Clear thinking and straight talk from the top of a mountain.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
A Heartbeat Away from the Presidency
Since Senator McCain picked Governor Palin to be his running mate, we've heard an awful lot of attacks coming from the Democrats and the mainstream media (Mr. Charles Gibson) about Sarah Palin being "only one heartbeat away from the presidency." Of course, this isn't the first time this strategy has been used by Democrats.
As I recall, that candidate ended up with only 10 of the 50 states in the Electoral College. You'd think they'd learn. If you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, you might want to go watch some more presidential commercials at the Museum of the Moving Image.
I have about half a dozen email addresses. Some are business related. Some are personal. I try to keep them separate. I would venture to guess that a growing number, if not the vast majority of working Americans, have at least two email accounts. A work email account, and a personal email account - just like Governor Sarah Palin.
Unfortunately, someone has taken it upon themselves to hack into the Governor's personal email account, an account with personal family photos and private communications, and to post them online. The McCain camp has released the following statement:
"This is a shocking invasion of the Governor's privacy and a violation of law. The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these emails will destroy them. We will have no further comment."
Personally, I think this stunt is going to backfire on the perpetrators. The problem the Democrats are having with Sarah Palin from a political strategy standpoint is that she is someone with whom the vast majority of Americans can relate.
This is only going to further cement the bond that Sarah Palin is developing with the American people. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of Americans cherish their privacy and would be appalled if someone hacked their personal email and put the contents out there for all to see. This invasion of privacy on the heels of the attack against Sarah Palin because her 17 year old daughter is pregnant is without a doubt a new low. And, I'm willing to bet that it will hurt Democrats in the polls come November.
Palin, on the other hand, found the sketch amusing, according to her spokesperson. The governor and the press corps watched the sketch in the back of her plane, laughing at Tina and Amy’s satirical take on the two politicians.
“She thought it was quite funny, particularly because she once dressed up as Tina Fey for Halloween,” Palin spokesperson Tracey Schmitt told CBS.
On top of everything else she has going for her, Governor Palin proves she has a sense of humor. The more you get to know her, the more likable she becomes. How many politicians can you say that about?
I am under 45 years old, I love the outdoors, I hunt, I am a Republican reformer, I have taken on the Republican Party establishment, I have many children, I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office. Did you guess?
Those of you reading this blog for awhile probably haven't failed to notice the troll infestation. My guess is that the number of trolls and their personal attacks against me will only continue to escalate as we get closer to Election Day. In case you're not up on all of your internet slang, Wikipedia defines an internet troll as follows:
An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.[2]
Now, I don't mind trolls. I see them as simply a predictable part of the blogosphere. Like the big mosquitoes in Alaska, they can't really do more than annoy you if you know what to expect. Speaking of Alaska and trolls, I couldn't help but notice that one of the more ornery trolls occupying this blog of late is awfully quick to try and portray me as only giving half the story when it comes to Governor Sarah Palin. Take this recent comment for example:
Here's a few things you neglected to mention...
Sarah Palin was enthusiastically in favor of the $400 million bridge to nowhere until it because a national laughing stock, then flip-flopped to pretend to be against it. Regardless, she took that $400 million for Alaska and authorized the building of the now supposedly unneeded road leading to the construction site of the bridge to nowhere. She also supports the other pork barrel bridge to nowhere that the vastly corrupt Republican Senator Ted Stevens secured for Alaska.
Former Gov. Frank Murkowski’s administration set aside about $113 million of the appropriation for the Ketchikan bridge. However, Gov. Sarah Palin said the $398 million bridge was $329 million short of full funding, and only $36 million in federal funds were set aside for it. She said it was clear Congress had little interest in spending any more money for it and that the state had higher priorities.
Those aren't Republican talking points. They're coming straight from the Democrats Party in great state of Alaska. Kind of makes anything else that particular troll has to say somewhat suspect, don't you think?
I was on the road last night, so I didn't get to watch Sarah Palin's speech at GOP Convention. However, I just watched it this morning, and all I can say is that there is no more perfect candidate for Vice President of the United States.
There were several times during her speech where Governor Palin seemed to be speaking straight to New Mexicans:
A writer observed: "We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity." I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman.
I grew up with those people.
They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America ... who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars.
They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town.
Before Governor Palin was selected, I had a conversation with a producer from a PBS show, and I told him that one of Senator Obama's biggest challenges in winning New Mexico would be the urban versus rural divide. As an urbanite, who time and time again shows he is out of touch with rural values, Senator Obama has some serious challenges in appealing to the two thirds of the state population that lives in rural New Mexican towns. It was this population that turned out and delivered New Mexico for President Bush in 2004.
Every time the Obama camp and the mainstream media question Governor Palin's readiness because she comes from a small town in a sparsely populated state, they strengthen the resolve of proud rural New Mexicans to once again have their voices heard in the White House.
Compare Governor Richardson's approach to leadership to that of Governor Palin:
I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing. And today, that ethics reform is the law.
While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for.
That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay.
I also drive myself to work.
And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef - although I've got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her. I came to office promising to control spending - by request if possible and by veto if necessary.
The Governor with five kids at home doesn't need jets, drivers and personal chefs, but the Governor in a two-person household does? Where's the logic in that? Supposedly, the Democrats are the party of the masses, but you tell me which Governor lives more like you and me?
Of course, I realize that Governor Richardson is not running for President. So, let's bring it back to a Presidential ticket comparison. McCain/Palin versus Obama/Biden. When it comes to proven leadership at the top of the ticket, McCain/Palin win hands down. When it comes to a track record of change and bucking the political establishment, McCain/Palin win hands down. When it comes to dealing with energy or experience in world affairs, McCain/Palin win hands down.
On every measurement and in every category McCain/Palin is the more impressive ticket. And every time, someone tries to make the case that Governor Palin is not ready to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, we'll think of this:
When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too.
Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.
And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.
I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities.
Governor Palin's proven track record of meeting family and community responsiblities combined with Senator McCain's proud history of fighting for this country means much more than Senator Obama's and Senator Biden's "experience" of winning elections.
How do you know the left is out of touch with the American public? Could it be because their Presidential nominee believes that during tough economic times people are worried about the price of arugala?
“Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?” [Senator Barack Obama] said. “I mean, they’re charging a lot of money for this stuff.”
The state of Iowa, for all of its vast food production, does not have a Whole Foods, a leading natural and organic foods market. The closest? Omaha, Minneapolis or Kansas City.
[Senator Barack Obama] said: “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And it’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Or maybe, it is because they think in these times it is okay to enthusiastically run a man for Senate that believes women do NOT deserve to earn the same as men:
No, I'm not being fair. Each of those examples show why top of the ticket Democratic candidates are out of touch with the American public, but not why the activists on the left don't understand the values of the majority of Americans. For that, we just need to consider that they think that the fact that a 17 year old girl getting pregnant is a scandal.
It's not a scandal. It's just something that happens. And, it just reinforces the fact that Sarah Palin is exactly what this country needs. A real person, who is struggling with the same real struggles we all face. No if ands or buts, Sarah Palin becomes more likable everyday.
However, the very best female candidate we have -- and this won't suprise anyone -- is Sarah Heath Palin, the governor of Alaska. With an approval rating in the 90s, she's the most popular state official in the nation. She's a mother of four attractive children, a wife who's a model of commitment to her spouse, and a pillar of honesty in a state with more than its share of political corruption.
She's extremely knowledgable about several critical issues, including energy, the environment, and education. There's no doubt she'll be as passionate about observing the U.S. constitution as she is about following Alaska's state document. She advocates the form of Christianity that emphasizes doing rather than talking. She's a lifetime supporter of Second Amendment rights.
As her electability and approval ratings show, she knows how to communicate with voters. She has just enough of a populist streak that she's not afraid to take on the big corporations (Exxon-Mobil, BP, and Conoco-Phillips) that, in the past, have generally had their way in Alaska.
Later that same week, I was on Eye on New Mexico, and because of the additional research I had done, I brought up what a great V.P. choice Sarah Palin would make. I've got video on my TIVO of that episode. Maybe this weekend, I'll pull it off and post it here.
I was born a New Yorker and have lived in more places than I can count on one hand. My wanderings included a total of more than two years in Ecuador and nine years in California. The latter being significant as that is where I met the love of my life. Of course, she determined that our progeny would be the tenth generation of her family to be raised in New Mexico. So, this is where my roots will grow long.
