Andrew Sullivan offers some shocking statistics to back up the claim that Alaska is not a place that values education for its children. And nothing like the anti-education governor to serve as the spokesperson for this anti-education:
Her eldest son has a history of vandalism and was given a GED on the way to Iraq; her oldest daughter was removed from high school for a mysterious length of time last year and is now about to have a baby (due December 18, Palin told us); her youngest daughter, Piper, missed school all fall because she was being carted around the country in Neiman Marcus underwear. And the governor herself, of course, couldn’t manage to stay in one college, graduated with a degree in sports journalism, cut her own town’s library funds and leveraged the town’s budget on a new sports stadium (with new house thrown in!).
Palin's nomination and subsequent disastrous interviews made me more aware of the potential secondary effects of this year's election. A win by Obama would send a message to young Black American men that working hard and staying in school could lead to a lifetime of success. A win by Palin would send a message to young White American women that donning make-up, joining beauty pageants, being both stupid and uneducated, and catching the eye of a wealthy old man could lead to a lifetime of success.