Thoughts On Sarah Palin In General and Her Acceptance Speech In Particular

by D.T. Holt

Looking at it from a strictly political point of view, the choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate is a brilliant move by John McCain. She is an anti-abortion, pro-gun, devoutly Christian, conservative, which is everything the Republican nominee needs to shore up his support with a conservative base whose response to him has been tepid at best. Even the single minded focus of the media on her perceived lack of experience has helped the cause by giving John McCain the opportunity to continue developing the perception that Barack Obama is not qualified to be President.

It is, however, difficult for me to believe that Sarah Palin, an unknown entity to not only the electorate but, until recently, to John McCain, was chosen because she was believed to be the best person for the job. I’m not referring to her relative lack of experience because I would argue that all four candidates that make up the two major party tickets lack experience as President of The United States. I am merely suggesting that it appears to me that the McCain camp based their pick entirely on what they think will help them win the election without any regard for whether she is the right choice to be Vice President of the United States.

In her acceptance speech at the Republican convention, Palin encompassed much of what is wrong with what passes for political discourse in this country. Although she used the first part of the speech to talk about her background, her family and her support of John McCain, it was the next part that I had a problem with. Her snide, sarcastic, over simplified characterization and mockery of the Obama/Biden campaign’s stances on the issues was not only mean spirited, it made no useful addition to the national conversation that a presidential campaign should strive to encompass. She made little or no effort to offer alternatives or even to make measured, fact based criticisms. Instead she chose the “us versus them” approach that pundits like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have turned into an art form and more respected, supposed mainstream journalists have chosen to celebrate and cover as if the candidates were two trash talking NASCAR rivals.

It is absolutely true that both parties are guilty of this type of incendiary rhetoric. Sarah Palin’s speech was merely a recent and extreme example. The speeches at the recent Democratic convention at times veered into this same, angry territory but, at other times they made the effort to respect the distinction between criticism and mockery. Both sides owe it to the American people to remember this distinction and move beyond attacks and verbal jabs into an actual debate. The stakes are too high and the issues too important for them to do otherwise.