There's been a lot of talk lately among people I (to varying degrees) listen to, about how scary/evil/dangerous/stupid
Sarah Palin is.
While it is very tempting to go out and attempt to respond to every attack, and I do have a history of attempting to do just that (insofar as one can in 140 characters or less), I also think it's important to play offense as well as defense. What I've seen of Sarah Palin, I've liked. I've liked it a lot.
So... here's a few of the reasons that I'm excited about Sarah Palin.
#1. She seems to me to be someone who a) has some deep seated beliefs and b) is living them as best as she knows how. I say that because according to a report I heard the other day,
80% of babies who test positive for Downs Syndrome are aborted. It would have been very easy, understandable, even, for Sarah Palin to have had an abortion, and I don't think anyone would have blamed her. But she didn't, and I think that says something important about her.
#2. While she has deep seated beliefs, she seems to be someone who can be persuaded. See the Bridge to Nowhere. She may have been against it at the beginning, but she was the one who, seeing the enormous public outcry, thought "well, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all" and
stopped it.
#3. She can speak clearly (thank goodness), and not just when she's on a teleprompter.
#4. She defeated both a Republican incumbent AND a Democrat challenger, and as someone who isn't a big fan of either party's recent history, how can I not be happy about that? Not only that, but she actually does have a history dealing with energy issues in Alaska, and she has an approval rating there as Governor that is greater than that of the current President and the current Legislature
combined. Unless you think people in Alaska are just stupid or easily duped, I think reasonable people would agree that it's a positive indication of her abilities.
#5. Last, but not least, she's from a small town. And as someone who originally came from a
small town myself, I can't help but admire that. She went from a small town, to Mayor of Wasilia (which despite its relatively diminutive size here in the lower 48, is still the 5th largest city in Alaska), to being Governor of the State, and now the VP nominee of the GOP.
Anyway, those are a few of the reasons that I find myself impressed by her, and am currently planning on supporting the Republicans this election season.
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