Even though Sarah Palin presumably cannot see China from her house, she never-the-less can give a speech there with that wit and wisdom she is so noted for. So, yesterday in all her glory the former vice presidential nominee and former Alaskan governor addressed an annual conference of investors in Hong Kong. It was billed, according to the www.huffingtonpost.com as a wide-ranging talk about governance, economics and U.S. and Asian affairs. This was her first trip to Asia so what she might actually know about “Asian affairs” is anyones guess.
In part of her speech Palin said “I’m going to call it like I see it and I will share with you candidly a view right from Main Street U.S.A.” I suppose the problem I see here is, what credentials does she have to speak to foreign business people about Main Street U.S.A. I’m not saying she couldn’t talk about Alaska, or hunting or fishing or shoes or teen pregnancy, or subjects she has direct experience or knowledge of but economics and Main Street U.S.A. to global finance people? I mean, I’m a writer and it would be like me trying to do technical or scientific writing and even with help I could never come across as remotely credible in those areas. I would end up embarrassing myself.
It was well known during her Primary run that foreign affairs was not her strong point and I have it on good authority that just touching down in an airplane in Asia does not necessarily add to your Asian knowledge . Funny how that works. Although she never brought up Obama’s name, she evidently called his campaign promises “nebulous, utopian sounding… I really wish to God she would get rid of that thesaurus.
While many thought it was hard to decipher what her point actually was she did spend a lot of time talking about how we are in this mess because of government interference, claimed that average Americans are unhappy with any health care reform that infringe on private enterprise (in many eyes the problem) and spent a lot of time knocking Obama’s directives and-or policies. Two U.S. delegates present left early and said it was awful. Many Americans feel that if you are in a foreign country particularly, it is a horrible move to knock any sitting President. But, Palin has never been considered a class act so that should have been expected.
What many of us are still in a quandry about I guess, is why was she asked to speak in Hong Kong in the first place? Curiosity, speaking ability, knowledge, her glasses, hairdo? I can only think of one thing myself and it is a direct quote from her Katie Couric interview: ” That’s why I say, I like ever (sic) American I’m speaking with were ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the tax payers looking to bailout.” You betcha, it is most definitely the speaking ability.
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