jackiedoherty.org

When it comes to this presidential election, I’m not objective. As much as I would have preferred a woman topping the ticket, just any woman will not do. (In other words, Sarah Palin ain’t our girl.) Thursday’s vice-presidential debate may not have had a clear loser—Sarah Palin did not make a fool of herself as some had expected (hoped?)—but it was patently obvious that she does not have the knowledge, the gravitas, or the substance to be our second in command. Aside from a winning smile that often felt out of place given the seriousness of the subject and an exceptionally pleasant television demeanor (after all, she had a former career in broadcasting), she was so lacking in substance it would have been laughable, if it wasn’t so scary: “Diplomacy is hard work by serious people,” said Palin with a kindly smile in response to the question about how a McCain-Palin ticket would win back international good will squandered by the Bush administration. In fact, most of her answers had that same rehearsed meaninglessness. The problem is, the delivery was so sweet and folksy, the language so tied into what people want to hear, such as “getting rid of greed and corruption on Wall Street” that I’m afraid some may not look beyond the veneer of her pretty face to hear the shallow words or contemplate what these policies will mean to our future. For instance, Palen talked confidently about “energy independence” as the solution to our current oil crisis. In her world, drilling in Alaska and everywhere else in the U.S., regardless of the environmental impacts, should be our focus to bring jobs and oil to the American people. Well, like most of us, I don’t like spending billions on foreign oil either, but the solution to the problem is NOT rampant drilling here: It is conserving now and investing heavily in research and development of alternative forms of energy that are environmentally sound. The nation that commits to energy R+D and solves this problem will be not only truly “energy independent” but the economic leader of the world. That happening on a McCain-Palin ticket is highly unlikely, and it is only one of many views these two promote which will have us continuing down the wrong path. (more on issues later) During the debate, Sarah Palin was pleasant to watch, likable, and a good performer, but given she’s on the ticket to be our number two leader—that just makes her one dangerous pretty face.