Vanity, it gets them every timeSomeone make sense for me this need that the American people have to have their elected officials be someone just like them. Bush won two terms on his ability to portray himself as a regular guy who you just want to have a beer with. While I understand that the principles of representative government is at play, I think the American people are taking it too literally. Representative government is intended for officials to represent the interests of the constituents. It is not for officials to represent the intelligence of the constituents.
So then what is it? Is it vanity? Have Americans become so vain that anyone perceived as being more qualified or more intellectual have to attacked as elitist? Do we not need leaders more capable than ourselves for our country to stay ahead of the curve?
Palin represents a continuation of this mentality. The fact that the republican campaign has embraced this tactic after 8 years of Bush makes me question their judgment. What is even sadder is that after 8 years people are still able to be manipulated into thinking that having a leader you can relate to is the single qualifying factor in a presidential election. Between her prime time interviews and the political motivation behind her selection as the vice presidential candidate, any person of sound judgment has to conclude that she does not qualify to hold this office.
I can't help but to think of the movie the Devil's Advocate with Pacino and Reeves. Even when given a second chance to make the right decision, the devil, by playing to man's vanity, still "gets them every time."
