Newcomer Palin Fights Off Critics, Mocks Obama
September 4, 2008
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin addressed the Republican National Convention Wednesday in St. Paul. (AP Photo)
ST. PAUL — Sarah Palin thrashed Barack Obama Wednesday as an empty suit whose campaign themes of “hope” and “change” are better fit to describe her Republican running mate, John McCain, a man she said has spent a career in service to his country.
Palin, who came out of the blue to steal the spotlight at the Republican National Convention Wednesday, also took a very public swat at her critics, using her headlining speech to scold the media for questioning her credentials and try to prove she has the policy chops to be vice president.
She described McCain, who was formally chosen Wednesday night as the Republican nominee for president, in glowing terms as a proven reformer who transcends politics.
“If character is the measure in this election, and hope the theme, and change the goal we share, then I ask you to join our cause. Join our cause and help America elect a great man as the next president of the United States,” Palin said.
“Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election: In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers, and then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change,” she said.
The first-term Alaska governor introduced herself to voters as a small-town Washington outsider and pitched that as an asset. She was joined onstage at the end of her address by her family and McCain.
Her speech was laced with biting references to Obama’s days as a community organizer in Chicago, and his reputation as a gifted orator.
“When the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away, when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot, when that happens, what exactly is our opponent’s plan?” she said, in reference to the elaborate set at Obama’s nomination acceptance speech last week.
“America needs more energy; our opponent is against producing it. Victory in Iraq is finally in sight, and he wants to forfeit. Terrorist states are seeking nuclear weapons without delay; he wants to meet them without preconditions,” she said. “Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America, and he’s worried that someone won’t read them their rights.”
Defending her record as a “chief executive” in Alaska, she warned, “The American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery … this world of threats and dangers is not just a community and it doesn’t just need an organizer.”
<!–[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–>
She also jabbed at Obama for telling California donors during the Democratic primary that small-town voters “cling” to things like religion and guns out of bitterness.
“We prefer candidates who don’t talk about us one way in Scranton and the other way in San Francisco,” she said.
Palin is set to become the first female vice presidential nominee on a Republican ticket Thursday, when McCain is also slated to give his nomination acceptance speech. If elected Palin would be the first female vice president in history.
She took the stage to thunderous applause, as supporters held up signs that said “Palin Power” and “Hockey Moms 4 Palin.”
Her first five days in the national spotlight have been marked by a media frenzy surrounding her unmarried teenage daughter’s pregnancy, an ethical investigation into her firing of an Alaska public safety commissioner and her basic qualifications for the job.
The speech was a chance to settle some of the controversy, as well as tell a personal story to the nation as a whole that Alaskans already know well.
“I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these last few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone,” she said. “But … here’s a little news flash for those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion — I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country.”
The Obama campaign had less than a warm greeting, saying Palin’s speech was “written by George Bush’s speechwriter and sounds exactly like the same divisive, partisan attacks we’ve heard from George Bush for the last eight years.”
Palin’s speech, written by Matthew Scully whom she met for the first time last week, energized the crowd at the Xcel Energy Center.
Palin used part of her address to recount her early days, as a hockey mom, a PTA member and mayor of the small town of Wasilla.
<!–[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–>
“I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town,” Palin said. “Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess, I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.”
Comments
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.