The Democrat Criticism of Sarah Palin

Shortly after getting word of John McCain’s vice-presidential selection, but before the announcement even became official, a spokesman from the Obama campaign committed another blunder: He made the remark that Alaskan governor, Sarah Palin, was too inexperienced. Of all the bone-headed mistakes a campaign could make – criticizing yet another woman about her lack of ability or experience while ignoring the glaring fact that Barack has very little experience of his own – this has to be the most foolish.

Beyond the ignorance of the remark itself lies the fact that the race is between Obama and McCain for president. Looking past the fact that Obama is running for president and Palin was selected for vice-president, Governor Palin’s qualifications far exceed Senator Obama’s as far as leading the executive branch of government. An argument about Governor Palin’s youth and inexperience is certainly not an argument the Obama campaign and his supporters ought to be making, especially considering the recognized shortcomings of Obama. For Barack’s sake, he and his campaign had better reconsider highlighting Sarah Palin’s “inexperience.” She has more relevant executive experience for the Oval Office than Obama – and she’s number two on the Republican ticket.

Since Democrats and the Obama campaign acknowledge that experience is indeed important, let’s examine the political history of Governor Palin and Senator Obama.

From 1992 to 1996, Sarah Palin served on the city council of Wasilla, Alaska. In 1996 and again in 1999, she was elected Mayor of Wasilla. During her tenure as mayor, Mrs. Palin was elected – by her peers – to president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. From 2003 to 2004, she was Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission before she resigned in protest over ethics-related complaints about members of the Commission. For the next two years she filed legal complaints against her fellow Republicans who violated ethics rules, laws, and policies, forcing some of them to resign. In 2006, Mrs. Palin was elected governor of Alaska, beating the incumbent Republican in the primary and a former Democrat governor in the general election. She has also been co-chair, and is currently chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) Natural Resources Committee.

Barack Obama won a 1996 election for the Illinois Senate, where he was unopposed in the Democrat primary. He won re-election and served until 2004. That year, Obama ran for the United States Senate – the incumbent senator chose not to run for another term after a sex scandal became public. The Republican primary winner withdrew in June for the same reason, leaving Obama no opposition until August when Alan Keyes (a politician from out-of-state) was nominated by the Republican Party – and lost badly. Just two years into his first term as U.S. Senator, Obama announced his presidential candidacy. That announcement came in February 2007.

As head of the Democrat ticket, Obama’s relevant experience for an executive position in government is non-existent. If his campaign or his supporters insist on claiming that Governor Palin is unqualified for vice-president, then they must acknowledge that Barack is wholly inadequate and grossly unqualified for chief executive of the federal government. In fact, Sarah Palin is the only person on either ticket that has any executive experience.

Unfortunately, the Democrat argument doesn’t stop there. It has also been pointed out that Governor Palin has no foreign policy experience. However, the same problem applies to Barack Obama. Taking a trip to the Middle East and Europe during an election year doesn’t exactly make one an expert on foreign relations. But again, if the Republicans win in November, it is not Palin that will be sworn in as president…it will be John McCain. Obama will need to be ready immediately, yet he has not demonstrated the least bit of adeptness when it comes to foreign relations. Governor Palin will have time to gain experience and will undoubtedly be surrounded by a team of advisors brought in by both herself and McCain.

Much has been made about the age of McCain as well, which Democrats have not failed to exploit. Obama’s spokesman made the comment that Palin will only be “a heartbeat away from the presidency.” This is supposed to imply that if John McCain all of a sudden dies soon after taking office, Palin will not be ready to lead this nation. Well, not to beat a dead horse, but again, Obama will not be ready from day one – and nobody will need to die for him to be woefully unprepared. He is the nominee for president and will not have time to learn as he goes.

The weaknesses Barack Obama has as a presidential nominee are much more significant than the alleged lack of experience for his opponent’s vice-president. It’s entirely nonsensical for a party whose candidate has been largely criticized because of a lack of experience to claim that one of their opponents lacks the requisite experience for a lesser position, especially when that opponent actually has more relevant experience than anyone else in the race. Not only is it a miscalculation to bring up experience, but it is a mistake to do so with a woman who has been extremely successful in new positions despite her perceived lack of experience.

Sarah Palin may not have been the best choice for John McCain, but it is clear that the Republican ticket has more than enough experience for the job, considering the alternative. And it would appear that the candidate for “change” is not Barack Obama, who decided to choose a 36-year Washington senator as his running mate – a senator who failed miserably in two presidential primaries, including this past year. The candidate of real change is the one who stood up to corrupt politicians in her own party and decided that serving the people is more important than propping up unnecessary and ineffective government at all levels. And that candidate is the vice-presidential nominee on the Republican ticket.

Her name is Sarah Palin.

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