Liz Smith | 09/04/2008 9:45 am

Liz Smith: Governor Palin and Her Merry Men!

“There is something about a national convention that makes it as fascinating as a revival or a hanging. It is vulgar, it is ugly, it is stupid, it is tedious, it is hard upon both the higher cerebral centers and the gluteus maximus, and yet it is somehow charming.”

This was said by the critic H. L. Mencken who died several decades ago. But he was right then and right now.

I enjoyed the hell out of the Democrats’ get-together and once it got started, I liked a lot about the Republican Convention on Wednesday night, even though I could take or leave Mitt Romney who seemed to just be auditioning once again for himself to be president. (I don’t think we can get rid of this guy.)

You might be surprised, but I was absolutely blown away by the speeches of both Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani – yes, and when the governor of Alaska finally presented herself to the American people, I couldn’t rip my eyes off of her either. (She is easily one of the most fascinating public characters in all of American politics, past and present.)

Huckabee scored as his always-irresistible self with good humor and a manner that makes you like him no matter what he is saying. His ending anecdote about the school teacher who refused to give her new students desks, making them sit on the floor and guess what they had to do to “earn” them, was just priceless. (The desks were then brought in by veterans still in uniform and the children were told that the desks had been “earned” for them by the actions and valor of these men.) It was heartwarming and super patriotic.

And though I never cared much for Guiliani in his mayor of New York days, socially he is a knockout – brilliant at public speaking without a note, great on his feet, charming, funny, witty, intelligent. He is a great dinner companion, although I could have done without his inevitable evocation of 9/11. Most of his speech extolling John McCain’s considerable virtues and citing Barack Obamas’s weaknesses seemed very effective to me.

I found Gov. Palin a little unnerving in her self-possession, her poise, her certainty and her indelible toughness. This shows through her attractive demeanor and rightly so. It is obviously the way she is – hot, young, dynamic wife and mother, a self-satisfied probably deserving governor who has accomplished a lot, huge attractive family (they are off-limits for the press to criticize but nevertheless the GOP is using them for PR like crazy), a newly adopted anti-Washington, blame-the-media stance. She almost makes the fact that she is a woman and possibly going to be a “first” a non-issue. In her case, being female hardly matters.

Barring some future-revealed “negative,” she certainly seems to be the galvanizer John McCain needed. Perhaps she will help redefine the Republican Party. She certainly helped the GOP bring itself together Wednesday night in rare form. I always believed that eventually even the deep-dyed right would rally behind McCain. I am not surprised that now the radical conservatives and the wild maverick contingents have all come together. They have no choice.

Nevertheless, having enjoyed the GOP in action using the democratic process and admiring John McCain in spite of everything, I have to personally say I could never vote for people who would:

1. Make the Supreme Court go ultra-right and conservative for two decades.
2. Have no plan for universal health care.
3. Have no stated realistic ideas that I can discern for economic recovery beyond tax breaks for the rich.
4. Want to deny women the right to choose.
5. Seem to be actually advocating, encouraging and applauding teen pregnancy.
6. Don’t believe in science and evolution.
7. Insist on bringing God into our misadventure in Iraq. And want to insist on that chimera, “victory.”
8. Deny global warming.
9. Have a significantly flawed and reluctant energy program.

And, yes, I can bear to be taxed for the good of the nation. Yes, I can. And while I agree with the Republicans that HOPE isn’t a program, I’m still going to have to vote for hope, given the list above. So, sue me.

P.S. Once and for all, couldn’t we retire “God bless you and God bless America”? There must be some other benediction, or original way to sign off.

Click here to read my column in the New York Post.

236 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

(Raising hand) I want Palin as a role model. But I agree, this ad womanem stuff doesn’t do much. As for the post about people losing their jobs—I am hugely impacted by the scary economy. We are living on PB and sometimes J. Baked potatoes. Iced tea—no Cosmos! Darn I hate that one. Anyhow, my problem with blaming the admin for this is that admins (either of the ones coming in, too) may not have much control over this. It’s a tectonic shift in the world economy—the jobs are going overseas, in my case, the markets for writing are trashed by cheeseballs on the internet who want to pay a hundredth of what articles used to fetch. The newspaper biz is in the john. Why do you think those drab folks are blabbering on TV every nite—those reporters—for money! It is so hard to find people to blame because if we could, then this presumes someone could undo some of this! Don’t count on this election to do that, no matter who gets in.

By Star Lawrence on 09/04/2008 4:16 pm

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Hi Liz, The Republican party does have an economic recovery beyond tax breaks for the rich. I’ve pointed this out as many times as I am going to on this site, and with the economy as the number one issue in this election, am concerned about the level of misinformation with which this issue is argued by Senator Obama’s supporters. What I will repeat is that Senator McCain’s economic plan is much more thorough and has much more defined goals than Senator Obama’s, and anyone who wishes to compare the two can do so by reviewing the cover story published by Barron’s magazine on 8/25, in which the missing information and fluidity of assumptions and implementation dates is discussed at length.

By K O on 09/04/2008 3:40 pm

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I was working, so I didn’t get to see Palin’s speech. I did listen to it, thanks to Public Radio. IMO, it started out very well, but to be honest, I had trouble staying awake during the last half. I’m looking to the V.P. debate. I think, that unless Biden’s hampered by an attempt not to look as if he’s bullying Palin, he’s going to carve her up like a Sunday roast.

By Donna H on 09/04/2008 4:04 pm

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You paint quite a bloody picture.

By Star Lawrence on 09/04/2008 4:21 pm

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It really makes me sad to read the bitterness displayed in some of these posts. We can only control one vote - our own. We are all entitled to our own opinion, but can’t we share it without all the unkind verbage?

By Estimada C on 09/04/2008 4:24 pm

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Something I came across today: SARAH PALIN DID NOT SELL THAT JET ON EBAY Last night moose-eating vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin reminded America of one of her best qualifications to serve in high office—she put a jet on eBay. “I came to office promising major ethics reform to end the culture of self-dealing, and today that ethics reform is the law. While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the Governor’s Office that I didn’t believe our citizens should have to pay for. That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay,” she said. Of course, Palin never mentioned that though she did list the jet on eBay, she didn’t sell it on eBay. After going unsold for months, the jet was put into the hands of Turbo North Aviation, an Anchorage aircraft broker, which put an asking price of $2.45 million on the nearly $2.7 million jet. It quickly sold to Alaska businessman Larry Reynolds for $2.1 million ($31,000 of which went to Turbo Aviation). Today the Westwind II jet spends its days ushering wealthy hunters around Alaska and Russia. By Adam K. Raymond 09/04/08 1:15 PM

By Cee Kellman on 09/04/2008 4:45 pm

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This is sort of silly to me—didn’t she say she “put” it on ebay? You’re saying she did—even tho it didn’t sell on there. I put things on Craigs and sell them to friends…instead…huh?

By Star Lawrence on 09/04/2008 5:35 pm

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I didn’t take that literally; I thought it was a shout out to Meg Whitman, a prominant Republican. Who says convention speeches can’t have product placement?

By Elizabeth Bennett on 09/04/2008 10:48 pm

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From: Peter & Bonnie Hauschka Date: August 29, 2008 11:58:15 PM PDT Good evening, lots of friends and relatives have been asking me (as an Alaskan) what I think of Sarah Palin, our Governor, and new choice for McCain as a VP candidate. Here it goes: This pick floored me. Sarah Palin is a nice person. I’ve met her, I’ve even talked to her for a few minutes at a principal’s conference a couple of years ago. She has lots going for her superficially. Sh e speaks from the heart, like a spitfire mother; she can even be sort of funny sometimes. She is quite beautiful; athletic, and has that radiant glow of someone who actually spends time doing things outside. Unlike many politicians, she has lived a “real life” and done things that few living and working in DC could ever do….like dipnettin’ fish, shootin’ stuff and eating it out on the tundra, and havin’ 5 kids. Personally, I’d never vote for her. She has an extremely simple view of the world and is harshly judgmental and intolerant of those who do not follow her tight right-wing agenda. I don’t even think she has ever been abroad. As governor she has repeatedly shown us that she is unable to grasp the demands of leadership. She is very prone to cronyism of the worst kind. Every cabinet level political appointment she has made she has over-ridden suggestions of our state advisory boards, and instead promoted those who had granted her direct political favors. Not that other politicians don’t do this, they do, but most of them are able to balance their appointments to ensure that at least a few people with real skill and experience are running big state agencies. She also has been unable to pay attention to her Alaskan constituency. Personally, I’ve written several of our previous gov’s and been asked to comment publicly on education policy. All the previous gov’s have always acknowledged that contribution, criticism or comment; someti mes by direct reply, or at least by that of a staff member. Palin’s office has been a zone of silence. Not I, nor one person I know commenting has ever gotten any sort of reply. Her claim of running an open or transparent government is totally false; the public simply has no role in her administration. Her previous claim to fame was being mayor of Wasilla, a growing town about 40 minutes from Anchorage of about 15,000 people. Wasilla is a hellhole, even by Alaskan standards, where there are plenty of hellhole towns and villages. Wasilla is an ugly place that shows a complete absence of planning, design, or sense of public vision. Gov’t agencies and services are completely overrun in this town; things a re so bad that they can’t even track their population or build schools in the right place, because most parts of the town don’t require building permits, so the only clue about where people are settling are utility receipts. Imagine trying to be an emergency responder in this kind of place: Houses don’t just catch on fire in Wasilla, they burn to the ground, because by the time the fire department has figured out which road to take (no signs) or whose house it is (no directory), the place is done for. Palin was mayor this town for at least 2 terms before being elected gov. a year and a half ago. Her moral sense is simplistic and not inclusive, with a complete absence of compassion. She is the sort of person who is used to using their “faith” to divide and isolate minority groups of human beings instead of uniting them. To her credit as Gov. she has kept out of this arena pretty well, but when in comfortable company (i.e the Matanuska Valley Republican Women’s Club), she lets her moral cat out of the bag. I will do what I can to ensure her defeat and that of her running mate as well. :) Please share this information with those who can use it well. Cheers, Pete Hauschka

By Kathy Douglass on 09/04/2008 4:49 pm

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Thank you, Liz, for your nine points of light. They are precisely why I would never consider voting for the McCain/Palin ticket. Years ago, I became friends with a family who had just emigrated to the U.S. from the U.S.S.R. They were both professionals, loved living in the United States, and ultimately became very successful. But, in the beginning, despite their excitement about their adopted country, they had one complaint: “You Americans have to make too many decisions. We are not used to making decisions. The government has always decided for us.” Like my Russian friends, who felt that decision-making was too difficult, Americans often don’t want to do the hard work. Many Americans want their political candidates to have glitter and sparkle and charisma. They don’t want to have do look too closely at a candidate’s values or record, whether or not he/she lies to the public, has any real plan for dealing with real problems. Last night, when Sarah Palin gave a much-rehearsed, accusatory, self-aggrandizing, nasty speech that seemed to knock everyone over, I started thinking of my Russian friends and their reluctance, here in the U.S., to make decisions based on their own research and evaluation. They just weren’t accustomed to that kind of freedom. But we Americans are. Isn’t it the responsibility of every voter to carefully go through the issues that really matter: how to deal with a sagging economy, a terrible, cruel, seemingly endless and expensive war, losses of homes and jobs, a vanishing middle class, and a desperate need for universal health care? Is it easier for Americans just to look at the superficial and to not ask the hard questions? I asked myself, “Who is Sarah Palin, really?” If John McCain is elected, would she have the integrity and substance, the know-how and finesse necessary to serve as Vice President, or in the event of McCain’s disability or death, as President of this country? Could she clearly negotiate with world leaders in order to prevent further wars or even nuclear holocausts? Could she understand the complicated and interwoven cultural motivations for terrorism? Could she reduce the deficit? Would she support comprehensive health care? On every single count I saw a woman who was incapable of that level of leadership and whose delivery of a speech she didn’t write herself reminded me of the mean girls in my high school. Her view is that of the narrow-minded Fundamentalist who thinks that God is always on her side, and that she is God’s interpreter. I don’t want a Vice President like her, and I don’t want a government that thinks for me. That was Russia. This is America. I hope that each of us will get beyond the razzle-dazzle of any Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate and look carefully at the policies and platforms and the record of each candidate before you vote. Examine his or her truthfulness. It’s never mattered more than it does in 2008.

By Maurine H on 09/04/2008 4:52 pm

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Please also ask who is Joe Biden? He is very interested in pleasing all the corps housed in Delaware, esp the credit card companies who inspired the changes in the bankruptcy law he sponsored that has hurt many Americans, including those crushed by health care costs.. He is a supporter of the war on drugs, which has in my view and that of many law enforcement people, a total failure and has ruined many a life. He is not a “working man” or lunch bucket guy because he takes the train home. If you look at one, look at both. Look at all! I wonder if these will even be the candidates—I have said that before. Pace yourselves.

By Star Lawrence on 09/04/2008 5:33 pm

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That’s exactly what I am urging us all to do, Star. I agree with you. Look at all four candidates very, very closely and from every angle with respect to the challenges and issues that confront this country. We can all make silly arguments and make snarky remarks til the cows come home because we are witty and clever and smart. But this is far too important an election to base our decisions on any of those trivialities. Look at records, honesty, value systems, world views, and ability to lead a badly damaged economy and a country at war. Do the litmus test on every candidate…aside from appearance, race, age, or gender, and ask, thoughfully, how each would serve us in the oval office.

By Maurine H on 09/04/2008 5:39 pm

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Star - enjoyed reading your posts. Glad someone brought up Joe Biden and the credit card companies. People need to look at him more closely. As a single father he rode the train, imagining the people in their homes and what they talked about. Instead of imagining, maybe he should have gotten off the train, knocked on the doors and talkied to the people. At least Sarah Palin has a better idea about our lives. And your correct Maurine H

By Barbara Taylor on 09/04/2008 5:59 pm

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One thing to remember, Star, about all of our researching and debating and posting about Sarah Palin, is that we’ve known her for about five minutes. We’ve known McCain for 20 plus years, Obama for nearly 9, and Biden for around 30. Even if you’d never heard of Obama before the race, it’s been at least 18 months.

By Lorraine Bates on 09/04/2008 8:29 pm