Palin: She Really Does Suck

During the presidential campaign of 2008, the Republican's VP choice of Sarah Palin scared many Democrats, who opposed her for many reasons - her politics, her ideology, and the cynical view that McCain seemed to have of the electorate, to name a few.  Many pointed out that she would not make a good vice president, because she just did not have the experience, or maybe even the knowledge, to be able to hold that position.  I'd say, those fears have been validated, based upon her speech and actions about the stimulus package that's coming to Alaska.

The package is coming to Alaska, and Palin has held the position that she will veto the money - even though everyone else in Alaska wants the money, and desperately.  It will create and save thousands of jobs, but yet she holds on to her position of veto or bust.

In the latest run-up, the Alaska Legislature has held several hearings and meetings to examine if her "fears" have any basis, but yet she was absent for all of them - and there were no issues found with the stimulus, just good money for good projects.  Even the Republicans, who seem to be of the opinion that anything Obama is evil, are on board and ready for the cash.  So Palin backtracks, says she can't say how it will turn out, and tries to point other issues with the package, which are then debunked by the legislature, yet again.

Palin has backed herself into a political corner that even smooth-talking Obama couldn't explain his way out of.  No matter what she does, she'll either be hated for vetoing a crucial stimulus package, or she'll be caught 'flip-flopping' on her position and 'caving in'.  No wonder the Republicans have all dropped her like a hot potato - she's a political liability these days.  

Maybe this is why we all despised her when McCain chose her as VP - even then, we could tell that she was no good.  Even Alaskans agree.  Her approval ratings have taken a nose dive since July of 2008, just before McCain chose her.  From a high of 80% favorable and 15% unfavorable, she has fallen to a low of 55% favorable and 42% unfavorable.  Ouch.

She's also had other problems, beside the stimulus inconsistency.  She had: a dozen ethics complaints (which she is still fighting, to a current cost of $500,00), an inappropriate pick for Attorney General that crashed and burned (with her getting some of the embers), a war with the Senate Democrats over appointments, trying to force out a US Senator and denying it when caught, attending a right-to-life dinner party instead of the final legislative session, and many other things that she blamed the bloggers for.

Well.  That's quite a resumé, Governor Palin.  Only, I don't think it's a resumé that you want to apply for a job with.  A job like the presidency, which she seemed to think was within reach.  Only now, she's sunk.  I doubt she'll be able to hold the governorship in the next election.  

Bottom Line: Sarah Palin sucks.  She's unfit to rule.  The evidence is out there for everybody to see in Alaska, and I'm just glad that the voters came to their senses and elected Obama and Biden.

Sarah Palin: Ready (Or Not), Here I Come!

On September 11, Sarah Palin gave her first news interview with Charles Gibson of ABC News.  And it scared me.  Everything about the interview merely demonstrated just how inexperienced, and worse, just how unprepared, she is for the possible mantle of the vice presidency.  For starters, she didn't even sound natural when she gave her prepared answers to the questions.  According to a New York Times article, she appeared to "hew so closely to prepared answers that she used the exact same phrases repeatedly".  I mean, OK, I know politicians like to use prepared statements to make their points easily and repeatedly, but come on - at least they should be able to make it sound natural and fluid.  Strike # 2 for Ms. Palin?  When Gibson asked her about Bush's doctrine, she didn't know.  After a few pathetic guesses, such as "His world view" and that President Bush has tried to rid the world of terrorists, Gibson had to tell her what she, a Republican vice-presidential candidate, should definitely know:  The doctrine of President Bush is "the right of anticipatory self-defense".  And yet, it took two more tries for Gibson to get Ms. Palin to give him a straight answer about what she thought about it. "Charlie, if there is a legitimate and enough intelligence that tells us that a strike is imminent against American people, we have every right to defend our country".  (Can anyone spot the grammatical error here?)  Now, OK, that's an answer.  I may not agree with it, but at least we have an answer, and an idea of what she believes about combating terrorists.  And then there's the attempt to insult Mr. Biden's experience: "It is time for no more politics as usual and somebody's big fat résumé that maybe shows decades and decades in that Washington establishment, where, yes, they've had opportunities to meet heads of state."  OK, I guess that could be Mr. Biden, who's been in the U.S. Senate for 36 years.  Oh, but wait - Mr. McCain has been in the U.S. Senate as well, for 26 years!  Yeah, Ms. Palin meant the barb to be aimed at Mr. Biden.  But I would imagine that the idea is for the attack to be one-sided, not that it could be used to attack your OWN running mate.  Well, now that she's entered the world of the press, I'm sure we can expect more interviews to come.  And there's the Vice-Presidential Debate coming up on October 2nd - a must see event, for sure.  (My money's on Mr. Biden to have the upper hand)  And I'm sure that everyone will agree by the end just how terrible a choice Mr. McCain has made in his choice for a running mate.