I'm going to be the first to tell you, I am not the most objective observer when it comes to the GOP. From the start, I have thought that Sarah Palin is an absolute zero, coming to power in a very different and isolated political forum in Alaska. This speech did not change anything for me.
At once she seemed more empty and vapid than I had ever imagined.
We all knew that unless she wet herself on stage, you were going to hear the talking heads break out their usual talk about her speech. Apparently, home runs come as easily in politics as they did during the steroid fueled days of the late 90's in baseball.
Here are the two problems I have with Palin, and both were reflected in her speech:
- She is a liar; and
- Who is she to criticize anyone.
As far as the lying goes, hey, almost every politician has had that moment of beefing up their resume bigger than what it was. Bills and initiatives that they were tangentially connected with all of the sudden become their baby. There is not a candidate in this race that hasn't crossed that boundary.
There is a difference, however, when you are an unknown, and the first things out of your mouth represent the exact opposite of what happened. How many times are we going to hear about her stance on the "bridge to nowhere?" She has to know that there is picture after picture of her supporting this initiative, and she even had a t-shirt made. Surely she knows that everyone is reporting that not only did she support this bridge, but that when it failed she kept the money that the state did get. I have little confidence in the American public picking that up, but there have to be some intelligent swing voters who cringe everytime that is said (and it is repeated ad nauseum). I can only hope that America is saying, "Ok, so that is your crowning accomplishment, and it's not true."
The other point is that for me to have been impressed with her tonight, I needed to see some gravitas about the situation she is in. In other words, I wanted to see some serious talk about her positions and skills for me to even remotely take her seriously. Since her nomination, I'm sure all of you have been confronted by your Righty friends who clamor that Obama also has no experience. My response has always been that, while somewhat true, Obama has overcome those doubts not only by winning the primary that involved over 20 debates, but by being someone who has shown a considerable amout of education, thought, and research has gone into his positions. He is truly someone who knows his stuff, and his positions have WEIGHT. The speeches that he has given to much applause from both sides are ones that he wrote, not some canned garbage spoon fed to him. His stances on the war, attacking Al Qaeda in Pakistan, talking with Iran were all ones that were mocked, until they were determined to be dead on and followed by someone even as stupid as President Bush. Obama, though inexperienced, is a candidate of SUBSTANCE.
What we saw from Palin was a premade speech which was prewritten and then tailored for her. I saw nothing from her on the economy, foreign policy or security. What I got was pandering to the troops, the usual 9/11 horseshit, and did I tell you how American I am in my Americanness? When she went on the attack against Obama, I think it came off as very empty. Who is she to mock someone who has gone through a rigorous 19 month primary? How does she think she can be taken seriously in making one liners about his agenda, when weeks ago she expressed ignorance about what the VP even does? She has been abroad once, and yet she thinks somehow her name being pulled out of hat gives her instant credibility. It would be like me criticizing Stephen Hawking on math, to which someone would hand me the chalk and say, "Ok, then show us what you came up with?"
"Uh, I took math for poets in college. I can barely perform long division."
The most shocking thing to me is the open talk on both sides that Palin is being coached on all the issues she should already know. How in the Hell does that make her qualified? The fact that she can go up and regurgitate points that were fed to her by someone who actually understands the economy and/or foreign policy is impressive. Don't we want someone who looked that up for themselves, chewed on it awhile, and then developed there opinions. Hell, the Chinese can make a doll that spews out Republican beliefs, so why should I be impressed that Palin can repeat something she was told two days earlier when you pull her string? It is not as if it is her own, intelligent, educated and considered opinion on something - it's what she was trained to do. I don't think monkeys who juggle are geniuses b/c I know left to themselves that they would never have come up with it.
When Obama was looking out for his community as an organizer, Palin was reading sports scores off a teleprompter, yet she mocks his work? Based on what, when she was mayor and a city manager actually did all the heavy lifing?
If the Republicans think she is going to be the attack dog, then they have failed to recognize one substantial piece of that job. You have to have something to stand on when criticizing your betters. Lies about bridges, the Alaskan National Guard, and geographical proximity to Russia isn't going to cut it. In the words of David Spade, "It's like a turd making fun of a sunset."
There is no doubt that the Republican base is going to love her, but IMHO I think swing voters are going to run away from her in droves.