By Kyle Pratt
Contributing Writer
“You betchya!” That’s right, the controversial, SNL-mocked, former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, is once again gaining national attention. No, her family didn’t get into another fight, but she herself seems to be in the midst of a battle for the 2016 presidential nomination for the Republican Party. If your heart just sank, you’re not alone.
Palin spoke recently at Representative Steve King’s “Freedom Summit” in Iowa. Her nearly forty-minute speech laid out not only her criticisms of the left, but also hinted at a 2016 presidential bid. Ever since Americans denied her the Vice Presidency in 2008, Palin has been trying to gain credibility throughout the country. Unfortunately, her idea of “credibility” seems to be similar to that of Fox News in that they are both tend to ignore the facts and they both tend to make baseless arguments against the Obama administration.
In her speech, Palin blamed Democrats and the left for the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens in a terrorist attack on the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya, and accused the party and the president of not being able to protect the reputation of the United States. “How will they protect our standing across the world,” said Palin, “when they can’t even protect an ambassador.” Governor Palin may think she was being clever with this statement, but her ignorance of the truth does not make her false accusation true. In reality, the Obama administration was cleared by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, which is lead by a member of Palin’s own party.
Unsurprisingly, the Benghazi attack was not the only thing Palin was wrong about. She also referenced the NSA spying scandal. “When will they listen to concerns of We the People” she ranted, “instead of listening in on our phone calls?” Obviously the idea of people in the government listening in on our phone calls is frightening, which is why Palin is saying this. She is using fear to persuade people to vote for her and her party. However, her ignorance again rears its ugly head. She seems to have forgotten that the law that allowed wire tapping and spying on the American people was not only passed under the Bush administration, but it was supported by the former President, himself. In an attempt to rally the American people against Obama and his party, Sarah Palin revealed how little she actually knows about these issues, which are years old anyway.
Ignorance and false accusations were not the only scary things Palin revealed in her speech at the Iowa Summit. The former governor repeatedly hinted that she will be running for President in 2016. These multiple hints included attacks on Hillary Clinton, while still hinting she wanted a woman in the White House in 2016. She stated that her goal was to take the metaphoric “No girls allowed” sign out of the Oval Office, and she wasn’t suggesting Hillary Clinton would take it down. She was, however, trying to set herself apart from her male, Republican counterparts. She quoted Margaret Thatcher who said “If you need something said, ask a man. If you need something done, ask a woman.” Palin continued by saying “America is ready to get stuff done.” This, although unofficial, is a clear announcement of her campaign for the Presidency in 2016, which means nothing more than the fact that we’re going to have to listen to her rambling for the next year and a half.
Palin did refer to Hillary Clinton later in her speech, but not before equating a bid for presidency with a war. This part of the speech highlights what is wrong with American Politics. Referring to any political race as a war does nothing but drive our lawmakers apart and encourage them to hate each other. This war that has been going on between the Democrats and the Republicans has lead to Congress approval ratings, along with their accomplishments, to drop dramatically. Sarah Palin’s entire speech is devoted to blaming other people, blaming the other side, and not blaming anyone on her side. From false accusations to turning a presidential campaign into a war, her speech helps to drive us apart, which will lead only to less things being done.
Palin seems to have already accepted the fact that Hillary Clinton is running for president. Much of the former Governor’s speech was dedicated not only to proving she is a better choice, but to proving that she is the only Republican who can beat Clinton. Toward the end of her speech, Palin let her audience know she is prepared. “I’m ready for Hillary,” she said, but the real question is whether or not America is ready for Palin.
