…a few things I learned from “Going Rogue”
Sarah Palin’s belief in servant-leadership. She understands that politics is about the people, not the politicians:
-”One Christmas Eve a man called me at home to give me his take on the city’s burdensome sewer system. I talked to him for two hours.”
-”On rope lines across the country, I remember making eye contact with special needs families and caretakers. This connection was a kind of mutual aknowledgement that said, Yes! Their lives are precious!They’re worthy! And now we’re going to let America know that there’s no need to be afraid or hesitant. Instead let’s work together to make this world a more welcoming place for everyone with special needs.”
She’s not interested in pulling strings for special interest groups (on either side):
-…but this issue in Alaska, the court was the lawful interpreter of the state Constitution. The promise I had made when being sworn into office was to uphold the Constitution. That meant I would be bound by the judiciary’s ruling. So when conservatives in the legislature passed a bill that would prohibit state benefits from same-sex couples, the court ruled it unconstitutional, so I vetoed it.”
She’s funny:
-”At one point we [she and Charlie Gibson] jumped out of the van to film in front of the pipeline when a truck full of hunters swung in on their way to a moose camp up the highway. They asked us for a picture, and I was delighted. Charlie straightened his collar, but the guys in their hunting gear and camo vests just handed their cameras to Charlie and asked him to take snapshots of me standing with them by their truck.”
-She describes waiting in the wings before being introduced in the vice-presidential debate. When she looked across the stage to where Joe Biden was standing, this is what she saw:
“He put his hands on his hips, staring grimly at some point behind me, began to bend at the waist, bouncing first to the right, then to the left. Then the neck rolls started, presumably to get rid of all of that nasty tension from being the front-runner. After that, the senator from Delaware began stretching his quads, grabbing his dress shoe and pulling it up behind his designer-suited rear end. Right leg, then left. I’m thinking, O-kay. Didn’t know this was going to get physical.”
It’s a fascinating and inspiring book that gives us glimpses of politics as it should be. We can only hope for more leaders (Republican and Democrat) who share Palin’s belief that politics should be citizen driven, not special-interests driven.