Why Sarah Palin Will Never be President

Article first published as Why Sarah Palin Will Never be President on Blogcritics.

“But I will tell you … I am not going to sit down. I am not going to shut up.” These words might well serve as Sarah Palin’s political epitaph. While few might care if she sits down, there are many, including members of the Republican Party (Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee for instance), who think she should shut up.

Shutting up, unfortunately, isn’t a Palin strong-point. Having been infected with the Tea Party’s interpretation of freedom of speech (the right to blurt out whatever hateful nonsense happens to flit through one’s mind), she has proven herself incapable of keeping her tongue under the control of her brain.

Tea Party followers can afford to indulge in rash, or even irrational speech. This organization isn’t actually a political party, and its members don’t have to worry about getting elected, but if Sarah Palin, is not ruling out a run for the Presidency in 2012, she needs to give more thought to what she says in public.

The Tuscon shootings provided both Barack Obama and Sarah Palin equal opportunity to prove that they are worthy of the Oval Office, and highlighted why Mr. Obama is, and Ms. Palin isn’t. The President seized the moment, and came up with a speech that pushed all the right buttons to boost his image. Sarah chose to focus on her favorite topic (Sarah Palin), selfishly portraying herself as the true victim in this affair, and once again belligerently lashing out at those who would try to prevent her from exercising her God-given right to recklessly shoot-off her mouth whenever the urge strikes.

Her latest attack of verbal diarrhea came at the expense of breast-feeding mothers. With her usual lack of ability to focus on the real issue, she declared that the only reason for Michelle Obama urging mothers to breast-feed, is the high price of milk. This mother of a large brood, conveniently overlooked the fact that, nursing children are not generally given cow’s milk to replace breast milk, but instead drink baby formula.

These types of statements are even bringing condemnation from within her own party. Mike Huckabee …joined Republicans saying Palin should have controlled her urge to lash out at all things Obama. This wasn’t the first time she drew fire form a Republican Party notable. On the occasion of her infamous “blood-libel” speech, Newt Gingrich suggested she be “…more careful and think through what she’s saying and how she’s saying it.”

This would-be contender in 2012 should have learned something from her run for the office of Vice-President in 2008. Her lack of ability to take direction from people with more experience than herself, saw John McCain’s campaign disintegrate, and her own political ambitions left temporarily in tatters.

Sarah Palin undoubtedly employs professional speech-writers, but seems unwilling to let others put words in her mouth, and as she proved in 2008, believes that she knows better than anyone what to say, and when to say it. If this were true all would be well, but instead she displays an uncanny knack for always saying whatever might prove most damaging to her political future.

As she says herself, Ms. Palin will not sit down and shut up, nor will she ever be President of the United States.

Divided We Fall – With a Little Push From the Tea Party

Article first published as Divided We Fall – With a Little Push From the Tea Party on Technorati.

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“United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.” Patrick Henry would be as passionate in delivering this warning to Americans today as he was in 1799.

Today, in light of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the flag and the slogan United We Stand have a renewed meaning for many Americans. Indeed, for several years following the events of 2001, there appeared to be a renewed sense that we are all Americans, and must stand together to withstand threats from foreign enemies. Recently this ideal of common purpose has been lost, and replaced by vitriolic rhetoric, and a belief that the real enemy is anyone with a dissenting opinion.

There may have been periods in the nation’s history when divisions ran deeper. During the Vietnam war it looked as if the country could be torn apart, but this was a divide focused on a specific issue. It would be difficult to find a time in America’s past when the country has been so polarized along left/right lines. Issues no longer seem to matter, and the conflict has been reduced to simply us versus them. If you disagree with my politics, then you are the enemy, and it is my duty to destroy you.

Even Republicans known for their own sharp tongues are urging more moderate language. Newt Gingrich suggested Sarah Palin should give more thought to her words before they emerge from her mouth. Sarah, of course has her own ideas on that subject. In an interview following her “blood libel” remarks, she suggested that her critics are using the Tuscon shootings to silence dissent, “But I will tell you … I am not going to sit down. I am not going to shut up.”

This inability to tolerate other viewpoints seemed to emerge after the election of Barack Obama. Is it what he has done that has lead to this polarization, or is it possible that it is more a case of what he is? The President is a Democrat, far enough to the left that he is often accused of the loathsome sin of socialism. He is an African-American, with roots in foreign countries, cultures and religions. In short, someone easily seen as not truly American.

Since 2008 a new force has emerged on the political scene. The Tea Party likes to tout its self as a grass-roots movement. If we can define grass-roots as white, middle class, right-wing and Christian, then they fit the definition. It is no great surprise that they find little to like in Barack Obama. While not the only culprits in this nasty war of words, they do lead the way, endlessly trumpeting their right to free speech under the Constitution. Strangely, when anyone responds in kind, they cry foul.

What is the goal of the Tea Party? They would like to dismantle pretty much every social initiative of the Obama administration, and anything else that they feel isn’t strictly supported by the Constitution. In short they would like to see an America where decent folk (Republicans) can prosper in the way God intended, where their tax dollars would only go to the most deserving (Republicans), and the poor would remain poor, and the sick remain sick.

Ever wonder what became of the Luddites? They are alive and well in America. They simply changed their name to the Tea Party, and continued with business as usual. The leaders of what they like to call a grass-roots revolution, have a clear vision for their country’s future, and are quite willing to smash everything that stands in their way to realize their goals.