the country for the best. That was the easy part. Now comes the real work. The drapes in the Oval Office may be changing, but the challenges and responsibilities of the president haven’t.