This post is directed at fans of Sarah Palin (if there are any amongst my readers!). It may help you to understand why the rest of us are so appalled at her success. I've tried to think objectively about why I find her rising star disturbing.
It is not because she is "folksy", which I suspect is a big aspect of her appeal. Nor does it have anything to do with her being a working mom--many of us admire the ability to balance work and family. No, it is because of her overt incompetence and shallowness. After having just lived through the worst presidency of modern times, that of Geroge W. Bush, where decisions were made on a political basis without regard for competence ("heck of a job Brownie") and as if the world were black and white, it is disturbing that another politician with very limited knowledge and ideological blinders could gain such popularity. It is also disheartening to have such a polarizing figure rise in prominence now. Whatever you think of President Obama, he has made an effort to restore thoughtful dialogue to our national debates. We can disagree, but let us not disagree with the gleeful venom of Sarah Palin.
Whatever you think about Sarah Palin's politics, or her ability to raise children while working, or whatever you perceive as positive, please recognize that she is not fit to be President of the United States. I don't know if she really believes what she says, or she is just an opportunist, but the scariest thing is that her ambitions seem to greatly exceed her abilities.
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Why the rising star of Sarah Palin troubles us
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sarah Palin's thoughts on Iraq
Here are some thoughts from Republican VP pick Gov. Sarah Palin on Iraq. She makes George W. Bush sound coherent.
Further, her energy policy seems to consist mainly of further oil drilling. We cannot free ourselves from foreign oil by domestic drilling—there is not enough of it. And continuing to rely on oil will certainly do nothing to help global warming.
I also find it troubling that McCain met her only once or twice before picking her. Is that Putting America First? Don't get me wrong, I would love to see a qualified woman (like Hillary Clinton) elected to the US Presidency, but we can't just omit the "qualified" part.
Friday, August 29, 2008
McCain's Choice
Today, John McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska to be his running mate. There is no question that it was a Hail Mary pass. It was designed to
• Obliterate coverage of Obama's historic acceptance speech.
• Appeal to anti-abortion activists
• Try to pick off disaffected Hillary voters
• Appeal to anti-abortion activists
• Try to pick off disaffected Hillary voters
But the pick carries with it great risks because Palin has so little experience (less than two years as governor of Alaska), and none on the national much less the international stage. The Republicans have already tried to compare her experience to Senator Obama's, but this is truly laughable. He has experience at the state, national, and international level, plus he has led an incredibly successful campaign organization with more twice the number of people in the state of Alaska. He has learned a lot in those two years of campaigning. She has 67 days.
But the thing I find most troubling is that they are making a naked grab for Hillary supporters. Palin and Hillary disagree on almost every issue. Yes, there are some supporters so childishly angry that Hillary lost that they will buy the ruse, but how can John McCain argue with a straight face that he puts the country first when his choice of running mate was based solely on cynical politics?
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