Psychopolitics with Dr. Brian
July 6, 2009 by Dawn
Filed under Featured Writers
- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
On the psychopolitical front:
Marion Barry, former Washington, D.C. mayor and current city councilman, is in trouble with the law…again…this time for allegedly stalking a woman. His priors include drug use, after which a majority of Washingtonians re-elected him as mayor, and tax evasion, after which a majority of Washingtonians in his ward re-elected him to the city council. See a pattern? (Maybe that’s part of the reason why my parents moved from D.C. to Kansas to raise their kids.)
Many are wondering why Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin resigned on Friday, effective at the end of this month. Some are speculating that she did it so that she can focus on writing a book and on raising money and support for a presidential campaign. That could be all of it, as her Facebook profile suggests, or just part of it, and if there’s another part, it may not be just what she cited in her resignation speech — a series of frivolous but distracting ethics complaints that have made it difficult for her to govern since last year’s presidential campaign in which she was Sen. John McCain’s running mate. All I can say is that the Palin family has faced some major stressors in the past year, and she seems to me like the kind of person who would put politics aside, at least temporarily, if her marriage and/or children needed her full attention. A special-needs child, for example, can require enough attention to put strain on a marriage and family. Also, as someone who’s had just a tiny taste of it compared to Palin, I can only imagine what it’s like when a majority of Americans have formed opinions about you, many of them negative, without ever meeting you in person. Given the numerous attacks on Palin in the media, most recently and notably a thoughtless remark about her daughter by comedian David Letterman, I wouldn’t be surprised if her husband and/or kids have developed some conscious or subconscious resentment of her high profile. I think we’ll understand her reason(s) for resigning better when we see what she does in the coming weeks (whether she seems to be seeking the political spotlight or avoiding it).
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