News-Miner Editorial
Palin has much to prove
Alaskans can cheer, even while wondering ...
Published Saturday, August 30, 2008
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Stumble It!Sen. John McCain’s selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate was a stunning decision that should make Alaskans proud, even if we wonder about the actual merits of the choice.
No Alaskan politician has risen to such national prominence before. The closest was former Gov. Wally Hickel, whom President Nixon chose as Interior secretary in 1969. Palin is truly a remarkable figure, a person carried forward to enormous fame by the times and her personal charm and principles.
Alaskans and Americans must ask, though, whether she should become vice president and, more importantly, be placed first in line to become president.
When a candidate for president picks a vice presidential running mate, that partner ought to have more qualifications than “She’s not from Washington.”
McCain offered that justification Friday morning for his decision. There was a lot more, of course, about the governor’s “grit, integrity and devotion to the common good.” But after cataloging her basic decency and compassion for the common man, what was there? “She’s not from Washington.” No doubt about it. In fact, as the governor herself acknowledged in her acceptance speech, she never set out to be involved in public affairs. She has never publicly demonstrated the kind of interest, much less expertise, in federal issues and foreign affairs that should mark a candidate for the second-highest office in the land. Republicans rightfully have criticized the Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, for his lack of experience, but Palin is a neophyte in comparison; how will Republicans reconcile the criticism of Obama with the obligatory cheering for Palin? Or will everyone just be forced to drop the subject? That’s not a comforting possibility. Although no one has the perfect resume and experience isn’t everything, it is an important quality to weigh. Palin, if elected vice president, would ascend to the presidency if anything should happen to McCain, who turned 72 Friday.
Most people would acknowledge that, regardless of her charm and good intentions, Palin is not ready for the top job. McCain seems to have put his political interests ahead of the nation’s when he created the possibility that she might fill it.
It’s clear that McCain picked Palin for reasons of image, not substance. She’s a woman. She has fought corruption. She has fought the oil companies. She’s married to a union member. These are portrayals for campaign speeches; they are not policy positions.
There also was some pandering right from the start. “I told Congress ‘Thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere,’” Palin reported to the crowd in Dayton, Ohio. “If our state wanted a bridge, I said, we’d build it ourselves.”
But the state kept the bridge money. That’s because Alaskans pay federal gas taxes and they expect a share of those taxes to come back, just like people do in every other state. We build very little by ourselves, and any governor who turned that tax money down likely would be turned out of office.
Palin’s image as a fresh reformer works on some level, for the moment. The governor, as she is quite able to do, delivered a good speech in a strong voice. The crowd cheered her enthusiastically, only occasionally fading into the “huh?” mode during the presentation. The televised punditry followed up with mostly positive comments, calling Palin’s selection a clever “chess move” by McCain. The chess analogy offers some caution. Gov. Palin, while extending her amazing adventure in politics, must prove she is more than a pawn.
Community Discussion
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I'm glad you weren't writing editorials back in Abraham Lincoln's Days. You probably would have said the same thing about him and his lack of experience. We are so proud of Sarah and what she will bring to this ticket, to our country and what she has done for our State. If you don't think she has enough experience, kindly sent that extra $1200.00 that she signed into law, and send it to her for additional VP training.
I am a resident of Dayton, Ohio where Governor Palin appeared yesterday with Senator McCain. I learned of your editorial from the innumerable e-mails swirling about, as it is generally being scoffed at for its obvious innacuracies. I just had to see if such an editorial had really been written.
To call your governor a "neophyte" compared to Senator Obama shows a wanton disregard for the fact that Gov. Palin has actually effected change in government. Has Sen. Obama even been a mayor? No. Name one piece of legislation authored by Sen. Obama. You can't. Name one foreign policy move orchestrated as a result of his ostensibly profound insight. Again, you can't. Sen. Obama is nothing more than an orator. This country does not need an orator. To quote Sen. McCain, Gov. Palin is "exactly what we need".
Sen. Obama may be intriguing for obvious reasons, but certainly not for his experience as an executive political leader. Any neophyte can discern that the politicos who lined up behind Obama saw an opportunity to pull puppet strings, as they never could have pulled Sen. Clinton's strings. That should be patently obvious.
But here we have Governor Palin who is obviously not a puppet - or a "pawn", to use the News-Miner's word. Moreover, we now have a presidential ticket, for the first time in decades, where the nominees are distinctly not party-liners. Neither Sen. Obama, and especially Senator Biden, can make that claim. We actually have the rare opportunity to vote for a statesman and stateswoman, as opposed to yet another set of politians with the same old grandiose promises that never seem to come true.
Surely, the News-Miner doesn't think the citizens of the United States are so far eroded in their mentalities as to be duped into thinking that your Governor is void of "policy positions". Even here is Ohio, long before this momentous announcement, Gov. Palin was being observed in the news for her policy decisons (specifically, the lawsuit regarding ANWAR.) On the contrary, name one policy decision by Sen. Obama that has caused any ripple whatsoever in the life of a Illinois or U.S. citizen. There is none. I say again, he is nothing but an orator. If elected, he would be a lame duck, beholden to every powerful democratic leader there is, with a Vice President more calculating than Dick Cheney.
Your governor is admired by the people of Alaska because she actually governs. Speaking as a small-business owner and Republican from Ohio, we have a Democratic governor who is also well-liked because he governs with integrity for the people of Ohio. Yet, once again, name one occasion where Sen. Obama has singly governed the people. You can't. Barack Obama is the true neophyte in this game.
"I'm glad you weren't writing editorials back in Abraham Lincoln's Days. You probably would have said the same thing about him and his lack of experience. "
Not for nothing, but as serious as the Civil War was, Lincoln didn't have 2 wars to conduct, thousands of thermonuclear weapons at his disposal, 300 million people to take care of, and have 6 billion people look to him for leadership. And neither should your Governor.
I'm sure she's very nice and, hell maybe it is possible she can effectively govern 670,053 people, but McCain should be checked to see if he has senile dementia if he thinks she's fully qualified to take over for a 72 year-old, 4 time cancer survivor.
She should also have her judgement questioned for having accepted his invitation, having a 3 month old infant with special needs. I'm not looking forward to my kid asking me in 20 years "what the hell were they thinking?"
I am from Pennsylvania. In an effort to learn more about Sarah Palin, I got on to your website. I have read much about her and am very impressed with her biography. I first heard about her when I visited your beautiful state this past spring.
As much as I admire her many personal qualities, I must agree with your editorial. Sarah Palin is not qualified to be vice president. Being mayor of a hamlet and governor for less than two years does not qualify her for the highest office in the land. She has no understanding of international affairs and very little understanding of the intricacies of dealing with domestic issues on a national level. Her choice was merely a poor political choice aimed at trying to win over support of the Religious Right and possibly win some of the feminine supporters of Hilary Clinton. It was aimed at trying to restore the integrity of the Republican party that has seen its support eroded because of the many scandals associated with it.
None of these reasons for putting her on the ticket qualifies her to be on the ticket.
Your govenor has common sense which they can't teach in school and always seems to be in short supply. As a Canadian I have been reading about her for over a year and I like what I see: Honesty, Intelligence, Ethical and lots of Common Sense. Look at most politicians in any country and you will have a tough time finding even half of these qualities.
TonyD23, On what do you base your remarks as to what understandings Sara Palin (or anyone else) has or does not have on international affairs or any affairs?? Is mind reading your primary job?
Anyone who asserts that Sarah Palin has more qualifications for the presidency than Barack Obama hasn't looked into his background much. He pulled himself out of a disadvantaged youth by sheer grit and graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law, where he was top of his class and the first black president of the Law Review. Is Sarah that smart? I don't think so. Barack then turned down 6 figure salary jobs on Wall Street to become a community organizer in South Chicago for $10,000 a year, because he wanted to serve people who needed his talents. His accomplishments in that and his subsequent jobs are too numerous to discuss here, but if you're really interested, the information is readily available. Abraham Lincoln is a good comparison, but for him, not her. Both had limited political experience before being thrust on the national stage at a difficult time in history, but anyone who bothered to look could see the spark of greatness in either of them before they got there. I'm from Montana, and I respect that you stand up for your own, but to suggest that Sarah Palin can hold a candle to Barack Obama is just silly. That John McCain would risk our future on such a pick for possible political gain is outrageous and frightening, but it does confirm what I have suspected all along: He's really not interested in us more than himself, and he'll do anything to win, including selling the country down the river.
JoeParks,
I don't claim to be a mind reader. But I have seen nothing in her biography that would indicate a knowledge of international affairs. Has she been involved in discussions with any foreign leaders? Has she ever met a foreign leader? What does she know about our involvement in the Middle East? Has she ever visited any foreign countries? I have not heard her say anything about our involvement in world affairs or where she stands on our realations with foreign governments.
I find it most unfortunate that John McCain thrust Gov. Palin into the spotlight. This is because she is a talented woman who has accomplished quite a lot with a modest background. What's unfortunate is that her experience is limited and narrow, which hardly prepares her for the office of the vice presidency. Now she must be scrutinized at a level beyond and disproportionate to her current station in life.
McCain's clearly chose her for political expediency. He’s been campaigning on his superior experience to Obama and now selects (as the Daily News-Miner correctly characterizes) a neophyte. She may be likable, conservative, evangelical and devoted to her family, but she’s not is qualified for the national stage at this early part of her career.
Citing her experience as a mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population <5,000, is ridiculous; similarly as Governor of Alaska, population of 670,000. Are we to say that as mayor she has the same credentials of all mayors, such as NYC, population 19 MILLION; or of all governors, such as Massachusetts, pop. 6.5 million?
The current party line cites her "executive" experience, which is silly and sophomoric; it simply won't stand. By this standard, McCain is wholly unqualified to be on the ticket, since he has none it. Even then, Palin’s "executive" experience is narrow and limited. If this really counted, then why didn't McCain select someone with a lot MORE of it? Why don’t Republicans demand more of it? Palin lacks depth and breadth for succeeding McCain as president.
And to compare Palin to Obama is ludicrous. Obama got a B.S. degree from Columbia University in political science with an emphasis on international relations. He went to Harvard Law School and was president of the Harvard Law Review. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years. He served in the Illinois Senate for eight years. He's been a U.S. Senator for three years and serves on four Senate committees dealing with foreign policy issues. He has sponsored and co-sponsored many bills with national and international implications.
Palin's selection and the GOP's rallying around her betrays their desperation for someone on the ticket to tow the right-wing party line. McCain clearly cannot, his chameleon-like efforts over the past few years notwithstanding. I’m surprised that Republicans are willing to settle for so little. But they are and are now grasping for straws in rationalizing her. If Obama (or Kerry or Gore) had picked someone with this little experience -- "executive" or otherwise -- Republicans would have been howling about it. But they'll settle for her, since Palin is anti-abortion and an evangelical Christian. Of course, so was and is George Bush, and you see what that got them.
Palin misrepresented her position on the "bridge to nowhere" by a sin of omission - specifically, that she had initially agreed with the plan and (2) that she did take the money and the state spent it. She did not save the Federal government any money!
Excellent post, Cozmot!
I am amazed by the narrow-minded Alaskans who post self-centered comments saying how good her nomination will be for Alaska. It's not about Alaska, folks! It's about the United States of America and it's 300,000,000 citizens living in the most perilous era on this planet! And you'd put a person with ZERO foreign policy experience.....a person who had not travelled out of the U.S. before last year......a person who left the town of Wasilla in deep debt......a person who majored in journalism......a heartbeat away from being the most important person on this planet?! Have you not learned the lessons from the nightmare of the last eight years?!! What the H E double L is wrong with you people??!! Wake up and pull you heads out of your rear ends!
Thank you DNM for a nicely nuanced, sober assessment. I am from Michigan, and have been to Alaska only twice (once in 1989, 15 days in ANWR, Fairbanks, and Anchorage/Seward Peninsula; last time in 2006). First I must say I find many of the "jokes" floating around here about someone being from a small population state sad. That said...what is McCain thinking?! Is the GOP pool of qualified candidates so poor that this is the best he can come up with? Is he so terrified of the religious right and social theocrats that he has to pander them with a candidate that, with so little experience, can be easily controlled and manipulated by the real powers of the GOP? Is McCain raiding Cindy's medicine cabinet? All jokes aside, apparently McCain's decision was made with haste, and there has been little thinking with regards to HOW this woman has governed, both in Wasilla and in Juneau. She demands absolute loyalty, demands ideological conformity, and appears to be contemptuous of dissent. Fortunately, as I'm sure the free press will show, she hasn't covered up her tracks well, and it will be soon shown that this "courageous fighter of corruption and the change we need" is just another right-wing retread. (Heading up a 527 committee, accepting earmarks, etc.). We've had too much of this in the Bush Administration (Rumsfeld, Cheney, Gonzales, etc.); this GOP ticket indicates only more of the same can be expected. Your assessment that McCain picked her for image, not substance, is dead on. I only hope that Alaska does, in the future, provide national leaders that will make your state very proud, and the United States a better, more prosperous, free and tolerant country. It's just not going to happen with this ticket.
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