Advertisement
I posted this to a debate thread recently, thought I would post it here as well....
"SARAH PALIN AND THE EXPERIENCE ISSUE"
This country will be a lot better off when people on the FAR-LEFT and the FAR-RIGHT stop being so purposefully delusional.
First of all... who first brought up the "experience issue" in this campaign?
It was John McCain; he declared it was crucial, remember?
Now, despite being 72 years old, a survivor of 5 cancer operations, with over 1,000 pages of medical records, McCain seems to have changed his mind about how prepared one must be for Presidential service - the VP's primary responsibility.
So is Sarah Palin less prepared to be president than Barack Obama? Yes. If you don't see this immediately, I can answer this for you quick, or slow.
HERE'S QUICK, it could save you some time, but you have to open your mind for a moment:
Let's say Obama and Palin had to debate, starting tomorrow, on all the key issues a president and vice president have to face. Assuming you were scoring not on ideology (which would be pointless in this discussion) but in some neutral way, based on "preparedness to talk on these subjects", "thoroughness of the answer", etc. - do you think this debate would be even close? You really think Palin is adequately prepared to debate these issues with anyone who has run for president this year? If you do, your thinking probably needs work. (Maybe you should rethink your entire belief system?)
Perhaps this will help you: In a recent interview (before asked to join the McCain ticket) Palin genuinely asked a reporter on a national show, "What exactly does the VP do everyday?"
If that's not enough, let's compare our contenders MORE SLOWLY:
Palin is 44. Obama 47.
Palin came in second in the Miss Alaska pageant and won a college scholarship and bachelor's degree from the University of Idaho.
Obama graduated from Columbia University, then Harvard Law School (Juris Doctor magna cum laude), where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review.
A few top Palin highlights: She then worked as a sports reporter for local Anchorage television stations, and as a commercial fisherwoman.
A few top Obama highlights: He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years. He joined a law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and economic development. He wrote a best-selling book.
Palin was elected to Wasilla City Council where she served from 1992 to 1996. In 1996, she was elected to mayor of Wasilla (population 5,500).
Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, again in 1998, then again in 2002. (Population of Illinois 12,600,620).
In 2004 Obama was elected as a United States Senator.
2006 Palin was elected Governor of Alaska (the second least-populated state in the U.S. - 683,478 total). While there, some in the Republican party heralded her a rising star. In 2007 she scored approval ratings among Alaskans above 90%. Very impressive.
But here's the biggest thing:
Barrack Obama burst onto the NATIONAL SCENE several years back; some people thought he was the most exceptional politician they'd seen in decades - some did not. He gave the keynote address at the 2004 convention and blew most everyone away. As he served as a senator, people became more and more impressed. By 2006 he was on the cover of Time Magazine, along with the headline "Why Barack Obama Could Be The Next President" When he ran for President of the United States, some thought he was ready - some did not. Then he headed what is considered to be one of the most amazing National campaigns in recent history, beating out the toughest political machine the Dems have had in decades - the Clintons. He's given incredible speeches on very complicated "presidential" issues across the country, met with men and women in every state, weathered political difficulties (some real, some of his own making, some manufactured) on the national stage (garnering over 17,000,000 primary votes in the process). Then he traveled overseas where almost everyone knew of him (from top leaders to 200,000 citizens of Berlin), wanted to meet him, was amazed by him. He just finished the most attended (highest-rated, TV-wise) convention of all time, giving a speech that even top Republican pundits call "brilliant" (Mike Huckabee as well). The seated audience during the last night of the convention was FIFTEEN TIMES the size of Wasilla, where Palin served as mayor.
In summary, Obama's fought hard, performed well, and earned where he is at this point on the NATIONAL stage. You may not like Obama, you may not agree with him, but even most Right-Wing politicians would concede this point.
Population of our NATION, 305,009,416. Quite simply, it's a different game, one that Palin has almost no experience in at all.
Palin, while rightly appreciated by Republicans for her charm and ethics (until proven otherwise - her current Ethics Probe makes this a little dicey), got plucked from relative obscurity, from a tiny pond, and splashed down into the ocean of our 2008 Presidential Campaign.
A LAST METAPHOR:
Basketball. Comparing Obama to Palin in terms of preparedness to be President is like comparing LeBron James to a "Jane Doe" three years younger, who looks to have some good skills, but who has yet to play a single big game. Who is more experienced? The answer is that clear.
Well, the game is just starting for Palin, and we'll see what she and all the other players do. Maybe she'll amaze. Maybe she won't.
Hopefully, those in the stands will watch with open eyes.
I saw an article this morning that read "With Pick, McCain Reclaims His Maverick Image". Perhaps. Or perhaps it underscores his image as an aging politician who, based on imagined political gain, will reverse any position, to make poor choices on important issues that effect us all.
-- -- --
www.time.com/time/politi...7514,00.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_palin
wasilla.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm
articles.latimes.com/2008/ma...mccain23
"SARAH PALIN AND THE EXPERIENCE ISSUE"
This country will be a lot better off when people on the FAR-LEFT and the FAR-RIGHT stop being so purposefully delusional.
First of all... who first brought up the "experience issue" in this campaign?
It was John McCain; he declared it was crucial, remember?
Now, despite being 72 years old, a survivor of 5 cancer operations, with over 1,000 pages of medical records, McCain seems to have changed his mind about how prepared one must be for Presidential service - the VP's primary responsibility.
So is Sarah Palin less prepared to be president than Barack Obama? Yes. If you don't see this immediately, I can answer this for you quick, or slow.
HERE'S QUICK, it could save you some time, but you have to open your mind for a moment:
Let's say Obama and Palin had to debate, starting tomorrow, on all the key issues a president and vice president have to face. Assuming you were scoring not on ideology (which would be pointless in this discussion) but in some neutral way, based on "preparedness to talk on these subjects", "thoroughness of the answer", etc. - do you think this debate would be even close? You really think Palin is adequately prepared to debate these issues with anyone who has run for president this year? If you do, your thinking probably needs work. (Maybe you should rethink your entire belief system?)
Perhaps this will help you: In a recent interview (before asked to join the McCain ticket) Palin genuinely asked a reporter on a national show, "What exactly does the VP do everyday?"
If that's not enough, let's compare our contenders MORE SLOWLY:
Palin is 44. Obama 47.
Palin came in second in the Miss Alaska pageant and won a college scholarship and bachelor's degree from the University of Idaho.
Obama graduated from Columbia University, then Harvard Law School (Juris Doctor magna cum laude), where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review.
A few top Palin highlights: She then worked as a sports reporter for local Anchorage television stations, and as a commercial fisherwoman.
A few top Obama highlights: He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years. He joined a law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and economic development. He wrote a best-selling book.
Palin was elected to Wasilla City Council where she served from 1992 to 1996. In 1996, she was elected to mayor of Wasilla (population 5,500).
Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, again in 1998, then again in 2002. (Population of Illinois 12,600,620).
In 2004 Obama was elected as a United States Senator.
2006 Palin was elected Governor of Alaska (the second least-populated state in the U.S. - 683,478 total). While there, some in the Republican party heralded her a rising star. In 2007 she scored approval ratings among Alaskans above 90%. Very impressive.
But here's the biggest thing:
Barrack Obama burst onto the NATIONAL SCENE several years back; some people thought he was the most exceptional politician they'd seen in decades - some did not. He gave the keynote address at the 2004 convention and blew most everyone away. As he served as a senator, people became more and more impressed. By 2006 he was on the cover of Time Magazine, along with the headline "Why Barack Obama Could Be The Next President" When he ran for President of the United States, some thought he was ready - some did not. Then he headed what is considered to be one of the most amazing National campaigns in recent history, beating out the toughest political machine the Dems have had in decades - the Clintons. He's given incredible speeches on very complicated "presidential" issues across the country, met with men and women in every state, weathered political difficulties (some real, some of his own making, some manufactured) on the national stage (garnering over 17,000,000 primary votes in the process). Then he traveled overseas where almost everyone knew of him (from top leaders to 200,000 citizens of Berlin), wanted to meet him, was amazed by him. He just finished the most attended (highest-rated, TV-wise) convention of all time, giving a speech that even top Republican pundits call "brilliant" (Mike Huckabee as well). The seated audience during the last night of the convention was FIFTEEN TIMES the size of Wasilla, where Palin served as mayor.
In summary, Obama's fought hard, performed well, and earned where he is at this point on the NATIONAL stage. You may not like Obama, you may not agree with him, but even most Right-Wing politicians would concede this point.
Population of our NATION, 305,009,416. Quite simply, it's a different game, one that Palin has almost no experience in at all.
Palin, while rightly appreciated by Republicans for her charm and ethics (until proven otherwise - her current Ethics Probe makes this a little dicey), got plucked from relative obscurity, from a tiny pond, and splashed down into the ocean of our 2008 Presidential Campaign.
A LAST METAPHOR:
Basketball. Comparing Obama to Palin in terms of preparedness to be President is like comparing LeBron James to a "Jane Doe" three years younger, who looks to have some good skills, but who has yet to play a single big game. Who is more experienced? The answer is that clear.
Well, the game is just starting for Palin, and we'll see what she and all the other players do. Maybe she'll amaze. Maybe she won't.
Hopefully, those in the stands will watch with open eyes.
I saw an article this morning that read "With Pick, McCain Reclaims His Maverick Image". Perhaps. Or perhaps it underscores his image as an aging politician who, based on imagined political gain, will reverse any position, to make poor choices on important issues that effect us all.
-- -- --
www.time.com/time/politi...7514,00.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_palin
wasilla.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm
articles.latimes.com/2008/ma...mccain23
posted by:
|
Advertisement
Advertisement
