"Ditz with Tits" - Not!

October 4, 2008

"Ditz with Tits" - Not!
Ok. It wasn’t perfect. And it wasn’t her greatest debate performance ever. But at least, to a much larger extent than since the Convention, the real Sarah Palin showed up. Alaskans don’t have to cringe that the world thinks we were nuts for electing her as our Governor. Love her or hate her, she is our representative to the world at the moment and we are a state that could use some positive representation.

Frankly, prior to Sarah’s surprise selection by McCain, we were best known for 1) the Bridge to Nowhere; 2) Ted Stevens’s indictment and the suggestion that he was the tip of the iceberg of Alaska’s corrupt government; and 3) the impression that the state is filthy rich with oily wealth which contributes to the price at the pumps for the rest of the country.

In other words ... the last thing we needed was to also be made a laughingstock by our Governor’s inability to utter a coherent sentence. Fortunately ... she did ok.

Yeah, she muffed some lines, got a name or two wrong [but did extremely well with names that Biden and McCain can barely sputter out (but Obama prounounces perhaps a bit too flawlessly :-) - "Ahmadinejad" comes to mind -, but (to Joe 6-pack ... and even a lot of the "elite") she never looked like she was out of her league. She took everything her threw at her, added little personal details ("when I spoke with him last week") demonstrating that she finally is meeting some of the movers and shakers in the world ... and mailed it back to Joe; first class, special delivery!

If you are an Obaman fan ... be afraid. Be very afraid. You have not seen Sarah at anything close to her best (unless you watched the Convention. She was in her element there ... but that was her first time with an audience larger than a few thousand. Imagine what this woman is going to be like when she gets comfortable)!

She also overcame what was clearly one of Biden's best performances in 36 years. He made no major gaffes and he was careful to stay on topic and on time. A very un-Biden-like performance :-) But (!) Sarah took the absolute best that this 36 year legislative veteran had and debated him to ... at least a draw. After 5 weeks of having any reason to pay any more attention to world affairs than you or me (meaning some ... we try to keep informed ... yeah, the surge apparently worked after all ... but with busy lives, all we can manage is surface impressions). Doubtless the same was true for her 5 weeks ago. Give her just a little bit of time and experience and she's going to kick ... uh, in Sarah speak ... some unruly bottoms!

So people can debate the debate. Poll numbers will rise and fall and fall and rise. I still don't think we are going to lose our Governor ... at least to the vice presidency. She may end up with Steven's seat in the Senate depending on how things break and whether he gets re-elected before he gets convicted. [Rather IF he gets convicted! The prosecution is doing a totally pathetic job. When the judge hauls you into chambers with the jury sitting in the jury box and reams you for half an hour ... it is a safe assumption you screwed up. Plus the judge came within a cat's whisker of calling a mistrial. This means that Steven's lawyers have excellent grounds for an appeal. I could (and maybe should) do an entire column on this trial!]

But whatever the final verdict on Sarah's performance tonight. Win, lose, or draw ... she won. Hands down. She had to do what she did. And she did it very, very well. Biden just had to keep from screwing up too badly, but he did well also.

Whatever the future brings ... Sarah Palin is now part of the national lexicon. Part of the national landscape. She and Ferraro (and to a large extent Hillary) are going to be the ones that are remembered for putting all those cracks in the glass ceiling. Despite the fact that the Women's Movement (which sounds like something that should be done in a bathroom) can't stand her ... she will take her place on the pantheon of women's progress. Or ... she might bust the ceiling all to pieces and be the first female vice president!

But what she won't be (to this columnist's great relief), by any stretch of the imagination, is another Dan Quayle.

For that, Alaskans can be rightly proud.