I'm not really great writing about politics but found myself in an odd situation of keynoting the same event as Sarah Palin in Hong Kong. I happened to give a talk in Anchorage the day after she spoke at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Alaska just after she was selected as VP candidate - so this was a funny feeling of deja vu.
In a packed room I sat between the other keynotes, Sir Ken Robinson and Robert Fisk, as she took the stage. While it was mainly a crafted speech the only real surprise was her open criticism of the GOP. It was almost more pointed than comments to the Democrats (or 'other guys' as she referred to them). Beyond standard talking points, the main theme was asking for a grassroots rebirth from 'local GOP politicians' over those in Washington DC. A sort of tough love on those who 'had sold out their conservative principles'.
I ended up tweeting the talk and other than her comment on the Fed, I think it's somewhat accurate. Her strongest parts of the talk, whether you agree with them or not, were on domestic concerns and what she called 'the view from Main Street'. I actually happen to live on a Main Street (in a small town) and not sure most of my neighbors wouldn't agree with her views on the success of Thatcher-ite policies and that cap and tax (trade) will cause more unemployment and do nothing for the environment.
Palin took time to urge Obama to increase troop deployment in Afghanistan and reminded attendees it was the 'US military presence in Asia that allowed it to prosper'. Then she took the risky move of criticizing China on Taiwan and Tibet, noting it needed to be a more responsible global citizen and allow greater freedom for its people.
It wasn't all politics; she slipped a few jokes into the proceedings including on the density of Hong Kong vs. Alaska and one made on Todds' expense (something about needing a wife?). As a shout out to the tech generation she noted her fondness of Facebook as a way to get around the main stream media - 'I love it!' she exclaimed; Palin felt that the company was a success story of US ingenuity and shows 'we still got it' - can't argue that, can we?
Anyway as a courtesy I've offered that she can tweet/facebook my talk tomorrow. It's on developing strong communities and how government failure led to an opportunity for rebuilding through public/private partnerships. It's more a view from a post-Hurricane ravaged Main Street.
Let's see if she returns the favor.
UPDATE: Twitter followers will donate $750 to our work in rebuilding Myanmar if she attends my talk, $1250 if she stays through Q&A. Will report on final tally AND if she shows.
A total of $2250 was on the line. Alas she was already gone, so the challenge become null and void. I did challenge the room of investors to redistribute my honorarium to charity (as we always do) - they surprisingly went for project-focused funding over capacity building.
Also Robert Fisk wrote a scathing review of the talk.
...awful blurry image... (I won't give up the day job)
If you want a real account of the speech I suggest to download it when it becomes available. - here (leaked by Ms. Palin on her facebook account)
Follow Cameron Sinclair on Twitter: www.twitter.com/casinclair
Ellen Miller: Congress' Tech-Oriented Growth Spurt
Three years ago, those using the Web for transparency likely registered around zero. But in the intervening years, Congress has adapted to the Internet at incredible speed.
I must admit that Robert Fisk's review of Palin's speech was more believable but I would have much rather heard your keynote speech focusing on your area of expertise than Palin's pre-chewed pabulum any day.
I have great admiration for your work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War_casualties
I'm sure Palin has no clue as what happened in Vietnam. Yes, today Vietnam is prospering, but that only happened long after we left. It's kind of hard to prosper when your country's infrastructure is being bombarded daily by B-52 strikes and there are massive ground battles taking place all over the country.
Nice try, but no cigar.
As for Mrs. Palin's attempts to cheerlead for continued US involvment in Afghanistan by drawing parallels with East Asian economic advancement under post-war US presence, Mrs. Palin needs to re-read (or in her case just read) history. Japan was an economic power and a Confucian society with a highly educated workforce that could be revived from the rubble of war. Korea was a vassal state of Japan, occupied until 1945, and while no economic power in the same vein as Japan, possessed an industrialized workforce with Confucian social and moral values. Afghanistan presents a different economic, social and geo-political landscape, one that we are comigng to grips with only now, 8 years after 9-11, and 6 years after engaging in a wasteful and ludicrous war in Iraq. While, I personally believe that a continued US involvement in Afghanistan is necessary to push that country back into an era of modernity it briefly enjoyed in the 1970s, I find Mrs. Palin's arguments for US involvement both disingenuous and uninformed. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, and in the hands of an ignoramus like Mrs. Palin it is doubly so.
I do agree with your cap and trade (tax) comment but the assumption that the average American is not smart enough, or has a basic understanding of modern history, is disingenuous and undermines honest debate.
And for your knowledge I've lived on three 'main streets' in Pennsylvania, Montana, California and South London (oh, one Broad St in Jersey). Confused by your cigar comment, that doesn't even make sense.
FYI, you can google "nice try, but no cigar" and find out that it means you made an effort, maybe even came close, but did not succeed in the end. Dcdjay is telling you that your argument does not hold water (to confuse the issue by introducing another metaphor :)). "Close, but no cigar" was in the popular vernacular for a long time. I'd surmise that either you're too young to have picked it up, or - I guess I'll skip my other hypothesis.
One thing - the best dressed ex governor of the great state of Alaska was speaking of Thatcher in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was a part of Great Britten during the Thatcher rule. The audience would all know exactly who Margaret Thatcher was. They might not even remotely agree with anything Thatcher or smiling Sarah Palin said – but that would all be done politely.
And cheerful Sarah Palin will never even remotely know what the nice gentlemen and gentlewomen of Hong Kong think of her remarks. She will be happy as a clam that the check cleared; and of course love the shopping. It is anyone’s guess when they will ask her back for that kind of money.
Thanks to palingates.blogspot.com, here are some google translations of remarks
posted in chinese to a hong kong blog, they are priceless :
"Brought in a big liar liar in the Huyou, animatedly Huyou, there are always idiots fooled the."
"China should look grave for the United States ! Menopause neurotic woman."
"Inability to increase the brain remnants, Wang reproduction."
"The Sao woman has loosed her tongue everywhere, polluting the air."
"We must not forget those two great 'military gifts' that the US sent to Hiroshima and Nagasaki back in August of 1945. It allowed Japan to prosper to become the great economic force that they are today.!"
* * * The economy of Japan is the second largest economy in the world, after the United States at around US$5 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and third after the United States and People's Republic of China when adjusted for purchasing power parity.
I agree that she remains a strong secondary player who'll be around awhile.
Can't think of a more hypocritical hate mongering liar. She's responsible for the "Reprehensible Death Panel" lie.
But I do give her credit, after all she CAN see Russia from her bedroom window!
But when you have someone who thinks they don't have to answer questions, who thinks that no one has the right to criticize her for her answers and plays victim to avoid what is tough, you will see outrage from the double standard.
Having spunk, an American Heart and standing up to the Media are not credentials that I could ever seriously consider someone for VP or President of our country. In order to get anything done in this country you need someone who can bring people together. At one time John McCain was known for that, President Obama does that, but never have I seen Sarah Palin communicate this concept to the American people. You cannot learn that, you have to believe it and it will shine through. She so obviously doesn't. Her kind of politics is always pitting people against each other.
(cont.)
So for your question of how do we stop devouring each other and get back to being neighbors who care about each other is rather a simple one and I think is the very idea of Pres. Obama's campaign. Finding our common ground, finding where we agree, treating each other with respect. Then and only then we will get stuff done. I honestly do not see this coming from the Republican party now....perhaps from a few.
Sarah Palin the hypocrite! Don't ever forget her infamous diatribes during her campaign speeches. She has the nerve to go to China and talk as if she's sincere about being a responsible global citizen?
SIR KEN ROBINSON: "Creativity expert" for innovation and human resources, has worked with governments in Europe and Asia, international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, education systems, non-profit corporations and leading cultural organizations worldwide, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the Royal Ballet, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the European Commission, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the J Paul Getty Trust among others.
ROBERT FISK: The New York Times once described Robert Fisk as "probably the most famous foreign correspondent in Britain." He reported on Northern Ireland troubles, the Portuguese Revolution, the Lebanese Civil War, the Iranian revolution, the Soviet war in Afghanistan, the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War and invasion of Iraq in 2003. A vernacular Arabic speaker, he interviewed Osama bin Laden, three times between 1994 and 1997, voted International Journalist of the Year seven times.
CAMERON SINCLAIR: Co-founder, Architecture for Humanity, a charitable organization which develops architecture and design solutions to humanitarian crises, and provides pro-bono design services to communities in need, in 28 countries on projects including school, health clinics, affordable housing and long term sustainable reconstruction, rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 South Asia Tsunami.
SARAH PALIN: Former Mayor of Wasilla,Alaska, former Governor of Alaska (2.5 years, resigned mid-term just "because"), former beauty pageant contestant, 2008 Republican Vice-Presidential nominee, mother of 5, grandmother of one (as far as we know), self-described "maverick."
She thinks that to fix things we should do away with certain taxes targeting the business and banking/investing community and have even less regulation.
Not for the first time, run, Sarah, run. 2012 awaits you. Your gullible base having to swallow a platform of giving more to those poor, put upon Wall Street types and banksters would be a giggle-fest.