Inexperience. Good or Bad?
Recently Sarah Palin was chosen to be the vice president in the McCain campaign. This struck me as odd considering that Palin is a mother of five and a little unexperienced. Palin has only been the governor of Alaska since 2006. With such a low level of experience people would think that McCain is kind of going out on a limb. Palin wasn't even on the board a couple of weeks ago. Big names such as Tim Pawlenty (MN), Charlie Crist (FL), and former governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney were all front runners for the job.
Doesn't this make anyone else wonder why McCain chose Palin? Is it because she is just that "a she?" McCain may be trying to appeal to woman voters now that Hillary Clinton is out of the picture. Is it because she is 44 years old and may shy critics away about McCain's 'age old' campaign?
Unlike McCain's other candidates for VP, Palin is also relatively unheard of so the media will be trying to find out everything about her within the next couple days. Palin also appeals to the Republican base for hear strong views on gay marriage and abortion, something that McCain has been criticized for by right wing conservatives for his moderate views. So my question is this, did McCain make the right move?
Palin's Speech
This evening Sarah Palin accepted the vice presidential nomination from the republican party. As she accepted the nomination she said the she "accepts the challenge of a tough fight" but is she really ready? With a pregnant teenage daughter at home and a young child with down syndrome, will she really have the capacity to handle the responabilties that comes with being vice president? Is she just a pretty face in the presidential race, a woman to get the Hilary supporters, or is she really qualifed to be vice president of the most powerful nation in the world?
Deal or no deal?
Have you been paying attention to the news lately? The Red Sox beat the Orioles. Gustav has the potential to be a category 4 hurricane. Oh, and Sarah Palin's teenage daughter is pregnant. With the Republican National Convention underway, news of the Republican's running mate's daughter has spread like wildfire among the media, making the front page of the New York Times. It has given people more reason to question Sarah Palin's qualifications and led to further investigations about the Alaskan governor's home life.
It's not as if Palin's daughter is the one running for Vice President. Then why is this such a big deal? Or is it a big deal? Do the actions of Palin's daughter have an effect on her capability to be the Vice President of the United States? In a world filled with media and gossip, do you think that the public will let these personal issues alter their choice in the upcoming election? I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts!
Protesting Protests
Our group chose a topic that is literally 'close to home'. The topic is the Republican National Convention, which is being held right here in St. Paul. This certain topic has not only shown up in the news recently, but it also made a brief appearance in our classroom today. I wanted to concentrate on what we talked about--the thousands of protesters who attended the event. The news today is that almost 300 of the protesters will be formally charged, many being held on felony charges. But like we discussed today, there is more press about the arrests than the thousands who peacefully protested. It was this discussion of protesters that led me to a question I had--what does a protest accomplish? It is an honest question, and one that I hope some people will be able to shed some light on. Do protests really mean anything? Or are they just an opportunity to unite with people who share your viewpoints and stand for a cause?
In my opinion, protests are usually ignored, and on a large scale, they don't accomplish much of anything (other than getting in the papers because a small group of protesters gets arrested). But that is just what I think. I have a certain ignorance about the topic, so if anyone could educate me, I would be more than willing to listen.
-Tyler
