CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Nov. 21, 2008 – 5:34 a.m.
Bob Benenson’s Jigsaw Politics: Too Much, Too Soon for Palin
By Bob Benenson, CQ Staff
Imagine an alternative reality: Sarah Palin , a 44-year-old political self-starter midway through her second year as governor of Alaska, steps out on the national stage as keynote speaker at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. She wows millions with her telegenic charisma and evocative rhetoric about working-class, small-town conservatism, without facing harsh scrutiny about her personal life and the degree to which she has formed detailed positions on key national issues.
After her party’s ticket, headed by Arizona Sen. John McCain , is defeated in a 2008 election the Republicans appeared doomed to lose, Palin spends the next couple of years traveling around the country, identifying herself gradually to the national media and to voters far from Alaska, burnishing her reputation as a rising star, collecting chits by campaigning for other Republican candidates and soon enough, attracting buzz for her potential as a contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
If that sounds a lot like the trajectory of Barack Obama ’s meteoric rise through the Democratic Party’s ranks to his election this year to be the 44th president of the United States, it should.
Obama’s star turn as the keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic convention, when he still was a state senator virtually unknown outside his home state of Illinois, helped him draw lavish attention in media and political circles after his election to the U.S. Senate that year. This, in turn, paved the way for him to step out — despite his relatively thin political resume — as a top-tier candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
But Palin’s arrival as a national political figure was much more sudden and rushed than Obama’s. When McCain in late August announced his surprise choice of Palin as his vice presidential running mate, she was as little known to most Americans as Obama was when he first stepped into the spotlight in 2004. As the first-term governor of a state that borders no others, she was undoubtedly a more familiar name in parts of Canada than in Colorado or Connecticut.
And despite her bravura debut in a well-reviewed convention speech and an assertive conservative persona that made her a crowd-pleaser among loyally Republican voters, Palin’s stormy two-month campaign for vice president has left her with plenty of bruises.
She obviously is now a familiar figure to virtually all politically sentient Americans. But if another run for national office in 2012 or beyond is her goal, Palin must reintroduce herself and build new-found political credibility among the majority of poll respondents who now say they do not believe she is qualified to serve as president or vice president of the United States.
The way in which Palin was thrust upon an unsuspecting American public — as the candidate for the office “a heartbeat away” from a presidency sought by the 72-year-old McCain — is at the root of the challenges she faces as she shapes her political future, and as Republicans across the nation reflect on her role in rebuilding a party shattered by huge setbacks over the past two election cycles.
After Palin went overnight from virtual unknown to national celebrity, media outlets and political opponents raised inevitable questions about her background, level of experience and knowledge of national issues. These were further fueled by Palin’s stumbling TV interview performances that became fodder for comedian Tina Fey’s lethal impersonations on Saturday Night Live.
Many Republicans responded to these barbs with accusations of media bias, sexism and elitism (aimed at Palin’s middle-class lifestyle in the small Anchorage exurb of Wasilla). But let’s inject a little note of reality here. Had 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry plucked Obama from obscurity to be his vice presidential candidate rather than the convention keynote speaker, Obama would have faced the same kind of white-hot spotlight.
Think about the kind of flak that was aimed at Obama over the past four years, and especially over the nearly two years since he first seriously tested the waters for his run in this year’s presidential race.
The questions about his associations with flamboyant preacher Jeremiah Wright, 1960s radical William Ayers and ethically tainted Chicago developer Tony Rezko. The false rumors that he is a Muslim rather than a Christian, that he was taught radical Islam as a youth and that he does not have a valid U.S. birth certificate. The questions about whether his political inexperience disqualified him to serve as president. His self-confessions in his autobiography about teenage drug use.
Then imagine him coming out of nowhere as Kerry’s vice presidential pick and getting bombarded with all of this, before many voters had any worldly idea who he really was, in the few weeks between the 2004 Democratic convention and Election Day.
Bob Benenson’s Jigsaw Politics: Too Much, Too Soon for Palin
While the media’s initial focus on highly personal aspects of Palin’s family life drew some backlash from the public, there was nothing wrong with the questions asked about her political experiences and her depth on national issues. She was, after all, running for the nation’s second highest office.
What is wrong is the volume of snarky cheap shots aimed at Palin by unnamed members of McCain’s campaign team in media reports following Obama’s clear-cut victory in both the popular and electoral votes. And this is irrelevant whether the stories they told — including claims that Palin identified Africa as a country rather than a continent, which she denies — had a grain of truth.
Sarah Palin did not invent herself as the Republican nominee for vice president. McCain and his top advisers picked her and presented her as a ground-breaking candidate, appealing to female voters as the first woman on a national GOP ticket while galvanizing support across the Republican base with her strongly conservative views. Republican leaders, many of whom barely knew about Palin beforehand, bragged up her executive experience in six years as mayor of Wasilla and less than two years as governor of Alaska, and cast her as the role model for the nation’s working moms.
If Republican insiders now are inclined to heap the blame for McCain’s defeat on Palin’s back, they first must answer this question: Whose idea was it for her to run as vice president in the first place?
Comments
1. Do you not mean HALF a heart beat away...? 2. FYI, mister Bob, practically NO ONE in Canada lives in areas that border AK, for most of its citizenry reside in ON, QE, and southern tier along the US border. Therefore, Canadians are no more likely to have been familiar with SLHP than those in CO or CT! 3. Palin had absolutely NO obligation to accept The Offer. Indeed, she and her political machine went to extraordinary lengths to boost her public profile almost as soon as she was sworn in, making cameo apperances in "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" for example, as part of the meteoric buildup. So boo hoo hoo!
Good point made. Palin was definitely introduced to the national stage the wrong way. But, does she have the tools to pull off an Obama like rise to the highest office. For that matter, does she have the tools needed to be president? For me, the answer is a resounding – NO. She lacks the intellectual curiosity required to assimilate all the information and opinions that must be understood to make the decisions required of the American President. At no point did she display the ability or discipline of thought that is needed to digest, process, and use this input. Her thought processes were confused as is shown in the way she answered questions in interviews and in the debates. We all think in language and she was not able to put together a cogent, coherent, understandable sentence. How would she be able to formulate and articulate reasoned responses to the multitude of situations to which a president must respond? I don't know about you but I do not want the president to be like me. I hope the president is going to be a whole bunch smarter with a far greater wisdom then mine. Being a soccer mom (or a soccer dad) is not qualification for the most powerful position in the World. Ms Palin just doesn't have the requisite skills for that position. Expatriate working in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Please. Palin is a dim bulb elected by people who almost think it's fine to put felons in the Senate, while Obama is one of the leading lights of his generation. Changing history would not change that underlying reality. Obma knew two years before his speech why it was wrong to invade Iraq. At that same stage in her career, Palin thought we were there on a mission from God. Case closed.
You gotta hear this 90 minute blogradio on why the media has a blackout of the looming Obama Birth Certificate Constitutional Crisis: http://politicalpistachio.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-is-obamas-birth-certificate-still.html
Please Ted, you need to give it a rest. I just don't understand the DNA that leads some to become conspiracy addicts, but there has to be a cure for it. Please, seek some help. Not everything that goes bump in the night is the boogeyman. Sometimes it's just the the cat jumping up on top of the refrigerator and knocking off the cookie jar. I can't imagine what sort of isolated life you must lead. Please get some meds. Get well.
electpalin.com
You know what's sad? You have this lady, Palin, self made woman, and people beat her up. You have Obama, bunch of weird shiz in his past, and everyone is up in arms. I know why this article exists, she is the biggest threat to Obama re-election. The media is gonna down her just like they did McCain. And to all these people saying she is dumb? You wanna bitch about the government, yet you elect those that have been part of it for so many years? And here you have this woman, that does her own thing, trying to do her own thing, and you beat her up for it? Your friggen ignorant, and probably racist. Only reason Obama is where he is, is because he is 7% black man. I'm sorry, but it is the truth. -Chris
Hey Chris, people like being treated like crap PRECISELY so they can bitch about it. It's been going on for years and why you'll never see a political upheaval. Look at these Obamatrolls, they HAD to know Obama doesn't really know anyone or anything enough to fully implement his change mantra, that's why he's filling his admin up with all these Clinton retards, er retreads. Yet they went along with it anyway. So not only will we have another puppet entering the White House on Jan 20, we'll also have a VP who termed JOBS a three-letter word, told a cripple to stand up, thinks the new Secretary of State is better than him, said FDR rallied everybody in a televised speech in '29, bragged about chasing Hezbollah out of Lebanon, is probably glad to see Bobby Jindal out of a 7-11. Yet Palin was the dumb one. Meanwhile, as mediocre governors seem to be the norm in the lower 48, moving to Alaska--where THEIR gov actually is doing it RIGHT--seems to be a good idea
Seriously folks, if you people really think that Palin has the ability to become a president, you have to really have your heads examined. Just look what happened after you had someone similar in intellect run this country the past 8 years....
Silly Sarah simpleton keeps putting herself out there... Booty shorts at the pool, Turkeygate Geeeeze Letterman's writers can go on vacation while she's in the news! Just copy and past one of her interviews verbatim and you will have material for weeks!!!!!....Even the demo's feel sorry... ---------------------------------------------------------- By The Democrats ATTENTION REPUBLICANS: RE: SARAH PALIN Obviously there has been a HUGE mistake..... Palin's Dribble, Weasel Wording, Mush-Mush, Asssss-Backwards speak Cleary demonstrates who carries the Down Syndrome trait in her family, because of this we (the democrats) will allow you to send her back to Wacky-silla without prejudice and select another candidate. For this consideration the Republicans agree to sell Alaska to Russia (with Palin) and never mention the State of Alaska or her again. P.S. Why does Palin repeat herself in the same sentence and add extra words that don't belong!! Reading a Quote from her makes me feel like I am in the advanced stages of dyslexia. Does Anyone else have a problem with this? Is there anyone out there from the North Slope who speaks Wacky-silla?
What amazes me is why no one is asking why Palin accepted the offer to run with McCain? Was she forced to accept? No. Did she know she was not ready? No. Was she knowledgeable about the position she would be seeking? No - by her own admission. She decided to run, She was not forced against her will. That means she is suffering from a monumental amount of hubris, totaly unaware of what she needs to know and currently does not know. Or both. Sarah Palin is the most profoundly ignorant person to ever seek high office in the country in modern times. Hopefully, she will take the time to educate herself. But from her performance at the Republican Conference recently, she still doesn't get it. All of you gentlemen so taken with her looks and charm, please know she is - at least at the moment - all bling.
Don't forget a couple more questions that can be answered "No". Did Sarah Palin have the slightest inkling that a "mere" VP candidate should defer taking telephone calls from foreign heads of state to her running mate -- IF IT WERE proper protocol? No. Did Sarah Palin have the slightest inkling that VP and Presidential candidates don't and should not take telephone calls from foreign heads of state before an election? No. Did Sarah Palin have the slightest inkling that a governor of a state and political candidate calling a foreign head of state by his first name without invitation is a diplomatic faux pas under any circumstances? No. Did Sarah Palin have the slightest inkling....? No! That "Masked Avengers" fake telephone call from "French President Sarkozy" was the best example of Sarah Palin's ignorance in capsule form, topped only by her beauty-queen-runner-up shrill giggling and babbling during the telephone call. Wait, no, I take that back. Topped only by her "fer chrissakes! FER CHRISSAKES!" furious oath as her aide hung up the phone...
Yes, you can draw comparisons between Palin and Obama's sudden appearance on the national stage, you neglected one teensy difference. Obama is articulate and a former editor of the Harvard Law review who spent his two years governing on the national level. Gov. Palin, on the other hand, is frighteningly inarticulate (See the transcripts of the Couric interviews), attended five colleges before getting her communications degree and did a questionable job of turning Wasilla into a giant boxstore with a sports complex that's still in the "red" before her two years governing on the state level. There is no comparison for an America that's engaged in two wars and a financial crisis. Governor Soundbite needs to go back to school.
Why the fascination for Sarah Palin? The same fascination we have for freaks, monsters and ogres. She is a nitwit and has no place in the national scene. For Heaven's sake, put her back where she belongs -- in the cold of Wasilla
"Yes, you can draw comparisons between Palin and Obama's sudden appearance on the national stage, you neglected one teensy difference. Obama is articulate and a former editor of the Harvard Law review who spent his two years governing on the national level" (Shakes head) Ah, the idiotic Chris Matthews-esque psychophantry for The One continues. What does HLR have to do with anything? OOOOO he can say a lot of big words and convince a ton of easily-led greenhorns (just like his VP) he actually knows something. But you're right maybe Sarah isn't fit for comparison with The One. So let's try someone else, another time, another place. Berlin, early 30s sound about right?
Mike: With your comment of "Berlin, early 30s sound about right?" you wouldn't happen to mean (whispering) Adolf Hitler, would you? Geez Louise, here I thought you could think for yourself. Try it. It's fun. As it turns out, Obama, in his speeches and his behavior demonstrates a great deal of respect for his listeners--shown by his appeal to their intelligence rather than their emotions. In contrast, Barbie-doll shows her contempt for her listeners with her appeals to emotion rather than intelligence. And it works, if her public rallies are any indication. Keep uttering the same baseless "questions" that have been answered repeatedly. Pause for two seconds while the knuckle draggers read the cue cards that say "Boo, here." Then smile benignly as the crowd suddenly catches on and starts braying. Rinse and repeat. Dolf used to do the same thing with his foaming and shrieking. So your implication is apt. It's just that you're comparing the Dolfster to the wrong person.
All those people who claim Obama is articulate are fooling themselves. The man cannot complete a sentence without the aid of a teleprompter and when that is not available, the only word that stands out is "um." He's the President of Harvard Law Review for sure but he did not even a single article in that publication. A person of different color would not get that position so easily, for sure. Gov.Palin's executive experience compares really well with Obama, John Edwards and other figures. So, when you complain about her lack of experience and don't do the same for Obama, you are being inconsistent. Of course, she should be asked tough questions but so should Obama and you'd find that he didn't have any tough questions in all his interviews. I find it highly idiotic that she is somehow responsible for Tina Fey impersonation of her. Why was she lampooned but not Obama? Why was Bush lampooned when he walked into a locked door but Obama given a pass when he walked into a bay window? Simple. Hollywood is fully partisan and have used satire as a chief weapon of diminishing conservatives. The fact is over the last years the entertainment industry has tacked to the left big time and has used its enormous power to steer the political conversation to the benefit of the Left. If she decides to run in 2012, she may not need to reintroduce herself. The way Obama is bumbling in office and making so many gaffes and the way he's become, in a short time, the most incompetent and ideologically partisan President, any Republican will be able to beat him. The irony is that it's Obama who will do the hard work for her and clear her way.
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