Reflections on Elections

November 7, 2008
Reflections on Elections

I have had to take a few days and let things "settle in" before I was ready to comment. I have lots of comments already written, actually. But it is sort of like that email that you are wise enough to think about overnight before hitting "send". I have many thoughts and opinions. Some of which are clearly contradictory :-)And I want to take a bit of time before I do my "wrap-up" posts on the election.

Because ... it is now behind us and it is time for this blog to get back to doing more than simply focusing on a presidential race. [We also appear to have elected a Senator who was just convicted of a felony ... there is lots to discuss here ... and we will.]

For now though, I'd like to say ... thank you Governor Palin. I'm proud of you.


Over at the Anchorage Daily News McClatchy Mouthpiece Online Edition they are running a story entitled (at the moment, the title keeps changing: "Palin Speaks:'those guys are jerks'". They are running videos on the site of her impromptu news conference when she walked back into her office with reporters lined up waiting. She spoke of a new time in America. A time of excitement and change under Barack Obama. A time to pull together and look at America's future. And the reporters asked her asinine question after asinine question and came up with titles like "those guys are jerks" which completely distorts the entire context of everything she said. And there are hundreds of comments ... almost all from Outside Palin haters who log on to unquestioningly repeat the lies the media has been telling them like catechisms and to sneer and gloat and say vicious things about her.

I finally couldn't stand it any longer and added a comment:

"My mother taught me that being a bad loser was a dishonorable thing ... but that being a bad winner was *much* worse. Gloating winners demonstrate an incredible lack of class - trying to kick someone while she's down (which doesn't speak well to their upbringing - someone should have a talk with *their* mothers :-)

It is of note that post-election Sarah *still* has a 68%-70% approval rating in Alaska; the highest of any Governor! Alaska thought she was by far the strongest and best part of the ticket. McCain was way down in the primaries and he and Palin got ~62% of the presidential election vote, much lower than her approval rating. Rasmussen's latest says 69% of the Alaska Republicans thought she *helped* McCain. So, folks, just ignore the jeering of children (whatever their age!). And thanks, Governor, for having vastly more class than they do!"

I think I'll leave this at that for now. I don't mind a candidate I back losing an election! I almost never vote for anyone who wins :-)

But the vileness of the jeers and character assassination is utterly disgusting. There were some Alaskans posting also. Not many. A few of them were trying to stem the tide and say positive things about our Governor. But they were drown out. I'm also ashamed to say that there were some who at least claimed to be Alaskans who joined in the jeering orgy. Of them I'm more ashamed than any.