The VP Debate
This was, at best, a bland, mostly polite conversation where nothing is learned or explained. Neither side was exemplary, but it was merely a battle of low expectations.
I am more amazed at the psychology of it all than anything else.
I cannot help but feel that Palin is, unfortunately, in the way she is presenting herself and how her party is using her, becoming an insult to the intelligence of the American people. The fact that Palin can use a practiced tactics to avoid actually answering anything, and yet still be considered intelligent in the mass media just because she could complete a sentence, is scary. It’s downright disturbing.
We know that she can handle prepared speeches, and has a history of doing well in debates for the same reason - debates don’t usually have the flexibility and directness of an interview. You don’t have to think on your feet and really know what you’re talking about. Instead, Palin (can I call you Sarah?) is a good girl who cramed the night before the exam and got a passing grade just because she didn’t spontaneously explode.
Why are we giving her the piteous “Oh, poor thing, you failed so miserably, but… well… A for effort!” ?
I do NOT want my leaders given an easier time just because they’re trying. It honestly felt like, listening to the before and after analysis, that the media was practically giving her credit just for showing up.
And Biden? Shoved into an uncomfortable position by ridiculous twists in logic. Oh, she’s female, you horrid brute, stop showing her up. What? NO! She does not represent American women. She does not represent the political vagina. Please. The media lets itself be so easily lead by this sort of thing.
Do not hold back on women politicians. Yes, the reality is that we may experience more hard-hitting nit-picking than a white male. Oh well. That’s our burden, that’s our mountain to overcome. It is insulting to have a path laid out before us in the same way feminists may take issue with a man holding a door open for them. We can handle it on our own. If we cant, then we shouldn’t be running for leadership of the country.
I want the leaders of my country to be strong individuals who don’t complain about things being unfair (McCain, by the way, commented recently when asked about Obama’s lead in the polls that it just meant simply that “life isn’t fair”). I want them to handle their own battles to show us that they can also take on the burden of ours.