Open letter to Mika Brzezinski about Real Americans

Dear Ms. Brzezinski,

I know you'll likely never read this - after all, I'm just one of those pajama clad bloggers. Sure, I volunteer to sign people up to vote so they can exercise their American rights as citizens, I read and participate in democracy with what limited time I have between my family, my job, and my work in interviewing religious leaders to understand how different faiths are about.

Yesterday morning, I caught you making a statement about how "real Americans" felt about Sarah Palin. I quote:

...people were coming to those rallies because they agreed with her (meaning Palin.) Look at the polls out there, look where people stand on life, look where real americans think, and you will find...that in the, you know, oh God I hate to say it, but in the cities where there are more liberal elite populations, you're not going to find what's representative with America.

Then, this morning, you cited a poll about how more people saying they had become "more conservative" recently, then used that to defend yourself in your statements from yesterday.

I'm not so sure how that works, and maybe you didn't mean it that way, but let me tell you what I'm hearing:

Real Americans love Sarah Palin.

People who live in "liberal elite" cities don't like Sarah Palin.

More people are becoming conservatives, so that supports your statement that "Real Americans" like Sarah Palin.

I'm trying to find a respectful way of asking this question but - who are "Real Americans"? I can think of no more ignorant and offensive term than "Real Americans."

A Real American is the reporter sitting in the White House Press room trying to find out just what it happening in the country.

A Real American is the worker at the homeless shelters.

A Real American is the Socialist who believes in the government controlling the means of production because they feel that would equal that monetary imbalance in the country.

A Real American is the Libertarian who believes that everything, from road repairs to police force to the army, should be privatized because government can not be trusted.

A Real American is the hooded KKK member who rails about how minorities are taking over the country, and a Real American is the civil rights worker who still stands up to fix the social injustices for every race and religion and gender and sexuality.

A Real American is a Democrat voting for the people they think will make their country better.

A Real American is a Republican voting for the people they think will make their country better.

The city slicker, the country rube, the people working on their lawns in the suburbs, the wall street investor living off his profits while they look at a homeless person begging for food, and the homeless person seeing the rich man in his expensive car - each of these are Real Americans.

You could have said that some conservatives love Sara Palin, or Republicans, or who knows what. But by using the loaded terms of Real Americans make it clear that those who agree with Sarah Palin and her ideals are Real Americans - and those who think differently are, well, I guess somehow less than Americans.

The only Real Americans are those who are US citizens, and the only Fake Americans are, well, I guess someone who claims to be a US citizen and isn't.

That's it.

I'm a Real American. I personally don't care for Sarah Palin because I believe she is a quitter without the stomach to do the hard things it takes to do be a leader, I find her ignorant, and I'm frankly glad she never got anywhere near the White House's corridors of power. I'm a pro-choice public health care desiring Democratic voting atheistic father of three great kids and a beautiful wife living in a pretty big city.

And while you might not think so, I am a Real American. And I'd appreciate it if you stop implying that somehow, I and others who don't particularly care for Ms. Palin's ideals are not.

Yours,

John Hummel