More Days till the Palin-Biden Debate
Want to know what to expect from Sarah Palin on Thursday night? Here's what someone who debated Palin in Alaska has to say.
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From the Christian Science Monitor:
Anchorage, Alaska - When he faces off against Sarah Palin Thursday night, Joe Biden will have his hands full.
I should know. I've debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times. And she's a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality. Against such charms there is little Senator Biden, or anyone, can do.
On paper, of course, the debate appears to be a mismatch.
In 2000, Palin was the mayor of an Alaskan town of 5,500 people, while Biden was serving his 28th year as a United States senator. Her major public policy concern was building a local ice rink and sports center. His major public policy concern was the State Department's decision to grant an export license to allow sales of heavy-lift helicopters to Turkey, during tense UN-sponsored Cyprus peace talks.
On paper, the difference in experience on both domestic and foreign policy is like the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing a bullet. Unfortunately for Biden, if recent history is an indicator, experience or a grasp of the issues won't matter when it comes to debating Palin.
FULL ARTICLE
I relate to the betrayal, insult and worry the choice of Palin as John McCain's running mate stirs in many women. Do the guys who picked Palin in the hopes of nabbing Hillary Clinton supporters really think one size fits all? We've waited so long for a woman to make it to the White House and the closest we can come is one who can't volley with Katie Couric? And what if Palin's deficiencies make it easier to claim that women aren't fit for high public office? At its most logical, the hatred many women profess for Palin is rooted in the feeling that she has ascended to power she hasn't earned and that she could turn that power against the beliefs and best interests of most women. But the way some women talk about her risks making us look like the very thing she is sometimes accused of being: mean girls. Palin is an ambitious, smart, energetic woman, who through work, luck, pluck and, yes, a ruthless streak common to politicians, has invented an uncommonly full life, which includes being governor of Alaska. There's a lot to admire. If she'd also been wise and humble, she would have said, "Not yet," when she was asked to play in the big leagues. But what gutsy woman would have said no? By the end of last week, even a couple of Palin haters I know had softened, slightly. It hurt to watch her fumble through her interview with Katie Couric and pose nervously with Henry Kissinger. Her weak week was enough to make at least a few people recognize that the real bad guys were the folks who seduced her for their political gain into thinking she was ready.
"After an initial burst of support among white women, the shock choice for Republican vice-presidential nominee of an inexperienced governor who hunts moose and has five children has solidified the female vote in the party's base, but has not so far attracted new women voters in significant numbers, a new poll by the New York Times-CBS suggested.
At the same time, her strong anti-abortion views and withering put-downs of Mr Obama seem to have galvanized Democrats. Mr McCain led in the category of white women under 45 by three percentage points before Mrs Palin's introduction, but now trails by 14, according to the poll. The survey was conducted before the bank failures of the past few days which are only likely to push Mrs Palin further into the shadows."
Welcome to the Matanuska Valley Republican Women’s Club!
By:
Stan Moody, Ph.D.
I have been struggling to get a handle on Sarah Palin and her evangelical/political agenda. The letter below from an education official in Alaska was forwarded to me by a colleague in, of all places, China. What has been gnawing at me is the sense that I have encountered numerous Sarah Palins in the past – hard driving, positive, narrowly-focused “Hockey Moms” set on conquering America for God, skipping the inconvenience of credentials and experience.
In a word, “The Holy Spirit will give me utterance! If not, I still have plenty to say.”
A peak into the world of Phyllis Schlafly, redux:
Lots of friends and relatives have been asking me (as an Alaskan) what I think of Sarah Palin, our Governor, and new choice for McCain as a VP candidate.
This pick floored me. Sarah Palin is a nice person. I've met her. I've even talked to her for a few minutes at a principal's conference a couple of years ago. She has lots going for her superficially. She speaks from the heart, like a spitfire mother; she can even be sort of funny sometimes. She is quite beautiful, athletic and has that radiant glow of someone who actually spends time doing things outside. Unlike many politicians, she has lived a "real life" and done things that few living and working in DC could ever do....like dipnettin' fish, shootin' stuff and eating it out on the tundra, and havin' 5 kids.
Personally, I'd never vote for her. She has an extremely simple view of the world. I don't even think she has ever been abroad. As governor she has repeatedly shown us that she is unable to grasp the demands of leadership. She is very prone to cronyism of the worst kind. Every cabinet level political appointment she has made she has over-ridden suggestions of our state advisory boards and, instead, promoted those who had granted her direct political favors. Not that other politicians don't do this; they do, but most of them are able to balance their appointments to ensure that at least a few people with real skill and experience are running big state agencies.
She also has been unable to pay attention to her Alaskan constituency. Personally, I've written several of our previous gov's and been asked to comment publicly on education policy. All the previous gov's have always acknowledged that contribution, criticism or comment – sometimes by direct reply, or at least through a staff member. Palin's office has been a zone of silence. Not I; not one person I know has ever gotten any sort of reply. Her claim of running an open or transparent government is totally false; the public simply has no role in her administration.
Her previous claim to fame was being mayor of Wasilla, a growing town about 40 minutes from Anchorage. Wasilla is a hellhole, even by Alaskan standards, where there are plenty of hellhole towns and villages. Wasilla is an ugly place that shows a complete absence of planning, design or sense of public vision. Gov't agencies and services are completely overrun in this town; things are so bad that they can't even track their population or build schools in the right place. Because most parts of the town don't require building permits, the only clue about where people are settling is utility receipts. Imagine trying to be an emergency responder in this kind of place: Houses don't just catch on fire in Wasilla, they burn to the ground, because by the time the fire department has figured out which road to take (no signs) or whose house it is (no directory), the place is done for. Palin was mayor this town for at least 2 terms before being elected gov. a year and a half ago.
Her moral sense is simplistic and not inclusive. She is the sort of person who is used to using their "faith" to divide and isolate minority groups of human beings instead of uniting them. To her credit as Gov. she has kept out of this arena pretty well, but when in comfortable company (i.e the Matanuska Valley Republican Women's Club), she lets her moral cat out of the bag.
I will do what I can to ensure her defeat and that of her running mate as well. Please share this information with those who can use it well.
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