The reward of merit
It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few. But while there exists equal justice to all and alike in their private disputes, the claim of excellence is also recognized; and when a citizen is in any way distinguished, he is preferred to the public service, not as a matter of privilege, but as the reward of merit. - Thucydides, Pericles' Funeral Oration
After reading excerpts from Sarah Palin's interview with Charlie Gibson, which showed not only her lack of ability or experience but her rather frightening self-confidence in the face of that, I'm amazed that she still has supporters. Here's a bit from a discussion between conservative David Frum and Kurt Andersen (hat tip to Andrew Sullivan) ....
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K.A.: [...] The tactical brilliance of Palin's selection aside, are you feeling more or less squeamish about the prospect of Palin one heartbeat away?
D.F.: I have been disturbed about the choice from the start, as you know. And I have not seen any reason to feel less disturbed. Part of this is the grim facts of mortality: I'd worry less if John McCain were 52 rather than 72.
K.A.: You mean, the one-in-six chance that any given 72-year-old will die during the next four years?
D.F.: One in seven, I think — but yes. She really could be president! And here's where my fellow conservatives really worry me.
K.A.: Recklessness because the prospect of winning is so euphoric and irresistible?
D.F.: They are so attracted by the symbolism of the selection that they show no concern — never mind for her executive competence — even for her views. There's a photograph circulating on conservative blogs that shows Palin lounging on a motorcycle, paired with another of Obama in a helmet on a bicycle. It's headed: "All you need to know." Personally I need to know a little more. That's not even insufficient information. It's anti-information — a denial that information matters.
You can enjoy a motorcycle and be pro-choice. Or antiwar. Or in favor of immigration amnesty. Or for that matter, in favor state control of the means of production!
K.A.: Exactly. And there are those people on the left, too, of course, but the "respectable right" seems to indulge in that somewhat more than the "respectable left."
D.F.: Well, I can't evaluate who does it more. But it's not my problem when it happens on the other side of the line! On our side, though, conservatives have been in agreement for some time that competence would be a real and legitimate issue in 2008 .....
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We're in trouble when excellence is is a dirty word and when public service is no longer the reward of merit.
You can read excerpts of Palin's interview here at ABC News
After reading excerpts from Sarah Palin's interview with Charlie Gibson, which showed not only her lack of ability or experience but her rather frightening self-confidence in the face of that, I'm amazed that she still has supporters. Here's a bit from a discussion between conservative David Frum and Kurt Andersen (hat tip to Andrew Sullivan) ....
*****************
K.A.: [...] The tactical brilliance of Palin's selection aside, are you feeling more or less squeamish about the prospect of Palin one heartbeat away?
D.F.: I have been disturbed about the choice from the start, as you know. And I have not seen any reason to feel less disturbed. Part of this is the grim facts of mortality: I'd worry less if John McCain were 52 rather than 72.
K.A.: You mean, the one-in-six chance that any given 72-year-old will die during the next four years?
D.F.: One in seven, I think — but yes. She really could be president! And here's where my fellow conservatives really worry me.
K.A.: Recklessness because the prospect of winning is so euphoric and irresistible?
D.F.: They are so attracted by the symbolism of the selection that they show no concern — never mind for her executive competence — even for her views. There's a photograph circulating on conservative blogs that shows Palin lounging on a motorcycle, paired with another of Obama in a helmet on a bicycle. It's headed: "All you need to know." Personally I need to know a little more. That's not even insufficient information. It's anti-information — a denial that information matters.
You can enjoy a motorcycle and be pro-choice. Or antiwar. Or in favor of immigration amnesty. Or for that matter, in favor state control of the means of production!
K.A.: Exactly. And there are those people on the left, too, of course, but the "respectable right" seems to indulge in that somewhat more than the "respectable left."
D.F.: Well, I can't evaluate who does it more. But it's not my problem when it happens on the other side of the line! On our side, though, conservatives have been in agreement for some time that competence would be a real and legitimate issue in 2008 .....
***********************
We're in trouble when excellence is is a dirty word and when public service is no longer the reward of merit.
You can read excerpts of Palin's interview here at ABC News
posted by crystal | 1:31 PM
10 Comments:
Hi Crystal,
I watched the excerpts of the Palin interview too. Actually I think she did quite well. Of course, I expected that she would be drilled on McCain's policies so that they would be in agreement. She was supposed to show self-confidence. Had she not shown it, then she would have been criticized for lacking it. You might say that she was between a rock and a hard spot in that case.
I think she was pretty nervous actually. I saw her tension in her posture and in the way she was clinching her fists. Who wouldn't be nervous had they been her under these circumstances of the Left going after her with such brutality and going after her children as well. I mean, really, if you have been paying attention to how she is being treated by the Left, well, it goes beyond the pale. Who wouldn't be nervous. In spite of that, I think she held together quite well.
Just so that you will be able to sleep at night should McCain get elected, I am going to copy and paste here something I wrote to another blogger with whom I was discussing the Palin issue.
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In defense of Palin, I watched the C-Span broadcast done recently of the 2006 Alaskan Governor's debate in which Palin debated the then current governor who was running as well as others who were running. She did an excellent job. Of couse she went on to be elected governor of Alaska. Her approval rating is about 80% and that can't be just because she is a pretty woman.
Sarah Palin is a smart woman. No doubt about it. In spite of the fact that she only has a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Idaho, she is nobody's fool. Just a reminder, but Harry S. Truman who is noted by historians as being one of our greatest presidents never graduated from college himself. Some people are self-made and self-educated. I believe this is what we may have in Sarah Palin. The upcoming vetting of her by the mainstream media and the debates to follow will tell us what we need to know about her.
Maria Bartiromo of CNBC conducted an hour long interview of Sarah Palin several months ago up in Alaska. The focus of her interview was energy and the kind that Alaska has to offer. Palin showed herself to be well-versed in this subject. Bartiromo remarked later that Palin is well-read. Palin spoke fluently and intelligently about the subject without all those "uh's" and "um's" characteristic of Senator Obama's off-the-cuff speaking. Now I don't fault Obama necessarily, because I realize he is gathering his thoughts together when he uses these fillers. But with Sarah, her thoughts in this case are so well gathered that she knows them like she knows the back of her hand.
Henry Kissinger was asked recently if he had any concerns about Palin's lack of experience in foreign matters and how that might affect her performance if she were suddenly thrust into the position of POTUS should McCain get elected and pass away while serving. Kissinger was not concerned. He explained that there is a machine in place at that level of government consisting of all kinds of people with the necessary expertise who would be there to guide Palin if she found herself in that role.
I believe Senator Obama to be an intelligent man who truly loves our country and wants to do good things for its people. But like Lucy, socialism scares me and that is where Obama wants to take this country.
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Crystal, try to find the video of Maria Bartiromo's interview of Palin. You'll gain a little more respect for her from watching it. What Palin will be able to bring to the table is her knowledge of what Alaska has to offer the rest of America in the way of energy sources.
I am willing to withhold my judgment of Palin and give her chance until we learn much more about her. I think it is too soon to pass judgment.
Just one more thing, according to Charles Krauthammer Gibson did not show a thorough knowledge of the so-called Bush Doctrine himself.
Hi Crystal, thanks for sharing these excerpts. I take a weird sort of comfort in knowing that there are conservatives out there who are also disturbed and worried about the choice of Palin for VP.
SusieQ, I find Palin and the Christian Right that supports her to be far more scary than Obama's supposedly "socialist" agenda. True socialists are highly critical of Obama. He is not considered one of them, believe me.
I saw Palin's interview with Gibson. The latter had an adequate knowledge of the Bush Doctrine. Palin's ignorance of it, however, was both embarrassing and pathetic. This woman is not fit to be VP. And the thought of her as president is truly frightening.
Peace,
Michael
Hi SusieQ,
I can see you think a lot of Palin and that you've also given a lot of thought to the kind of candidate she is.
It's not that I think she is unintelligent or even that I think a lack of knowledge and experience would be a deal breaker for her as a candidate. The thing for me that makes her someone I wouldn't want to vote for is that she and I disagree on a number of issues that are important to me.
She is not pro-cjoice, and I am.
I love animals and she is a hunter and encourages the hunting of wolves in Alaska by helicopter.
She doesn't care about global warming, she doesn't care about endangered species, she wants to drill in the wildlife refuge, but I am very protective of the environment.
She is a lifetime member of the NRA and I think guns are dangerous.
There are probably other issues too, but just these are enough to make the thought of her deciding anything for me and the place where I live kind of creepy.
Maybe if we learn more about her, I will come to think she's a good person, but unless she changes her mind on these issues, I won't want to see her elected.
Sorry - I appreciate all the trouble you went to explaining about her and I hope we can agree to disagree and still be buddies :)
Hi Michael,
Thanks for commenting. I agree with you about Palin.
It's strange how much we in America fear socialism. I don't see Obama as a socialist or even an extreme lefty. I'm a fan of liberation theolog, which is sometimes seen as socialist, I guess. I'm watching with interest to see how Fernando Lugo does in Paraguay.
Crystal, it is not so much that I think a lot about Palin as it is that I would like people to be fair in their assessment of her and not jump to conclusions about her.
Also, I wish the Hollywood set and the elite on the Left would treat Palin with a little more respect. She and her family have been called trailer trash by these elements on the Left.
I appreciate that what bothers you about Palin are her stands on various issues. On the issue of hunting though and your love of animals, hunting is a vital part of the culture in Alaska. The natives up there hunt in order to put food in their freezers. I can't find anything wrong with this given that we enjoy our steaks and hamburgers down here without giving much thought to how the animals involved might have been treated before they were put down. Maybe you are a vegetarian, but there are plenty of people who are not yet are criticizing Palin for hunting. As to the practice of shooting wolves from the air in order keep their population in check, there are practical reasons for doing it this way which I won't go into though.
I am sorry, Michael, but I disagree with you. Obama will open the door to socialism if elected. Before we know it, we will be in the thick of it and unable to get out.
Hi Crystal --
I need to respond to Susie.
Look: I don't doubt that Sarah Palin is intelligent. The thing is she obviously knows nothing -- absolutely nothing -- about foreign policy, at a dangerous time in our country. She is not qualified. I don't want a possible president who even after being sequestered from the press and made to memorize statements like a fifth-grader (I'm sorry that's exactly how it sounded when she quoted Lincoln).
Yes she is confident. I'm not sure being confident about things you know nothing about is a good character trait. She also seems to have no problem being hypocritical if not out and out mendacious concerning her own meager record (the bridge to nowhere, earmarks, etc.).
What possibly leads you to believe that Obama will bring socialism? Where is there in his history or in his policies statements is socialistic? He's a moderate Democrat, that's all.
Just chiming in with a couple of quick thoughts myself.
Michael B., good to see you.
I do think the trailer-park trash approach towards Palin has been foolish and counterproductive. On the other hand, the whole mock outrage over the "lipstick on a pig" controversy was ridiculous. It was a gentle gibe, nothing more. The self-described pit-bull should be able to take that one in stride.
As far as Obama's "uh's" and "um's" are concerned, at least Obama largely writes his own speeches, if I'm not mistaken, whereas Governor Palin does not.
I though Krauthammer's article the other day was one of the most dishonest columns I'd ever read. Whether it was the supposed nuance between the "2002 Bush Doctrine" or the "2006 Bush Doctrine" is completely irrelevant. Palin was clearly familiar with neither. With her deer in the headlights response, it was obvious she'd never even heard the term "Bush Doctrine" before. Considering the position she's up for, it was absolutely horrifying.
Lastly, if we have a socialist redistribution of wealth going on in this country, and there is quite a bit of evidence to support the notion that we do, it is distribution flowing from the folks at the bottom to the folks at the very top.
SusieQ,
I am a vegetarian :) I belong to an animal rights groups that has been sending me emails about Palin - that's how much she's perceived as non-animal friendly. Also conservation groups like the Sierra Club are against her. I don't think I've jumped to conclusions abouthow she feels on the issues, but have links to what she'sactually said or done on them in an earlier post. I guess we must agree to disagree.
I wish I could jump right in at this time and continue this debate. But I am off to my 50 year class reunion being held this weekend. OMG, 50 years! That makes me rather ancient. :D
Liam and Jeff,
Yeah, agree with you both. I wonder what's up with the socialism thing? I've seen nothing about Obama that would make me suspect that. I'm for more socialism, actually - socialized medicine would be a nice start.
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