Sarah Palin's Mental Health and Domestic Violence Controversy

I take pride in admitting that I am a complete political junkie, constantly reviewing news about the upcoming Presidential election. Last month, while procrastinating on homework, I came across an article on Facebook that caught my eye: “Sarah Palin’s delusional blame game: Obama isn’t responsible for her son’s domestic violence charge.”  While I had heard about Track Palin’s arrest over allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, I had yet to learn about his mother’s controversial comments on the issue.

During a pro-Trump rally in Tusla, Oklahoma, Palin pulled a “Thanks Obama” stunt when she implied that the President’s lack of care for veterans indirectly led to her son’s violent behavior towards his girlfriend. When I first read this SALON article, I was slightly disgusted and curious as to what the former governor had said exactly— so I pulled up a clipof her speech and heard the following:

“So when my own son [a combat vet having served in a Stryker brigade] is going through what he goes through coming back, I can certainly relate with other families who kind of feel these ramifications of PTSD…it is now or never for the sake of America’s finest that we’ll have that commander in chief who will respect them and honor them.”

I was surprised that Sarah Palin, one of the few prominent female politicians we’ve had in U.S. history, would try shift the blame of her son’s domestic violence onto Obama’s policy decisions. While I completely understand that such a domestic violence scandal can undermine the popularity of Palin’s future political endeavors, trivializing a controversial issue makes it all the more worse.

So let’s break it down. What is wrong with the way that Palin framed her son’s domestic violence ordeal?

1.)  As discussed in class, using Track’s ailments from his battlefield experience as an excuse for his behavior frames the alleged perpetrator as a “victim.” It’s like saying, “Oh you punched your girlfriend in the face? Oh it’s okay— as a Veteran, you were not taken care of properly after combat so your actions are completely justifiable.” The absurdity of this statement speaks for itself.

2.)  While I completely agree that PTSD and other mental illnesses affecting veterans needs to be dealt with, I do not find any plausible reason to solely blame Obama for the imperfect care of veterans. As stated in the SALON article, “Obama’s 2016 budget includes $4 million for Veterans Mental Health First Aid.”

3.)  Palin focuses on her son’s fragile position as a war veteran but does not mention the alleged victim’s wellbeing… at all. She could have easily transformed this situation into a motivational message directed towards helping victims of domestic violence.

It is completely possible that perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual assault have mental health issues. However, it is important that the American power elite— the politicians, CEOs, and other influential figures— do not conflate domestic violence as a consequence of the “mentally ill.” Applying Benedict’s “The Assailant Is Perverted or Crazy” rape myth to this situation of domestic violence, we see how Palin’s attribution of blame to PTSD can make it seem that domestic violence is only committed by those with “mental disabilities” rather than relatives, neighbors, and best friends.

This brings me to a topic I am left to ponder: What role does “mental illness” play in domestic violence cases? How do we discuss cases that involve, say former veterans, without trivializing the overall issue of domestic violence?