Thursday, September 04, 2008

Glad I didn't go to bed early

Last night I'd planned to hit the sack 10; I've had the feeling a cold is coming to visit so I thought I'd try to head it off at the pass. But I got busy getting dinner ready for tonight and then I heard Sarah Palin begin to speak and I thought, "Oh, another 30 minutes can't hurt..."

I am so glad I heard her speech! She was poised, confident and delivered each line with near-flawless perfection.

Conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican - no matter your political affiliation you had to be amazed that someone plopped onto the national stage from near obsurity could handle herself so well.

I was thoroughly impressed.

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:17 AM

    I was anxious to read this morning's entry (considering I went to bed early.) What was your biggest "take away" talking point?

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  2. Anonymous8:42 AM

    I wasn't going to stay up to watch Sarah's speech either, but I am sure glad I did. I was thoroughly impressed. She was confident (not arrogant), down-to-earth, well-rounded, balanced, articulate, succinct, and so on. I liked that she did not talk in generalities about her credentials or her plan for America, but gave real examples of what she has done and what she wants to do. She could bring positive "change" to America because she has already shown real results in Alaska. The way I see it, she is the real maverick. Here's to Palin Power!

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  3. Anonymous8:56 AM

    I thought her line about change to further a career vs. a career of implementing change rivaled Bill Clinton's example of our strength vs. strength of our example quote. Her sarcasm was spot on. Overall the speech was spectacular.

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  4. Rodney immediately picked up the change quote C. C. mentioned above!

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  5. Thanks for all the great comments - I guess my favorite quote of the speech (and it's hard to pick just one) is this one:

    "Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities."

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  6. This was edge-of-my-seat stuff. I loved it, and I am a fan!

    One of my most surprising emotions (do I have those?) or reactions is how close HER story is to being MY story. Or YOUR story. Or any of us.

    From PTO Queen (my wife did that), to small town mayor (I've been asked to run a half-dozen times), to small-state governor (that one is admittedly a stretch!) But really, her path is attainable, and repeatable. That could be you or that could be me.

    (Well, it could be me, if you overlook the fact that I'm a balding middle-age white guy, so I might not have the exact game-changing appeal as Gov. Palin! So we'll say it metaphorically could be me!)

    Some other Me-Too comparisons:
    Got a family with problems? Check!
    Only have a 'Normal' college education? Check!
    Struggle to balance work and family? Big-ol'Check!

    The similarities between Gov. Palin and *everyman* are really striking.

    But that is really about appearances. I do have an analytical side. My real political-science question is this: do you and me (meaning all of America) really want someone so close to being you-or-me as VP?

    Or do we instead as a society really desire for the 'elite' to be coronated as our leaders?

    Interesting if you think about it.
    What a fun political season this has been to watch!

    And if I may close theologically instead of politically: May God grant us the leadership that we need, and spare us from the leadership that we deserve.
    --Rodney

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  7. Amen to your last comment, Rodney.

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