AspectRain

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.

If she can’t handle the added pressure of being a female politician, then I do not want her. If anyone softens the path to such high places for a woman or any other minority, they are doing those individuals as well as the people they would have power over a VERY great disservice.The should have been a real debate, about intelligence and the issues. Instead, Palin laid on thick her “folksy” personality and sugar-sweetness in a blatant grab for the hearts of common America.

American politics are often a popularity contest, and this has lead us down a very scary road so far. I wish people who be less concerned about how much they’d like to sit and have a beer with a potential leader than that candidate’s actual qualifications.

Amazing how they’ve turned being intelligent into an elitist act, but having 13 cars and so many houses you can’t keep track is merely looked upon as “an example of the hard-won success of a real American.”

It taps into a very basic psychology… we don’t like to feel stupid. If we see someone in a position of power that we can relate to, we feel better about ourselves, especially if they spend all their time glorying the small town.

Small town romanticism is dangerous. It pressures us to accept the clean-cut veneer without question - because if you question those good ol’ small town values, you’re cutting into the heart of America, you nasty thing you. If we cannot question something, then we aren’t giving it air, it’s not being constantly revitalized. It festers when left alone. Small towns have made big headlines when those corruptions - child abuse scandals, school shootings, money laundering, racism and hate.

We need intelligent leaders who seriously understand all sides of the issues and aren’t going to allow their own personal religion override the facts. We need real debates where victory is only conceded when those issues are directly addresses and elaborated upon. As voters, we should be leaving those debates with a new and deeper understanding of our leader’s logic in how they address controversy and their methods in problem-solving.

The run for presidency should be hard. It should be intensive - physically and mentally taxing. We should be interested in their scores on standard tests, their physical health, their skills in foreign languages, their experience and their ability to clearly explain their positions and plans. We are tougher on job applicants than we are to the people that will be representing us on a global scale.

Don’t be so easy on them! Obama should face up to every challenge his black skin will bring, because he needs to prove that he can handle anything and everything that’s thrown at him. Palin needs to drop the helpless-maiden act and stop insulting American women by being afraid to fight a real fight…. not a fair one, not a fixed one, but a REAL fight against anything and everything that’s thrown at her.

I want strong leaders. This is a position that comes with greater rewards than any other, one that gives them more power and privilege than any other. We know that it’s a tough job. People hate you, and blame you, and may try to kill you. Psychologically, it’s a very challenging place to be, and this isn’t even talking about all the actual work involved with being the leader and representative of the Unites States. So we shouldn’t let up on the people that are trying for the job. They need our criticism, our high standards, and our brutal cynicism, because it’s what they will get from foreign countries who have no interest whatsoever in how fun they are at a bar or how cutely they can evade a question.

Gently placed leaders never become great ones, and will falter in the face of other, better-led nations.