Why Not Palin for President?

[ponderingturtle]

You appear to be unable to read today. When you can, we can discuss whatever, though it has already been pointed out that I forgot the born in the US requirement, which is a bit of an oversight.

DR

You should have made a proper list then

All that is required for a US president

Be 35+ years of age
Be a native born american citizen
Win the most votes in the electorial college.

You made a list of desired traits not required traits. Those words are rather different, and you blaming my reading comprehension will not change that fact.

 

[drkitten]

Yah, I was thinking that (that I would ALSO like to have a beer with him) as I was writing it.

Well, those of us who are genuinely elite tend to like having beers with other genuine elites. Probably some sort of yuppie microbrew, too. Or maybe an expensive import like a Belgian Kriek that costs twenty bucks a bottle.

 

[Ladewig]

You should have made a proper list then

All that is required for a US president

Be 35+ years of age
Be a native born american citizen
Win the most votes in the electorial college.

You made a list of desired traits not required traits. Those words are rather different, and you blaming my reading comprehension will not change that fact.

And "been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States." Article 2 clause 5

 

[drkitten]

Her not having an Ivy League education is a plus for me.

Why?

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the University of Idaho (another school that Palin attended, off and on) is simply not that good a school. The faculty aren't as good, the resources are pathetic, and it's far enough in the sticks that you can't even make useful contacts at other good schools (like taking the T from Harvard to Northeastern to hear a guest lecture).

 

[Darth Rotor]

You should have made a proper list then

I was listing my minimum requirements. So you are wrong, there is no "should" for me here, least of all from you.

Bye.

DR

 

[Oliver]

Perhaps you're not familiar with the worldwide economic crisis and recession we're in, caused largely by the subprime mortgage collapse (an almost exclusively US phenomenon)? There's also quite a bit of blame that can be laid at the feet of the Fed, which fueled the subprime mortgage bubble -- but that's not really the president's fault except that he appointed the various people who run the Fed.

There is quite a bit of blame concerning "No Gov-intervention Republicans", indeed. As far I know, that's Palin's stance as well - which actually pretty much sums up her credibility ...

 

[ponderingturtle]

And "been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States." Article 2 clause 5

I thought that got waved around for Eisenhower.

 

[Darth Rotor]

Why?

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the University of Idaho (another school that Palin attended, off and on) is simply not that good a school. The faculty aren't as good, the resources are pathetic, and it's far enough in the sticks that you can't even make useful contacts at other good schools (like taking the T from Harvard to Northeastern to hear a guest lecture).

I am sure Stanford will find your comment risible.

Her not having an Ivy League education is a plus for me.

You didn't quite answer the mail, but rather chose an extreme example of "not Ivy League" for your response. If Palin went to U of I isn't the totality of some skepticism of Ivy League quality: some of us remain unimpressed by the Ivy League. (Full disclosure, my brother went to Dartmouth). Ivy league, but a bit out in the sticks of Hanover, eh?

DR

 

[ponderingturtle]

All that is required for an American president:

Intelligent
35 or older
Puts America first
Can think long term (which means making good deals and good allies)
Understands fiscal responsiblity
Understands strategy
Speaks clearly
Can lead

That's it.

DR

I was listing my minimum requirements. So you are wrong, there is no "should" for me here, least of all from you.

Bye.

DR

Then you should have not said

All that is required for an American president:

But instead said something like

What I require, or my minimumn requirements are. But you didn't phrase it as your requirements, but as a standard that all must pass.

 

[Darth Rotor]

Then you should have not said

But instead said something like

What I require, or my minimumn requirements are. But you didn't phrase it as your requirements, but as a standard that all must pass.

OK, all that I think is required ...

Clear now? (add the native born) The post was a response to a foreigner who asserted that the President's primary (or most important) role was as leader of the free world, which I point out, again, is a collateral duty.

DR

 

[Ladewig]

I thought that got waved around for Eisenhower.

The clause is a bit ambiguous.

 

[quarky]

Trig will eventually be president. After Todd. Can't wait.

 

[Cynic]

The post was a response to a foreigner who asserted that the President's primary (or most important) role was as leader of the free world, which I point out, again, is a collateral duty.

I agree it's a collateral duty. Whatever the reality, I've always considered it fantastically arrogant to announce oneself as the "leader of the free world" and it always shocks me to hear people from other nations agree to the sentiment. The whole concept is somewhat unsettling to me for a number of reasons. For one, it seems to absolve leadership duties for everyone else. Leadership isn't about power or influence. While power is certainly influential, real leadership in influential all by itself. Further, by always suggesting that they're the leader of the "free world", we draw a line in the sand between "us" and "them", which is unnecessary. Leadership should be inclusive.

 

[drkitten]

I am sure Stanford will find your comment risible.

Um..... I thought we were discussing the University of Idaho, not Stanford. (This is in the context of Sarah Palin's qualifications, remember. I'd have no particular objection to picking a Stanford J.D. over a Harvard or Yale one..... but an Idaho B.A. just doesn't cut it.) One of the problems with the University of Idaho is that it's a long way from everywhere, which also includes Stanford -- and conversely, it's rather convenient that it's an easy trip (I think you can do it on the BART) from Stanford to Berkeley and vice versa.

And, of course, there are also some quite good schools that are rather isolated -- the best example I can think of is Colorado. But if you speak to any of the Colorado alum around here (try Alferd_Packer, for instance) they'll tell you about its isolation as a negative point.....

You didn't quite answer the mail, but rather chose an extreme example of "not Ivy League" for your response. If Palin went to U of I isn't the totality of some skepticism of Ivy League quality: some of us remain unimpressed by the Ivy League. (Full disclosure, my brother went to Dartmouth). Ivy league, but a bit out in the sticks of Hanover, eh?

Compared to Moscow, Idaho? Not at all. There are sticks, and then there are sticks. I can leave Hanover after breakfast and still make a lunch meeting in Harvard Square. Where can I go from Moscow? I think the best school I can reasonably manage is U. Washington in about six hours.

 

[Darth Rotor]

Leadership isn't about power or influence.

Oh yes it is. Influence in particular.

DR

 

[Darth Rotor]

Um..... I thought we were discussing the University of Idaho, not Stanford.

You were, but it seems that you took "not Ivy League" to mean U of I, which is a rather narrow definition of "not Ivy League" as a general criterion, which is how I read the poster's comment -- a general "not Ivy League is fine by me" rather than as the narrowly focused Palin not being Ivy League. You seem to have taken it as only germane to Palin.

*shrugs* No matter. She's the topic of the thread, but the thread has drifted a bit.

DR

 

[Kestrel]

Um..... I thought we were discussing the University of Idaho, not Stanford. (This is in the context of Sarah Palin's qualifications, remember. I'd have no particular objection to picking a Stanford J.D. over a Harvard or Yale one..... but an Idaho B.A. just doesn't cut it.) One of the problems with the University of Idaho is that it's a long way from everywhere, which also includes Stanford -- and conversely, it's rather convenient that it's an easy trip (I think you can do it on the BART) from Stanford to Berkeley and vice versa.

And, of course, there are also some quite good schools that are rather isolated -- the best example I can think of is Colorado. But if you speak to any of the Colorado alum around here (try Alferd_Packer, for instance) they'll tell you about its isolation as a negative point.....

Compared to Moscow, Idaho? Not at all. There are sticks, and then there are sticks. I can leave Hanover after breakfast and still make a lunch meeting in Harvard Square. Where can I go from Moscow? I think the best school I can reasonably manage is U. Washington in about six hours.

The problem with Palin is not that she went to an isolated college. It's that once she had a degree, she didn't feel the need to keep learning. She kept to comfortable surroundings with people that believed the same things she did.

 

[Cynic]

Oh yes it is. Influence in particular.

What I mean is, there's influence (and ability to use one's power to get what they want) and there's influence (the ability to persuade people to do what you want through other means). The best leaders I have known lead by example create their own influence, where people want to follow them. Automatically declaring someone the leader because they have the power to twist arms and give out treats for compliance seems short-sighted and backwards to me. We talk about cults of personality, but that has nothing to do with how powerful the nation one is elected to is. It's all well and good to expect the leader of a powerful nation to live of the greater responsibility that power demands, but in making such a gradiose claim that they are the "leader of the free world", it seems as if the potential for genuine leadership is squelched a bit.

Of course, sometimes this other kind of influence takes far more time to cultivate than term-limits allow. That's kind of why I'm OK with open-ended terms in Congress.

 

[Fat Bottom Gurl]

Googling " Do you think Sarah Palin would make a good president" nets some interesting hits.

Here is a small sampling of responses for "yes"(she would make a good president) .

"Yes - I beleive she would make a wonderful President, she would NEVER BOW to another country she would bring back RESPECT to this great nation."

"Yes - She has taken on the corruption in the AK Rep. party & won. So if she could clean out some of the corruption in Wash. D.C. that's a better situation than any of the political hacks we've been offered lately."

"Yes - you betcha! Especially if she can get elected without owing alot of people like she did when she was elected Govenor. She had no favors to pay back to either party. Odummer is still paying back his political backers, like the unions, acorn to mention a few. Thanks to the media we know everything about her and her past unlike Obama that has a secret past. The idiots that voted for him never bothered to check him out. Michelle and Barry had a very shady past in Chicago and shame on you for not looking closer at this couple before voting him into such a powerful position."

"yes - unlike obama's daughters that will slip out the back and have an abortion because their dad doesn't want one mistake to ruin their life. Take the easy way out . obama is a loser!!"

The "No's" are pretty much the same reasons that have already been stated in this thread.

 

[ponderingturtle]

"yes - unlike obama's daughters that will slip out the back and have an abortion because their dad doesn't want one mistake to ruin their life. Take the easy way out . obama is a loser!!"

Wow, I do have do wonder why this poster thinks his daughers are sexualy active and, of course why it would be wrong for a sexualy abused grade school student to get an abortion if they were pregnant.

This is the kind of attitude that excomincates a doctor for performing an abortion on a 9 year old, while not taking any issue with her stepdad for raping her.