Not What I Expected

In one sense, the vice presidential debate was not what I anticipated. Since both candidates have a reputation for occasionally talking themselves into trouble, I expected a train wreck at one or both podiums. Obviously that didn't happen, which is probably for the better.

In another sense, the debate confirmed many of my impressions about Palin.* Some people try to draw a comparison between Palin's and Obama's level of experience, but their respective debate performances demonstrate that there isn't much to compare. Obama has studied, formed opinions about, and in many cases taken action on nearly every national and international issue there is, and he can discuss his stance on them at length. Palin has that kind depth on a few subjects, but when confronted with the rest I always feel she is carefully reciting a script the campaign has handed her. She may agree with that script, but the fact that she even needs it underscores the fact that she is not ready to be a national leader.

Perhaps the clearest evidence of that is the vice presidential job description she provided. In contrast to Biden, who explained that his duties would be to spearhead important legislation and advise Obama on vital matters, Palin says McCain wants her to focus on energy and advocacy for children with handicaps. While those are two very admirable causes, they sound more like the job description for a First Lady: choose a couple noble causes to champion using your high-profile position, and let the boys in charge handle all the other stuff. Perhaps McCain's narrow assignment for Palin is the result of sexism, but I think it more likely that he knows she just isn't qualified to do much else at this point.

I know, I know. Neither of the people who debated tonight is running for president, and realistically my impressions of the VP candidates will have little impact on my vote next month. Frankly, the main reason I'm writing this post is that I'm really disappointed.

I want our first female VP (or president) to be so much more than this. I want her to be selected for the job because she is hands-down the best person for it, not just because it would look good to have a woman (any woman) with a clean image on the ticket. I want her to know the issues inside and out and take a principled stand on them, not just repeat virtually the same scripted lines in response to any question she doesn't want to answer (at one point tonight, I thought I would scream if I heard the word "energy" one more time). I want her to be a leader I can have confidence in, not a well-meaning but unprepared person I have to make excuses for.

I want to see the glass ceiling shattered, not just nicked.

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*On the other hand, I confess I knew little about Biden going into this. My impression after tonight is that he is experienced and well-informed, and will perform competently in the roles of advisor and legislation promoter. We'll see if he lives up to that as I get to know him better.