Newsweek Magazine today had their new issue out. They must be proud, they just put into type the feelings that many have on why the main stream media can not stand Gov. Sarah Palin. Now, this is not a pro-Palin column. I'll freely admit I like her for a number of reasons, but that is not what this is about. This is about something much bigger.
Here's the headline from the article, "Yes, she won the debate by not imploding. But governing requires knowledge, and mindless populism is just that—mindless." I read that, and my thoughts were; well, this can go two different ways. Either they're trying to say she is just trying to appeal to people, or that regular every-day people have no right to seek government and higher office positions. Hmmmm....I read on.
The next two quotes were even better:
"Palin is on the ticket because she connects with everyday Americans. Do we want leaders who are everyday folks, or do we want leaders who understand everyday folks? Therein lies an enormous difference, one that could decide the presidential election and, if McCain and Palin were to win, shape the governance of the nation."
Or it gets better:
"A key argument for Palin, in essence, is this: Washington and Wall Street are serving their own interests rather than those of the broad whole of the country, and the moment requires a vice president who will, Cincinnatus-like, help a new president come to the rescue. The problem with the argument is that Cincinnatus knew things."
Now this is when I became angry, but this last quote and I promise Ill stop, sent me over the top.
"The capacity of the common man (and now woman) to serve in government is the subject of ancient debate. The philosophers Robert Dale Owen and Jeremy Bentham believed in the principle of rotation in office—the idea that citizens could do the work of government for a time, then return to private life—and Andrew Jackson, in the beginning of the modern democratic era, spoke in similar terms about the federal government: "The duties of all public officers are, or at least admit to being made, so plain and simple that men of intelligence may readily qualify themselves for their performance." But Jackson was thinking about postmasters, not presidents."
Wow, is all I had to say. So now, today, in our modern age, people are completely judged by where they went to school, as if an education in one place is better then another? Even Brit Hume on Fox News admitted the other night, "We within Washington and the Intelligentsia expect people to talk a certain way and when they don't, we don't like it." I like Brit Hume, and I understand what he was getting at, but I have to disagree.
What has made the main stream media decide that they should speak for America? What values and credits do they have to their name that they should judge as Newsweek has, whether an average person should be in a position of higher government?
To take this from a military perspective. Very few of our senior officers today, come from upper class, Harvard Educated backgrounds. Does that make them bad leaders? Does that make them unable to command tens of thousands of men in combat and later on sit at state dinners with other military officers and diplomats from other nations?
Or to look even further back, to our Founding Fathers. Yes, they were well educated for their day, but make no mistake they were not educated in the best Universities in Europe. Most were self taught. About half had spent the French and Indian Wars on the frontier and then fighting in the American Revolution. These were not polished and perfect men. They were human beings who worked farms, ran small businesses, and yes even made mistakes and admitted them. They were not the "elite", they were the ones fighting elitism.
My question for Newsweek and any other of these Main Stream Media pundits is, so whats wrong with being a normal person? What is wrong with being a regular member of society and having the leadership ability, values, and passion to lead our great nation?
We are a Nation of free men and women. Any one of us has the opportunity to lead if so chosen. The day we start forgetting that, and relegating leadership only to the chosen few is the day that all we have fought for is in vain.
God Bless America
Bryan
http://www.newsweek.com/id/162396/page/1
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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
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3 comments:
Very well written. And if I didn't have to go to work I'd make a better comment.
Just want to say, the concept of our electoral college was based on the belief of our founding fathers that the populace could make a mistake and the electoral college could correct that and vote the 'correct' person into the Presidency.
Of course - - I didn't go to one of 'those' schools. And yes, here in DC I have had things I've said discounted, even been paid less on a job, even been shunned at events because I don't have a degree from one of those schools and I don't use giagantic words when I talk or write. Doesn't mean I don't know things. and as an average Joe Citizen I am kind of insulted at the News Week article.
I've been really angry with the media and their handling of Palin and what they expect her to know. But I'm a bit annoyed with the McCain handlers because I think they aren't letting her be herself. To often I think she isn't being allowed to say what she thinks on things - - which I think is making her look like she doesn't know stuff.
Rangersgirl is right to a certain extent. Ben Franklin did believe the average American was too "dumb" (my words, not his) to chose a good president...and that was one of the driving factors in establishing the electoral college.
But, the main purpose of the electoral college was to prevent the presidential election from being decided by a handful of states and/or metro areas with higher populations. Without the electoral college system, states with disportionately high populations like New York and Califoria would decided the POTUS elections. States like Montana, the Dakotas, etc, would really not get much say in who the POTUS/VPOTUS was.
How's that for scary...President Pelosi! Thank you Benjamin Franklin!
Well we owe a great deal to men like Ben Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Adams...etc...etc ...etc. I cant name them all just because it would take up the rest of the Blog:) But our founding fathers were in a league all their own.
But, I agree. I am completely frustrated and apalled at this blatant elitism. What happened to the American Dream for these people? Is that just something they write columns about to sell papers and magazines? I won't be ever buying another copy of many of these newspapers and magzaines again, I'll read them online to see what they are saying, but Im not giving them any of my money until they apologize to the America People and change their tune.
Bryan
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