Two weeks have passed since John McCain made his wacky choice for the Vice Presidential candidacy and I still feel the same as I did when I first heard about it. Sarah Palin, the former mayor of a tiny town of Alaska and current governor of that state, is so totally unqualified for the position of Vice President that it's almost laughable, if not for the fact it could become a reality.
I think its safe to say that the lads at A Modern Lei Feng are bigtime Obama fans and have showed it through our time and our money (one of our former editors even gave up working overseas to return to the US for a campaign staff position). However, McCain is highly respected in these parts for his "straight talk", his common sense approach to policy, and for his generally moderate (and definitely not religiously influenced) beliefs. His views on Iraq differ with mine (and the others), but he's a soldier himself and wouldn't mindlessly risk American lives like the current President. I would never vote for John McCain, but I wouldn't have minded seeing him become President, until that is, I found out who his VP pick was.
Sarah Palin is a running joke. The governor of the least important state in the Union and a politician that nobody ever heard of. She has family issues that would be suitable for an episode of Jerry Springer and to steal a line from Tommy Boy:
Tommy: "a lot of peole take 7 years to graduate college"
Richard: "yeah, moron, they're called doctors"
Not to mention the fact that a number of those years were spent at community colleges. McCain has a degree from the Naval Academy, Obama was editor of Harvard's Law Journal and Biden also has a law degree. Palin? She has a degree from the University of Idaho. Oh yeah, there's also her current ethical problems and her "I was for it before I was against it" stance on the bridge to nowhere.
Palin would like us to leave her family out of it, McCain is going to incredible lengths to push the media to stop talking ab out her pregnant daughter yet Palin is more than happy to trot out her handicapped son or the fact her oldest is shipping off to Iraq.
There is nothing wrong with the family issues that Palin is dealing with or her education or the fact that she is just so absolutely average. She is the nation's first ever White Trash VP choice. She's more suited for a white trailer park than the White House. It seems obvious that the sole factor that influenced McCain's decision is the fact she is a woman (though Kay Bailey Hutchinson is a woman and a hell of a lot more impressive) and really the only GOP woman kicking. Perhaps it is elitist of me and exactly what would be expected of us "liberal Democrats", but Palin's commonness is what scares me the most. She is truly a hockey mom who looks, acts, and talks like she was plucked out of the stands. She isn't intelligent, she doesn't have any legitimate experience, and she definitely isn't the one I want to be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office, especially when considering McCain's age and health. This isn't "America's Next Top Vice President", not everyone should be (or should have the opportunity) to be so, so close to being leader of the free world. Hopefully, the American people will recognize this and McCain will get crushed in November.
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4 comments:
You have just dissed half the country, including my home town. I am no fan of either Palin or of her beliefs, but I find posts like this incredibly snobby and scary. Completely writing off broad swaths of our country and of those from less privileged backgrounds goes against everything on which our country was founded. There are plenty of people who did not go to Harvard law school who are qualified to be President and there are plenty of people who did go to Harvard Law School who are not. When you get older, I hope you come to understand that the best way to judge someone is on who they are, not from where they came. Not only do I think that is a better way to judge someone, I think it is more moral as well.
The issue has nothing to do with privilege or where you come from, it is not meant as an attack on broad swaths of the country. Bill Clinton is from a small town, however he worked hard, and was able to better himself. He also served more than just part of a term as governor of a state.
Yes, the fact that Palin is from Alaska is easy for joke lines, but its perfectly acceptable to have an Alaskan as VP or even POTUS. The problem is, Palin isn't the right person, she lacks the intelligence and experience to be a leader of the United States.
Judging Palin solely on who she is, it is obvious she is not qualified to take on the role she was appointed to. Her pick goes to the continued acceptance of mediocrity in US culture and feels like a reality tv show gone wrong.
1) You really think Delaware is more important than Alaska? I guess having a state operating as a corporate haven is pretty important...
2) Just keep on talking about inexperience. That'll do wonders for the democrats.
Come on. Let me list out for you all the things you said that were an attack on those not in NYC or LAX or Beijing:
1. "Sarah Palin, the former mayor of a tiny town of Alaska and current governor of that state, is so totally unqualified for the position of Vice President that it's almost laughable, if not for the fact it could become a reality." The only reason you give for her being unqualified is that she was mayor of a tiny town in Alaska and now governor. Many presidents, both good and bad have been governor, leaving me convinced you are focusing on AK here. Why is Alaska "the least important state in the Union," anyway?
2. "She has family issues that would be suitable for an episode of Jerry Springer...." Who doesn't have family issues?
3. You attack her for having taken 7 years to graduate college and for having attended community colleges. If that isn't snobbery, I don't know what is. Actually, I do know what is. Your inability to even realize how snobby that is. Didn't it ever occur to you that many people cannot afford a four year college? Didn't it ever occur to you that many people who take a long time to graduate college do so because they have to work their way through it? I have known a ton of extremely bright people who started out at community college. I also have known many bright people (right here in Seattle) who graduated from University of Idaho. Do you really believe that someone who attended community college and/or University of Idaho is, by necessity a dumbshit? If so, isn't that the height of snobbery? I think it is.
4. "she is just so absolutely average." What do you even mean by this? What is so horrible about being average and who are you to look down on "average?" There are 50 governors. Are any of them really "absolutely average?"
5. "She is the nation's first ever White Trash VP choice. She's more suited for a white trailer park than the White House." If, as you say, she is "absolutely average" AND "White Trash" and "suited for a white trailer park," then you are saying this is true of the average American, which is really quite an attack. And what exactly is it that makes her white trash?
6. "Palin's commonness is what scares me the most. She is truly a hockey mom who looks, acts, and talks like she was plucked out of the stands." There you go again, hating on the average American woman. Snobbery, obviously. Unbelievably sexist as well.
You obviously look down on and despise much of our country. Go ahead and deny it, but your post makes it very clear.
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