Sarah Palin: Change in Which We Can Believe

Sarah Palin: Change in Which We Can Believe

Of course, today’s title is a play on Senator Obama campaign’s slogan, “Change we can believe in.” Has it annoyed you that the slogan is grammatically incorrect? It bugs me when I read student papers with sentences that end with a preposition. So with today’s entry I co-opt Obama’s slogan to make my point about the best presidential ticket to effect change in Washington, DC.

I believe the McCain / Palin ticket will go all the way this election year and that was my gut instinct from the beginning. Yesterday, my Dad played back the answering machine message that I left for them on the day of Governor Sarah Palin’s (R-AK) selection for Vice President, August 29. In the message, I screamed, “Wooooohooooo! Great choice! The Democrats are gone. They’re dead. They’ve already lost…”

My Dad got such a kick out of that message, he has been playing it back for everybody who will listen. Is it premature to call the presidential race for the Republicans? Well, I hope that my initial evaluation of Governor Palin proves correct. I am calling the election now. The McCain / Palin ticket will win the White House in November 2008. Is that too bold? Perhaps.

Yes, that’s bold, but rarely do we see a speaker interrupted by several minutes of applause so intense that she is unable to begin speaking. That was the case with Governor Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC). Her selection by Senator McCain has energized the Republican base and totally changed the game. Money is flowing. Volunteers are signing up. Democrats are worried that they have once again found a way to lose. As I listened to Governor Palin’s acceptance speech, I actually felt a little sorry for the Obama / Biden presidential ticket; frankly, I do not believe they know what has hit them. Their strong allergic reaction to her candidacy might indicate that they are deeply concerned. Category 5 Hurricane Sarah has come ashore and slammed into the side of Democratic Presidential ticket.

Without a doubt, Governor Palin is a woman of generous looks before the camera and dynamic speech before the microphone, but her appeal is truly multi-dimensional. The family. The experience. The package. The more we learn about Sarah Palin and her family, the more she appeals to working class Republicans and Democrats. It seems implausible that a more perfect running mate for Senator John McCain could be found. Moreover, her political background includes a record of reforming that uncannily resembles McCain’s own background.

If we want to talk about real change, or change in which we can believe, we need a different team in Washington. Senator Obama has been whining about the need for change in Washington, but the Democratic party has been in control of the House of Representatives and Senate for two years. Where is the change that was promised two years ago? What did Obama and Biden change as U.S. Senators? Let’s face it. We need something new and two Ivy League-trained attorneys will not make the needed difference.

We’ve tried dad after dad in Washington. Let’s try a mom for once. To effect real change in the White House, we need a woman’s perspective on domestic and foreign affairs. I say this as a son, father, and husband. There are some jobs that require dad and others that require mom. There are some tasks that I do best and others are best handled by my wife. Women should be in high political office.

I sure hope that Governor Palin brings the baby to the debate. That should silence jabbering Joe Biden (as Dad calls him because of his penchant for saying too much) for at least a few seconds…