Ok, I preface this with a disclaimer. My thoughts do not represent any organization or institution. They are merely my own thoughts and reactions to this campaign. I have to say that Governor Palin's first speech on this grand of a stage was impressive. She came off well. However, as her counterpart, Joe Biden has already said, during her approximately hour long speech, gas prices, foreclosures, affordable college tuition, and the middle class were all missing from the speech. Heck, I don't remember hearing any references to Gulf Coast, which was hit hard by another hurricane, which altered the convention. And before you ask, "Did Obama say anything about those things?" Yep. He did. You better believe I'll be listening for these things tonight during McCain's speech. How about affordable health care?
I just find it hard to attach credibility to someone who blasts "big oil" companies on one hand and in the same speech, she acknowledges that her husband works for an oil company and a relative who opened their own service station.
Somebody from the right needs to straighten me out on the whole experience issue. Governor Palin says because she has been mayor and governor (executive experience), she therefore, has more experience for the top office than Senator Obama. If it were up to me, I think I would rather have someone who has been in Washington and knows lawmakers and can navigate the mess that is in Washington. People have been blasting Obama's foreign policy experience. What is Palin's foreign policy experience?
Getting back to my initial impressions of Palin's speech...I think my favorable impressions of Palin's performance relate to the fact that my expectations were so low and she did better than I expected. She is no Admiral Stockdale (Ross Perot's running mate). This wasn't a case of me having high expectations and having her met them.
I read that John McCain met Palin ONCE in person and called her on the phone once before asking her to be his running mate. Last night, a Republican strategist said on tv that Mitt Romney was initially going to be offered the spot and then that offer was reneged because of Hillary's speech last week. I think most of the criticism towards the Palin pick is because people see her as unqualified.
Final note: I watched last night from 10 o'clock through the end of Palin's speech. As has been a criticism of the Republicans and especially Bush, whenever the public opinion goes south, the gameplan is to bring up 9-11. Rudy Giuliani referenced it and then Sarah Palin mentioned that her son would be going back for another tour of duty "a week from tomorrow on September 11th."
3 comments:
Good review, Struke. I have to agree with a lot of what you said. I almost felt that it was an hour long biography of her life and John McCain's. I have heard his story over, and ver and over again. Not only that, I also noticed she was frequent on the cheap shots and low on the issues (as you mentioned).
I agree that Palin's lack of experience is a major concern. I hate that so much of this campaign has been about gender and race instead of where the candidates stand on the issues. Why can't people see that the issues and problems that face our country should be the whole focus of the candidates and their campaigns. Excellent post, Struke.
Personally, I couldn't care less that she's a "hockey mom." Good for her.
I'm still trying to find what liberal media outlet said that Palin shouldn't run due to her being a "mother." Palin emphasized that but I have yet to see where or who said that.
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