I promised myself I wasn't going to get political today

[briarwood]

...But I can't help it.

I'm watching BBC News 24 and they were just showing an interview with Sarah Palin. I think it was live, but I'm not certain. The woman actually compared being Vice President of the USA to being Mayor of a city council...and to my ears managed to imply that the latter is the tougher job.

Does she even know what office she's running for? Seriously?

I'd be pissed if my non-UK friends thought they could tell me which way to vote in our election so I'm gonna bite my tongue on the rest of what I want to say. I'll be asleep (I hope) before the first polls close in the US and when I wake up in the morning...hopefully it'll all be over.

Comments

[thanatos-kalos.livejournal.com]

she thinks that the VP runs the Senate. Which is not only completely wrong (the VP is president of the Senate, but his/her only role is casting a tie-breaking vote) but quite scary, when one thinks about what she might want to do...

Other than that, the VP's job varies depending on the president. In some instances, the VP has their own agenda (e.g., Gore and the environment) which the prez allows him/her to advance; in other cases, the VP acts as an advisor in areas that the prez isn't expert in (e.g., Biden is well-versed in foreign policy which Obama is not, so Biden would advise him there). Sometimes, the VP is a stuffed shirt who does nothing (e.g., Dan Quayle).

[morgan32.livejournal.com]

I admit, there are parts of the US system that completely mystify me. But I do know (regardless of her actual policies) that woman is an absolute moron.

Are you free for coffee on Saturday? We can celebrate or commiserate over cheesecake...

[thanatos-kalos.livejournal.com]

Yep, I'm free, as far as I know! :) Just let me know what time. :)

[geonncannon.livejournal.com]

Palin has said that on numerous occasions, that being a small-town mayor is just as important/good preparation for being a Vice President. It is absolutely frightening (even more frightening is the fact that, this weekend, I heard a rumor that she was a last-minute pick because McCain's advisors told him that his first pick - Joe Lieberman - would piss people off. If he had picked Joe Lieberman, I think I would've been more comfortable no matter how the election turned out. As it is, I doubt every decision McCain makes.)

~turns off rant~

[morgan32.livejournal.com]

that being a small-town mayor is just as important/good preparation for being a Vice President

Well, in the sense that any political office is preparation for a higher office, she has a point. What got me was that she managed to imply that having been mayor of some small town hardly anyone cares about, VP of the United States - easy.

It's like she has no idea that the USA is, like, slightly bigger than Alaska.

[geonncannon.livejournal.com]

Indeed, that is a point! She doesn't seem daunted by it at all which makes me think about her sanity as well. She's laced up her shoes and she's dancing at the starting line, ready to go. I get the feeling that if McCain is elected, in a year or so, Palin will just be shattered. By some crisis, by responsibilities heaped upon her, by whatever. She doesn't belong there, and I am terrified something will happen to prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt.