Following Palin in Hong Kong
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
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Anyone who would posit the belief that what American corporations need is more freedom, after the financial meltdown that just occured should be viewed as dangerous.
Mr. Sinclair: "I'm not really great writing about politics ..."
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.
So, US troops in SE Asia enabled it to prosper? Tell that to the 5 Million+ dead Vietnamese killed during the war. Yes, that is not a misprint. Casualties are not exact, but that number is in the ballpark according to many sources.
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.
Out of all of her statements, that one is a true enigma.
I'm not sure what "Main Street" Mr. Sinclair lives on, but on most American "Main Streets" (assuming they're even inhabited at this point in our history) most people haven't a clue of Thatcher or her policies, let alone "cap and trade."
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'd disagree. I think most people do know who Thatcher is, they may not know her economics but they have a basic knowledge what she stood for.
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.
Come on, large percentages high school seniors don't even know who the first US president was, let alone a British governmental figure from 3 decades ago.
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.
Spot on dcjdjay.
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.
But WE can access some of what the locals thought of Miss Sarah's remarks!
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."
'US military presence in Asia that allowed it to prosper'.
Well, yeah. Palin logic, about US and Asia, "might" go something like this:
"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 am so tired of hearing Palin bashers. She speaks for a vast majority of the US populace and she is a force to be acknowledged with. She isn't going away. She is a populist candidate. I can't envision her as more than a secondary player, but she is someone to be considered since she is extremely popular with a vast majority of Americans. She definately speaks to me.
She has her base to be sure, but it is not even close to the "vast majority" of Americans.
I agree that she remains a strong secondary player who'll be around awhile.
the bashing comes soooooooo easy since she sets herself up for it!
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!
TEAMSARAH is a really LOUD minority....get used to Palin bashers...just as she won´t go away neither will we. She brings DIVISION.
She may speak for you rogersma, but read the polling information. She does not speak for nor is popular 'with a vast majority of Americans.' She is a force to be reckoned with for certain, an ill and under informed one.
Gee why are you hear reading the posts of Palin bashers then? I am tired of Palin bashing everyone who does not believe exactly as she does.
If you think she is extremely popular with a vast majority of Americans you really should get out once in a while. Experiencing reality would do you good.
Can't believe that anyone would seriously believe she wrote that speech herself. She left the country to make some "intelligent" comments about government, politics in the US in front of an audience that wasn't allowed to ask questions. Do you not smell the setup here? They are polishing her credentials so that it looks like she's been studying so when she trys to get back into office it will look like she has done her homework. She is a shill. Just read Levy Johnston's article in Vanity Fair. Very interesting and very very telling. And yes, the Republican Party LOVES HER!! They pushed her on McCain who apparantly wanted Lieberman not her. McCain sold his soul to become President, not that I would ever vote for him, but he knew what he wanted but gave it up to try to win.
McCain should hang his head in $h@me for allowing this person onto the political scene. A scene that is very v0l@tile and ch@0tic already and she is just making it worse.
Okay let's say Sarah Palin is a shill and "they" are polishing up her cridentials. How would that be any different from anyone who is in office on either side of lthe isle? "The Republican Party" incluldes a lot of people, myself included. I would not say that all Republicans love Sarah Palin and see her as a potential candidate for any particular office. The main appeal that I personally feels she brings to the table is her spunk in standing up to the mainstream media which seems to be leading many elected officials on both side of the isle down some primrose path to God only knows what. Regardless of what the world may think about Sarah Palin' s knowledge of the world they are failing to see that she is an American at heart and she doesn't need a speach writer to make that point. By they way who in Washington doesn't have and use speach writers? I am a freelance writer and a major market for freelance writers is speach writing. Mr. Obama does not write his speaches either. My question is how do we as Americans stop devouring each other about politics and get back to being neighbors who care about each other. I am not your enemy because I am a Republican. I am your neighbor. At the moment the only Democrate I seem to be able to communicate peacefully with is my own brother.
I think the problem with Sarah Palin is not that she uses speech writers because as you pointed out, everyone uses them. The problem is that she has rarely answered questions and when she has, her knowledge of the issues are shockingly thin. For a party that beat the drum of Obama not having experience, they could never say that he didn't have the knowledge of the issues or was afraid of questions.
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.)
(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.
...as a freelance writer, you should be advised that the correct spelling
of the word S P E E C H, is exactly that.
"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."
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?
She's not going to Tweet your speech. She won't understand it.
Which of these things is not like the other?
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."
I bet she could teach a mean "pageant walkin" gig.
Parade wave, parade wave!
Yes, yes, yes==your essay is irrefutable. Jade,iIt's my pleasure to fan you!
Yes, yes, yes! Your micro-essay is simply irrefutable. It is my pleasure to fan you.
Whythank you. You know its very hard to do that pageant walkin just right.
Fanned.
When you say Fanned what does that mean? Am old and not up on everything.
Three Men and a Baby?
Fanned. I luv it.
OMG LOL!
Great post. I don't recommend the comments thread, but the post itself is very helpful and I appreciate it.
I really am not a fan of Sarah Palin at all. Really not a fan. In fact, I think she could really damage the US for generations if she got into a position of real power. However, she is smart enough to figure out a way of milking people's dissatisfaction with politics in general and the way the Democrats and Republicans are going, she is going to become the next Lonesome Rhodes and, I fear, actually find herself in a position of power. We liberals scoff at her but if she taps into the Ron Paul network then watch out. Never overestimate the thinking power of Americans.
It kinda of agree with you there. Its the independents we need to make sure they stay with the democrats. However, I don't think we should worry to much because the primary in her own party will eat her up. I worry about her imposing her religious belief on americans and banning books. Also I worry if you disagree with her she will punish you. Sounds allot like Hitler.
Obama has lost the independents for the democratic party. Good luck getting them back.
Just hope Romney stays alive to run against her in 2012 primaries. He'll shred her to bits in the fight for the GOP nomination.
Why do people still consider her a candidate for the primaries???
Her opponant merely has to say Palin WAS the governor of Guam, but she QUIT.
What areher credentials, it comes back to that...it´s a year later and she has LESS. She quit. Would the Republican party run her?????????'''
what thinking power?
We know she has the vote of the "real americans" whatever that is. Maybe its the southern part of each state that she visits. Maybe that is what she means.
I will never vote for Sarah Palin, I don't care if she becomes a liberal...She would never get my vote.
I wouldn't vote for her either. Giving a wink doesn't do it for me.
I think the only person we need to fear is her speech writer. She's shown that she'll not be able to coherently formulate an answer to a spontaneous question however, she can deliver a canned speech quite effectively.
We find out the questions were pre-screened.
Just like G.W., eh?
I think what should give us all pause when considering her for any high office or position of public trust is that she, based on many accounts, is lazy. The Levi Johnston piece in Vanity Fair seems to drive this home again, and again.
She does'nt like to study (5 or 6 colleges for a B.A.),does'nt like to prepare for debates and interviews and quits jobs that become "too hard". And, of course she's not writing any of her speeches. Well, she no doubt wrote her resignation speech. I'll give her credit for that....
So she went there in the middle of the biggest "recession" since the great depression, brought about by policies engineered by Ronald Reagan, to talk about how successful Reaganomics has been? And you are someone who wants to get more privatization into government functions? We've seen how terrifically effective that can be with Blackwater - not. I'd say the more accurate appraisal of her speech was given by the two guys who walked out in the middle of it. These global financial movers and shakers need to get some reality-infused speakers at their shindigs or the world is just going to face more of the same, and worse than we've seen to date. I certainly hope you and Palin are not a 100% representative sample of the "experts" who tickled their eardrums at this event.
Hmm, what is this joke about Todd and finding a wife? Those jokes don't usually strike me as funny, just ignorant.
My understanding of the talk was that Palin is pushing the view point that what happened to the economy was too much government regulation and oversight. Lots of luck with that viewpoint Ms. Palin.
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.
Yes, run Sarah, run....I need the endorphins!
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