Nativism?

I confess that I don't know much about the controversial Alaskan Independence Party, in which Todd and Sarah Palin are either remotely associated with or members, depending upon who you talk to.

I do kind of wonder whether they have some kind of "children of the soil" concept that requires them to emphasize the importance of having a native origin, ie. birth on Alaskan soil.

I ask that because of the many stories popping up about Sarah Palin, one of the more intriguing is the lengths she went to make sure that Trig was born in Alaska.

The story has it that she got on an airplane, made several stops, and finally landed in Wasilla while she was essentially in labor. It's certainly possible that she really wanted to have the child with family around, but why bother to take the trip in the first place?

It's just speculation for now, but I'd be curious to know whether AIP has some native-born requirement tucked away in its manifesto.

Vice Presidential Idol

Via Digby, Nomi Prins writes about the reality show aspect of Sarah Palin's nomination:

Then, I realized that Palin's omnipresence isn't about John McCain or Barack Obama, or even this week's RNC. It's not about her experience or stance on issues. It's about the "Pop" American Dream.

The old American Dream is dying. Rampant economic inequality makes the cost of working hard to achieve prohibitive. In a culture where more people vote for the next American Idol than for the next president, no wonder Sarah Palin is the top story: She defines the new American Dream, where leaping to the top against all odds is the end goal in itself. Of course there are voters appalled that someone 'like her' can be a 'heartbeat away from the presidency.' But there are also plenty of voters delighted that someone 'like her' has a shot at the ultimate American Dream—a spot in the White House.

This is an aspect of Palin's nomination that frankly has me a bit baffled. Clearly, as someone who has only recently become the governor of a relatively small population state after being mayor of a relatively small population town, and who has publicly admitted to not knowing what the position entails, she isn't even remotely qualified to be Vice President or for that matter, President of the most powerful country on earth. The correct answer to the McCain people should have been: "I'm flattered and honored, but for the good of the country (Country First?), I respectfully decline."

Have we gotten to the point where we really believe that anybody can become President? Our mythology has always been that anyone can aspire to become President, but you shouldn't just get to be Vice President because someone asks you to do it. There should be some sense of qualification involved.

Seriously. Suppose you happened to be visiting the hospital one day, and suddenly a gunshot victim is brought to you on a gurney, and the orderly grabs you and says "you have to operate or the patient will die." If you had any sense, you'd probably reassure him there are undoubtedly real, trained and experienced trauma surgeons in that very hospital, and that since you are not even a doctor and you have no business getting near the patient. You would not succumb to vanity and start scrubbing up, hoping that maybe you can cram a bit, and wing it.

But there she was, Ms. Wasilla herself, standing up front of the slobbering Republican masses in the XCel Center claiming that she has the guts to stand a heartbeat away from the Button. Good for her–she's won the lottery–but since we are talking about the lives of every American here, frankly I'm getting a little sick and tired of being treated like I'm nothing more than the audience member of a reality show.

I make predictions

I give Palin 10 days, 30 days tops before she tearfully and respectfully "requests that her nomination be withdrawn" so she can "spend more time with her family."