There. I said it. You’re all gasping, aren’t you? It’s a shocking revelation. Especially given the current American trend to applaud the apparent “normalness” of the Presidential & Vice Presidential candidates.
And you know what? I don’t think you’re smart enough to be Vice President, either. Did that hurt your feelings? No? Good. Because it shouldn’t. Running the most powerful country in the world isn’t something that should be left up to everyday Dick & Jane’s. I went to college. I have a degree. So do most of you, I assume. So do a lot of people. And that’s great. That’s what we encourage. That’s what America’s all about.
It’s being celebrated that Sarah Palin is “just like me!” But I don’t want a Vice President that’s just like me! Frankly, that scares the ever loving shit out of me. I don’t WANT to vote for someone that I can high five in the feminine products aisle at WalMart*. I don’t WANT to vote for someone who finished at the BOTTOM of their class at the Naval Academy (The Naval Academy that they were accepted to because of their family’s Naval heritage.). I don’t WANT to vote for someone who finally graduated college (University of Idaho) after 6 years and five different schools. And that’s not a smack to the University of Idaho. I went to UCSB, so I don’t have room to talk.
But, REALLY? Is THAT what we’re suddenly celebrating and praising? When did we get away from encouraging our children to excel?! When did we get away from wanting our President & Vice President to be brilliant, to be mentally superior to us?! To have an inherent, innate grasp of the economy, foreign relations, the fundamentals of the country (and I’m NOT referring to the American worker), or really anything else for that matter?!
I read this a few weeks ago and laughed at the first paragraph. By the end, I was nodding emphatically in complete agreement:
Stop voting for people you want to have a beer with. Stop voting for folksy. Stop voting for people who remind you of your neighbor. Stop voting for the ideologically intransigent, the staggeringly ignorant, and the blazingly incompetent.
Vote for someone smarter than you. Vote for someone who inspires you. Vote for someone who has not only traveled the world but who has also shown a deep understanding and compassion for it. The stakes are real and they’re terrifyingly high. This election matters. It matters. It really matters. Let me say that one more time. This. Really. Matters.
Then I came across this Newsweek article and the subject came up again.
The point is that she comes to us, seeking the second most important job in the world, without any intellectual training relevant to the challenges and responsibilities that await her. There is nothing to suggest that she even sees a role for careful analysis or a deep understanding of world events when it comes to deciding the fate of a nation. In her interview with Gibson, Palin managed to turn a joke about seeing Russia from her window into a straight-faced claim that Alaska’s geographical proximity to Russia gave her some essential foreign-policy experience. Palin may be a perfectly wonderful person, a loving mother and a great American success story—but she is a beauty queen/sports reporter who stumbled into small-town politics, and who is now on the verge of stumbling into, or upon, world history.
And later:
Ask yourself: how has “elitism” become a bad word in American politics? There is simply no other walk of life in which extraordinary talent and rigorous training are denigrated. We want elite pilots to fly our planes, elite troops to undertake our most critical missions, elite athletes to represent us in competition and elite scientists to devote the most productive years of their lives to curing our diseases. And yet, when it comes time to vest people with even greater responsibilities, we consider it a virtue to shun any and all standards of excellence. When it comes to choosing the people whose thoughts and actions will decide the fates of millions, then we suddenly want someone just like us, someone fit to have a beer with, someone down-to-earth—in fact, almost anyone, provided that he or she doesn’t seem too intelligent or well educated.
And I know some of you are going to raise your hands and object to what I’m saying. You’re going to say, “But I want the people who represent ME to be like ME! To understand what I’m going through. What my life is like!” and I GET that. I totally understand that. But can’t they GET you and your life and STILL be brilliant? Can’t they GET what your life is like and still understand how the economy works, be able to think on their feet and not lose their cool if they get ticked off about something?
I saw this post yesterday, by none other than Judy Blume (Yes, THAT Judy Blume), and it brought tears to my eyes. Here’s a small snippet, but go read the whole thing. It’s really beautifully written.
Whoever is elected in November is going to face a daunting challenge. No one person can clean up the mess it took 7 and ½ years to create. That’s why I want the calm, thoughtful candidate I believe will surround himself with the best and the brightest. I believe the decisions Obama makes will be made based on what’s best for this country.
I want a president who can make us proud as Americans. How great would it be after 7 and ½ years to have an articulate leader, an eloquent speaker, one who is not only willing to talk, but to listen? I believe Obama will be that kind of president. Plus, he has a sense of humor. He has two young daughters and a working wife. He’s smart. And let’s not forget the magic. Nothing wrong with having the ability to connect with people around the world –young, old, and in-between.
And why won’t Sarah Palin talk to reporters? Why won’t they let reporters near her? What are they so afraid of?! The liberal media “attacking” her? Or her opening her mouth and saying something along the lines of “In what regard?” or “I’ll try to find some and I’ll bring them to you.”
Is she a delicate flower that needs to be protected? If (god forbid) she becomes Vice President, are they EVER going to let her have her own thoughts or words, or will she be constantly monitored and made to stick to talking points?!
And don’t even get me STARTED on the debates. McCain’s ploy yesterday totally threw me for a loop. Until I saw that the plan was to try to have the Presidential debate moved to next Thursday in place of the VP debate. And, HELLO, light bulb moment! That gives the McCain camp extra (undefined) time to keep her out of the spotlight. To keep her from having to, you know, TALK. WTF? I just don’t understand what they’re so afraid of. Lord knows that if she stumbles & screws things up, they’ll just cry foul and garner sympathy from their supporters over the “unfair” treatment of her.
*UPDATE* I struggled with this graphic, because it’s seemingly opposite (as Heather pointed out in the comments) to the point I’m trying to get across. Who’s really the elitist? The Republicans have been screaming from the rooftops that Obama’s an elitist. But HOW? Because he’s incredibly smart? Yes. Because he lives an insanely wealthy life? Uh. NO. If elite means intelligent, GREAT! If it means out of touch with how “normal” American’s live their daily life, I’d have to give that title to McCain.
*UPDATE #2* I thought, briefly, about using this clip as my entire post. But I really wanted to put all of this together, so I couldn’t bring myself to erase it. So I’ve just added it here. I don’t, honestly, even have anything to say about it.
*I’m not saying I don’t want a female vice presidential candidate. There’s nothing wrong with a woman being vice president. There’s just, in my opinion, something wrong with this woman being vice president.
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Complete agreement here. Well-written, as always.
Although, you DID say that since I could multitask, maybe *I* could be President, so I still think there’s a little bit of hope for me.
Mauras last blog post..In Which I See Spots Before My Eyes
I love your blog, and know you support Obama. I’m and Independent, still undecided-for full disclosure here.
I like a lot of what you wrote, but I am a bit confused. The first part of the post you question when did becoming an elitist become a bad thing, and make the point about elitist pilots, athletes, etc. You had a quote in the post, which in part says,
“Stop voting for people you want to have a beer with. Stop voting for folksy. Stop voting for people who remind you of your neighbor. Stop voting for the ideologically intransigent, the staggeringly ignorant, and the blazingly incompetent.”
But then in the second part of the post, you highlight by the picture how John McCain is an elitist by the homes and cars he owns, and how Obama only owns one house, one car and a bike.
It seems like you are making the point that we should have smart, elitist leaders in the first part of the post, but then in the second part, it seems like you are saying we should be voting for the guy who is like us- that guy being Obama.
Personally, I think Obama is more like someone I would like to have a beer with. I don’t view McCain as someone I could sit down and have beer with, and shoot the breeze with. Obama does remind me of my neighbor, but according to the quote in the post, we shouldn’t vote for the guy we want to have a beer with- for me that means I should be voting forMcCain.
The other part of that quote, “Stop voting for the ideologically intransigent, the staggeringly ignorant, and the blazingly incompetent.” is a matter of opinion. I don’t think either candidate is ‘blazingly incompetent, or staggerlingly ignorant.’
If you are on either side politically, you are probably going to view the other side’s candidate as ‘blazingly incompetent, or ‘staggerlingly ignorant’ like this quote says, but this seems like it is “preaching to the choir” so to speak. I think both men are very smart, and had t owork very hard to get where they are. If either of them were ‘staggeringly ignorant’ or ‘blazingly incompetent’ they wouldn’t be in the race.
I am only talking about Obama and McCain- because I am making a decision and voting on who will be president- not who might be or might not be VP.
I’m more “middle of the road” politically, and something like this doesn’t help me make up my mind- it just seems like it is really partisan.
I feel like we should all be able to vote for whomever we want to.
I DON’T want someone telling me that I can’t vote for the guy I would like to have a beer with. Maybe that IS who inspires me. Who am I to tell someone else, they shouldn’t vote the way they feel? I DON’T want people questioning my choice in whom I decide to vote for.
We ALL get one vote, and we ALL get to vote for whom we want-period. There are many issues and different issues mean different things to everyone. Some feel the economy is the most important issue. Some feel national security is. Some feel voting pro-life is the most important issue, and some feel voting to protect pro-choice is, and people will be voting on the issues that are important to them.
If we should all be voting the way someone says, like that quote in your post, then what is the point in voting at all?
A Mama’s Blog (Heather)s last blog post..Parenting Mistakes
Thank you for this post. I’ve been wanting to write something similar to it but couldn’t articulate it well. I already did one serious post this week, so I guess that tapped me out.
melissazs last blog post..Why do I let this bother me? Part 2
Heather,
I completely get what you’re saying about the elitist thing. It’s actually something I struggled with when I was writing this post. But in the end, I wanted to highlight the fact that it’s the Right who’s trying to break Obama down by calling him an elitist, but when you get down to it, McCain is head over heels more “elite” than Obama will ever be. While YES, I want brilliant people running this country, the fact that John McCain has 13 cars & 7 houses doesn’t make him like me. In ANY way, shape or form. Obama’s a bit closer to the typical American family. I didn’t spell that out very well, so I think you’ve prompted me to add an update!
AND, I’d LOVE to have a beer with Obama. That would be awesome. The point here is that that shouldn’t be the ONLY reason you vote for someone. As in “I don’t agree with Sarah Palin, but she seems like she’s just like me, so I’m going to vote for her.”
And while, yes, it IS a Presidential election, and picking who you want to be President is usually the *only* important factor, I think, given John McCain’s age and health records (what we know of them), you HAVE to take into account who will be President if something happens to him. And the girl next door? Not so qualified.
At least in my opinion.
As I’ve said before, if people vote for McCain/Palin because they agree with them politically/ideologically, that’s FINE by me. . .who am I to argue. I just really hope people think LONG and HARD about who Sarah Palin really is given the circumstances of this election.
I loved that Sam Harris article from Newsweek. But, it scared the crap out of me. What if it came true….
JCKs last blog post..I believe my Mound of Venus has been RIPPED OFF
To A Mama’s Blog (Heather): In Meghan’s defense, it’s the McCain camp and the GOP that has been painting Obama as an elitist, and they’ve been doing it for months. It’s not incongruous to believe a man could own seven homes, a corporate jet, and have a family trust worth over $100 million and still be a guy you’d like to have a beer with; the disconnect is with that same man using the word ‘elitist’ to denigrate his opponent, as if being ‘elite’ is somehow akin to drug dealing, or, even worse, community organizing. The bottom line: the GOP has defined ‘elite’ as a bad thing when campaigning against Obama, even though their candidate belongs to the monetary elite.
Also, if you don’t want people questioning your choice of who to vote for, then don’t tell them who you’re voting for. Meghan has taken a position and has articulated it — if you disagree with her position, which is certainly your right, then present evidence or arguments to refute it. If you want to vote for the guy you’d like to have a beer with, fine. But give specifics, not broad generalities. Take a stand.
One more thing: you said, “I DON’T want someone telling me that I can’t vote for the guy I would like to have a beer with. Maybe that IS who inspires me. Who am I to tell someone else, they shouldn’t vote the way they feel? I DON’T want people questioning my choice in whom I decide to vote for.” If that’s the case, then you probably shouldn’t question anyone else’s choice — it’s not a one-way street.
About the “elite” issue? What papa-oomau-al said. Just ditto on that one…
As for being “elite” ? Um, that’s what I aspire to be. I aspire to reach above and beyond what I started with, and work as hard as I can to become something more. Being “elite” means you are the best at whatever field you are elite in – such as, um, elite gymnasts. The ones at the Olympics. I’m glad we got the elite to represent us there (and yes, they are really called “elite” – once you pass beyond a certain level at USGF, you are “elite”), because y’all wouldn’t have wanted my mediocre skillz representin’ ! I want to be elite – an elite researcher, an elite doctor, whatever I decide to do, I want to strive to be the best. Maybe I won’t be, but I want to try! And there is NOTHING wrong with that, thankyouverymuch
And, yes, I want someone elite to lead our country – I want the very best, someone who understands foreign affairs and economics and both world and domestic issues!
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In defense of McCain/Palin: I own 3 houses and 2 industrial buildings, 1 car, 5 trucks. Where am I rated? There is the old saying: “If you want to get things done, give them to a busy woman”. I know this from experience. There are times where I am given a lot of things to do and by golly, I have always gotten them done. Enough said.
In response to Grandma Pam–It doesn’t matter to me how many houses you or John McCain has. That neither qualifies nor disqualifies either one of you from the Presidency in my opinion.
But when people call Barack Obama elitist because he has a higher education and doesn’t dumb down his message and thinks that Constitutional protections are an important fabric of our society, it makes some people wonder how a kazillionaire like McCain is ‘everyman’ and Obama is the elitist.
Marinkas last blog post..You Think You Know Someone, Part Whatever
I agree with Grandma Pam on her point, “There are times where I am given a lot of things to do and by golly, I have always gotten them done. Enough said.”
It is unfortunate that McCain didn’t feel he could campaign and work on the economic bailout. Nor that he could entrust Palin to run the campaign while he concentrated on other areas.
I would like my President to be able to multitask and y Vice-President to be competent. Looks like I’m voting Obama.
Susies last blog post..Liam Says
As the mother of two young women who are so engaged in this election, and inspired by their candidate, I am incredibly proud of their interest and action.
I hope that the debates go on as planned tonight.
I think the distinction between “elite” and “elitist” is fundamental to this argument.
Yes, I want my president to be among the elite. I want him to be among the most intelligent, most eloquent, most well-educated, individuals in the world. I want to know that my president can walk into any room and have a conversation with any person. I want him to be able to hold his own against world leaders, Nobel Prize winning economists, and the guy at the end of the bar who was just laid off and is losing his house. Do I think he needs to be elite to do that? Absolutely. But what I think makes true leaders truly unique is their ability to be elite and relatable. We have not had that balance for over seven years. I think we have found it again in Barack Obama.
And I don’t think the number of cars and homes alone is reason enough to vilify McCain. My in-laws own three homes, five cars, and four boats for their personal use. They own one industrial building, three houses, two apartment buildings, two billboards, and part of a 5-star hotel (among other things) in their business. However, I do not think that makes them elitist. My father-in-law was injured in Vietnam and couldn’t find work when he came home. He found a job as a janitor. He later became a vice-president of that company. My mother-in-law was raised in a single-income military family. They grew most of their own food. She had her only child at 18, divorced only a few years later, and ended up in an abusive relationship. They know work. They know hardship. They are people who get things done. They are not elitist, regardless of what they have the privilege of owning today. My MIL still buys Payless shoes, shops at Wal-Mart first, and the only piece of designer clothing in her closet was given to her by my husband and me.
What I think makes McCain elitist (as opposed to elite) are not his holdings, but the life-long privilege that those holdings imply. I have no doubt that he is intelligent–I believe anyone who makes it into a national leadership position has some degree of intelligence greater than my own. But what I don’t see in McCain, what I think his assets and his acceptance to and poor performance in the Naval Acadamy are representative of, is a complete lack of understanding of the amount of work and effort it takes to have privilege when you are not born into privilege. To me, it is not the cars and houses that are problematic. It is the mentality they represent that I find elitist.
I think McCain can hold his own against world leaders. Maybe even a Nobel economist. I don’t think he’d understand a single thing about the problems of the guy in the bar who just got laid off and is losing his house.
And that, to me, is the difference.
Insta-Moms last blog post..Uni-boob
I need to correct one of my statements… I said “I believe anyone who makes it into a national leadership position has some degree of intelligence greater than my own.” I should have said anyone who makes in on their own merit–not as a token pick by a floundering campaign.
Insta-Moms last blog post..Uni-boob
I was *just* going to send you that Newsweek essay.
Somehow, I knew you’d like it.
The money quote for me:
“Palin may be a perfectly wonderful person, a loving mother and a great American success story—but she is a beauty queen/sports reporter who stumbled into small-town politics, and who is now on the verge of stumbling into, or upon, world history.
The problem, as far as our political process is concerned, is that half the electorate revels in Palin’s lack of intellectual qualifications. When it comes to politics, there is a mad love of mediocrity in this country.”
Does someone want to break it to him that the “mad love of mediocrity” extends far beyond politics?
To Papa oomau-al
I don’t disagree with Meghan’s position, and I was not questioning her decision, but I was merely making the point that it seemed like part of the post said we should vote for elitists, and then the second part said we shouldn’t. Since she clarified the post, I understand where she is coming from.
A Mama’s Blog (Heather)s last blog post..Breastmilk in Ice Cream?
That was a wonderful post. I like your site a lot.
zandors last blog post..Shaking. Sick. Red.
Meghan, for the love of God, stop high-fivin’ gals in the feminine products aisle at WalMart. We’ve discussed how awkward this can be for people.
BTW – best line ever!
Amy in Ohios last blog post..Can she make it two in a row?
Ok, first off, I totally agree with this ENTIRE post! Sarah Palin is just NOT the right person to be our Vice President right now and McCain is certainly not the right person to be President. Our country needs something different and they are just not that different than what we have now.
I’m glad you added the video of Palin’s interview… I hadn’t seen any of it and that right there just proves that I didn’t miss nothing!
Cereal Dieters last blog post..Fun Fact Friday – The Very First Edition!!
Meghan – great job with this post.
I knew what you were saying about the whole elite (top qualifications) thing v. the elitist (out of touch with real America) thing without your clarifications, but am so glad that you’ve put them up for folks who didn’t quite connect the dots.
I pray daily that Obama and Biden win. Not only for reasons that you cite here, but also for the fact that Biden is an advocate against violence towards women and children – a very real and economic issue in America. It’s things like this that show me they are big picture men with attention to the fine details.
ramblin’ reds last blog post..Forging on
GOSH! I spend the day away from the computer (and I survived!) and look at all the fun I missed. I don’t even have to reply to any comments because you’ve all taken care of it for me! Thanks!
EXCEPT! this came out today from conservative columnist Kathleen Parker. It made my day.
I’d add it directly to the post as another update, but it’s long enough as is.
Hemingway was a dick. Jack Nicholson attacks people with golf clubs. Bob Dylan does not suffer fools well. BUT…all three are the best at what they do. Being able to relate to someone is fine, but I will listen to Dylan far more than that sweet lil ol’ Jessica Simpson even though Dylan would more than likely cut me down with a sharp quip if we ever met. Point being, the Presidency needs someone as good at their job as the three legends mentioned above, and, as Meghan points out, it is better to have a president as brilliant as Dylan et al than to have Jessica Simpson as president no matter ho sweet she may be. Come to think of it, Jessica Simpson has been abroad a whole heck of a lot more than Sarah. Maybe John should have picked her instead.
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Against my better judgment, I watched the video in the UPDATE #2. I said to myself, “Self, this is a bad idea. Do not watch this video. Self, you do not have the energy to deal with what you’re going to see.”
Alas, I watched the video, and I’m pretty sure that I just became dumber as a result.
Hey, I saw a black guy last week. Therefore, I am more experienced in racist issues than the rest of the country.
Ugh…. if McCain wins, I’m moving to Australia.
Joes last blog post..When in Rome… go to the hospital
Oh meg, love your political posts. you shall be happy to know that I am starring them in google reader, so I can go back to them and smile when Obama is moving into the White House.
For the record, I can be inspired by someone that I want to have a beer with, much more easily than I can sit down with someone that repulses me. I did enjoy that huffington post.
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Meghan should be Vice President because she looks WAY cuter in glasses than Sarah P.
I’m so sorry to get into this discussion so late! Palin scares the absolute crap out of me, and given how popular she is in AK (or was, in AK – -14% approval rating this week), I am sure she is an excellent juggler of responsibilities. You have to be when you’re a mom.
I just hope that people understand that there’s a difference between juggling the kids, carpools, household, work, etc. and juggling two wars with massive American casualities, a terrorist network led by a man who is STILL alive and STILL wants to kill us, a Russian PM who is intent on showing the world that his country is still powerful, two “axis of evil” countries expanding their nuclear programs . . . I could go on, and on, and on . . . THESE responsibilities are different. These are things that you cannot deal with by “not blinking.” These are issues that you can’t handle with a 5 month old on your lap. And while I applaud Sarah Palin for managing everything she does so well (and being lucky enough to take her infant son with her to meetings in AK), she remains an irresponsible choice for VP, and I have nightmares about what her first sit down with someone like Putin would be like.
Yes, people should base their vote on the President, but please – it’s obvious that this is not what’s going on in America. People love Palin and remain lukewarm about McCain. She has a higher approval rating than Joe Biden (something I’ll rant about at another time), and she’s bringing bigger crowds to McCain rallies than he ever could have. These people need to take a step back and ask themselves whether they honestly think she’ll be able to hold her own against her neighbor Putin when she couldn’t handle Katie Couric.
When I got to your last paragraph, I wanted to stand up and cheer
It really bothers me that some people think that if I criticize the choice of Sarah Palin, that I am criticizing the choice of a WOMAN, which could not be further from the truth. But heck yeah I am not happy about that particular woman being on the ticket. She doesn’t belong there.
And McCain’s military record ? Not that impressive, folks. He not only graduated at the bottom of his class, he also crashed 3 or 4 planes when he was a naval airman. And then he got captured after the final crash. You know, I think if I had a job where I crashed more then one jet worth millions of dollars, that maybe I would be grounded. Or something.
I want someone calm. Intelligent. Someone who is a good speaker and a good communicator and an excellent listener. Someone who is willing to consider changing his or her mind if given new information. Someone who can change gears and multi-task. Experience is great, but I think these other things matter more. No one has had experience being president, unless they have already BEEN president. It is, in it’s essence, a “learn as you go” gig. So you need someone with a quick mind, and a good support team, who is in good health and can handle the rigors of an extremely stressful position. I have watched our past presidents age in a very accelerated fashion. I can’t see John McCain (or any other 72 year old) being able to keep up. My uncle is 70, and no one will hire him because of his age. Why is McCain even an option ? He’s already past retirement age !
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All I can say is, word. wordity word.
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