I hope this will be the last I write of Sarah Palin. The best thing Sarah Palin could do right now is to shut up. Let the McCain camp tear her to shreds and show her sophistication and strength by rising above it all and refusing to engage. Do the “I’m rubber you’re glue” schtick and preserve what’s left of her reputation.
But she won’t do that and in a big way, that’s indicative of the overall Palin problem. She’s not that smart. She’s definitely not sophisticated. And she’s not strong.
Many people equate sophistication with celebrity, money, and the trappings thereof. That’s not what I mean. If being sophisticated meant wearing Valentino, then I’d say she was sophisticated. She wore Valentino very well. But it’s more than that. And that’s what she doesn’t have.
Sarah Palin never built on any of her education, such as it was. Being educated isn’t just earning a degree. It’s taking what you learned and building upon it as you go through life. It’s making what you learn relevant to many facets of life, policy, and ideology. It’s understanding your limitations and building on your strengths. There is no evidence that Sarah Palin has done that in the context of the national stage. She may have done that for her role as a small-state governor. I leave that to the Alaskans to decide. But translating and making relevant that experience on the national stage. Oh no she didn’t.
It is my opinion that when you enter the presidential race, you are leaving yourself open to have your entire life and every word under a microscope. The Clintons had to go through that, and they still do. Barack Obama had to endure that, and he emerged victorious. John McCain has endured it for many years. So cry no tears for Sarah Palin. When she entered this race by accepting, she opened herself to that same scrutiny. My only question remains, why on earth McCain picked her? Oh, I know the stories about how he was forced to over Lieberman or whoever, but in the end, he has to own his shit. He made the choice, he defended it. It’s unseemly for his camp to attack her now.
However much fun it is to watch. Call me cruel, I don’t care. I love this country and she told me I wasn’t part of it. I don’t forgive her that. Own your shit Sarah. You said it, and I believe by your subsequent statements and insinuations you meant it. You hate us urbane, intellectual types because we make you feel dumb. But whether you are smart or not is within your power. You are not dumb, but you are not smart. You do not use your intelligence to make good decisions and that is ultimately what made you unqualified for the highest office in the land.
As for McCain, I do think Campbell Brown says it best:
You are the ones who supposedly vetted her, and then told the American people she was qualified for the job. You are the ones who after meeting her a couple of times, told us she was ready to be just one heartbeat away from the Presidency. If even half of what you say NOW is true, then boy, did you try to sell the American people a bill of goods. If Sarah Palin is the reason some voters chose Barack Obama, that is no one's fault but your own. John McCain, as he so graciously said himself the other night, lost this election. He lost it with your help, your advice, your guidance, and yes, your running mate recommendations. And that is crystal clear to everyone, no matter how hard you try to blame Sarah Palin or anyone else.
She’s exactly right. McCain’s choice of Palin is indicative of his wisdom in general. If it’s true, as it’s rumored, that the only reason she was picked is because she’s A) a woman and B) pro-life, what did that tell us about a candidate running for president during these extremely troubled times? McCain shouldn’t blame Palin, but Palin should blame herself as well for accepting.
As I said, I hope this will be the last I write of this lady, and it will be as long as I don’t continue to hear that she’s ready for national office. To be prepared you have to have an intellectual grasp—or even curiosity—about the world around you. She didn’t. She may have a fine intellectual grasp of Alaska, again, not my state. But she doesn’t look outside it (even when gazing at Putin from her front porch). Folksiness and small town “real” America “values” isn’t going to do us jack shit against this failing economy and our troubles overseas. Can we please, finally, realize it takes exceptional intelligence to run this country and that is what we elected?
Everyone can grow up to be President. But not everyone deserves it. Please, let’s hear no more about Ms. Palin except in context of Alaska.
Oh, and if I were her—after getting treated like this by the McCain’s—I’d totally keep the clothes.
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