Before I get into Sarah Palin, let me talk to your about the movie she reminded me of. Politics, (1931) a pre-code movie with Marie Dressler and Polly Moran is a gem and I highly recommend you see it. If you’ve ever seen Dinner at Eight, (1933) Marie Dressler played the very funny role of Carlotta. She appeared in silent films with Charlie Chaplin, and was paired often with Wallace Beery, and with comedian Polly Moran. I love her!
I loved the movie because it dealt with crooked politicians, thugs, and how 2 women believed they could turn it all around if given the chance to run the town. This was pretty ambitious for the day. Marie plays an unassuming woman named Hattie Burns. She cooks, sews, and takes care of her family, like “women ought to.” Her side kick, Ivy Higgins played by Polly Moran is politically involved. Ivy is in support of, unbeknownst to her, a crooked politician.
In one of the rallies for the politician Ivy urges other women to vote for him, but somehow it doesn’t sit well with Hattie. What makes him such a good politician? He hadn’t changed anything; he spoke well, but did nothing. Hattie cut-off all the melodious speak, and really heard the words. Empty words is all it was, no substance. The docile woman builds up enough courage to confront the mayor on the issues at hand. The mayor repudiates her and this wakes up the bear within in Hattie. Hattie finds her strong fighting spirit and lets the mayor have it, she promises to run the mayor and all the other Lake City thugs out of town and into jail where they belong!
The crowd reacts and nominates her to run against the crooked mayor. She is shocked at herself. But in her heart she knew she cared enough to really make “change,” and offer “hope,” to her town. Her words had substance, no music, just action.
Well, when I watched Sarah Palin, John McCain’s running mate, I thought of Hattie Burns. Seeing Sarah Palin speak yesterday was so refreshing and energizing. I thought this is the woman leader we’ve been waiting for. Ms Palin has taken on “the good old boys,” on both sides for the greater good of her state. She tells congress, thanks, but no thanks, “if Alaska wanted a bridge to nowhere, we’d build it ourselves.” No wasteful spending in her camp. This is a woman with true conviction, integrity, guts, and grit. She is just like the character Hattie in the movie, but prettier 
.
Hattie in the movie was a woman in a time when the suffragists were just starting their movement. Sarah Palin is a product of that movement. She is a woman who really knows the struggle of the people and sacrifices a lot for the good of the country she loves. Like Hattie in the movie, Sarah’s heart is wrapped all around the country, and that my friend will give us true “change,” and “hope,” for the future.
