Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington with Johnny Mac and Why Obama/Biden Leave Me Cold

Last night Sarah Palin showed she could hold her own with a 36-year veteran of the Senate. I’m sure she was a bit nervous – who wouldn’t be – after only five weeks on the national stage. The pressure for her to hit it out of the park must have been excruciating. But she delivered.

Several news commentators pointed out they knew she had the debate in hand when she asked Gwen Ifill if “we could just return to Afghanistan” for a moment. If she was willing to tackle Biden on foreign policy, his supposed strong suit, I’d say the lady’s got a set of brass ones. Good for her. It was widely observed that she kept the veteran Senator on the defensive much of the night and even got under his skin a few times.

Yes, her answers could have been more specific on a couple of topics and she could have attacked Biden more, but then again what points Biden gained for specificity he more than lost because a number of his ‘specifics’ were lies.

Primarily, Biden mischaracterized McCain’s position on the war and surge. McCain has been proven right on the surge, which even Obama has had to admit. Biden denied that Obama said he would meet with Ahmedinajad without preconditions. Obama did famously and naively say this and was attacked for doing so by Biden. He also made false statements about McCain’s health care tax credit, which would more than offset any tax hike. He lied that McCain wanted less regulation when in fact it was John McCain years ago calling for more regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. News commentators cited many more.

I tried to get past the lies Biden told and simply review what appeals to me about McCain/Palin that Obama/Biden just haven’t got. The answer is simple:

Humility.
Gratitude.
Character.

Humility and dignity are not mutually exclusive. It is commendable to both understand the gravitas of the job and express gratitude to the American people for having the deep faith to bestow their ultimate trust upon two people. That is something clearly not lost on John McCain and Sarah Palin. I feel a confidence from them, without arrogance or hubris.

Why is this so important? We already had eight years of an arrogant blockhead in the White House, who thought he was God’s chosen one. Regardless of party, we don’t need another in there with the same ‘I am the Chosen’ attitude.

Most telling, Biden kept harping on the fact that McCain intended to continue Bush’s policies. This is the most egregious falsehood. Obama, in saying he wants to continue Blackwater and have a private security force, touting Bush’s faith based initiatives, reneging on FISA, backpedaling on ‘don’t ask don’t tell, and most recently, illegally trying to squelch dissent in Missouri, to name a few, makes him more like Bush3 than anyone.

I had occasion to be confronted by four sexists yesterday, three males and one female. The words they had for Palin were disgusting. The more the snobs out there choose to insult and rip into her, the more we are reminded of the horrid treatment Senator Clinton received. If you think that is driving anyone into Obama’s arms, you are sadly mistaken.

Whether the lefty elites like it or not, Governor Palin is a feminist, balancing career, marriage and family. Her choices may not be yours, but a woman’s right to choose means exactly that. Period. As Lou Dobbs has pointed out many times of late, Governor Palin lives her principles.

So does McCain. It becomes a little harder to argue with his Iraq policy going forward when both he and Palin have sons actively serving in the military. These are not neo cons or chicken-hawks. John McCain the POW, more than anyone, knows the cost of war. It is also hard to argue with the character of a man who has taken huge risks politically in the name of his principles — something Senator Obama has never done.

Interesting for a conservative, McCain has also stood by openly gay politicians who are friends over the years. Can you imagine Obama doing this?

Both McCain and Palin have repeatedly demonstrated not only willingness, but a track record of working across the aisle, a much needed quality since they will most likely be working with a Democratic congress. From a place of dignity and humility, a President can engage and be engaged by others. This bespeaks a willingness to listen and respect the views of colleagues without belittling the ways of those who are ‘other’ than you.

Palin made very clear last night, and has the record as Governor to back this up, that while she may not agree with certain views, she will respect the law of the land and not legislate or veto away the rights of others.

As Stephen Covey famously wrote, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Unfortunately, Senator Obama showed he is sorely lacking in such skills when he made his infamous “bitter voter” comments to his rich San Francisco campaign contributors.

I always wondered why Gore or Kerry didn’t connect with people at their debates and I realized it is in a nutshell why so many Democrats lose – the condescension factor: talking with their noses in the air.

Obama shares this with his unsuccessful predecessor-candidates. No matter what nonsense Donna Brazile wants to spew about the new Democratic Party being more ‘urbane’ and not needing rural voters to win, that is a crock. And everyone knows it. If you can’t speak to the heartland, you ain’t gettin’ to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

At the debate last night, Sarah Palin’s warmth and down to earth connection to the American people was undeniable.

I’d like someone who has lived a little in the trenches, who understands sacrifice and may have a clue as to what the average woman or man on the street is going through at this point in time. Despite their Ivy League educations, this is something I always appreciated about the Clintons – and surely why the Democratic elite always held them in contempt. They have the ability to reach out to the working class voter.

It has long been my experience that those who look at me like a bug under a glass have little understanding of my needs or the urgency of answering them.

It may also explain why Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter are the only two Democrats to have won the White House in the last 40 years – although, unlike Carter, Clinton was a hugely successful President.

In addition to Joe Biden’s truth-lapses – a habit he shares in common with his #1, Barack Obama – what annoyed me about Biden was his flashing that enormous mouth of blistering white teeth to Gwen Ifill when Sarah started to speak. It struck me as a bit condescending – “oh look what the little girl is saying now”.

In recalling Scranton, Wilmington and Home Depot, Biden was working a little too hard to sound like a man of the people, which his slightly plastic appearance due to a seeming eyelift and a trip to “BriteSmile” seemed to belie. That coupled with his ultimate beltway insider status may make people a little less trusting of his let’s bang on the facts message (especially when those “facts” will easily be debunked all over the net and on the campaign trail).

Then again, Obama has held so many flip flopping positions on the issues that anything Biden said last night could have been considered true at some point. The question is – what is true now? We don’t know. He could fire any dart at the dartboard and hit a bull’s eye because the waffling has been endless.

I have no real idea of what Obama would ACTUALLY do in the White House. Do you?

The UK Telegraph today revealed a letter from British Ambassador to the U.S., Sir Nigel Sheinwald to Prime Minister Gordon Brown assessing Senator Obama:

Barack Obama is a “decidedly liberal” senator “who was finding his feet, and then got diverted by his presidential ambitions”…

No kidding. I’d have preferred he “find his feet” first but ambition is all, apparently – ready or not.

Mr. Obama “can seem to sit on the fence, assiduously balancing pros and cons”, Sir Nigel wrote, and “does betray a highly educated and upper middle class mindset”. Charges of elitism “are not entirely unfair” and he is “maybe aloof, insensitive” at times.

Insensitive? Yes, the bug under the glass thing again. Sitting on the fence? That reminds me of Obama’s 130 ‘present’ votes in the State Legislature. Well, there is no voting ‘present’ in the White House.

“He can talk too dispassionately for a national campaign about issues which touch people personally, e.g. his notorious San Francisco comments [in April] about small-town Pennsylvanians ‘clinging’ to guns and religion.”

The stings Senator Obama delivered to many groups who chose not to vote for him in the primaries are not likely to be forgotten at the polls either.

In contrast, John McCain is respectful in his interviews and at every speaking engagement. I still remember a town hall he held months ago when a hostile man questioned him about his positions on Iraq. Senator McCain openly answered the question and then asked if the man wanted to follow up. He did, and John did. Then John asked again – would you like to follow up? They must have gone back and forth five times until the man’s questions were answered to his satisfaction and he sat down. Courage, respect, humility, decency.

Contrast this with a man who questioned Obama at a campaign rally. Obama’s response was, ‘if you don’t like my answer, get another candidate or run for office yourself.’

When gut check time arrives at the polls on November 4th, it will be interesting to see whether the American people feel safer with two candidates who talk to them, rather than at them or over them with noses in the air.

Whether I agree with John McCain and Sarah Palin on all the issues has become less important to me than the fact that I know where they stand and have a pretty good idea of how they would govern in the White House: with determination, humility and openness.

The bobbing and weaving of the Obama/Biden camp leaves me uncertain. What good is someone who agrees me, only to meet with my polar opposite the next day and pretend agreement with them, too?

We all know that McCain/Palin are not my ideal choices. But Hillary is no longer in the race so my hope for a Clinton/Clark ticket is gone for the moment. I do not trust anything that comes out of the Obama campaign, as their positions have changed with the prevailing wind.

Since the Democratic Party is neck deep in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac scandal. And since Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, as our Party leaders, have shown they are unscrupulous enough to use the current economic suffering of American citizens for political gain, I can no longer vote party. I have to vote character.

And on that score, there is little room for doubt.