Rangeley
09-07-2008, 09:59 PM
Here is my latest blog entry addressing Sarah Palin.
After John McCain became the presumptive nominee of the Republican party, many felt utterly alienated from the party in a way that had not been felt before. It had chosen a candidate who opposed free speech, opposed the concept of reducing taxes, favored federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. A candidate who, far from advocating a humble foreign policy, made no bones about the idea that there would be “more wars,” with no intention of reeling in a bloated, overstretched and wasteful military.
After his selection of Sarah Palin, many gave him another look, almost exclusively because of her. While her positions on many issues are unknown due to the different nature of state politics in comparison to national, some positions and stances were known. She lowered taxes, for instance, and took on a corrupt party establishment. As someone who has had a few run ins with the party establishment here myself, I can appreciate that. She opposed the Real ID, however tacitly, in allowing anti Real ID legislation to pass through the legislature.
But she also expressed support, some years ago, for the potential of banning gay marriage in the Alaska State Constitution. This certainly wouldn’t be the stance of someone who wants to get the government out of marriage entirely. She does not favor the legalization of drugs such as marijuana, obviously not a stance someone would take who wants the government out of that area either.
She has made recent statement’s praising McCain for his support of the surge, and seemingly his Iraq policy. While I don’t want to jump the gun, it would seem as though she endorses his foreign policy from her statements.
No doubt, given what we know she is preferable to John McCain. Ron Paul expressed the hope on several occasions that she would be able to push him in the right direction - while noting this isn’t all that likely. More often then not, the vice presidential candidate adapts to the presidential candidate’s message and stances - not the other way around. And even if she managed to push him in the right direction, her stances on issues such as marriage, and the war on drugs, aren’t where they need to be either. And her seeming adoption of McCain’s foreign policy is certainly nothing to celebrate.
While I am optimistic, and would love to see McCain rethink some of his stances, choosing Palin only helps increase the nearly infinitesimal chance of this happening. The problem with McCain was never the small likelihood of his views changing, but rather the views he holds themselves. This move isn’t an admission that the United States shouldn’t be nation building and policing the world. It isn’t an admission that his big government policies were misguided. Sarah Palin is not running for President, nor are her own views going to have any direct impact on the nation. When it comes to assuaging our fears about McCain’s policies, choosing Palin just doesn’t do it. It’s still John McCain at the end of the day, and a vote for their ticket is an endorsement of his policies.
http://strictconstruct.com/2008/09/07/choosing-palin-doesnt-do-it/
After John McCain became the presumptive nominee of the Republican party, many felt utterly alienated from the party in a way that had not been felt before. It had chosen a candidate who opposed free speech, opposed the concept of reducing taxes, favored federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. A candidate who, far from advocating a humble foreign policy, made no bones about the idea that there would be “more wars,” with no intention of reeling in a bloated, overstretched and wasteful military.
After his selection of Sarah Palin, many gave him another look, almost exclusively because of her. While her positions on many issues are unknown due to the different nature of state politics in comparison to national, some positions and stances were known. She lowered taxes, for instance, and took on a corrupt party establishment. As someone who has had a few run ins with the party establishment here myself, I can appreciate that. She opposed the Real ID, however tacitly, in allowing anti Real ID legislation to pass through the legislature.
But she also expressed support, some years ago, for the potential of banning gay marriage in the Alaska State Constitution. This certainly wouldn’t be the stance of someone who wants to get the government out of marriage entirely. She does not favor the legalization of drugs such as marijuana, obviously not a stance someone would take who wants the government out of that area either.
She has made recent statement’s praising McCain for his support of the surge, and seemingly his Iraq policy. While I don’t want to jump the gun, it would seem as though she endorses his foreign policy from her statements.
No doubt, given what we know she is preferable to John McCain. Ron Paul expressed the hope on several occasions that she would be able to push him in the right direction - while noting this isn’t all that likely. More often then not, the vice presidential candidate adapts to the presidential candidate’s message and stances - not the other way around. And even if she managed to push him in the right direction, her stances on issues such as marriage, and the war on drugs, aren’t where they need to be either. And her seeming adoption of McCain’s foreign policy is certainly nothing to celebrate.
While I am optimistic, and would love to see McCain rethink some of his stances, choosing Palin only helps increase the nearly infinitesimal chance of this happening. The problem with McCain was never the small likelihood of his views changing, but rather the views he holds themselves. This move isn’t an admission that the United States shouldn’t be nation building and policing the world. It isn’t an admission that his big government policies were misguided. Sarah Palin is not running for President, nor are her own views going to have any direct impact on the nation. When it comes to assuaging our fears about McCain’s policies, choosing Palin just doesn’t do it. It’s still John McCain at the end of the day, and a vote for their ticket is an endorsement of his policies.
http://strictconstruct.com/2008/09/07/choosing-palin-doesnt-do-it/