Editorial on the RNC

[smockers83]

I found this editorial last night, started reading it and couldn't finish it because I felt it was off-base and the author, Roland Martin of CNN, wasn't completely grasping the concepts. I'll post a link but I want to highlight a few areas for comment.

The Republicans have made it clear where their focus is this week with their convention slogan, "Country First."

But a line of attack that was used consistently last night by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and later by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, tried to call into question whether community organizers put their country first.

Palin focused on the issue, mainly to criticize the Obama campaign for offering up his community organizing work opposite her experience as mayor.

I disagree. And so do the many folks who have sent me angry e-mails. They include white Republicans, black Democrats, people from Small Town, U.S.A., and Big City, America.

It would have been perfectly fine for Giuliani and Palin to say that Obama's community organizing days didn't amount to enough experience to be president.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITI....html

Now, I watched a good portion of the major events and the events leading up to the major ones of the RNC. The second and last paragraph I used say it most, that Martin didn't seem to watch the RNC or watched it with a predetermined mind set. I watched all of those speehes. To me, never once did I think they were trying to belittle the community organizer or alienate them and small town America. What they were trying to do, as he says would be perfectly fine, was say that a community organizer doesn't generate the leadership experience to become president. Giuliani hit it, Palin hit it. The Dems tried to say Palin's experience as mayor was insignificant (well guess what, she's not mayor anymore, she advanced to governor). So she came back saying Obama's experience as a community organizer was similar to being a mayor with a sarcastic tone.

I'm pretty sure this wasn't the image they were going for, but when Giuliani said community organizer and Chicago machine politics, I got the image of Bumpy Johnson out of NYC in the movie American Gangster.

[Encryptshun]

The direct quote from Palin was "I guess being a small-town Mayor is like being a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities."

That was intended as a dig at Obama's experience (and maybe even at Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton), but because she used that specific wording, she opened up her criticism to anyone who is trying to work for the betterment of her or his community.

I like Palin. I liked her speech. However, I did not thing that was a wise choice of words.

[AZhitman]

I'll go a little farther and say I even liked the "dig". He should, with all respect, expect some digs like that... If he didn't want that to happen, some exec experience might have been wise before jumping in with both feet.

Regardless, Giuliani's speech, while pretty entertaining, was also a little creepy (but I think that's just him).

At present, if all I had to go on was their speeches, I'd be inclined to flip our ticket and vote Palin / McCain.

[ishkabibble]

I think the "experience" argument is moot. Nothing can really prepare you for being President of the U.S.. It's an entirely different league of job than even the Senate.

If you want to argue it, Palin and Obama have no significant level of experience with respect to the Oval Office. McCain and Biden have a lot. So the tickets are pretty much even.

[smockers83]

Based on experience, I wouldn't go so far as to say they are even. However, I do agree that no job in the world that one could hold and still be eligible for president exists in order to give you the exact and absolute necessary experience to become PoTUS. But it has also been argued, nonpartisan, in this forum that leadership roles such as governorship, being a previous president, or being a VP are the best experiences one can get to become president. With that in mind, Obama-Biden have none and McCain-Palin have some (keyword is some).

[telcoman]

I'll go a little farther and say I even liked the "dig". He should, with all respect, expect some digs like that... If he didn't want that to happen, some exec experience might have been wise before jumping in with both feet.

Regardless, Giuliani's speech, while pretty entertaining, was also a little creepy (but I think that's just him).

At present, if all I had to go on was their speeches, I'd be inclined to flip our ticket and vote Palin / McCain.

I'm no big fan of Giuliani but I do give him a big + for cleaning up NYC as mayor making it a much more attractive place for the millions of visitors that come to vist each year from all over the world.

Also a big + during 911 however the decision to locate the NYC emergency management center in the WTC was a big mistake.

Telcoman

[AZhitman]

I think the "experience" argument is moot. Nothing can really prepare you for being President of the U.S.. It's an entirely different league of job than even the Senate.

I'll agree with this. Well-said.