There is little doubt the selection of Sarah Palin has frightened the living day-lights out of Obama supporters. From the radicals depicted here to the left pundit editors and Television reporters. The N.Y. Times today wrote three negative articles on the front page regarding Palin and her family. That says it all when it comes to their fear factor.
I got to thinking last night about another new kind of leader who emerged from the Republican Party. His name was Ronald Reagan. He went to a small college in the Midwest too. Had strong conservative values and convinced many when he was allowed to speak of the values of limited government and a strong military. The left absolutely hated him. They invented more things to hate about him then anyone could imagine. In the end he's gone down in history as one of our greatest Presidents.
Being President is about leadership. And leadership skills are not solely learned by attending Ivy League schools. They are learned by doing things. Great leaders can come from any background and any walk of life. They are visionary people, who rally others to follow them. Sarah Palin took on an entrenched establishment in Alaska, won election and pushed through one of the most important energy development initiatives in the country; the Alaska Gasoline Inducement Act
gov.state.ak.us. She has an estimated 80% approval rating from the Alaskan people.
Obviously, that doesn't put her in the same company as Reagan. But, it does demonstrate she's accomplished more in two years as Governor, then Obama has accomplished in his life, and especially as a member of the Senate. Obama talks a great game, but that's about it. He reminds me of MBA professors who have wonderful education, and can tell everyone what they've done wrong running a business, but have never actually run one themselves.
Therefore, dismissing Sarah Palin in a knee-jerk reactive way, because she doesn't meet some preconceived notion of what constitutes "the right" education is foolish.
I suspect, whether Sarah Palin becomes VP or not, she will be a tremendous force for "doing positive things" in our country for quite some time.
If Barack loses this election, he will vanish into void of faceless Senators who bloviate on weekend pundit shows and accomplish next to nothing. Ironically, very similar to the accomplishment of 36 year Senator Joe Biden. |
