A Red Mind in a Blue State: August 2008

Sarah Palin!

So back on February 1st I said:

Republicans? Less to choose from, I think, and no person who challenges a Democratic stronghold (except maybe Rudy, but I can't see that happening).

My out-of-the-box choice?

Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. see Friday Quickies, 2/1/08

I like her, and I like what I've seen so far-- except....

I know McCain wanted a "surprise" choice. And the surprise knocked the afterglow of Obama's speech right off the screen. But the last surprise choice looked great on paper, and proved to be a disaster--Dan Quayle.

I only wish McCain would have trotted Palin out weeks ago. Let her do the national talk shows; let her give some surrogate speeches on his behalf, much like Gov. Pawlenty did the last month or so.

Then we'd know better if she's really ready.

From her opening speech, it sounds like she is. But when the networks were looking for some B-roll video to show of her, all they could find was an interview she did with Glenn Beck--which is seen by about 6 people. No Meet the Press, no Larry King, no FoxNews. It wouldn't have been hard to book her for any of those spots-- dealing with energy, Alaska drilling, wasteful spending/earmarks, her kid going to Iraq, or how she's handling a Downs syndrome new born.

All compelling stories, all relevant for America today.

The Obama campaign is the tightest, best run campaign I've ever seen. McCain's campaign, while better than it was, continues to show flashes of the incompetence we've suffered the last 8 years. And that concerns me.

Sarah Palin? Everything I've seen so far makes me stand and applaud. I just wish we'd have seen a bit more before now.

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18

College Presidents have come out for lowering the drinking age--make that the legal drinking age-- back to 18.

As a father who just dropped off his 18 year old daughter at college, I can not agree more.

First of all, you can join the Army and vote at 18, and those are two things you shouldn't have to do sober.

Seriously, 21 is nonsense. Any law that a free people overwhelmingly disobey and hold in abject contempt should be changed-- that is one of the tenets of a free society. (This argument holds for marijuana as well.) Is there an American alive who waited until 21 to drink? Are all of our citizens under the age of 42 criminals?

I know MADD thinks that the higher age works. It doesn't. Education has worked, stiffer penalties have worked, greater publicity has worked, and the sea-change in societal acceptance of drunk driving, brought about in great part by MADD, has worked.

But the higher age? Nope. Kids are still drinking, just fewer of them are driving drunk. That said, still too many Americans, of all ages, continue to drink and drive, something that I just can't fathom.

The drinking age should be lowered. There is not a politician in office who doesn't have a kid who drank at 18--they are just too hypocritical, and too cowed by MADD to do the right thing. And that's a shame.

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