Tuesday, September 2, 2008

The good and bad of Sarah Palin


Well, I admitted I was shocked by John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. I am trying to keep an objective opinion of her, but the more I learn the harder that is to do. I really get the feeling she was picked just because she was a woman. I am all for a woman being VP or even president, but it can't just be any woman. She would have to have a solid backround.

Anyway here are the pros and cons for her. We'll go cons first, because those are easier for me to make:

Cons:

Palin is a first-term governor who has served less than 2 years. She has governed over Alaska, which has one of the lowest populations in the country. Before that she was a mayor of a very small town, Wasilla, Alaska. She has very little international experience.

Palin is under investigation for her firing of a state official, Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. She has been instructed to hand over documents and recordings of telephone conversations as part of the inquiry, which grew out of allegations that she sacked Monegan for refusing to fire her former brother-in-law from the state police. But Palin acknowledged that a member of her staff made a call to a trooper in which the staffer suggested that he was speaking for the governor. Palin has admitted that the call could be interpreted as pressure to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, who was locked in a child-custody battle with Palin's sister. She suspended the staffer who made the call.

Her 17-year-old daughter is about to have a child out of wedlock. I don't want to beat up a 17-year-old, but this is a blow for Palin who has touted her triumphs as a mother of 5 children. She has also been a staunch advocate for abstinence.


Pros:
She is a mother of 5, which is hard to do while running a state.

She stood up against Republican leaders and oil companies who wanted to ease restrictions on big oil. It was a corrupt system and she is credited with making a change. She is considered to be an expert on energy policy.

She was a runner-up for Ms. Alaska in 1984. Um, yay!?!

She has "executive experience." She ran a state for almost 2 years as the top dog.

OK, what else am I leaving out about her? What do you think about her?


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

She can't even enforce abstinance in her own house, how could she do it for the country?

This selection just cost McCain the election!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm gonna disagree, anonymous.(if that is your real name) I think this pick just won the election. Far-right conservatives are now happy, what with Mrs. Palin shooting moose and being a card carrying NRA member. Moderates are pleased with her reformer past. Undecided women may be swayed. And as far as her daughter having a baby, that just makes her out to be like every other American. Someone to identify with. And I just read that Barrack didn't get near the numbers boost that was expected after the DNC. Doesn't look good for Obama/Biden if you ask me.

impeachedmagazine said...

Well, I have tempered my opinion on her somewhat. I still don't think she has enough experience to be VP. Obama also lacks experience, but has shown during the campaign trail he can do the job.

I can understand why some people like her though. She does appear to be an outsider, or reformist, but still has core Republican values.

Oh and sef d, I just heard that Obama got a 10 percent boost from the DNC. The report I heard put him in the lead with just over 60 percent approval.

This touches on something else that makes politics so confusing. There are so many voices giving so many fact (or perhaps lies). It is hard to know who to believe anymore

Anonymous said...

You are right on about there being too many voices. The report I heard said Obama had just crossed 50% for the first time, with McCain only a few points behind. Who knows. You can't trust exit polls either. Last election I went to bed believing Kerry had it in the bag, only to awake to Bush winning again, so who knows?