When a bar is set so low that even a tapeworm couldn’t limbo under it, stepping over it doesn’t necessarily constitute a victory. But such is the sorry state of political discourse in this country that Republicans feel the need to claim victory in Thursday night’s vice presidential debate essentially because their lightweight candidate, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, didn’t publicly soil herself.
Putting aside the ego-stroking need to claim victory over such a small matter when the rest of the house is burning down around them, what exactly did Palin accomplish on Thursday night anyway? If the goal was to up the cuteness quotient, mission accomplished. If it was to show that she has the gravitas to take on the role of vice presidency, then she’s going to need a little more dynamite, Butch, because there’s still a lot of boulders to move.
Palin was indeed cute in a way that the average high school cheerleader is cute. She also showed a decent capacity to memorize a few key concepts. But what she didn’t show and what she couldn’t show is that she has the underlying intellect to appreciate the depth of the issues she so casually tossed around like Frisbees being thrown in the commons on the campus of the University of Alaska-Anchorage (let’s give a shout-out to the Seawolves).
Perhaps gravitas and serious-mindedness is out of style these days. Certainly Washington, D.C. is filled with all manner of serious-minded individuals who lack either the political will or the common sense to accomplish much of anything, so holding them up as an example to live up to doesn’t get one very far. But the antidote isn’t Palin’s wackiness disguised as populism. The antidote is people with the intellectual capacity to appreciate the intricacies of the issues and the ability to implement workable solutions. Maybe Palin can get there someday, but that is not this day and it is not soon.
The issues with Palin go beyond just a lack of Washington-style experience. She lacks a certain worldliness in her views that can only be gained through life experiences. However noble her ability to juggle an expanding family with the legislative requirements of a state whose population is less than the city of Columbus, Ohio, it hardly substitutes for the kind of real-world experience that gets drawn on in moments of true crisis and not the kind of crisis over whether or not to fire the guy who won’t fire your ex-brother-in-law.
Article comments
1 - jamminsue
I agree with the comment indicating Palin is a really cold, calcualted person, and her response to Joe Biden's comments on bing a single Dad.
That one moment justified everying I had been thinking - she is cold, vindictive, and insensitive. What a VP should never be, and a miserable excuse for a woman. No wonder her kids are so screwed up.
2 - Cannonshop
On the other hand, Jamminsue, she's cold, vindictive, calculating, and has put members of her own party in jail for taking bribes from oil companies. She's also thrown people out for not doing their jobs, and for abusing their positions and (again) taking bribes.
Two out of three branches of our government have just sold us ALL out to the people that have been bribing government officials in both parties for decades. Hmmm.
I'd be absolutely fascinated to see who, in your opinion, would be going to jail for corruption under an Obama administration. I don't expect it would include anyone named Rangel,Frank, or Dodd, or indeed anyone with a "D" affiliation, no matter what they were caught doing.
3 - Joanne Huspek
"Two out of three branches of our government have just sold us ALL out to the people that have been bribing government officials in both parties for decades. Hmmm."
No sh**, Sherlock.
This makes members of BOTH parties responsible, which irritates me to no end. And yet, for the couple of cries of putting a stop to this, the beat goes on.
I'm currently looking into desert islands I can move to.
4 - jamminsue
From WaPo Dana Millibankd column today:
Worse, Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric's questions for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, "Sit down, boy."
Is this the kind of person, that tolerates such behavior that we want? Like I said, she is NOT a Soccer Mom, or in any way the person she was touted as being....Joe Sixpack after the 12th or so is more like it.
5 - zingzing
it's "hockey mom."
she's from energy-producing alaska, maverick.
6 - DaveNalle
Ah, you can taste the hate. It comes with the partisan package.
Dave
7 - Dr Dreadful
It's not hate, Dave. It's a reaction to the ever-mounting forkfuls of compost being flung onto the field by the right as their position gets muckier and murkier.
If you're going to say that something stinks, you're not going to say it in a cheerful flowery voice.
Personally, I can't say I'm close enough to know whether Sarah Palin is cold, vindictive or calculating. I think that all politicians have to be those things to some degree. But neither has she shown anything to persuade me that she has much in the way of competence on a national stage. Take her away from the cheering, comforting crowds of rent-a-heffalumps and she flounders instantly.
8 - Pablo
I frankly do not care who is selected to be the next President. As I know they are both bought and paid for by the very same people that are now about to fleece the people for everything. I also do not believe that it is an accident, or coincidence that the same people who got us into this financial debacle, are the ones being paid to get us out of it, cough.
However if the new world order stooge Obama gets in as opposed to the new world order stooge McCain, I will think of Nalle, and get a smirk on my face, that his guy lost. He might say he is for cia-libertarian Barr, but if he is not busy protecting the chastity of Palin, he is apologizing for McCain and all of his CFR pals. You know the CFR Davey, uhhh remember, they were created by JP Morgan, the sase robber barrons that are now cleaning us all out! Coincidence? Sure bucko, I may be a coinspiracist, but your as naive as the fresh fallen snow bucko.
9 - zingzing
dave's just the boob watching out for the communist conspiracy, you 9/11 conspiracy boob.
can't you appreciate a fellow "coinspiracist?"
i also love it how dave proclaims that he is not a republican, in fact he is a libertarian, but they aren't really libertarians anymore, so he's a liberal (who happens to sell "republicans: unite or die" t-shirts on his website). (the shirts even have a faux-roman snake being chopped up by a knife--just go to his url, click on his merchandise link... all press is... bye now...)
10 - marny
Thank you, Gary,--so well written--wish there was more from you on current affairs. Sarah Palin is only cute in a Barbie kinda way.Sigourney Weaver summed up my own thoughts.--The only thing Sarah Palin and I have in common as women is that she wears a skirt.--I am profoundly disappointed that the first woman on an American presidential ticket is a Barbie doll. Her every-man's-friend boss, Howdy Doody, is a profound disappointment too. The racist character assassination they spew is ugly,[ I am atleast trying to control myself].And it is ugly to prey on people's fear of the unknown and misunderstood. Hillary Clinton will be remembered light years beyond Sarah Palin.--Unless Palin does something really maverick--like joins her son in Iraq--ya think? G.I. Jane wardrobe included with purchase of two or more rifles. If only her mind could be as well organized and put-together, spitfire that she is. Unfortunately, her narrow-minded bigotry masked as Christian values, can't hide her hypocracy. Even perfectly formed plastic prototypes are breakable once the lipstick starts to peel. Buy now and you get the complete family tree.