"real" america

A few days ago, Sarah Palin was on the campaign trail, giving her usual stump speech about how Obama likes to talk to people who have done things wrong in their past and served their time. During the course of her speech, she said that she liked being in small towns, where people worked in factories, fought for their country and grew small businesses. Now that's perfectly fine, I have absolutely nothing against small towns, small towns are great. I grew up in what was a small town, but while I was growing up, transformed into sub-urban sprawl.

Later on in the speech though, is when the real fun started. Later on is when Palin said that she liked being in small town because they are what she calls "Real America". As if the rest of America other than these "small towns" is the fake America. As if it doesn't really exist or is a part of an entirely different country. Or if like John Stewart said last night, "If you're from a big city and have gone to war in the War on Terror and have died, I guess it doesn't count."

What is it with the notion that if you live in a city or in suburbia, you're not really an American. Never mind that the top-ten most populous cities in the country combine to account for more than 33 million people. Never mind that just because some people who live in cities have ideas that are different than people who live in places that aren't cities, they are still American citizens and have fought and died for their country.

Just because large cities tend to vote Democrat doesn't mean that they aren't "real" Americans. Sarah Palin and the rest of the Republican campaign need to realize that every citizen of this country is a "real" American, and their disagreement with other peoples ideas is the most American thing of all.