Thank goodness for Project Runway. Because without it, I would still be sitting in stunned silence after watching Sarah Palin’s star turn at the Republican Convention. Fortunately Project Runway came on in its regular slot which fell exactly at the moment (on the west coast) that the CNN political team was finishing up. So for the next hour I could forget about Sarah–who is definitely “in”– and instead watch Heidi Klum decide who would be “out.”
But Project Runway is over now, and I am right back where I was an hour ago. Stunned.
I heard Sarah Palin speak at the rally when McCain introduced her as his running mate. So I knew she’d be good tonight. I just didn’t expect her to be THAT good. And I am betting, neither did John McCain.
On Project Runway, before they present their designs, Heidi tells the competitors to “Wow the judges”.
Apparently someone gave the same advice to Sarah. She went out on that runway in Minneapolis and did just what those designers wish they could do: Wow the judges.
Wow. And how. She wowed the Republicans in the silly hats and the political spinners on CNN and the rest of us in red AND blue states all over America.
I gotta say, the woman has poise. And guts. And she delivered maybe one of the best political speeches ever–doing what she was asked to do–even after the week from hell.
As a Mom, I have to hand it to Sarah. If I had been through a week watching the media attack my pregnant teenage daughter, I’d be sitting in a corner somewhere , crying my eyes out. Most mothers would. But not Sarah Barracuda. She came out swinging.
Avoiding the issue of why she is the kind of mother who was NOT crying her eyes out, it still shows what Sarah is made of. They sure make ’em tough up there in Alaska. The last American frontier is as close as we get these days to the American pioneer women.
But who knew pioneer women had such charisma? Instead of Little House on the Prairie, this was A Star is Born. You could literally watch it happen. You know something is up when Cindy McCain actually looks alive. As she watched Sarah saving her husband’s credibility, Cindy showed some emotion that looked close to real excitement. She never looks that way when her husband speaks.
But he doesn’t have to speak anymore. In fact, he probably shouldn’t. Certainly not tomorrow. Who would want to follow that act?
I’m depressed.
Because I think Sarah Palin has what it takes to wow the judges–American voters. They have demonstrated, at least in the last two elections, that star power trumps brain power. And even though Obama has star power, in many parts of America, his brain power doesn’t sell on the runway.
Ironically, the other day, someone suggested to me –with love and the best of intentions–that maybe I am blogging too much about politics. I took this to heart. And today as soon as I got up, I wrote another blog about politics. It was about Sarah Palin, written 12 hours before her convention speech. At the time, I thought it was pretty funny. But right now it doesn’t seem pertinent and is far too humorous to post when I am so depressed.
In my defense, I don’t think my blogs are really so “political.” But as someone who has worked in politics and covered politics and followed it, this has to be the most unbelievable election season in my lifetime. My blog is a reflection of me and what I’m thinking about each day. So how can I NOT write about politics–since that’s what I’m thinking about and what everyone is thinking about. And if they’re not, they should be. I think the election is THAT important and is going to be close. What else can I think about right now?
By morning, maybe I’ll be thinking about something else. And if I’m less depressed, maybe I’ll post that other blog about Sarah Palin. The funny one.
Or maybe I’ll watch the rerun of Project Runway and watch someone else “Wow the judges.”
Ron says
Darryle: I totally agree with you in that I was impressed and depressed with Sarah Palin’s speech. However, the key point is that she is not running for president and I feel she so far outshone McCain that it is possible that she may end up hurting more than helping (Unfortunately, deep down I don’t think so). To me, he is just not the type of strong leader that inspires others. Even his very speaking voice is sort of shaky and halting (probably a result of his horrendous POW captivity).
Back to my point: Neither Sarah Palin nor Joe Biden will be our next president unless tragedy or a giant misstep befalls whomever we elect. And I still believe Obama will be the best person to lead this country in the right direction in order to restore us to our rightful place as the greatest country on earth.
P.S. I am now registered to vote for the first time since 1972. And I have you to thank, in large part, for being so “political” in your blog.
Jody says
I felt PRECISELY as you did. She was utterly fantastic, and it scared the bejesus out of me.
I’m grateful for Ron’s thoughts. Maybe McCain
will just seem all the more stiff and bizarre
around her…
but…..I think we have a fight ahead.
Mark Geduldig-Yatrofsky says
Darryle, this is my first visit to your blog, and, to echo a phrase from an earlier day, “How sweet it is!” You will never have to apologize to me for being be as political as you care to be whenever you are so moved. I consider politics “the greatest show on earth,” although not necessarily the most uplifting, inspiring, or rational. Although this Independent normally ignores national political conventions (I can rely on NPR, PBS, and the New York Times to distill the swill down to its essentials), I was curious about the sorts of tricks this Sarah doll could do once the batteries were switched on. I found her more entertaining than Rush Limbaugh, if no less polemical. Her presence in the race will certainly make it lively. Insofar as her ability to garner votes for the ticket is concerned, I am optimistic enough to believe that Lincoln was right about the political “aparatchiks” not being able to fool all of the people all of the time. O. K., you can claim that being mayor of a town of 10,000 or governor of a state with more caribou than homonids (Sasquatch included) is good preparation for being President of the United States, but you think someone in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Miami, or even dinkly little Portsmouth, VA (struggling to stay near 100,000) is going to buy that, testimonials from the Governor of Hawai’i notwithstanding? Ching, ching, no sale, Sarah! Oh, and what prior elected executive experience does the prospective commander-in-chief have on his resume? Unless you think being in charge of a bunch of testosterone-poisoned military fly boys is the same as directing a vast civilian bureaucracy and a 535-member Congress full of egocentric (dare I say) “Mavericks” whom you can’t bludgeon into submission with the Universal Code of Military Justice, the estimable Mr. McCain does not measure up too well against against the Palin standard, either.
Darryle says
Your articulate and thoughtful comments have convinced me: NOT that most American voters are going to wise up and do the right thing this time. But convinced me to continue blogging about politics and hoping I’m wrong to be so depressed–which I still am, even the morning after “the speech that shook the world.” Congratulations to Ron for registering—we need every vote we can get.
Deborah R. says
I just sent out an e-mail, which I am pasting below (unfortunately the photos can’t be pasted into the blog), entitled, “The fun is just beginning.” Because as sick as I was about Sarah Palin’s dazzling performance, I just knew that she can’t keep it up until the election. There was something in her every-fourth-word sneer, and her glee in taking cheap shots, that made me KNOW that she’s goin’ down. It will be so much fun to watch it happen. This morning NPR was interviewing a bunch of young independents, and each echoed the other when they said she represents the old Republican values, and they could not relate to her.
THE FUN BEGINS:
According to The NY Daily News:
Doe-eyed Bristol Palin, 17, and ruggedly handsome Levi Johnston, 18, have been dating for about a year, locals in their hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, told the Daily News…
The New York Post has excerpts from Johnston’s MySpace page:
On his MySpace page, Johnston boasts, “I’m a f – – -in’ redneck” who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes.
“But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s- – – and just f – – -in’ chillin’ I guess.”
“Ya f – – – with me I’ll kick [your] ass,” he added.
He also claims to be “in a relationship,” but states, “I don’t want kids.”
STAY TUNED TO HuffPost’s Sarah Palin big news page~
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/sarah-palin)