2008 Woodie Awards
Sarah Palin is about presence, not politics
Peter Zethraus
Issue date: 10/15/08 Section: Opinion
For the last several months, the presidential election has been bogged down with talk of Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who is the current governor of the state of Alaska. Getting more press by far than Democratic nominee Joe Biden, and perhaps one could argue even more than John McCain himself. Palin's presence has asserted her onto the national stage.
Possibly gaining more coverage than her actual politics, which have been dubbed the embodiment of the conservative ideology, it seems that the controversy about her lack of experience and incidents surrounding her governorship have stood out among all else.
In an election that has surpassed all others in terms of breaking of gender and racial barriers on both sides of the political party spectrum, Palin was a brilliant choice by McCain for a vice-presidential running mate, because of his history of dissent and diversion from the Republican party's core stances.
That being said, it is Palin's similarity to current Vice President Dick Cheney, coupled with her lack of experience as a politician on the national level, like Cheney, that worries me the most. I am not going to state, as many have done, whether Palin is fit or not to be the vice president. Some have stated that there is a lack of experience on the Democratic ticket, so to fuel the attack on whether a candidate is experienced or not would not be at all useful.
However, Palin was recently quoted saying that she agreed with Cheney that the vice-presidential officer has "a lot of flexibility" under the Constitution, according to the nytimes.com article, "Dick Cheney, Role Model." She continued to say that she was "thankful that the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president also, if that vice president so chose to exert it."
I find it very unnerving that Palin either agrees with or simply does not understand how profoundly Cheney has reshaped the power of the vice presidency. The Constitution does not state or imply any flexibility for the power of the vice-presidential office. The vice president does not have any executive powers at all, and certainly not to the degree that Cheney has created and been given free reign to exercise by President Bush.
It is obvious that the president needs a responsible advisor and supporter. But they also need someone who can understand and have respect for the balance of power and the limits of the vice presidency. If Palin cannot understand that if she is elected to office, she will be no better than her predecessor.
Possibly gaining more coverage than her actual politics, which have been dubbed the embodiment of the conservative ideology, it seems that the controversy about her lack of experience and incidents surrounding her governorship have stood out among all else.
In an election that has surpassed all others in terms of breaking of gender and racial barriers on both sides of the political party spectrum, Palin was a brilliant choice by McCain for a vice-presidential running mate, because of his history of dissent and diversion from the Republican party's core stances.
That being said, it is Palin's similarity to current Vice President Dick Cheney, coupled with her lack of experience as a politician on the national level, like Cheney, that worries me the most. I am not going to state, as many have done, whether Palin is fit or not to be the vice president. Some have stated that there is a lack of experience on the Democratic ticket, so to fuel the attack on whether a candidate is experienced or not would not be at all useful.
However, Palin was recently quoted saying that she agreed with Cheney that the vice-presidential officer has "a lot of flexibility" under the Constitution, according to the nytimes.com article, "Dick Cheney, Role Model." She continued to say that she was "thankful that the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president also, if that vice president so chose to exert it."
I find it very unnerving that Palin either agrees with or simply does not understand how profoundly Cheney has reshaped the power of the vice presidency. The Constitution does not state or imply any flexibility for the power of the vice-presidential office. The vice president does not have any executive powers at all, and certainly not to the degree that Cheney has created and been given free reign to exercise by President Bush.
It is obvious that the president needs a responsible advisor and supporter. But they also need someone who can understand and have respect for the balance of power and the limits of the vice presidency. If Palin cannot understand that if she is elected to office, she will be no better than her predecessor.
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