Sarah Palin - photo via Wikipedia
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. I might add that in small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening.
The first time I laid eyes on Sarah Palin I was still half awake. I just dreamt about her nomination. There I was staring at the TV witnessing a beautiful woman standing by John McCain announcing her candidacy as VP.
Sarah who? At first I thought I was so politically ignorant that I didn’t even know her. It soon turned out that the media people (and some people in her own party) were also scampering to find out who she really is.
So who is Sarah Palin? It depends on who you want believe–the media, the internet, the Republicans, the Democrats, the people around her, or whoever she says she is. But this I know for sure. I have a crush on her. I was overpowered by her allure.
Who wouldn’t? She’s driven, politically savvy, athletic, intelligent, eloquent, charismatic, and an all around super hockey mom who has a big beautiful family with uber-adorable babies. She’s a perfect image of an all-American mom. Even Craig Ferguson succumbed to her “naugthy librarian” charm. I love books. Naughty librarians make me 🙂
But what about her experience? Well, she used to be a basketball player, a member of the PTA, mayor of Wasilla and now Governor of Alaska. Beauty, athletics, politics, and brains all in one package. Droool!
And then there’s her historic and infamous acceptance speech. Forget those lowly celebrities. A star is born.
+100 Crush points
Sarah Palin rose to the occasion amidst the unbearable whiteness of the Republican National Convention. The Republican base is energized with a speech full of condescension. People are excited. They haven’t been this excited with John McCain. We’ve got a star in our midst! Screw the issues! We might have a shot at this election after all! USA! USA!
Some say Palin is a willing sacrificial lamb in this election. If she is, then she’s faking it real good. She looks like she’s playing to win. They don’t call her “Sarah Barracuda” for nothing. I’m looking forward to how she’ll charm Joe Biden in the debate. Biden better not look into her eyes for too long lest his foreign policy experience would melt like ice cream on a hot plate.
Hello, world!
But the more I get to know Sarah Palin the more I realize that my crush on her is so fleeting. She’s a projection of my own narcissism. I admire her looks, her brains and her overall packaging. But beneath the surface of her charm, her worldview give me pause and alarm. The reality is, our views are worlds apart. I vote with my worldview and my understanding of issues, and for me, Sarah Palin doesn’t make the cut.
But I couldn’t get myself angry at Palin. It’s John McCain that I look down in disdain for using her and toying with the election in the most powerful nation on Earth. The Republicans are desperate and they know they can’t win on issues. That’s why they opted to play the game of “How low can you go?”
Sam Harris put it bluntly and succinctly:
Americans have an unhealthy desire to see average people promoted to positions of great authority. No one wants an average neurosurgeon or even an average carpenter, but when it comes time to vest a man or woman with more power and responsibility than any person has held in human history, Americans say they want a regular guy, someone just like themselves. President Bush kept his edge on the “Who would you like to have a beer with?” poll question in 2004, and won reelection.
This is one of the many points at which narcissism becomes indistinguishable from masochism. Let me put it plainly: If you want someone just like you to be president of the United States, or even vice president, you deserve whatever dysfunctional society you get. You deserve to be poor, to see the environment despoiled, to watch your children receive a fourth-rate education and to suffer as this country wages — and loses — both necessary and unnecessary wars.
McCain has so little respect for the presidency of the United States that he is willing to put the girl next door (soon, too, to be a grandma) into office beside him. He has so little respect for the average American voter that he thinks this reckless and cynical ploy will work.
Exactly. This is the kind of politics I loathe in my developing country of origin. I’m disheartened to see it happening here in America, yet again.
The sad thing is that there’s a chance that McCain’s ploy might work. But I have faith and I’m optimistic that majority of the American people would see through the cracked character of a once noble politician that is John McCain.
I still have a crush on Sarah Palin. But I don’t love her worldview, her party and her politics. They give good rallying speeches. But their message comes across to me as: Screw your community, Country first, and the hell with the rest ’em!
As I write this I’m awaiting for John McCain’s acceptance speech, and Barack Obama’s appearance on the O’Reilly Factor. Now this would be entertaining.
P.S. What the f*ck is a community organizer anyway?
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