Wish I could take credit for the thought. While it has been picked up net-wide, as near as I can figure out, it apparently started with www.metafilter.com/74487/Sarah-Palin-as-McCains-runningmate, by poster “goodnewsfortheinsane.” Nevertheless, it is true.
Her bizarre slam on community organizers was but one reason that I was underwhelmed by Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s speech to the Republican National Convention. Indeed, I think she forgets that community organizing isn’t a monoply of the left. In my younger years, I spent a decade as a chamber of commerce executive in – yes – small towns in Wisconsin. While we promoted economic development, transportation, education, we chamber execs could legitimately be called community organizers. (And no offense to the several mayors with whom I worked closely, I think I typically worked harder than any of them, most of whom were part time.)
As distressing to me as Palin’s gross misstatements of fact (I’ve now added Annenberg’s FactCheck.org to my list of links) was her style. The pundits claimed it was a great speech, and that her delivery was awesome. I disagree on both counts. Her speech was calculated to rally the ultra-right wing party base, and it did that. If that’s the definition of “great,” maybe it was. But was it anywhere close to Obama’s acceptance speech? Nopey, nope, nope. (I would say it was better than McCain’s but that’s setting the bar absurdly low.) Palin’s delivery was competent – no more than that. It wasn’t natural, and was delivered with a smugness that I thought came across as phony.
But what I found most offensive about Palin was her extraordinary sarcasm, mockery, partisanship, divisiveness. Perhaps some are swayed by such devices (one only look to the 2004 and 2000 elections for proof), but I’m hopeful that as a society for the 2008 election, we can see beyond that and look to facts. (I’ve engaged in a fair amount of self examination on the topic to make sure that I’m not making comments based on gender, and I really don’t think I am. These same comments would apply if it were Sam Palin rather than Sarah Palin.) Oftentimes, I find that sarcasm is used as a device when truth, facts don’t work. That was the case on Tuesday night.
On Tuesday night, I vowed to myself that I would do what I can to make sure that Obama is elected the 44th president of the United States. The United States – and the world – deserve no less.
Perhaps even moreso than my daughter’s upcoming wedding, the election gives me a current reason to renew my blogging enthusiasm. My next topic: Republican Hypocrisy. Stay tuned . . .
In the meantime, please considering helping the Obama/Biden campaign.