Governor Sarah Palin: The Portrait of Affirmative Action

Senator McCain’s selection of Governor Palin should forever put to rest neo-con, conservatives, right-wingers and all Republicans’ opposition to affirmative action. Her selection is the Portrait of Affirmative Action gone awry.

She only served as part-time mayor of a city smaller than the size (7000) of a few precincts in a major city like Chicago. She has been governor for twenty months of a state that has a population smaller than Columbus, Ohio. Yet McCain picks her to be a heart beat away from the off ice of President of the United States.

Let’s call this decision by McCain what it actually is: reckless.

Selection of the Vice President running mate is the most important decision that a nominee makes prior to becoming President. McCain not only failed in this respect—he committed a reckless act against the country he loves, I love, and Americans love.

McCain talks about the awesome responsibility of the President, but doesn’t do anything much about it, to paraphrase Mark Twain’s comment about the weather.

The Republicans want to equate Ms. Palin’s experience with Senator Obama’s. This is disingenuous and stupid—which pretty much guarantees that many voters will buy into it. Let’s compare them:

First, Obama is the nominee of his party by the way of MERIT. He won over 18 million votes, (many more if the caucuses were extrapolated into votes and counted) over 30 states primaries and caucuses and the District of Columbia.

Obama put together the best organized political machine in the history of the world, a machine that shredded the most powerful democratic machine (Clinton’s) that existed since modern politics came on the scene in 1901 with the first political primary.
Obama’s machine raised more money in the primary contests than all of the other seven democratic candidates--combined!

Obama participated over 18 months in fierce debates with senators, former governors, former ambassadors and former presidential cabinet members. In all, he not only survived, but also conquered his adversaries in 20 debates—he won the nomination fair and square based on the rules that every candidate knew and agreed to follow. That’s called merit and democracy—neither of which the Palin’s pick has the faintest resemblance.

Obama proved his ability to attract alliances when he traveled to Europe.

Obama has served for 4 years on the Foreign Relations Committee, Veterans Committee and others, traveled in all 48 states, met with all of the players on Iraq, Afghanistan and our European Allies.
For over 18 months, under intense scrutiny, America has come to know Obama. He survived a long, grueling, contentious slanderous campaign.

Obama has stood the test of time. For all of those who cherish merit, Obama is your man. For those who cherish blind affirmative action and empty feminism, Sarah Palin is your woman. Where are the neo-cons, conservatives and Republicans who oppose affirmative action?

Governor Palin has not been vetted; McCain had only met her once briefly before calling her to offer her his VP running mate.

Palin has no, NO, NONE, national experience.

Palin has no, NO, NONE, national security experience.

Palin has no, NO, NONE, foreign policy experience, except she traveled to Iraq once, I believe.

Palin apparently never had a passport until 2007.

Palin has not met with any of our Allies in Europe.

Palin was a former runner-up in some spot for Miss Alaska Beauty Contest.

Palin has been active in the PTA.

Palin is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

Palin eats Moose Burgers, apparently after killing and skinning them herself, which is, I would guess, no small accomplishment!

Palin may very well be a heart beat away from the most powerful position in the world: Our President.

Palin is said to have not been afraid to confront Senator Stevens in Alaska and because she’s close to Russia she can handle Russia, so say the Republicans. Senator Stevens does not have nuclear weapons.

Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.

Palin opposes abortion even in the cases of rape or incest.

Palin supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000.
(If you have listened to Pat Buchanan’s comments on CNN and MSNBC, perhaps you do not know just how rabidly racist, and I don’t use this term often, and jingoistic, and anti-feminist he is, just go to his website and read some of his writings.)

She's doesn't think humans have anything to do with climate change!
Let’s take a look at what this 44 year-old mother of 5, with no creditable experience to be President, may be asked to do. Remember, John McCain is 72 and has had cancer 4 times:

The President is the Commander-in-Chief with power to order the most powerful military in the world to attack real or perceived enemies. The President controls all National Guards in the 50 states when they are called to serve.

In addition to the formable power behind our armada of ships, nuclear submarines, air force second to none, marines the envy of the world, this Neophyte, 44 year old mother of 5 will have at her disposal over 9,000 nuclear weapons, not 1, not 2, not 5—over 9,000, with the capacity to deliver them to any part of the world in about 30 minutes to a maximum of two hours.

The President is the Chief Diplomat. In this role he controls our Foreign Service, Ambassadors, CIA, FBI, and all other intelligence units operating outside of the U.S.
The President makes peace or war based on diplomatic skills. The President controls the atomic power of all but three of the nine atomic powers in the world: Russia, China and Pakistan.

The President is the Chief Economic Czar and Chief Executive Not only does the President appoint the Cabinet ministers who control the economy, he/she appoints commissioners from everything from the EEOC to the FDA—from our jobs to our food. The President “jawbones” union leaders, the military, the Chamber of Commerce and other powerful entities to persuade (and more) them to do or not do something.

The President is the Chief Legislator—functionally equivalent to 33 Senators and 145 Congresspersons. No legislation can be passed by a Veto unless there is a 2/3 override by both Houses. In addition, the President exercises enormous influence over the judiciary—he nominates all federal judges, and other judges that enforce legislation and executive orders, and the President nominates every Supreme Court Justice—a Court poised to overrule Roe v. Wade (a woman’s right to chose), to modify laws that affect blacks and other out groups, poised to base its rulings on the most conservative political reading of the Constitution: Witness the recent total misreading of the Second Amendment Right to bear arms. (I happen to agree with the ruling, because I think all sane citizens should be allowed to carry even concealed weapons, but it was a monstrous political misreading of the entire Constitution, which mentions the people right to bear arms only in relation to a militia.)

The President is the Leader of the free world; with Iran’s obtaining a nuclear weapon (which it certainly will long before our intelligence predicts it will) and North Korea restarting its Nuclear Program, and it already knows how to build nukes, the world is a very different place than Alaska, where some 626,000 souls reside, including Eskimos, and take pride in packing and selling moose shit as a souvenir!

These, ladies and gentlemen, are just a few of the powers and responsibilities that we are one potential heart beat away from entrusting a former beauty queen with less than two years of any meaningful experience.

On top of that, her education is woefully pitiful for the job, having only a BS in journalism from some college or university in Idaho. She has no advance education.

It is one thing to be a maverick; it is quite another to be a reckless baffoon, engaging in gimmickry, playing with our security and well being for shock value. This was not a bold act by McCain; it was a reckless act.

I agree with David Gergen, who served Presidents from Nixon, to Ford, to Reagan, to the first Bush and to Clinton, who declared, “this was a reckless act by John McCain. “

Finally, the scariest thing about McCain’s pick for VP is that we only have a few days to get to know her and that is not long enough, especially in light of the fact that she was not vetted by McCain’s campaign.






Governor Sarah Palin: The Portrait of Affirmative Action

Senator McCain’s selection of Governor Palin should forever put to rest neo-con, conservatives, right-wingers and all Republicans’ opposition to affirmative action. Her selection is the Portrait of Affirmative Action gone awry.

She only served as part-time mayor of a city smaller than the size (7000) of a couple precincts in a major city like Chicago. She has been governor for twenty months of a state that has a population smaller than Columbus, Ohio. Yet McCain picks her to be a heart beat away from the off ice of President of the United States.

Let’s call this decision by McCain what it actually is: reckless.

Selection of the Vice President running mate is the most important decision that a nominee makes prior to becoming President. McCain not only failed in this respect—he committed a reckless act against the country he loves, I love, and Americans love.

McCain talks about the awesome responsibility of the President, but doesn’t do anything much about it, to paraphrase Mark Twain’s comment about the weather.

The Republicans want to equate Ms. Palin’s experience with Senator Obama’s. This is disingenuous and stupid—which pretty much guarantees that many voters will buy into it. Let’s compare them:

First, Obama is the nominee of his party by the way of MERIT. He won over 18 million votes, (many more if the caucuses were extrapolated into votes and counted) over 30 states primaries and caucuses and the District of Columbia.

Obama put together the best organized political machine in the history of the world, a machine that shredded the most powerful democratic machine (Clinton’s) that existed since modern politics came on the scene in 1901 with the first political primary.
Obama’s machine raised more money in the primary contests than all of the other seven democratic candidates--combined!

Obama participated over 18 months in fierce debates with senators, former governors, former ambassadors and former presidential cabinet members. In all, he not only survived, but also conquered his adversaries in 20 debates—he won the nomination fair and square based on the rules that every candidate knew and agreed to follow. That’s called merit and democracy—neither of which the Palin’s pick has the faintest resemblance.

Obama proved his ability to attract alliances when he traveled to Europe.

Obama has served for 4 years on the Foreign Relations Committee, Veterans Committee and others, traveled in all 48 states, met with all of the players on Iraq, Afghanistan and our European Allies.
For over 18 months, under intense scrutiny, America has come to know Obama. He survived a long, grueling, contentious slanderous campaign.

Obama has stood the test of time. For all of those who cherish merit, Obama is your man. For those who cherish blind affirmative action and empty feminism, Sarah Palin is your woman. Where are the neo-cons, conservatives and Republicans who oppose affirmative action?

Governor Palin has not been vetted; McCain had only met her once briefly before calling her to offer her his VP running mate.

Palin has no, NO, NONE, national experience.

Palin has no, NO, NONE, national security experience.

Palin has no, NO, NONE, foreign policy experience, except she traveled to Iraq once, I believe.

Palin apparently never had a passport until 2007.

Palin has not met with any of our Allies in Europe.

Palin was a former runner-up in some spot for Miss Alaska Beauty Contest.

Palin has been active in the PTA.

Palin is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

Palin eats Moose Burgers, apparently after killing and skinning them herself, which is, I would guess, no small accomplishment!

Palin may very well be a heart beat away from the most powerful position in the world: Our President.

Palin is said to have not been afraid to confront Senator Stevens in Alaska and because she’s close to Russia she can handle Russia, so say the Republicans. Senator Stevens does not have nuclear weapons.

Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.

Palin opposes abortion even in the cases of rape or incest.

Palin supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000.
(If you have listened to Pat Buchanan’s comments on CNN and MSNBC, perhaps you do not know just how rabidly racist, and I don’t use this term often, and jingoistic, and anti-feminist he is, just go to his website and read some of his writings.)

She's doesn't think humans have anything to do with climate change!
Let’s take a look at what this 44 year-old mother of 5, with no creditable experience to be President, may be asked to do. Remember, John McCain is 72 and has had cancer 4 times:

The President is the Commander-in-Chief with power to order the most powerful military in the world to attack real or perceived enemies. The President controls all National Guards in the 50 states when they are called to serve.

In addition to the formable power behind our armada of ships, nuclear submarines, air force second to none, marines the envy of the world, this Neophyte, 44 year old mother of 5 will have at her disposal over 9,000 nuclear weapons, not 1, not 2, not 5—over 9,000, with the capacity to deliver them to any part of the world in about 30 minutes to a maximum of two hours.

The President is the Chief Diplomat. In this role he controls our Foreign Service, Ambassadors, CIA, FBI, and all other intelligence units operating outside of the U.S.
The President makes peace or war based on diplomatic skills. The President controls the atomic power of all but three of the nine atomic powers in the world: Russia, China and Pakistan.

The President is the Chief Economic Czar and Chief Executive Not only does the President appoint the Cabinet ministers who control the economy, he/she appoints commissioners from everything from the EEOC to the FDA—from our jobs to our food. The President “jawbones” union leaders, the military, the Chamber of Commerce and other powerful entities to persuade (and more) them to do or not do something.

The President is the Chief Legislator—functionally equivalent to 33 Senators and 145 Congresspersons. No legislation can be passed by a Veto unless there is a 2/3 override by both Houses. In addition, the President exercises enormous influence over the judiciary—he nominates all federal judges, and other judges that enforce legislation and executive orders, and the President nominates every Supreme Court Justice—a Court poised to overrule Roe v. Wade (a woman’s right to chose), to modify laws that affect blacks and other out groups, poised to base its rulings on the most conservative political reading of the Constitution: Witness the recent total misreading of the Second Amendment Right to bear arms. (I happen to agree with the ruling, because I think all sane citizens should be allowed to carry even concealed weapons, but it was a monstrous political misreading of the entire Constitution, which mentions the people right to bear arms only in relation to a militia.)

The President is the Leader of the free world; with Iran’s obtaining a nuclear weapon (which it certainly will long before our intelligence predicts it will) and North Korea restarting its Nuclear Program, and it already knows how to build nukes, the world is a very different place than Alaska, where some 626,000 souls reside, including Eskimos, and take pride in packing and selling moose shit as a souvenir!

These, ladies and gentlemen, are just a few of the powers and responsibilities that we are one potential heart beat away from entrusting a former beauty queen with less than two years of any meaningful experience.

On top of that, her education is woefully pitiful for the job, having only a BS in journalism from some college or university in Idaho. She has no advance education.

It is one thing to be a maverick; it is quite another to be a reckless baffoon, engaging in gimmickry, playing with our security and well being for shock value. This was not a bold act by McCain; it was a reckless act.

I agree with David Gergen, who served Presidents from Nixon, to Ford, to Reagan, to the first Bush and to Clinton, who declared, “this was a reckless act by John McCain. “

Finally, the scariest thing about McCain’s pick for VP is that we only have a few days to get to know her and that is not long enough, especially in light of the fact that she was not vetted by McCain’s campaign.

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©All Rights Reserved.Reproduction is permitted provided credit is given.Lenton Aikins, Ph.D., J.D.Dr. Aikins has traveled widely, lived abroad in Europe and Latin America, recently spending three years in Costa Rica as Director of a Spanish Language school. He holds a Ph. D. in Political Science from University of Southern California, a Juris Doctor in Law from Western State University, College of Law. He is the author of many articles and of While African Americans Slept: Leadership by Parasites, now available at: http://lentonaikins.com, and available in all bookstores July 1, 2008. You can read his blog: Go to: http://lentonaikins.com and click on blog.