Sarah Palin, the former Alaska Governor who made a name for herself running for Vice President of the United States in the previous election year, has attacked the holiday card released by the White House this year. Palin attacked the holiday card on Fox News Radio.
The Obamas’ dog, Bo, is on the front of the holiday card, sitting in a Christmas-like setting. The fireplace is decorated with wreaths and red ribbons and there is a table with a poinsettia plant and some presents in the scene as well. The message on the inside of the card, which is signed by the Obama family, and Bo, reads as follows:
“From our family to yours, may your holidays shine with the light of the season.”
Palin called the Obama holiday card ‘odd’ and elaborated on that statement:
“It’s odd,” she said, because the card features the dog and not traditions such as faith, freedom, and family.
“Even stranger than that was his first year in office when the Christmas ornaments included Chairman Mao,” Palin said. “People had to ask that it be removed because it was offensive.”
The incident that Palin speaks of was when a right-wing blog posted a photo, which included an ornament on the White House Christmas tree back in 2009. The ornament was a reproduction of Andy Warhol’s Mao portrait. It was reported back in 2009 by Media Matters that the tree had been decorated by groups from the community and not decorated by anyone within the White House.
Palin went on to say that the majority of American citizens prefer “American foundational values illustrated and displayed on Christmas cards and on a Christmas tree. It’s just a different way of thinking coming out of the White House.”
“I go on the offense like most Americans do and say ‘No, we’ll have Christ back in Christmas and hopefully it won’t offend you,'” Palin said in a November 2010 interview with Fox News.
On Monday, Palin decided to add some fuel to the fire when she discussed her future plans after originally saying she would not run for the 2012 GOP nomination for president:
“It’s not too late for folks to jump in,” she said. “Who knows what will happen in the future.”
Mark Matuszak, a Los Angeles artist, said he was contacted by the social secretary of the White House earlier in 2011 to design the Obama holiday card.
“They wanted to do an inside shot, something home related,” Matuszak told the Los Angeles Times. He said one suggestion was to focus on the family dog, Bo. “So we thought, let’s put Bo in front of a fireplace.”
Recent White House holiday cards have not even included mentions of Christmas, which was the case for the card released by George Bush in 2008.