Both women on the radio program explained that Sarah Palin was so "persuasive" during the debate that she swayed their votes. "Sarah is just like us," one of the women said. "That's why we're going to vote for her." The women didn't focus on Palin's stance on abortion, or her thoughts on gay marriage. Instead they focused on her phony, superficial, and somewhat annoying "hockey mom" traits.
I don't know about you, but I really don't want someone "like me" to hold the second most powerful position in the United States. I wouldn't know how to handle the consequences of attacking a country like Iran, and neither would the average hockey mom. Would Sarah Palin?
She may be able to relate to women in America, but the hockey-mom-turned-governor of a small population in Alaska simply does not know how to defend, protect and revitalize a country that has been subject to eight years of the worst leadership in history. America is currently suffering the worst economic conditions in decades, and the military is also weaker because of fighting five years in an unjustified war.
Political scholar Niccolo Machiavelli would have laughed at the thought of a 73-year-old fuddy-duddy, and an inexperienced 44-year-old woman leading the country. In fact, scholars such as Machiavelli have been arguing for centuries that the last thing an independent country needs is a weak and clueless leader. Don't get me wrong, Palin did a great job memorizing her talking points for the debate. However, reporters like Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric proved in televised interviews that Palin has no idea what's going on in the political sphere. For heavens sake, her foreign policy experience centers around Alaska's proximity to Russia. How does that not scare Americans to no end?
Realist school of thought will explain that we live in an anarchic environment, where there is no central government between independent countries. As a result, countries are always in this competition and struggle for security and power. Although the U.S continues to be the Western hegemony, that won't be true with leaders like McCain and Palin. In order for our state to be secure, we need a powerful, knowledgeable, and strong leader...one that is easily stands out from all the rest. We don't need "one of us" in the White House. We need people who are better than us, stronger than us, and more powerful than us in the White House.
It is true that at the same time, we need a leader who has compassion for Americans, and can identify with the average Joe. But more importantly, we need people who can LEAD a country. These superficial standards need to be tossed out the window by voters.
I don't care that Biden broke down in tears during the debate. I don't care how nice Palin's hair looked, or whether or not she's the type of person I could go shopping with her the day after Thanksgiving. I want to know her political strategies, and I will vote based on those facts alone.
Let's be real here. When it came to substance regarding real issues that actually matter to the well-being of Americans today, Joe Biden won by a landslide. When it came to a cutesy wootsy personality test, Sarah Palin beat Biden by four sexy winks.
So before voters consider Palin based on personality, they need to take the 2000 Presidential debate between Al Gore and George Bush into consideration. When the debate was over, voters claimed Bush won because he sounded like the type of person they could have a beer with.
Well, I hope America has enjoyed their beer fest with the lowest rated President in U.S history. Good job America.
posted by AnaKasparian 
