Monday, November 16, 2009

All Sarah, All the Time

Newsweek got the Sarah Palin ball rolling with its cover in October.
Honestly, I do have an opinion about Sarah Palin. It may get me run out of the conservative union, but I do have an opinion.

My opinion is that she does not seem to have a teachable spirit. This troubles me.

There is a difference between glorying in being an outsider, who has a different point of view by dint of being an outsider, and being so caught up in your uniqueness that you refuse to listen to those who have gone before. Before her various media appearances during the 2008 campaign, some of which were less than stellar, how well did she prepare? How well did she listen? Did she really listen or did she just think to herself, "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Being the President of the United States is such a complex and stressful thing that presidents would do well to be excellent listeners and learners. There are going to be times that the president must listen to and accept advice and teaching, and not go off on their own untested ideas of what to do. "Yeah, yeah, whatev." is not an acceptable response.

Sarah Palin has many good talents that help her be qualified to be a candidate for president. To complete the package, she needs to show some humbleness about herself and her abilities and opinions.

Reportedly, she admits she did poorly in the interview with Katie Couric in 2008. That humility is a good start.

Meantime, we will all get a full dose of Sarah Palin as it will be all Sarah, all the time, especially on conservative media.

1 comment:

Capt. Schmoe said...

I have to agree. I too have doubts about her ability to be trained. I initially liked that she was an outsider, with an imperfect family and facing many issues that I, Joe Schmoe face.

As time rolls on however, i am beginning to wonder. Is this the best the republican party can do? Like John McCain, who I hold in high regard, Sarah Palin does not appear to be electable. Are the republicans going to present her to us as an alternative to President Obama, who was equally ill prepared for the office, but highly electable?

The next few months will likely answer a few of these questions as she will be under great scrutiny while she is out promoting her book.

Thanks for the post Observer, interesting as usual.