How do we know that Sarah Palin is qualified for the vice presidency (and, thus, the presidency)? Sen. John McCain says her experience on the PTA helps:
(It’s at the 3:37 mark in the clip.)
Palin is looking like McCain’s own Harriet Miers.
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Text without a context is a pretext.
Michael Moore would be proud of you.
I was the secretary for my high school senior class. Can I be a VP?
I.Publius, you can’t carry that water. When a presidential candidate has to even mention PTA experience of his VP pick, there’s a problem. When I was 16, I worked at a movie theater. I sure as hell don’t put that on my resume when looking for jobs now.
I know I’m opening myself up to serious mockery here, but…
I *DO* agree that Palin is completely unqualified to be VP. However, on a totally separate topic, I do just want to stand up in support of PTA presidents who take away from that experience a serious amount of knowledge, learning, and cajones. My mom’s leadership experience had been as Parish President at her church and PTA president of my elementary school, junior high, and high school, in New York City. She also served on some local civic boards, and she was an elementary school teacher before she had kids, and continued teaching with a volunteer enrichment program while she was primarily a stay at home mom. When her youngest went off to college, she was appointed to the New York City Board of Education. (!) She kicked a$$ on the Board and was elected President of the Board. As NYC Board of Ed president, she was an AMAZING leader and proved herself to be incredible at balancing politics + real leadership. She ran for Queens Borough President and was asked to consider running for Mayor of New York City. Seriously, my mom could run a country, and could easily be Mayor of New York (thankfully she didn’t pursue it, and now she’s old enough that it’s probably too late, and as her daughter I’m heaving a sigh of relief, who needs the stress? I just want her to enjoy her retirement years!)
I’m not definding Palin *AT ALL* but I do want to remind people that sometimes even podunky-sounding leadership roles (like Elks Club gand poobah or PTA president or whatever) can actually give people a really great opportunity to exercise innate leadership skills, and to develop new ones. Then you go on to be city councilor, mayor, state representative or governor, then VP, etc. There’s a path there.
In Palin’s case, she hasn’t been anything long enough to have learned all that much from it, and IN NO WAY do I think Sarah Palin is ready to be VP (or god forbid, Pres.) But I just don’t want for people to completely mock PTA president as a worthless endeavor, or something that would provide no opportunity to develop executive skills. Trust me, that job can be just as political and just as tough as an elected government position. Yes, it’s the realm of women, not men, but women can be just as tough and fierce, just as hard to control in a large public meeting, just as hard to bring together in negotiation, as men can. It might be small potatoes, but it’s still worth something.
My two cents. Feel free to slam me (but don’t insult my mom or I’ll have to insult yours. *grin*)
I don’t think anyone is mocking being PTA president as a worthless endeavour, ChrEliz. They’re mocking it because someone is holding it up as one of a very small set of qualifications to be Vice President of the United States.
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Publius, that’s so cute.
On the “I Publius Index”; the hype, bloviation, and arrogant wingnut misdirection have reached Category 4. Near to the Winds of Nonsense we heard when IP described George Allen’s easy 2006 win. Drive on!
I am getting so tired of her being referred to as an energy expert. She was a citizen member of a gas board and her husband works on pipelines. That doesn’t make her an expert.