Sarah Palin: A contender or just a fad?

By Amy Holmes

Sarah Palin is not the answer.

For conservatives, it was love at first sight, our dream candidate. A woman. Gorgeous. Capable. Strong. A great communicator. She waltzed onto the stage of the Republican National Convention, energized the party’s base and stole our hearts.

The only problem is, love can be blind — even in politics.

From a conservative’s perspective, it was easy to dismiss the mainstream media’s criticism of Palin. They belittled her role as governor of Alaska, implying that the state is too small and unsophisticated to “count.” They snobbishly made fun of Palin’s accent, in the process mocking the vast number of Americans with regional accents.

Then came the interview with Katie Couric. Couric asked Palin a simple question: “What are some of the magazines and newspapers you read on a regular basis?”

Palin’s answer was flippant, seemingly uneducated. “Most of them. All of them. Any of them,” she replied.

In interviews last week, Palin explained her answer. Couric was badgering her, repeating the same questions over and over. Her attitude was condescending, dismissing Palin as a hick.

But the question remains: Is this woman an intellectual? Is she intelligent enough to fill the position of the presidency?

I remember the early days of the New Kids on the Block. I was in junior high at the time. Their first album came out, and I played it over and over. They had the Right Stuff! And I told my mom what I’d heard on TV: “They’re as popular as the Beatles were!”

My mom gave me a knowing smile and said, “This group is not the Beatles.”

Soon after, I got tickets to an NKTB concert, but by the time the concert rolled around, I was no longer much of a fan. I had realized they weren’t that great. This was also sinking into the minds of a lot of junior high girls, since their fan base began to sink to age 8 or 9. (Now their average fan is around 30, but we won’t go there today!)

Last weekend, my husband surprised me by taking me to Roanoke for a Palin book signing. But by the time I got there, I had exactly the same feeling that I’d had about the NKTB concert. I still sort of liked her. But it was sinking in: She was a fad. She was cool, but she wasn’t Ronald Reagan. Not even close. I didn’t want to stand in line for hours just to meet her.

But the clincher for me was her interview with Bill O’Reilly. He asked her, “How do you think you have enough experience for the presidency, when you didn’t finish out a single term as governor?”

She had no real answer. It bothers me that a person would even consider a presidential run with only half a term as governor and no other legislative experience. Is this anything other than presumption?

During the campaign, Palin disagreed with many of McCain’s staff’s decisions. She felt the campaign should talk about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and should promote interviews with her on Fox News. But she never brought these issues up with McCain. This begs the question: Is she a bold leader — or a follower, too in awe of her superior to speak up?

O’Reilly’s final question went along these lines: “Do you feel you have the intellectual acumen to serve as president of the United States?”

Palin stumbled over her answer, murmuring that she has common sense and is more connected to the average American than those of the Ivy League elite.

But that’s not enough. Yes, I want a candidate who is grounded and real, like Palin. I want a candidate who has drive and passion, like Palin. I want a candidate who is confident and charismatic, like Palin. But I want someone with an IQ of at least 130. And I am not convinced that’s Palin.

We love you, Sarah. You are stunning. You are sweet, and real. You advocate for less government, more freedom, lower taxes — and we conservatives couldn’t agree with you more.

But you are not the Beatles. You are more like the New Kids on the Block. And conservatives will wake up and realize that you are no Reagan. We love you. But when it comes down to it, you are just a fad.

* Holmes is a freelance writer who lives in Danville.