America’s Newest Political Ayatollah
– by David Matthews 2
The news came suddenly and without warning on the day before America would celebrate its annual day of independence. America is poised to get a brand-new self-appointed ayatollah...
But first that person must step down as governor of Alaska.
Yes, Alaska’s governor and former Vice-Presidential contender Sarah Palin announced on June 3rd that she would not only NOT be running for re-election in 2010, but she would be stepping down from office at the end of the month and swearing in the lieutenant-governor to take her place.
In what has been considered typical Palin fashion, the governor’s reasons why she has taken such a drastic measure has left many either wanting more information or trying to speculate her ulterior goals. And even when such information has been suggested by those close to Palin, it still did not answer the essential questions like WHY. Why did she decide to drop out NOW instead of serving up her term and leaving in 2011?
She said that she didn’t want to be a “lame duck” governor, but that is essentially what she became once she made the announcement! From now until she officially steps down, she is a “lame duck” governor!
Is she afraid that she would lose in a re-election? Then don’t run for re-election. It’s that simple. Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis did that after his failed run in 1988. He left and retreated to Hawaii so that the voters couldn’t vote him out of office, but he DID make sure to finish his term first.
Is she leaving now so she can run for president in 2012? Quitting now before her first term in office is over with is really one of the WORST ways to show leadership for a higher post. Let’s suppose this country was foolish enough to actually elect her… hey, we DID elect a Texas Doofus so it is possible to prove HL Mencken right for a second time… what would stop her from stepping down amidst an international threat? North Korea could launch more missiles, oil prices could spike, Osama bin Laden could release another tape, Venezuela Strongman Hugo Chavez could call her an empty-headed twit… would she quit if faced with that kind of pressure? She’s demonstrated that she could do just that. You don’t think this won’t be used against her? If you think so then you’re as deluded as she is.
But it is what she has alluded to doing after she leaves at the end of July that shows her true intentions. She has posted on social websites that she is looking at working on, in her own words, “uniting the country”. She says it is a “higher calling”. She apparently thinks it is her newfound mission in life to spread the “cause” and to get more people like her elected to public office. She thinks she can be the next Ollie North or the next Chuck Norris or the next Rush Limbaugh. She apparently sees herself as a “uniter” in the same vein as our previous President. Her attorney, on the other hand, has publicly threatened to take legal action against anyone and everyone that DARES to question Palin. And from recent news accounts that apparently includes every blogger and news source that publishes unflattering articles about her.
That is not the action of a “uniter”. That is the self-righteous self-serving self-important vindictive tantrums of a narcissist.
Let’s get brutally honest here… by all indications, Sarah Palin is appointing herself to be America’s newest political ayatollah. She’s had a taste of the conservative circles, going out on tours and hearing the cultish cheers of the myrmidons, and she apparently wants more.
Of course it should be pointed out that America’s FIRST ayatollah, disgraced Alabama judge Roy Moore, is still around. In fact he’s trying yet again to run for governor of that state. He may even get it if the conservatives continue to get more and more divorced from reality. Apparently the exiting governor of Alaska thinks that she can do better than Moore.
What makes Palin even more dangerous than Moore, though, is her apparent increasing intolerance for criticism, especially noted by her recent reaction to a bad joke told by late night TV show host David Letterman and her unapologetic accusation of Letterman being a sex offender. Those are the actions of an extremist, not those of someone wanting to “unite” a nation.
The really sad part is that Palin has sold herself to the idea that she is a leader of the conservative ideal. She does not realize that she is not its leader. She is its defective product. She is the end result of years upon years of unchecked arrogance, disjointed concepts, and delusions that cannot be matched with real-world actions. And combined with parental hysteria, a generous dose of narcissism, and a perpetually fraudulent whine of persecution, and you have all the makings of an evangelical extremist.
As her own lame-duck governor, Sarah Palin is in desperate need of a reality check. But in typical neo-conservative fashion, she is doing everything in her power to make sure that it is not delivered. She refuses to be judged by the voters, by the media, by her political peers, or by history. She thinks that she is being unpredictable, but in reality she is proving to be unreliable. She thinks she is better than the old guard when she is proving to be far worse. She wants to be a leader but it still hasn’t registered in her mind that you cannot be both a “maverick” and a leader.
She is doing one thing right, though. She has become a symbol of the conservative/neo-conservative movement. It just happens to be the symbol that the movement DESERVES, not what it aspires.
1 comment:
She's also got the Christian factor that has easily tricked many devoit followers into thinking she has intergity for that reason alone and that she preaches it as much as possible. I personally know people who think this way and as much as I care about them, I can't help but to shake my head at their foolishness.
Post a Comment