I'm sure there are a few of you that are wondering what I think about John McCain's pick for VP. To begin with, let me tell you what I know about her. To tell you what an Alaskan loser I am, I still read the Anchorage Daily News at least 3-4 times per week (I also read the Homer News 2-3 times per month). I haven't lived there since 1993, but I still keep up somewhat on the state. I first started looking into Sarah Palin about 6 months ago and after a couple days of reading, I was suggesting to those around me that she would make the perfect VP pick for whoever became the Republican nominee. None of the frontrunners were really true conservatives, so any one of them would have benefitted from her credentials. Here are some of the things I like about her.
First, she is from Alaska. OK, that seems to be a given, but I have found that people in Alaska have a different way of looking at things. There is a rugged individualism that says, "go ahead and throw whatever you will at me, I will pick myself back up and continue on". I firmly believe that we need to do everything we can to help ourselves. The other thing about Alaskans is that when the chips are down for someone, everyone picks up and helps out. I have had numerous personal experiences where tragedy and devastation have hit and everyone pitches in and helps. No waiting for the government to come bail them out. So, the fact that Sarah Palin is from Alaska is a big plus.
Second, of any of the candidates, she is the closest to a real person with current real person experience. That confusing sentence means that she knows what real life is like right now. I don't think any of the other candidates really has a clue what it is like to be an American today. On a side note, that is why I think that nobody should be allowed to stay in Washington D.C. for more than 8-12 years. After 8-12 years, you have to go somewhere else and spend another 12 years in the real world before even thinking about going back. OK, back to the topic at hand. She has children like me, she is a similar age to me, she has similar experiences that help her to have a certain outlook on life. I like that.
Third, if you have lived in Alaska, you know that politics and oil are inseparably connected and that has caused some, shall we say "indiscretions" to enter politics. When I think of political corruption, I think of 3 places: Louisiana, Illinois, and Alaska. Well, out of the 2 camps, we have representatives from 2 of the 3. I won't talk about Obama except to say that he seemed to have no problems in politics in one of the most corrupt cities in the nation. We can talk more about him later, but I am focusing on Governor Palin now. She not only talked the talk about rooting out corruption, but she did something about it. She took on not only the Democrats, but the corrupt Republicans in Alaska. In spite of her own party campaigning against her, she won the race and became Alaska's first female governor. I trust her more than any other politician I know right now. Of course, most of you know that I don't have much trust for any politicians currently, so this isn't saying much, but we shall see.
Lastly, she has the conservative values that I look for in a leader. She is a lifetime member of the NRA, she is strongly pro-life to the point that she carried to term and gave birth to a child with Down's Syndrome even though she knew the child had health issues before he was born. She could have chosen to abort him (as is the suggestion so many times by those on the left), but she chose not to. She is a mother who has shown that you can be successful and busy but still stay together as a family. She not only talked about reducing political earmarks, but she told the congressional delegation from Alaska that she would not accept them (and then followed through with it). When confronted by the Global Warming crowd about polar bears, she had an excellent response. She said that we all have to deal with the very real possibility of "Climate Change" in a reasonable way that is balanced and makes sense. She did not automatically deny that change is happening, but realizes that there are many factors to deal with and that, like it or not, humans are on the top of the food chain. Furthermore, she has the negotiating experience (more than any of the other candidates) that I look for in a leader. Look at this link for an interesting story American Spectator Article
I will write more on my feelings about this after tonights speech. It will be interesting to see what kind of response it gets. I have seen nothing but negative things in the media about Governor Palin, so I am curious as to their reactions tonight.
Keep your chin up and your powder dry.
Anthony
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3 comments:
I appreciate you sharing your views Anthony. You are one of the most informed people I know when it comes to politics and I am thankful that I know where I can look to, to help me cast an informed vote.
ahhhhh, Quinn - you make me sad! Hey Tony, I just found your blog and it's all politics. How fun! Of course, I disagree with you on half of what you write, but it makes me happy to find a political blog. Yeah! Quinn, by the way, I think the best way to be informed is to inform yourself and not just go with what other people say, even if it's your brother-in-law! That's just my opinion.
But anyways, regarding Sarah Palin, who is think was a smart choice for McCain (whom I don't trust at all), I still wouldn't be able to support her. Unfortunately, at some point in my life I have allowed myself to let my moral perception of a person influence my views on their likely political performance. Though, I think that can be wrong, because some less privately moral people have done good things in politics, I just can't help it.
With that said, as for Sarah Palin, if you care about family, then why the heck aren't you with your little, sick 5-months old baby. I'm all for women in politics, but VP is a pretty darn time-consuming job that I don't think is ideal for someone who still has half of their family at home (which also makes me concerned regarding Obama). She may present the right conservative views, but for me, anyone who puts politics first and family second when family should still be first, and who loves the NRA, is a moral NO-NO.
I agree with Fran about becoming informed yourself. Unfortunately, that is a difficult thing to do. I read from the left, I read from the right (I stand up, sit down, fight, fight, fight). There are so many opinions and attitudes out there, it is difficult to sort through them all. I prefer to read from real people, not just listen to the talking heads that are so biased one way or the other. I do listen to them, but that is not my only source.
As far as the family goes, if Sarah Palin was a single mom, I would agree with you. She has a husband and children who will be there with her. There are times when responsibility and duty require a change of roles with parents, and I think this is one of those times. She has the values that I consider important in our times. She has the values that I look for in a leader. While she is in that position of VP, her family will take over the primary care of the baby. That is what families are for.
As far as McCain goes, you may not trust him, but at least we know what he stands for. One of the big problems I have with Obama is his 90% Present voting record. If I elect someone, I expect them to vote one way or another, not just "present". That tells me that he either is indecisive (which is bad for a president) or he doesn't want to have a record because then nobody would vote for him.
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