The Experience Question

Recently, someone I know---who is a self-described swing voter who lives in Alaska--asked me about how Obama's "experience" compares to Palin's. Here is my response:

Hey,
If you have some questions or want to talk about it earnest, I'm happy to talk about it. But if you seriously can see no difference and think that the choice of Palin is anything more than a pander to women and the far, far right wing, as well as a major sideshow so McCain doesn't have to address the issues, then I honestly don't know what to say. 

This election, to me, is not like our typical family political conversations of the past. Everything is riding on this---and it's honestly keeping me up at night. It's that important, and it's the choice is that clear.

In a very short time, Palin has proven herself to be a pretty shameless, well... liar, yes liar---claiming to be a 'maverick reformer' but actually serving as director of Ted Stevens 527, hiring a federal lobbyist and making trips to DC herself to get earmarks for Wasilla, boldly claiming she opposed "the bridge to nowhere" ---when in fact she totally supported it until she realized it was politically unpopular and then pocketed the federal dollars for Alaskans, flagrantly abusing her executive power in the firing of Walt Monegan and now using the McCain campaign to stonewall the investigation and have Hollis French removed, claiming that Obama has never authored a single, not one piece of legislation---he's authored 820 in the Illinois Senate, sponsored 520 in U.S. Senate (in 2 years) and authored 152 of those, including co-sponsoring with Richard Lugar (R-IN) legislation funding the destruction or securing of "loose" nuclear weapons in other countries. (Palin claimed Obama never reached across the aisle.)

To say nothing of what she's done policy-wise: transformed her hometown's budget surplus into a huge deficit, responding to the energy crisis with only "drill, baby drill," developing a foreign policy based on fear, ignorance and total lack of understanding about the rest of the world. Shhe did not have a passport until 2007 and has only been to Kuwait and Germany to visit the troops (oh and Ireland for a refueling stop.)

Do you really want someone so small-minded and provincial anywhere near the helm? Since when is it a bad thing to be educated and forward thinking? We've had 8 years of a president who "is one of us, can have a beer with." My god, isn't it time for one who is a wee bit smarter than that?

If I were a Republican (classic fiscal conservative ala Dad who values limited gov't, personal liberty, etc.) I would be outraged that my party has been blatantly co-opted by the right-wing, fundamentalist, simplistic, Amerio-centric neocons like Palin. These people have not always dictated the platform of the Republican party. That's a new phenomenon since Bush/Rove, and it's utterly terrifying. Even many Christians think there's nothing "Christ-like" about this woman.

I agree with Andrew Sullivan on this one: Palin "is a Bush-Cheney fiscal conservative: low taxes, unprecedented new spending, utter incompetence, endemic cronyism and massive debt."

Senator McCain of the past had a compelling story and did operate outside of his party on occasion. Before he became the victim of Rovian smears by Bush in the 2000 election and shockingly started sucking up to Bush, he used to stand up to his party and put himself out there. Candidate McCain, on the other hand, is a puppet trying to win an election. He's agreed with Bush more than he hasn't.

His choice of Palin affirms it even more and reveals so much about his decision-making: compulsive, reactionary, simple-minded, dismissive. Sounds too familiar for me. She is a token woman who can read a teleprompter and then gets carted off to hide in Alaska and won't take questions. She's the only candidate on the ticket not doing the Sunday a.m. talk shows this weekend with 60 days before the election. It's literally unheard of for a newly selected VP candidate not to hold a press conference or take questions at all. But we're sexist and elitist because we, the American people, want her to answer questions about her positions. Her handlers---one of whom I went to grad school with--- are fully admitting she needs to be tutored and trained so she doesn't make a mistake. She's reading the Cliff's Notes before the big "Anyone Can Be Vice-President" exam.

Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager said this week "This election is not about issues," said Davis. "This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

They have nothing, literally nothing to run on except the last 8 years, so they need to make it about culture issues: abortion, religion, small town vs. cities, family values, gun rights. Energize the right; enrage the left. Karl Rove 101. They did not mention the economy once all week in St. Paul. What? How can people be OK with that?

It's astounding to me that the guy who was raised by the single mother, worked his way up to get into Ivy Leagues schools on scholarships and turned down Wall Street jobs to do service work is somehow branded as the "out of touch, uppity elitist". And the guy who got lost four planes while in the Navy, graduated 894 of 899 in his graduating class, was appointed to the Naval Senate liaison office because his father was an admiral is characterized as the hero, maverick and one of us.

Somewhere along the line, the American dream of upward mobility and making a better life for yourself has been hijacked---living out the American dreams makes you 'uppity'. Mediocrity, complacency and ignorance have become the gold standard. Sadly, playing to the lowest common denominator wins elections. We don't want to be threatened by our leaders; we don't want them to be better than us, more educated than us, more worldly than us. No wonder were in the mess we're in. We simply cannot afford to do it again.

The last 8 years have been an utter and colossal disaster. I can quite literally not fathom anyone wanting to continue four more years of this. It's incomprehensible to me on many levels, most importantly for the planet, the health of the middle class (huge indicator of overall fiscal soundness and sustainability of a nation), our standing in the world, quality public education and health care, the nightmare that is the Iraq war (while Talibanistan goes unchecked), and most importantly the quality of life for our children.  

We have spent $3 trillion on this nightmare of a war---while we've let everything else go (public education, health crisis, the planet, global competitiveness). We are so unbelievably in debt to China, anyone who saw the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics knows that we don't start being the leaders in technology and innovation again, we will be absolutely screwed in the global market in our children's generation.

Please don't fall for it. They have literally nothing to stand on. Now McCain shouts "Change" at the RNC after outwardly mocking it as rhetorical gibberish for the last 18 months. Does he really think we're all that stupid and ill-informed? That we haven't been paying attention? Sadly, I think he does. And many people are.

When you have nothing else: Lie. They are just outright lying, and unfortunately as we learned in 2004 if you lie enough, people start believing it.



Every one  of the "more experienced" experts---including Hillary Clinton--- mocked Obama in the beginning for his positions on going into Pakistan because Musharraf wasn't addressing Al Qaeda there, talking to our enemies like Iran, building up forces in Afghanistan, having a timetable for pull-out in Iraq. "Oh, he's so inexperienced. He's so naive and green. We can't do that!!! Timetables, talking to our enemies---that would be disaster. We know best because we've been doing this forever." 

Bahaha...now what's even by the Bush administration doing? Condi Rice is in Iran talking to them, Bush is drawing up a timetable for pull out (because even the Iraqis want us out), Musharraf is out of Pakistan, etc.

So you really need to define "experience" if that is going to be what you base your decision on. Years is government is only one component.  But life experience, negotiating/diplomacy skills (working successfully with people who are different than you in any capacity), temperament, values, vision, worldview, openness vs. resistance/fear of change, priorities, integrity (including family life and choice of spouse), looking forward v. looking back, and overall intelligence play a much bigger role than time in office for me.

 If we elect them, we get what we deserve. I just fear for all of our children.