It's less about policy differences and more about presentation and intellectual heft. During the campaign season, I didn't always agree with Romney's policy positions, but I could see myself voting for him. He intrigued me for a good while during the campaign season. I found him to be smart, informed, even-tempered, and with good ideas. In addition, he was a good debater and extemporaneous speaker. He was smooth, polished, and dignified. Also, I respect him for his accomplishments as a business man. I also respect him for his attempt to make the lives of the citizens of his state better through his version of health care reform, regardless of whether it was a success or not.
As for Palin, I found her to be a lightweight. She came across as a country bumpkin who was ill-informed and prone to holier-than-thou bouts. She was easy to stump by reporters who used gotcha tactics. She tolerated the shrill, undignified hate speech of the right wing masses, even as McCain several times tried to tamp that down. Her family was a mess, which tells me something about her own state of affairs and how she might run this country. She continually said things like she was qualified in foreign diplomacy because she could see Russia from Alaska. Lastly, she has a decidedly evangelical bent, which always turns me off. Funny thing, though, Huckabee was actually an evangelical preacher, but he never turned me off. Shows you how presentation and intellectual heft count in forming a voter's perceptions. Overall, there is no way I'd want someone like Palin running this country.
Here's the bottom line. This country is still the best system every created for prosperity and governance, despite its increasing number of flaws. We deserve and have every right to expect the very best leaders on both sides of the aisle. I don't want Joe the Plumber running this country. I want Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and other enormously intelligent people running this country. If we start to believe that it's best to let folks like Joe the Plumber and Palin, or Limbaugh and Beck, run this country, then we won't survive as a country for very long. The rest of the world will eat our lunch. |
