the rix mix

Although I spent the debate in an online chat with other liberals & found plenty not to like in what Sarah Palin said & how she said it, I couldn't find anything that would upset me if I weren't predisposed to loathing her. A TV debate favors canned answers. Joe Biden, expectedly, was better at making his sound a little less scripted. Obviously there wasn't much depth beneath Palin's statements, she really was sliding on the surface, & there were moments when if she had another minute I think she would have run out of factoids & phrases & babbled something really stupid. Her ramble around the topic of education was especially frustrating because that's one area where she ought to have shown off some personal knowledge & not ignored the question. So while she didn't know much about anything, or bother to pretend she did, nobody thought she would, & she showed confidence & poise in saying whatever she wanted to say regardless of what she was asked (she's not as insecure as liberals believe). Those rather than policy points are what stick. Both she & Joe came across as what they are; a young pro & an old pro. Overall I'd guess she "lost" the debate; that is, she won't bounce the poll numbers either way but she can still hurt the campaign. The only "win" for her is if media turns off the spotlight, & I doubt that will happen. But in the meantime we're back to McCain vs. Obama.

The stories of all VPs who suddenly became president are the same ( except LBJ, who had big ears & x-ray vision); they were pretty much clueless when they took the oath. Other men closer to the president were more prepared, but they weren't in the line of succession. Presidential candidates don't choose running mates on the assumption the VP will take over. If they did, they'd usually choose better. They wouldn't choose Andrew Johnson or Harry Truman, who were among the least "qualified" available. We're very fortunate that many of our presidents completed their terms, even when they were mediocre presidents. If Palin expects to learn on the job, I don't think McCain is inclined to teach her. There isn't a darned thing he'd turn to her for, he doesn't look comfortable with women, & I think she'd be merely decorative in his administration. But then it's remarkable that we've had two VPs in a row who weren't kept out of the decision process, the current VP arguably a decision-maker.

Maybe one Palin negative I couldn't pick up on was this: If she came across as genuinely "small town," even people from small towns might sense that she's probably still too small for the job she's seeking. If you've known small town mayors, you'll know it would take a very, very long climb for them to reach the White House, & Sarah left Nowheresville only two years ago.

Labels: Grandma Palin, THE election