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politics

Palin II

OK, let’s try this again. The point that I was trying to get across in my first post about Palin was not that she was being unfairly criticized. There are all sorts of things that I don’t like about her, and there are all sorts of things that many people might not like about her. No, what I was trying to get across was my astonishment at how personally many people on the left are taking the existence of Sarah Palin and people like her.

Seriously, ever since the announcement, I have been getting emails, links, invitations to join facebook groups, etc. all not only in opposition to her, but sneering at her and anyone that may indeed like her. Honestly, I had no idea she was a Pentecostal Christian or is seen as being way off to the right (more on that in a sec) until I made that last post. What I had been made to understand was that she hunted. People seem to be mildly disgusted with that fact, and the fact she hunts moose is seen as ridiculous. I was made to believe, through a series of jokes and snide comments that her daughter is a whore, and that it’s funny because her mom is so worthy of contempt.

It’s this kind of stuff that I was not prepared for, and there’s more where that came from. Not liking her foreign policy experience and worrying that she could become the POTUS is a legitimate concern. What I have been exposed to is not. Usually, it is the republicans getting down and dirty. This time, it is the democrats (and the anti-republicans) that are doing the dissing, and they are dissing a woman!

The theory I put forth in my last post was an attempt to explain this rage. Who knows if it is accurate, but I think it makes some sense. BTW, I keep getting told that Palin is way off the charts right-wing. Of course the people telling me that are from NYC, the DC metro area, LA, etc. Folks, you need to get out of the city once in a while. What you’ll find is that there are an awful lot of people that think she’s what this nation really needs. She would fit right in where I live, she would be considered mainstream. My hint from the last post stands, if you do not like Palin or are worked up into a rage at the mention of her name, you need to understand that there are a lot of people that like her. I’m willing to believe that a certain number of people voting for McCain will do so because of her. They exist in droves and they are not going away…

5 replies on “Palin II”

The thing that bothers me about her is that she seems like a fraud. I think her persona is all an act. I get the impression that she would say and do anything to get more power. I think that is her primary goal. Not helping people, but power.

I don’t get that impression from Obama… not even from McCain to such an extent.

Randy

I, for one, never said that she was “off-the-scale right-wing”, simply that she was much further to the right than John McCain. I don’t think that even her most ardent apologists would dispute that.

I agree that the personal attacks are a bit much, especially where her daughter is concerned. (OK, I do find the idea of hunting moose a tiny bit ridiculous, but I don’t feel that that has much bearing on her abilities as VP). Obama has implied racism to deflect some attacks; as such, I couldn’t begrudge Palin claiming “Sexism” here and there.

Jaime:
No, you never said that, but I have had several people tell me that. Yeah, everyone can see she’s further to the right than McCain, I think that’s why he nominated her…

Randy:

I tend to see all people seeking office like that. It’s really naive to think that any of those guys don’t have their career ahead of anything else. What I have seen of Palin actually reminds me more of someone trying do what her boss wants, but is in over her head. She’s like the young middle manager that has just been appointed to a VP position. They’re usually clueless, but very ernest. It isn’t until they really screw up that they start to question themselves…

Isaac

Well I guess I’m naive. I do believe that some folks in politics have more than their career in mind when they run for office. Three years as a community organizer in southside Chicago trumps becoming mayor of some podunk in Alaska.

Randy

I’m not saying that some people do not have other motivations, I am saying that whatever other motives they may have, their priority is staying in office. Maybe some of them think that the best way to help people is to stay in office, but it quickly turns into an end unto itself. Whenever I hear of a policy some politician favors, I wonder what part of their coalition benefits from it. That’s how they maintain office…

Just to play devil’s advocate, why do you think he stopped being a community organizer? Maybe he felt that he could do more for those people by attaining political office, but there’s no denying that there are more reasons to keep being a senator than a community organizer…
Isaac

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