The lack of a class discussion Friday leaves me with the luxury of talking about any recent event I choose, so I will give you a short rant on something that has bothered me ever since the vice-presidential debate ended.
How could anyone say that Sarah Palin held her own? Yes, she did not die on-stage nor did she display her deer-in-the-headlights look like she did talking to Katie Couric, but I believe the criteria a candidate is held to should be much higher. Given McCain’s age and poor health, I was terrified by the prospect of having a president who would wink at the camera during her State of the Union address.
America, I am not happy with this turn to “folksy” politics. I recall many people liked George W. Bush because they said he was a man who you could have a beer with. That’s all fine and good if you plan on being drinking buddies, but the voters must think a little more for criteria to be leader of the free world. Slips of the tongue and oratory gaffes might make him seem relatable to some, but these actions duplicated on the world stage is embarrassing and reflects poorly on our state. Sarah Palin’s folksy appeal I found revolting, and I cringed with every utterance of “y’know” and “darn right”. I almost died when I heard her “shout out” to a group of third graders in Alaska. She needs to realize that she needs to act like a professional, not like some uneducated backwoods bumpkin.
I also took issue with how Sarah Palin responded to the moderator as well. She openly stated she wasn’t going to answer questions the way the moderator wanted her to. Way to be a maverick Sarah, and simultaneously dodge any question you feel uncomfortable handling. I can’t tell you how many questions turned into energy questions, which is a very real concern to many Americans, but a little out of place in some contexts.
Last of all, the top commander in Afghanistan is General David McKiernan, not General (George) McClellan, who fought at the battle of Antietam and was the 24th governor of New Jersey. Regrettably, I find this shows Palin’s ineptitude when it comes to foreign policy. I would be a little perturbed if it turned out our top commander in Afghanistan died in 1881. I give Joe Biden a lot of credit for just smiling and not going for the jugular after this mistake, it shows a lot of self-restraint on his part.
Try as I might, I can still not wrap my mind around how people can say Sarah Palin managed to mount a respectable defense against Joe Biden in the vice presidential debate. Folksy mannerisms and an interesting accent alone do not qualify an individual to hold public office, especially one of such importance. I’m not saying that Sarah Palin is a bad person or a total cretin, but she clearly was well out of her league in nearly every field of political expertise. I believe this Washington outsider would be best outside of Washington.
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3 comments:
Don't hesitate Seamus, I have no issue with saying that Palin is a bad person. I think she is outrageously unethical, not only because she agreed to try and be vice president, which is severely out of her league, but also in her actions as a governor. I personally am nauseated with anyone who thinks it is fair to make rape victims pay for their own rape kits. Not to mention that her husband's ties to the oil industry make her completely biased on any energy related issue. Drill, baby, drill! I truly enjoyed watching the CNN graph of independent Ohio voters drop faster than the stock market last week when she said things like "Joe Six-Pack" and "ya know, in Alaska..." Then when she brought up Biden's dead wife to make her own point, I was ready to hit something. How insensitive and callous. People like her make me sick. I hope since the expectations for her were so low that she does not rise in some voter's favor. She is many many vulgar words I used to never use, but find that they are the most appropriate to describe Sarah Palin. Biden was amazing though, I think he knows McCain's voting record better than McCain does. Obama did the right thing in picking Biden because he knows what he is talking about. i do not want an "adorable" vice president, I want a vice president!!!!!
I couldn't agree with you guys more. Sarah Palin was truly nauseating. I am disturbed by the idea that anyone could call her performance a success when she was so clearly out of her league. In mean way, I enjoyed the debates, because I thought to myself "how could anyone who watched this debate still vote for a Macain-Palin ticket", but of course many still will. You bring up a good point in the idea that Palin has some strong George Bush resemblances (which I hadn't really thought of much before). It just seemed like everything she said was in poor taste. On the other hand I was incredibly impressed by Biden (who I didn't have particularly strong feelings about before). He seemed incredibly knowlegable and was able to pronounce the word "nuclear" (which is worth big points in my book). I really don't know what I will do if Macain wins...I really do not think that America (or I) can take four more years of this bullshit.
Though I generally like to play devil's advocate, I'm gonna have to agree that Palin performed miserably. That being said, she made Biden look much better than he actually is. Removing Palin from the picture, he was fairly articulate, knowledgeable-ish, and generally uninteresting. Lesser of two evils, perhaps. But I would hesitate to declare him excellent VP material.
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