Palin: Threat to Cause and Country

Palin: Threat to Cause and Country
By: Hannah Hoffman

Sarah Heath was born in 1964. Sarah Palin was born in 2008.

Sarah Palin was not only unfit for the vice presidential seat, but she was unfit for the spotlight. The 2008 presidential debate is over, but her time in the spotlight has only just begun.

Palin never completely dipped out of the media after she and John McCain lost the presidential bid to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. After the election, the media and public kept on running with the perfect story: “Vice-Presidential Prank,” “Palin Unprepared,” “Palin Ruins Campaign.” Even Saturday Night Live was praising the former Alaskan governor for giving them skit ideas that not only created their very own “Sarah Palin Network,” featuring Tina Fey as Palin, but the most watched online videos in SNL history. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have had their fair share of fun, too.

During the election and immediately after, the primary attention that Palin received was satirical. She stumbled consistently in interviews and blamed the “liberal media” for setting her up to fail. John McCain was seen practically biting his nails as they sat next to each other while she was questioned. Running the country is no joke, however her answers were.

But, surprisingly, the aura over a year later has shifted significantly.

One would assume that her lack of knowledge in every aspect of American politics during a presidential campaign would have caused major uproar from the public. Many just laughed it off. She wasn’t taken seriously. She wasn’t prepared. She wasn’t a threat.

Oh, how times have changed. After Palin’s resignation as governor of Alaska, accompanied by a terrible speech that left many confused, the question arose, what will she do now? Many of her political critics may have just assumed she stay governor- she would stay out of the way and stay out of the spotlight where she clearly causes unneeded distractions. Too bad that didn’t happen. A book and a FOX News job later, Palin is back in the political world, but this time, not as much as a joke. Her leadership in the “Tea Party” movement and constant speech making has hindered our government’s effort to achieve bipartisanship, despite her continued lack of full political knowledge.

She has caused so much unnecessary political jargon that the pathetic and funny is gone. It has become a serious problem. Palin started as a legitimate political voice in Alaska, and then went from the bullied to the bully. She now resembles more of a Rush Limbaugh rather than a former vice presidential candidate, even if she was under-educated.

Liberals and conservatives agree that Palin has no role in our country’s politics. She claims to be fighting for “the people” but her more recent chase for millions discredits those statements. Palin charged $549 per ticket at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Tennessee on February 6 and continues to charge for major speeches.

Although it is unlikely that Palin will stand a legitimate chance if she were to run for the presidency in 2012, her possible campaign, or at least voice, is strong for another two years. If things result the way they did last time around, she will remain a nuisance for at least another five years. Does the country really need to worry about political bombs like Palin on top of all the problems we are facing?

Palin, get real and get out.