The best way to tell if a person is good at governing is to see if they have been good at governing . . . not if they are good at talking about government.
Worthwhile excerpts about Sarah Palin from a couple essays about criticisms of her:
We know Palin has good negotiating skills in the real world.
How?
Governor Palin has negotiated a tough deal (against fierce opposition) to get an uncommonly favorable deal for Alaska on a gas pipeline. This is a mammoth project where even critics concede she picked a good team and managed the issue well. Against this actual executive success which entailed great political risk.
As for Joe Biden, I see no reason to think him a competent executive. He has run nothing. He has commanded nothing. He has been at the top of government for decades running from a safe seat in tiny Delaware, but one of his presidential campaigns was an embarrassment and the other a non-starter. If Joe Biden had never served in the Senate, it is hard to see the loss to the Republic except for the loss of his frequent gaffes, weird tirades, and overweening ego.
He may know more about the details of how things work in Washington by sheer dint of living (though Biden has never displayed any great intellectual ability as far as I can tell), but how do we know a thing about his ability to govern?
Is Palin a leader?
On that, the best place to look is at her record as a leader . . . and she has one.
Does Palin show executive competence in finding good people to make her successful in governing? Her work in Alaska pretty much proves that she does. She got the state to pass major reforms, negotiated a major gas pipe line deal, and used her speaking ability to rally support for her ideas. She was (before partisanship set in) viewed by both parties in Alaska as an astoundingly good leader.
I assume that a woman who can negotiate a multibillion dollar gas pipe line deal against great opposition is not an “empty pantsuit.”
I think what people have done is more important than how they say it.
One could falsify the statement: “Sarah Palin is fit to be vice-president.” by looking at her record and finding that she was not an effective executive. I have looked at her record, especially at media accounts of her before partisanship took over, and find it very strong.
scriptoriumdaily.com
The best way to tell if a person is good at governance (I argue) is to see if they have been good at governing . . . not if they are good at talking about government.
She grew up in a small town where everyone knew her. That small town made her mayor. She was tremendously popular in her home town, was successful in her career, and recognized as a rising talent by the state Republican party. She served with distinction on a state board, resigning to protest corruption. As governor, she has negotiated a very complex gas pipe line deal and passed important reform legislation. She called for the state to begin to wean itself from dependence on the federal government and made progress on this hot button issue.
These are real governing accomplishments in a very short period of time in a young politician. They show amazing talent and governing smarts.
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Governor Palin was on most conservative short-lists as a rising star in the party. Her pre-selection interviews and debates show confidence, mastery of sufficient detail about issues of concern to Alaska, but a style that preferred the “big picture” to overly detailed answers. In that way, she is like Reagan, but watching her debates for governor does not indicate a “dim bulb” to me.
Her governing accomplishments were acknowledged on both sides of the aisle before partisanship consumed us all. The gas deal in particular required picking a highly skilled team, bucking the political establishment, political risk, and has been applauded by even those critical of other actions she has taken (including the local papers).
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I prefer to think someone with Palin’s accomplishments is accomplished, but bad (or inexperienced) at certain kinds of articulation rather than believing that her stunning governing success (as judged by voters and peers) is mere chance.
My evidence is in her actions and not in her words.
scriptoriumdaily.com
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