The Tides of Change
“Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.”
This is a violation of one of my rules for writing. Never start a piece with a quote. But rule-breaking is the theme of the week. (Maverick being the other one.)
Pres. Teddy Roosevelt is the voice behind the words, echoing through the years from his bully-pulpit. Teddy, the scrawny, sickly child, willed himself to health, into the army, and then the Presidency. He proved himself at the small jobs and outgrew them with his energy and ability.
Teddy took on the heavyweights of his day, busting up monopolies that were engaging in corrupt illegal practices and started modern conservation, stemming from his love of the outdoors. He negotiated for the US to build the Panama Canal and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1906 for his negotiation of the peace in the Russo-Japanese War. It is a quintessential American story. In a manner, it’s Sarah Palin’s story.
Just as Teddy was attacked for fighting corruption, I think she’s being savaged by the left-wing attack dogs, in part, because of her anti-corruption, anti-government waste policies. So many of the lefties live off of government grants, programs, research and srudies. The ad hominem attacks will only garner her support. The Left fears her for multiple reasons, not the least that she has traditional values.
Read STAND BY SARAH: SHE’S STILL A WINNING PICK By DICK MORRIS, Published in the The New York Post on September 3, 2008. He writes: “Understand: Palin is under attack because she was such a good choice.” The vitriole from the Left is fear. They didn’t nominate Hillary (a woman, by the way) to eliminate the chance of Clinton backlash in the voting booth. They want the White House at any price.
Morris addresses one of the Democrat talking points: “Remember the Democrats’ central charge on McCain – ‘He’s a Bush clone.’ By choosing Palin, something George Bush would never have done, McCain showed how really different he is.” John McCain is not George Bush. He’s been more of a pain in the rump, many times siding with the Dems against the administration’s proposals. His best friend was the Democratic candidate for Vice-President. This ties in well with the Newt Gingrich initiative, American Solutions, a truly non-partisan effort for true change, change for the better.
More from Morris: “And so Sarah Palin reinforces the most important aspect of the McCain candidacy: Despite 30 years in Washington, he’s an outsider and a dedicated foe of corruption and conflict of interest in government. He’s the one who stands up against pork, earmarks and lobbyists and
backs campaign-finance reform. Palin brings the same kind of credentials to the ticket. When she speaks tonight and emphasizes her record of reform and her commitment to bring ethical standards to Washington, she’ll strike a deeply resonant chord throughout the nation.”
This is change. This is letting the person who’s outgrown their job move onto a bigger stage. This is history as the first female Vice President gets elected. Feminists, where are you? National Organization for Women, where is your voice of support? McCain’s audacity speaks of his character, service to his country since age 17 – that’s 55 years. It is the key ingredient in being President (see Richard M. Nixon and William J, Clinton). Teddy sums it up: “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.”
