Hear No Evil ...

Not that I completely disagree with the Palins in this latest battle with TV’s “Family Guy”, a ridiculous animated show (not a serious endeavor like my beloved “South Park”, of course) in which nothing is sacred. Not that such things should not be challenged at least on some fundamental level, of course, because ignorance and bigotry run amuck is justice denied. We as a nation are a little better than that. However, in this particular case and with Gov. Palin’s scrap with David Letterman still relatively fresh, something becomes clear, I think: the Palins perhaps spend too much time watching TV. And I say this because surely they have actually seen and heard for themselves (rather than heard about) that which they judge to be offensive.

I think many are sure Gov. Palin may be spending so much time on the road and giving speeches because she is positioning herself for a possible presidential run in 2012. No problem in that, of course, but here is a very serious problem: she may be a little too sensitive for her own good AND she needs to pick her battles. A chief executive cannot possibly address every single issue and its minute details that come down the pike, so the president must prioritize and delegate. If Mrs. Palin has delegated her daughter to seek out and/or deal with these issues that really are not issues, then so much for the judgment of this potential candidate.

This nation has some serious problems that require serious solutions. Spending too much time worrying about TV personalities and animated shows, both of which are impossible to take seriously, may indicate a very shallow perspective on what is truly important. A naïve belief that all social idiots and insensitive jerks can or even should be dealt with is naiveté at its very worst, and there is no place in the Oval Office for that.

The current administration alone should be ample proof that idealism, even at its very best, must be tempered with a certain realism by which we can imagine a better world and work toward a better world, but we cannot demand it by simply complaining about it or calling names through the media. Take a look at how congressional Democrats and Republicans deal with one another. THEY DON’T. They “release” letters to one another through the national media (do they ever actually mail them or send them to the intended recipient via courier?) and they stand at the rotunda and give speeches filled with accusations toward one another, but they don’t talk to one another.

Gov. Palin may give great and rousing speeches and be a good cheerleader for the GOP, but the Democrats have President Obama. See how well that seems to be working for them.