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Politics & Legal > A Conservative's Perspective of Palin
 

A Conservative's Perspective of Palin


This is an interesting article with a different perspective, written by Andrew Sullivan, a conservative who was the editor of The New Republic.
***
Non-movement conservatives may well have this reaction: I've voted a straight Republican ticket every year of my life since 1975, when I first came of voting age, but I was stunned and horrified by McCain's choice of Palin. I simply cannot even consider voting for McCain after this choice, which speaks loudly of his own selfishness and fundamental frivolousness. So I was shocked when I turned to the conservative blogs looking for others who shared my dismay and found a celebration going on.

They really honestly believe that Palin's "inexperience" and Obama's "inexperience" are equivalent. I have had no luck at all in the past 24 hours trying to explain that Obama is quite obviously an impressive man (with whom I disagree on almost every major issue) with extraordinary qualities of organization, discipline and leadership. I see nothing in Palin's record to suggest that she has any such qualities.

He is a man who has spent his adult life thinking serious thoughts about serious issues and having serious conversations about them with other serious, well-informed people; while Palin quite as clearly has done none of those things. He was the president of the Harvard Law Review; she was the point guard on her high school basketball team.

He has surrounded himself in his campaign with world-class people (with whom, again, I disagree on almost every issue); and though I am doubtless an elitist and snob for saying so, I doubt that she has even met a half-dozen world-class people in her lifetime.

While Obama might do a hundred things as President that I believe are bad for the country, I am confident that he would surround himself with experienced, informed, competent advisers and that he would make no world-destroying blunders. I cannot say the same about Palin and, in view of what this choice reveals about McCain's character and judgment, I cannot say the same of him either.

The Palin pick says much more about McCain than it does about Palin (all it says about her is that she didn't have the good sense to turn it down). What it says about McCain is that he is more interested in politics than policy, more interested in campaigning than governing, tactical when he should be strategic, and reckless when he should be considered.

He is as big a gamble as president as Palin is as vice-president. This decision was about gut, about politics, about cynicism, and about vanity. It's Bushism metastasized.
***

Wow.

xx, Teal

posted on Sept 29, 2008 6:09 PM ()

Comments:

Wonderful post, Teal.
comment by elderjane on Oct 1, 2008 4:40 AM ()
In the SNL parody of Palin's interview with Katie Couric, part of the script actually quoted her! This is another case of the old adage, you can't judge a book by its cover.
comment by busymichmom on Sept 30, 2008 6:27 PM ()
I, too, am a life-time voting republican and I agree with this author's take on Palin and McCain. I do not agree that Obama would not make a world blundering decision. I do, however, agree that he would, none-the-less, surround himself with top people.

Here is my own article on Pail and McCain:

Sarah Palin Interviews on C B S. Whoah ...
https://mybloggers.com/whereabouts/sarah_palin_interviews_s_whoah.html

This is the first chance that I have had to watch any of the Sarah Palin interviews and I couldn't even make it through the first video to the end. I stopped it because I was too embarrassed to hear anymore.

There is no way to NOT agree with what Cafferty has to say about this. He is appalled and rightfully so. This is not a person who is in any position to fill the 2nd highest official position in this nation. It is an utter disgrace to think that there were people out there who thought otherwise.

Good Lord, did anyone even interview Palin before choosing her as McCain's running mate? Compared to her speak, she makes Bush look like Archimedes!

Laura/whereabouts
comment by whereabouts on Sept 30, 2008 12:00 PM ()
at first I was impressed with Palin, then she opened her mouth to talk
comment by elkhound on Sept 30, 2008 6:11 AM ()
Very interesting - makes sense to me.
comment by troutbend on Sept 29, 2008 11:27 PM ()
I totally absolutely completely unequivocally AGREE!!! Great post....
comment by marta on Sept 29, 2008 6:21 PM ()

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