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Why not VP Palin?

Gary Loftis August 31, 2008Jon McCain shocked the world Friday when he selected Gov. Sarah Palin, the relatively obscure governor of Alaska, to be his vice presidential running mate. The response was immediate and polarizing — possibly McCain´s intent — but Sarah Palin may become the catalyst that shakes America out of the political coma that has kept the Congress and the Presidency from addressing those issues that are gradually reducing our nation to a dependent of the Third World.

Among the most virulent criticisms leveled against Palin is that she has no experience, which is to say no relevant experience. I did some research and found that her experience compares favorably with that of the Democrat presidential nominee…

She has been an elected state chief executive for 20 months. He has voted “Present” as a junior senator and run for president for 2 years.

She has a cumulative total of 8 years as an elected executive. He has none.

She has demonstrable expertise in energy, conservation, and government cost containment. He has “hope.”

Another area of criticism is her fitness to become Commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces, should John McCain become incapacitated. As a governor, she exercised command authority over the Alaska National Guard, so she is more familiar with the military/command relationship than either Democrat candidate. Also with a son in the Army on the ground in Iraq, “I support the troops” will be far more than political rhetoric to a VP Palin.

A third criticism is her “lack of a national standing.” Given the sorry lot of candidates with national name recognition in this election cycle, the criticism should be an accolade. For nearly four decades, American politics has been deadlocked by the same personalities in both parties. Positions on issues are the results of telephone polls, focus group research, and media interview opportunities. Nobody knows what politicians really believe except their secretaries, wives, and girlfriends. Sarah Palin is a true outsider with a real record of attacking wasteful government spending, reforming government processes, and prosecuting those who violate the public trust.

Then, there is what is referred to as “women´s issues,” traditionally including children´s welfare and abortion rights. As a middle class working mother, she is far closer to those issues that impact children than any other candidate offered by either party. Additionally, the fact that she has a special needs child means she will be sensitive to the needs of the millions of Americans who have special challenges; as a Parkinson´s Disease patient, that is a huge plus to me.

As for abortion rights, the issue has been shrouded in political untouchability for a generation. Perhaps a woman candidate who chose to give birth to a child with what many would classify as a defect may become a definitive referendum that finally determines how strongly Americans support abortion.

Finally, we come to the question of her political and personal credibility. Sarah Palin came into politics by grass roots organizing. Once there, she was appalled by the corruption she found, overthrew an entrenched state administration, and prosecuted some of the most corrupt officials in the state. As far a personal credibility goes, when you live in a small town in the far north, you get very close to your neighbors because you depend on each other to survive. The mere fact that she was elected mayor twice attests to her integrity and the respect of her peers; you can´t pretend to care when the temperature is 40 below.

So now we are back to the question: Why not VP Palin? I can´t come up with a single reason!