I Want A VP Who Is Smarter Than Me

So we finally got to hear Sarah Palin for longer than a 6 minute news clip.

I think there's no question that she performed in the debate better than expected. (Performed being the operative word.) She didn't ramble on nonsensically (although there were some points of odd sentence structure). She didn't get the deer-in-the-headlight look (well, not much). She didn't say anything goofy about foreign policy, her house and Alaska.

But then again, she didn't say much that wasn't a practiced policy line or a snarky jab. She winked. She gave a shout-out to a third grade class. She made every effort possible to make me think she was just like me.

She told me that she worried about how she would be able to afford to send her kids to college. She told me that she was just a middle-American girl at heart. She smiled in a goofy way and tried to be folksy with me.

Hmm. Maybe she IS just like me.

But you know what, I don't want a Vice President who is just like me. I want someone who is smarter than me.

I want the Vice President to be someone who is more polished than me. Someone who knows the difference between the Sunni's and the Shia's. Someone who knows how to pronounce NUCLEAR (and no, it's not nuke-you-lure).

I want the Vice President, who is a heartbeat away from the presidency, to understand how things work in Washington. I certainly don't like how politicized the process is either, but guess what? That's the way it is, and it's not going to change overnight. I want someone who recognizes that. Someone who doesn't think she can get by on a smile and a "you betcha!"

I don't want someone who believes their biggest asset is that they know what it's like to shop at WalMart and take their kids to hockey practice in a mini-van. How will that help in negotiations and diplomatic missions with other heads of state? I want someone who knows what fork to use at a White Tie dinner, how to address the Prime Minister of Israel, and where Abu Dhabi is.

I want someone who knows firsthand what people in other countries look like, sound like and act like. Hell, I want a Vice President who even knows what people in other STATES in our country look like, sound like and act like. I want a VP who knows that in New Mexico we deal with water issues, in Michigan they have a huge unemployment problem, and Washington always has some sort of an issue with salmon.

I wouldn't want me in office. My attention span is too short, I don't know very much about the economy and darn it, sometimes I just want to go to the movies with my kid and forget about all the bad things that happened that day. Or stay home in bed all day watching soap operas and eating chocolate. I don't want a Vice President to do that!

So for as friendly and as folksy and as "doggone" cute as Sarah Palin was in the debate tonight, she just reminded me why I don't want her as Vice President. She's too much like me. And I'm not smart enough, sophisticated enough, worldly-aware enough to be Vice President.

I don't want a Vice President who's like me. I want one who's smarter.

Comments

[BeltwayBette]

YOur article was very good and I appreciate your work.
As for me, I'll settle for someone with morals.

[ZDuck]

Great article. I too want someone smarter than me to be our next VP. It was scary to note that just months ago, I had traveled to more foreign countries, spoke to more heads of state and read more newspapers and magazines than Palin. Send Palin back home to Alaska and let that state pay for her education so she can run in 2012.

[Kyrrith]

As a non-American it appals me that what is still the most powerful nation on Earth is having someone who is so obviously unqualified as Sarah Palin foisted upon them as a candidate for VP. I'm an athiest, but I'm beginning to pray that McCaine and Palin don't get elected. From what I can tell I think this is unlikely to happen, but the possibility still scares the bejazus out of me. If it does happen then I can assure you that America's standing in the rest of the World will plummet even further than it already has in the last eight years.

[faith]

Perfectly stated ! The folksy stuff falls flat when it is unaccompanied by real analysis and objectivity. Palin would be successful at one thing is she becomes the next Vice President: affirming to the world that America is not interested in serious debate or resolution of global issues. Plus, Ms. Palin does not seem to understand the delegation of powers as defined in our U.S. Constitution. She seems to think that the V.P. has authority in the other branches. She was spot on when she asked, "what does the vice president do".

[Susan L. Travis - Huffpost Blogger]

Like many of us, my elderly friend says that as a child, she always thought that only the smartest, wisest person in the country was allowed to be president. The reality is stunningly not so. The logic of running a campaign in this way is breathtaking!

I don't want someone like ME doing my brain surgery, or working on my car, or putting in my septic system. I DON"T KNOW HOW!

Just as I can't imagine anyone being eager to drink beer with an aging meglomaniacal frat boy, I can't imagine casting my political power on the basis of being charmed by Palin's car-pooling potential. As a woman, that's the pitch, and men are expected to be reeled off to the polls by their desire to (ahem) "date" her. Every day, I hear more men talk about her "attributes. Their references degenerate in direct proportion to the daily sabotage that she does to her own dignity. By November, having reduced herself to the mental equivilent of a blow-up doll - she'll no doubt generate even more votes in the process.

Gee thanks, Mr. McCain - you've effectively objectified the first woman candidate in a brilliant display of psycho-ponzi. If we notice your game, we're the sexists disrespecting Sarah Palin. I say, you first objectified her when you chose her, and she objectified herself when she accepted.

[Theresa2]

Someone I can have coffee with and expect a expect an intelligent answer when I ask "so what's up with the Russians" or "is this $700 billion dollar really necessary?" I don't want to hear "I'll get back to you unless she really plans to do so.

[beverlynoelle]

"Hell, I want a Vice President who even knows what people in other STATES in our country look like, sound like and act like."

This made me laugh out loud! It's so true!

[jadeba]

Amen! This woman isn't as smart as the majority of people (I'm excluding those who support "winky and wrinkly" - love that description from another blog here) who post here, much less blog. An idiot has already been placed in the w. house - hopefully, some lesson has been learned from that disaster.

[uniquelyme]

I couldn't possibly agree more, you said it perfectly.

Hope, not fear. GObama '08!

[LakeO Nickleby]

Seriously, this is out of control! I mean, what's with the winking?

[Deedeede-luxe]

If I wanted a person "like me" in the White house than I guess I would try to run for it! However, I understand my own limitations and unfortunately, Sarah Palin does not. She is charasmatic and folksy, which makes her like-able, but, she has no thoughts of her own, or enough experience to speak with "actual" conviction. She is simply repeating what she has been programmed to say. She is no "Maverick" and I hope "folks" take the time to look at what she has done in Alaska( specifically aerial hunting of Wildlife) to get a clearer picture of this candidate.

[caprahorse]

We are dangling in the balance of disaster - financially, politically, diplomatically, spiritually, and in safety. The next leader(s) of this nation must be on a very focused track to restore America. I do not trust any of the BUSH croneys to even attempt that as they are a big part of the problem/oblivion and greed that got us into this mess in the first place.

So yes, Palin didn't fall on her face and spoke in basic sentences. But what did she really say. The fact that she kept going back to "drilling for our own energy" is frightening, granted it was her "stock answer" to any of the debate questions that she couldnt answer...but guess what????
We cant use petroleum anymore - so it doesnt really matter how much or how little oil we have in America we need to be using solar, wind, electric and fuel cell cars - its all very possible and would create the same number of thousands of jobs - but would piss off the oil friends of McPalin - so I say NO to Drill Baby Drill - that slogan only emphasizes just HOW OUT OF TOUCH McCain and the GOP party is with REAL LIFE (and the possible lack of it...if we keep robbing and polluting mother earth)...

Obama and Biden are the most sane attempt at normalcy and SURVIVAL / RESTORATION of America.

[kimp]

This article put into words what I've been thinking but hadn't figured out for myself yet! I believe you can judge a man by the people he surrounds himself with, which is why I'm impressed with Obama's selection of Biden as running mate. I believe the polar opposite (pun intended) was done by McCain. I too, would like someone with experience lined up to step into the Presidency should it come to that.

[asquared]

I've heard people say they want to vote for someone they could have a beer with. Yes, there's a few presidential candidates I wouldn't mind inviting to a dinner party, but I WANT someone who is smarter than me in office and not someone who is only good at drinking beer and hauling kids to hockey practice.

[txrotorhead]

Well put!! I had a conservative co-worker say they liked the folksy stuff, made her feel like their next door neighbor. No offense to my neighbor, but I don't want my neighbor to be my Vice President.