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September 4, 2008
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What many Americans were expecting to
see tonight, based on her little experience and newness to the
national scene, as well as her messy life which has been battered in
the media all week, was a scared, nervous, so so speaking little
woman from a relatively unpopulated state.
Instead, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
came out strong. She absolutely silenced any critics who
thought she wasn't ready to speak on the national stage. She
was solid, delivered real punch points, and time and again gave an
actual snarl before hammering home a nasty, attacking line, ripping
both Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid apart as if she was
an old veteran and they were but unworthy punks.
In fact, at one point, Palin's speech -
which was obviously written for her - asserted that she has "more
executive experience than" Obama and Biden combined.
Now let's stop on that point for a
moment.
What the Republicans wanted to show
tonight was that this woman was no pushover, that she could hold her
own. And, without question, that they did.
But, they went so far over the top with
it that she went from sympathetic, sweet mother who was being
unfairly treated, to arrogant, viscous "pit bull," as she proclaimed
herself. And, after allowing time for the transition of image
to digest, what America was left with tonight was the picture of a
woman who fits the bill of the rule-breaking bully she is accused of
being in Troopergate, and in other scandals that are surfacing.
As someone new on the national scene, Palin should have come with at
least a modicum of deference and respect for such veterans as Biden
and Reid. To stand there and arrogantly - and that can be the
only word for it - assert that she has more and more relevant
"experience" than Joseph Biden, who has three decades participating
in the most complex world and domestic affairs, is an insult
unbecoming of a person who would be America's top diplomat, and a
word-game insult of Americans' intelligence.
Leaving behind the image of sweet,
unfairly treated Sarah, she far overshot the mark and crossed deeply
into Bush-like blowhard land. This is not a thoughtful person
capable of diplomacy. This was not a woman who said she would
come into Washington and get along with all sides - in fact, she
plainly stated she wouldn't "care what Washington thinks of me," but
instead would tell them what she thinks.
While these lines and the speech served
to paint the picture of her having strength, it played right into
the main line of attack of Obama's campaign - more of the same.
More of the same meanness, divisiveness, old politics, which, by no
coincidence, the Obama campaign immediately hammered away at in
their response.
And Palin's speech followed a night of
speeches that ranged from the absurd to the plainly mean.
Failed Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney
railed on like a man lost in a time warp, or a hypnotist hoping to
convince a nation of something that everyone knows isn't true.
He tried to claim that it actually has been "liberals" and "elite
Easterners" who have been running the country, and so we need to
throw the "big government liberals out." He even claimed the
Supreme Court was liberal. Seriously.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani set
up the theme, which Palin would follow, of treating the Democratic
candidates with a complete lack of respect. Mean, divisive,
and insulting. That was the tone he poured out again and,
exhaustively, again.
Into that atmosphere, Palin showed up.
At first, she seemed sweet and ladylike as she stood beside the
podium waving to the crowd. But the more she talked, the more
she transformed. And while at first you couldn't help but say,
"Heck, this woman can stand her own," after a little time you
couldn't help but switch to saying, "Where does this b*** get off
being so big mouthed, arrogant, and disrespectful."
What the GOP lost tonight was any chance
to claim people should back off from attacking Sarah Palin.
Any chance to play her as a victim or have a low bar set for her on
the election trail or in upcoming debates was trashed. What
had walked on stage a somewhat sympathetic character stomped off as
one you'd like to see knocked off her pedestal. And having
been so insulting and viscous in her attacks, no one can blame any
candidate or media outlet for savaging any misstep she makes -
which, once the nicely written speech is taken away from her, will
likely come.
No, she won't enter the VP debate as the
underdog, with Biden having to pull his punches. No, Biden
will go in as the more sympathetic character, with people watching
to see how disrespectful and arrogant the largely unqualified woman
with a delusional view of her own qualifications will be.
The good news for the Obama campaign is
this means things can get back to policy. They can attack her
on her stances and McCain on his. She is now fair game.
The FOX/Limbaugh right had been acting
as if they had another George W. Bush, a clearly mentally weak,
incompetent, unqualified person to be on the world stage, and that
they would be able to play the same "poor George" games with Sarah
Palin as had worked with W. Uh uh. Tonight, Sarah Palin
left herself no room for sympathy, and very little room to be liked.
Even her "hotness" faded. She was not sexy. She was just
plain mean and, frankly, manly.
Which must be noted: there were
pins all over the GOP floor of delegates saying "We have the hottest
VP," and that Palin is a "Hot Chick." Literally, these sexist
slogans were pinned on the people who were holding the signs and
representing their states' delegations.
Everything Governor Sarah Palin needed
to dispel tonight was smashed. But while at first it might
have seemed like her debut was a grand slam, it seems likely to be
one in which she pulled both hamstrings rounding the bases.
And tonight, after two nights of nastiness, insults, and flat out
lies, now that the Palin curiosity has passed, I, and likely many
Americans, am left with no interest in hearing what John McCain has
to say tomorrow night.
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