Explaining Sarah Palin

Well, of course, they are saying that Sarah Palin is lacking in experience and saying that is because she is from an isolated and less-densely populated are. 

So, I’d like to tell you why I personally think otherwise. In Canada, there many areas falling into this category and from my travels, I know a little bit about how these people think. 

I lived most of my life in a big city (Toronto) and although I have not been up to the vast north in Canada, I can set out some reasons why actually people from places like Alaska are in fact better on top of events. 

When you live in a highly populated area, you have a long commute to and from your work. A typical Torontonian used to have about two hours total commute every day and that can only have increased now. Hubby used to carpool when he worked in Houston and also talks about the long drive. 

In big cities, there are more people in competition for jobs and elected offices. Many fine people end up “lost in the crowd”. There are more opportunities for experience in real life situations in smaller areas. 

In Canada, people in more isolated areas were more likely to have computers and got online as soon as they could. They tend to read and observe more of what is going on around them and around the world. 

In a smaller town, a person has a chance to run for office, be on various committees, serve more causes and best of all: their children get to be on sports teams! And the games are played during the day! In big cities, 4:00 a.m. hockey practices for amateurs are pretty routine! 

I am just paraphrasing, but I think Sarah Palin has had a better and more rounded life experience already than her counterpart who has been doing a long train commute to and from his job for many years. 

While watching the debate last night, I couldn’t help thinking about the Hockey Mom/Pit-bull lipstick line. Watching Mr. Biden’s body language, I was thinking he seemed he was impressed with Ms. Palin and might even vote for her! If we are going to recall our favorite dog stories, I was looking at Lady and the Tramp! 

Not Much to Talk About?

Well, yesterday it was Hurricane Gustav. That was newsworthy and hurricanes tend to pre-empt other news. Especially, meteorologists get that crazed look in their eyes! This is what they live for! Junior reporters doing live remotes get their breaks (hoping to follow in Dan Rather’s footsteps)! When Gustav turned out to be gentler than expected (thank goodness), the media was left with virtually nothing to talk about today.

From first thing this morning, every network has done major features on Gov. Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter’s pregnancy. Well, welcome to the real world, all of you!

Many families today – make that huge numbers of families -have to cope with unwed pregnancies and child-rearing of another generation of children. Many of these mothers do not marry the fathers. It is so much of a common thing, and many of us have been touched by this. Yes, it is not right, but it is fact. It’s life today. (Remember, we are no longer looking at the Cleavers as your average family: most mothers work outside the home. This is not the 50s.)

Concerning the coming Presidential Election and the non-stop coverage: let me make a couple of comments and put forth an idea.

The Presidency of the United States is without a doubt the worst job a person could apply for. I mean it! If you get to live out your term, you will come out of possibly an eight-year stint with grey or white hair, plenty of wrinkles and a furrowed brow. You will have a few less friends and influence than you had going in. Your pay will be rather low by today’s standards for top executives but you do get secret service protection for the rest of your life. (Just what everyone wants: someone tailing them to the supermarket or department store.)

As for being Vice President, well, that is a job where you pretty much stay in the background, unless of course, your President dies in office. Sometimes you would become well-enough known to run for President yourself. Of course, that could put you in the situation for as long as 16 years! Whoa!

So, perhaps a few people of enormous credentials have noticed that this just might not be the job they want.

So, when we have a few good people – true patriots who indeed are willing to sacrifice to serve their country – well, what happens?

Let me count some of the ways we knocked off some of the people willing to run. We said they were: too Mormon, too old, too Hispanic, not Hispanic enough, too Libertarian, too show biz, too female, too Black, or perhaps not Black enough . . .

So, shall we set up Gov. Palin as too human?

Some people need to sit back and think about what it would be like to have one of us in the White House. Because, it looks to me as though some of these people are indeed, one of us!

Granted, John McCain is NOT one of us. Not too many of us have gone through the sacrifices this man has, all in the name of love of country. In an era of longevity, he should not be considered old, but of course, he might have a little more money than most of us.

Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle are pretty ordinary people in a country built on immigrants and working people trying to provide quality education and good starts for their children.

Joe Biden has suffered some of the painful events others of us have suffered: widowed with young children to raise and severe afflictions and illness to overcome.

So, perhaps we have something we have not had in the past! Perhaps we can finally elect an individual who can relate to ordinary folks, who are, after all, the employers of the President of the United States of America.

So, as an employer, why not just listen and see who you would like to elect. Because, this time, you have the chance to elect one of us!

Now, is there something else you’d like to talk about?