Palin’s Speech
The first sentence of a San Francisco Chronicle analysis piece on Palin’s speech: “Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took a live road test before the entire nation Wednesday night, and she didn’t crash.” Damning by faint praise? No, not really.
I said yesterday that I thought Palin would give a good speech. She did. The Republican delegates loved her and her speech. She had some great lines in it, and certainly took her shots at Obama (both Barack and Michelle) and Joe Biden. They were predictable shots, though, swiping at Obama for his “bitter” comment in San Francisco during the primary, as well as taking aim at Michelle Obama for her “proud of America for the first time” gaffe in a speech, saying, “…love their country, in good times and bad, and they’re always proud of America.”
Well, I have to say this in return: If she’s proud of America right now, and the way it’s conducted itself in the “war on terror,” she’s more scary than I thought. America has quite a lot to be ashamed of; and quite a lot of harm to correct and atone for: Abu Ghraib, the prison at Guantánamo and denying those detainees any habeas corpus rights, extraordinary renditions and secret prisons, the treatment of returning veterans at Walter Reed, illegal wire taps … do I really need to go on? America has much to be ashamed of. (And, by the way, there is absolutely no way a war on terror will be won unless America regains the moral leadership that the Bush administration and the Republicans squandered after 9/11.) It’s fine to be proud of America and its ideals, as well as the idea of America. I am. But I am not proud of America’s actions. Actions are what matter. We have lost our way.
I digressed a little, but it needed to be said. Back to the speech:
The nice speech doesn’t matter, for the reasons I listed in my post yesterday. She is still a flawed candidate. She’s a governor with extremely light experience and some serious ethical problems, and she ran her city into massive debt during her term as mayor. The question, ultimately, is this: Can she step in as president should the need arise? There’s a very real possibility that she will, considering McCain’s age and history of cancer. I don’t think she’s ready. Energetic, yes. Ready to be president, no. That’s one reason why McCain’s choice is reckless.
To compare her experience favorably to Obama’s really is rich. Obama had responsibilities as a community organizer, and one could argue that he learned more about the way the world works (certainly the way the grass roots work) working there than Palin did as a part time, small town mayor.
The Chronicle piece goes on to note:
In the five days since, Palin has managed, without doing anything, to steal the focus from both parties’ nominees in what was already a historic election. Even Republicans were calling Palin “the hottest ticket on the convention floor” among delegates more interested in her than McCain.
That’s interesting, and speaks volumes as to how the Republicans see their own nominee — simply unexciting.
I couldn’t agree more. To think that Palin may actually be worse than Bush is not too far a stretch. Our country is doomed (even worse) if McCain/Palin is elected.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2008 FTW!
You used the word “scary” and I could not agree with you more. As my wife and I watched Palin speak last night, I said to her “this is truly a nightmare”. I fear that as a country, we are going from voting for “someone you could have a beer with” to voting for “someone you could carpool the kids to hockey practice with”.
To top it off, the Republican party, famous for their family values, and Palin, famous for her “abstinence only” stance, paraded her 17 year old pregnant daughter and boyfriend in front of America expecting the tolerance that only Democrats would be likely to show her.
All of the things that make you ashamed of America will be answered by the most trivial of candidates. Scary is exactly the right word.
Palin is more Bush than McCain even is. She’s ruled by all her skewed religious views, which you can’t really say about McCain. I mean McCain will pander to them, but she lives it.
Other than abstinence programs, she doesn’t believe in sex education in the schools (How’d that work out for you, Sarah?).
When the Republicans can be hoodwinked so easily by her, it pretty much says why we’ve had Bush for 8 years.
But I do hope she stays on the ticket…and I hope come Nov. 1, the investigation she’s under leads to an indictment of some sort.
McCain: Experience to run away from.
And can you see the coaching that happened before her speech to Bristol and Levi: “No matter what you do, don’t let go of each other’s hand.”
He describes himself as a “fucking redneck” who did not want to have children, and suddenly he’s being shuttled down the aisle.
I’d like to see the tidy sum that Cindy is providing for Levi and his family.
Palin has even referred to herself as “Valley Trash”.
“Sarah Palin: Because just what we need in the White House…more trash!”