Sarah Palin as Runner-Up to Time's Person of the Year?
Although Time's choice of President-Elect Barack Obama as Person of the Year is rather appropriate knowing how he truly made Election 2008 one that was memorable and exciting, it is a matter of who else might have graced that momentous cover if the former Senator from Illinois hadn't been picked. Motion picture director (and planner of the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics) Zhang Yimou, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and French President Nicolas Sarkozy made the short-list.
But then, there was also this notable inclusion: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
But, what did Ms. Palin do to deserve such an honor? You can read Time's assessment right here. Believe you me, mammals of the two-legged variety are not the only ones scratching their heads on this one. Turkeys, polar bears and wolves are also puzzled why the long-running publication would bestow such an honor on a woman that deserves none–especially when she has gone out of her way to threaten the lives of a sitting Senator (now President-Elect) and his family through the instigation of violence and hatred.
She did provide a lot of fodder for conversation in this country. That is a given. But, her right-wing politics, the near-association to a separatist party in Alaska, and a long, winding list of corruption and scandal designates her more along the lines of questionablity than legitimacy.
But think about this: Time did put George W. Bush on the cover twice. Part of the reasoning was the fact the he was "revolutionary". Russian Prime Minister (and former leader of Russia) Vladmir Putin had this recognition last year.
When you put Ms. Palin into perspective there's also something else to consider. The magazine gave Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin this honor as well. By having the two dictators lauded in such a way, the magazine demonstrated that not only "good" or "virtuous" people are deserving of being Person of the Year. There are figure-heads, by virtue of their presence and power when impacting the events of the globe that must be recognized. Their names are indelibly known in the annals of history of residing in the dark underbelly of global events. Despite the drastic nature of their wrongdoing, such persons did indeed make the world sit back and take a long, hard look in terms of humanity and destiny.
Is Ms. Palin to be considered in the same light? Hardly. She hasn't the same deep resonance in society. But for one to ignore the danger of her message and actions, is to put one's head in the sand. Therefore, any attempts to legitimize her message should be seen as a warning to what America might have been had she made it into the Vice-Presidency. Putting the Alaskan Governor in the national spotlight should be cautionary instead of laudatory. Underneath the spunkiness and the borrowed clothes, there resides a nefarious, narrow-minded individual who does not have all of America's best interests at heart. In essence, she should always be a reminder of a road that luckily the United States did not travel upon.
This entry was posted on December 18, 2008 at 9:48 pm and is filed under Current Events, Election 2008, Politics.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I am still in disbelief that the GOP actually put this person forth as a VP, very possibly a presidential candidate. I am saddened that so many people in the US actually thought her a viable, serious candidate. Palin is possibly the worst cerson I have ever seen who ran for national office. She has very limited knowledge and intellect, she is interested in little but her own self-advancement, she emulates the worst characteristics of the professional politician, and evidently believes that she has all the qualifications necessary for the job.
I am sure she still does not understand why or how she lost.
Person of the year? She made a lot of impact, but has no substance.
I think it is odd how a party or McCain could put her in that spot. Did they think the press would not want to question her? Did they really believe the country would fall for "the most popular governor" in the United States line?
Even odder was she ended up more popular then McCain. In the end the Republican party might thank McCain for giving a wake up call to the party not having anyone electable on the ballot this year. Obama could have run the ad sating the voting record of McCain ( I think it was over 90% in agreement with Bush) and won the elections hands down.
Don't think I am letting Obama off in this post either. The man running on change has filled his cabinet with senators from across the country. It is hard to change an already trained habit. Good Luck Obama, the country is getting poorer by the minute and you have the role of changing it before you actually take office. So far I have seen the shovels digging deeper to get out of a hole. Makes no sense to me. Then again does politics ever make sense?