Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The National Review Article About Palin

You're probably familiar with the National Review - a well-known and regarded (even grudgingly by its opponents) conservative magazine founded by none other than William F. Buckley. And you may be familiar with Kathleen Parker, the noted conservative columnist. And you may have read the article in the Review where Parker said Palin should withdraw.

There are many quotables, but my favorite is "If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself."

Palin is a master of public appearances - not facts, not policies, but of maneuvering in front of the press - but then again, she is a journalist (that's the college degree she finally got, then she became a sports broadcaster previous to her stint as a politician starting a few years ago). I understand from a friend's wife who worked with her that Sarah is a pleasant enough colleague in the newsroom. That's fine - but we already have enough media influence over American politics, last time I checked.

During the debate, listen to Palin for facts and figures and hard-boiled policy suggestions in the answers and rebuttals, not generalities and implications and "you can't blink" bluster. When it comes to public speaking, Joe Biden may not be Martin Luther King, but he knows his stuff, and I think we'll see that on Thursday.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Here's the real Palin Problem:

She doesn't know and she doesn't care. She COULD be taking the tack of "you know, there's a lot to learn to hold these offices - for all of us. I have a lot to learn, but I'm doing it quickly, and here's what I know..." She's not. She's trying to bluff her way through, and is clearly failing. That makes her stupid, incompetent, disingenuous, and unqualified.

She reads all of the papers.