I rarely disagree with my good friend Jeffrey Lord, but I
strenuously disagree with his take on what qualifies somebody for
Veep or president. Specifically, I wholeheartedly disagree with
this statement: "Any American conservative should know by now that
there are three core qualities needed to be a good president:
philosophy, character and good old-fashioned common-sense
judgment."
That's only a partial list. I know literally hundreds of people,
personally, who have those three core qualities, and I know of
thousands (i.e. not in person but OF them). But that doesn't mean
those hundreds or thousands would all be good presidents or veeps.
Any conservative who denigrates experience and knowledge -- which
apparently these days means 90% of conservative activists --
isn't the sort of conservative that I thought was part of the very
definition of conservatism. Maybe I inherited too much from Russell
Kirk by osmosis through my godfather, who knew him, but a
conservative who doesn't value the wisdom that comes from
experience is.... a mere ideologue. or so I thought until a month
ago.
As for Harry Truman, it is true that the elites sneered. And
true that he was a failed haberdasher. But he had shown great
leadership as an officer in World War I, and he had served
incredibly admirably as chairman of a phemonenally important and
successful, bipartisan Senate oversight committee during World War
II. His experience makes Palin's pale in comparison (pun not
intended, but not bad nonetheless, eh?). Even so, I think his
reputation these days is far better than what he deserves.
The problem with Palin isn't just what elites sneer at her for
-- her mannerisms, her accent, her expressions -- but what so far
seems like an incredibly lack of comfort with national issues. She
just doesn't seem to know what she's talking about, and she often
talks in utterly incoherent sentences. While it is true that
the elites have all sneered at her for the unimportant things, and
that some of them have been incredibly nasty and out of line in
doing so, I don't think it's fair to lay those sins on Frum. Those
things, in my reading, are not the basis of his objections.
Despite my doubts, I for one will be rooting hard for Palin in
tomorrow night's debate. I think she is a lady of admirable
character and engaging personality. But those traits do not, in my
book, suffice for a good vice president. I hope, deeply, that I am
wrong. But if I am, it is not because I am an elitist, but because
Palin will have risen above her level of experience. Very few
people can do so. And it is decidely NOT elitist to say so.
topics:
Conservatism
