Saturday, July 11, 2009
PITY PALIN
No matter what your political views, it is difficult not to feel a little bit sorry for Sarah Palin. She has been in over her head, and she has not handled it well. She is not fully coherent in her speech and sounds confused.
Our would-be Vice President of these United States has been having a great deal of difficulty governing one of the smallest ones. Not only is she not ready for prime time, she has not been ready for the midnight shift. She is not doing well enough in the bush leagues to merit a major league call.
Of course, Sarah Palin does have a certain charm, and like one of our last presidents, she might be fun at a party. But let’s not get into a really serious discussion, or give her any complex assignment. She talks a lot about point guards, pit bulls, mavericks, and such. She also talks about being a fighter, but she can only handle the give and not the take.
Sarah quickly becomes a victim when countered. She has been characterizing herself this way ever since the latter part of the election. The Katy Couric interview, the thing about charging the clothes, trooper-gate, Tina Fey, seeing Russia, the ethics complaints, and all such have just been nasty, dirty enemies attacking her. She says that the “mainstream media,” which means all except Fox and the Murdoch papers, have mistreated her.
Well, one does tend to feel sorry for her, that is until one remembers that she came into the national political game calling herself a pit bull with lipstick and unabashedly attacking her opponents with lies and half-truths. She seemed to relish her role until things began to come back at her.
News people began to check her background and her record. Although a brief record, there were already ethical and legal allegations against her. She dismissed these then, and does so now, with a naïve nonchalance.
If any public official in Oklahoma, state or local, had made the travel claims for one’s self and family, or collected per diem at home as she has, that person would be off to prison, or maybe just hanged. Either she did not know what was legal and what was ethical, or she did not care. One or the other would be an indictment against her suitability for public office.
Although Sarah Palin does have that certain charm, it does not speak well for those Americans who take her seriously as a person ready for high office. This has been difficult for thinking people to understand. What does it say for that 20% or so who still consider her a potential presidential candidate?
Sarah Palin, the pit bull fighter, has quit as Alaska’s governor after just over half of her term. In a less than coherent, rambling statement she “explained” her reasons. It was the harassment of ethics and legal complaints and legal bills. It was the need to be a mother and family person. It was the mistreatment of the mainstream media. It was not be a lame duck during the second half of her four-year term, and the good of Alaska. It was to be free to do good for the people of Alaska outside of government. It was a need to be free to speak her mind.
It is difficult to discern her real reasons from listening to her talk, but we can make some guesses. We will proceed to do so.
First, the ethics and legal complaints are potentially serious and could lead to her ouster from office. All these will not go away, but could be diminished. Second, she cannot stand the heat from political controversy, and she is a bit lost in the seriousness of her present job. She wants to escape from it.
But there is a more significant reason to which she alluded in only an oblique way.
Sarah Palin is a hot ticket right now. She draws attention; she draws crowds. She is smart enough to know that the limelight fell upon her suddenly, and that it could dissipate rather quickly. If she doesn’t go out now and take advantage of her status, the opportunity may be lost by the time she is free of office. She cannot make the big bucks for personal appearances while she holds office.
Sarah will soon be available to book for corporate and organizational events for a fee of perhaps $25,000 or more. It is the same kind of motivation that led Blake Griffin and Adrian Peterson to jump from collegiate to pro ranks at the end of sophomore and junior years in college. It is the cornerstone of the capitalistic system – money.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
Our would-be Vice President of these United States has been having a great deal of difficulty governing one of the smallest ones. Not only is she not ready for prime time, she has not been ready for the midnight shift. She is not doing well enough in the bush leagues to merit a major league call.
Of course, Sarah Palin does have a certain charm, and like one of our last presidents, she might be fun at a party. But let’s not get into a really serious discussion, or give her any complex assignment. She talks a lot about point guards, pit bulls, mavericks, and such. She also talks about being a fighter, but she can only handle the give and not the take.
Sarah quickly becomes a victim when countered. She has been characterizing herself this way ever since the latter part of the election. The Katy Couric interview, the thing about charging the clothes, trooper-gate, Tina Fey, seeing Russia, the ethics complaints, and all such have just been nasty, dirty enemies attacking her. She says that the “mainstream media,” which means all except Fox and the Murdoch papers, have mistreated her.
Well, one does tend to feel sorry for her, that is until one remembers that she came into the national political game calling herself a pit bull with lipstick and unabashedly attacking her opponents with lies and half-truths. She seemed to relish her role until things began to come back at her.
News people began to check her background and her record. Although a brief record, there were already ethical and legal allegations against her. She dismissed these then, and does so now, with a naïve nonchalance.
If any public official in Oklahoma, state or local, had made the travel claims for one’s self and family, or collected per diem at home as she has, that person would be off to prison, or maybe just hanged. Either she did not know what was legal and what was ethical, or she did not care. One or the other would be an indictment against her suitability for public office.
Although Sarah Palin does have that certain charm, it does not speak well for those Americans who take her seriously as a person ready for high office. This has been difficult for thinking people to understand. What does it say for that 20% or so who still consider her a potential presidential candidate?
Sarah Palin, the pit bull fighter, has quit as Alaska’s governor after just over half of her term. In a less than coherent, rambling statement she “explained” her reasons. It was the harassment of ethics and legal complaints and legal bills. It was the need to be a mother and family person. It was the mistreatment of the mainstream media. It was not be a lame duck during the second half of her four-year term, and the good of Alaska. It was to be free to do good for the people of Alaska outside of government. It was a need to be free to speak her mind.
It is difficult to discern her real reasons from listening to her talk, but we can make some guesses. We will proceed to do so.
First, the ethics and legal complaints are potentially serious and could lead to her ouster from office. All these will not go away, but could be diminished. Second, she cannot stand the heat from political controversy, and she is a bit lost in the seriousness of her present job. She wants to escape from it.
But there is a more significant reason to which she alluded in only an oblique way.
Sarah Palin is a hot ticket right now. She draws attention; she draws crowds. She is smart enough to know that the limelight fell upon her suddenly, and that it could dissipate rather quickly. If she doesn’t go out now and take advantage of her status, the opportunity may be lost by the time she is free of office. She cannot make the big bucks for personal appearances while she holds office.
Sarah will soon be available to book for corporate and organizational events for a fee of perhaps $25,000 or more. It is the same kind of motivation that led Blake Griffin and Adrian Peterson to jump from collegiate to pro ranks at the end of sophomore and junior years in college. It is the cornerstone of the capitalistic system – money.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
