What has Sarah Palin done lately?
Not much. In the past she has been the mayor of Wasilla, she has been the governor of Alaska and she has been the Republican Vice Presidential candidate. Ever since her early departure from her last public office, though, she has toured, starred in her own reality TV series, appeared on Fox News and she has even been the subject of a documentary, “The Undefeated.” It is a rather strange title, considering that she was, in fact, defeated in the 2008 presidential campaign, but there it is.
Palin’s activities have been entirely focused on her own image, and keeping that image in the American consciousness. She is hardly unique in this respect — celebrities have been doing this for years, most lately and notably the Kardashians. Kim et al., however, have no political aspirations.
Sarah Palin refuses to confirm whether she will or will not run for President in 2012. Much like Donald Trump’s earlier faux campaign this has added to the media frenzy which surrounds her. One example of this was her recent flub concerning Paul Revere’s midnight ride: After refusing to admit her error on Fox News, she was asked whether she was going to run for president. Palin needs to actually contribute to the country and brush up on her history before even being considered for president.
As I said earlier, however, she has not done anything of consequence since resigning. As the old cliché goes, actions speak louder than words. Other declared Republican presidential candidates are serving in public offices and thus contribute or have recently contributed to the governance of the nation.
As an example, former senator Rick Santorum has proposed a federal budget in order to deal with mounting deficit and debt. Whether one agrees with the particulars of the budget or not, it is at least a constructive proposition. And while he has not served as a US senator since 2007, this is due to him losing his re-election bid, and not to a mid-term resignation.
Until Palin demonstrates that she intends to be a leader and not just a personality she should be ignored as nothing more than a pop culture phenomenon. If she wishes to be taken seriously as a public figure and a potential public servant again she needs to earn it, as does every political candidate on either side of the aisle.
Certainly she has provided political commentary over the past few years, but that has mostly been negative remarks aimed at Obama administration policies. She has every right to disagree, and to disagree publicly, with the healthcare reforms, War on Terror conduct and everything else. Criticism alone, however, is not the mark of a leader, but of a pundit. She should not be considered anything but a pundit until she demonstrates through constructive actions that she is something more.
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bradgez 10 months, 2 weeks ago
"...needs to be leader, not personality." Try proof-reading your columns in the future. Is it just me or has the education system of our country declined so badly that even our so-called journalists and writers have trouble with basic grammar?