McCain's Big Risk?

With Sarah Palin in the race, the focus seems to be totally on her level of experience or inexperience; depending how left someone is in their attacks against her. It is as if she is the only one of either the Republican and the Democratic ticket who hasn't spent years in politics. The comments from the media and the Democratic pundits want you to believe the she is "just a heartbeat away" from being President with absolutely no credentials.

Of course, nobody wants to even mention the fact that one of those "heartbeats" is probably the least capable candidate, based on the size and complexity of our current government, that has ever run for President. That "heartbeat" is Barack Obama. Sure, you can go back to a person like Abraham Lincoln and point to his relative inexperience. However, Abraham Lincoln lived during a time when the United States wasn't hardly the size it is today and was isolated from the world stage. Many of the current states weren't even our union. By no means were we a world military power or even concerned with activities elsewhere in the world. The Federal budget and services of that time wouldn't even match up with the budget and services that are being provided, today, in any "small" city in America. In fact, a Federal income tax didn't even exist prior to Abraham Lincoln's taking office. Barack Obama has only been in politics since 1996 and has spent the last two years literally absent from his Senate responsibilities because he has been running for his next targeted office as the President of the United States. Sarah Palin has be in politics since 1992 (4 years longer than Barack) and has been able to elevate herself from a small city council to mayor and, then, to the level of a state Governor. And, believe me, the management responsibilites of a state Governor are much closer to the Office of the President of the United States than the responsibilities of any United States Senator.

The diversion that is being used from those on the "left" side of politics is to compare Sarah Palin with Joe Biden and, then, to keep silent on the untested inexperience of Barack Obama. Instead, they would prefer to paint Joe Biden with years of experience and Sarah Palin with absolutely no background. If Senate experience is the only thing that counts, then maybe Barack Obama should have picked the 90-year old Senator, Robert Byrd.

Sarah Palin's rise to power in Alaskan politics from a small city council cannot be discounted. Becoming the Governor of Alaska from being a small town mayor is no small feat. On top of it, she has achieved an 80+ percentage favorable approval level from the citizens of Alaska. That level of approval is generally unheard of in politics. As an obscure mayor, she had to literally leap over many of those in the state's legislature who would also be Governor. Sarah Palin is a lot like a select group of people that I have seen in business. They come from nowhere to become a corporate level executives and officers, or even the CEO or Chairman of the Board.

To rise to the office of the Governor, Sarah Palin has to have had a clear grasp of the responsibilities of that office. She apparently knew how to work the politics in her favor and rise above the better-known's of the State Legislature. People must have felt comfortable with what she was saying on the campaign trail because she was able became the Governor. Certainly, she had to overcome the societal deficit of being a woman and wanting the State's highest position.

Joe Biden, on the other hand, is the V.P. pick because of Obama's exposed weakness of both inexperience and his lack of foreign affairs expertise. Joe Biden has been around politics for years but has never achieved anything other than heading up a committee or two. He never made it to the level of a "leader" within his own party or within the Senate. His fellow Senators never saw him as the Majority or Minority leader for their party. He's run for President twice and hardly got any of his own party's recognition. He was forced to drop out of this year's Presidential race because he only managed 9,000 votes. (Sarah Palin dwarfed that number of votes in her own bid for Governor in Alaska and by getting 49% of that vote) Biden has always been in the 2nd tier of candidates for President; just like the Dennis Kucinich's of the world. To some extent, he has been his own party's joke because of his verbosity and continuous habit of making exaggerated claims and major gaffe's.

I wouldn't discount Sarah Palin being matched up against Joe Biden. She seems to be clearly focused in her goals and one of this country's obvious high achievers. She had to be a fast learner to move so quickly from city council to mayor to governor, and to catch the attention of a number of people as well as John McCain. People describe her as tough and I think she just might prove that going up against Joe Biden in their debate. Could she be "the risk" that sinks McCain's campaign? Sure, she could. But, she just might be the risk that wins the White House for him! And, someday, for herself.