Monday, September 15, 2008

America Produces Leaders!

By Alan Caruba

I keep hearing the Democrats bleating like sheep over Governor Sarah Palin’s experience and ability to be “one heartbeat away from the presidency.” What they don’t seem to understand is that America produces people like Sarah Palin all the time. They start out participating in the PTA or the Chamber of Commerce and go on to do marvelous things.

The reason is obvious. People take notice. They spot natural leadership abilities and good judgment, and the next thing you know they are telling these folks to run for mayor and then for governor.

Gov. Palin’s rise was due to the most fundamental exercise of democracy you can find anywhere in America.

That’s why Gov. Palin just knocked out the delegates to the Republican convention. They experienced the same thing that her fellow PTA members did, followed by the folks who elected her to the Wasilla town council, then as mayor, and just as rapidly as Alaska’s Governor.

That’s why America embraced her so swiftly. She is a natural born leader.

It’s the same reason folks in New York took to Teddy Roosevelt or the folks in Missouri took to Harry Truman. People can spot integrity, confidence, vision, and all those other qualities that, combined in an individual, single them out for the responsibility of office.

In the little town in which I grew up and lived most of my life, the people voted one man, Robert Grasmere, mayor year after year. He was gracious, fair, honest, informed, and ready to go to bat for his beloved community. Anyone could approach him and everyone knew he loved little Maplewood, N.J. with every fiber of his body. When he passed on, the church was filled to capacity and the Governor showed up to tell stories about Bob that amused everyone and reminded us why we loved him.

He could have gone on to higher office, served in the state legislature, perhaps been a Representative or Senator in Congress, but Bob just wanted to be Mayor and we just wanted him to be Mayor.

America produces people like him in every town. It doesn’t matter how big or small the town is. Being responsible for people is what the job is all about. Sarah Palin kept doing that as one new child after another arrived. Family, friends, neighbors; she made them her life.

It says something about Sen. Barack Obama that his stint as a state legislator is marked by the many times he voted “present” instead of taking a position and it says even more that, after arriving in the U.S. Senate, he devoted all of his time to running for President instead of serving his Illinois constituency.

If you’re wondering why Sen. Obama is losing his “mojo” and Gov. Palin has rejuvenated Sen. McCain and her party, it’s because ordinary people are taking a look at him and thinking he lacks for everything except naked personal ambition.

They’ve taken a look at Gov. Palin and seen someone who looks and sounds a lot like their mayor.

No comments: