The Fatal Flaws

Palin the Candidate.... continued.

Sarah Palin in many ways is the perfect political candidate.  She is ruthless, ego-centric, a fabulous communicator especially up close and personal, and is great on stage giving the stump speech. She can tell stories, embellish facts, and use fiery rhetoric for maximum effect.  Remember, she's a TV political evangelist now.  Truth doesn't matter, only the force and volume of her message.  Her religion, though eccentric and certainly not mainstream evangelical won't matter much if she ever attains a public office.  The demands of the office will negate the premises of her religion.  (See GW Bush)  Sure she will do the religion for show, but it won't effect her governance.

One fatal flaw is her lack of knowledge, which she is shrewdly playing as a strength.  It simply means that she will lean on advisors like the famously discredited and notoriously wrong neo-con pundit, William Kristol among others.  As long as she can stay in the media, away from any serious questioning she'll be fine.  The problem is that a primary and a general election give very few opportunities to hide. In 2008, the more that was found out about Ms. Palin, the more she campaigned, the lower her numbers got.

This unfriendly questioning and probing by the media will undoubtedly make a second fatal flaw kick in, her famous temper.  If she can't control it, she'll have serious trouble getting anyone to help her.  If the honchos in the RNC deem her an empty vessel that can be propped up and controlled she'll have a chance.  There's a real possibility that she, being a Diva, will fight that tooth and nail.  If she gives in and agrees to be a figure head, controlled and manipulated by a committee of advisers that she almost certainly will not get to pick, then she'll be a force to be reckoned with.

The problem for the American people if any of this comes to pass is pretty obvious.  Instead of electing a leader, we'd be electing a shadow government that would be only accountable only to itself. If American voters fall for the marketing of Sarah Palin, they are saying that they don't care about America, it's standing in the world, about peace, or about global concerns of the environment and the economy.  If Americans lose interest in the policies that affect their lives and give up their own self-interests for the empty slogans and advertising of a disingenuous political juggernaut, then all of the American values we say we believe in will be at risk.

George W. Bush and Dick Cheney famously dismissed the political marketing that put them in power and ruled America from the depths of Mr. Cheney's office with Mr. Bush providing the face and the voice of the Government.  Ms. Palin's campaign will far exceed any marketing that we've ever seen and will be even more summarily dismissed if it succeeds.

The choices are clear, the consequences are dire.  Choose well.