Small Town Politics

The Democrats and the media all seem to be making a big deal of the fact that Gov. Palin was once the Mayor of a small town. They seem to be saying that this somehow makes her unfit for the office of the Vice President of the United States, always skipping over the fact that she is, even now, a Governor. Their reasoning escapes me.

I have been thinking about this for the past few days, and it seems to me that what really doesn't make any sense is that we don't demand that people have experience in local politics before we elect them to high office. My point is, as a Mayor of a small town, you have to make decisions, and quite a few of them, on a regular basis. What's more, you can't hide from the decisions you make, you have to live with them. Even more than that, you see, day in and day out, how your decisions have affected the people in your town. If you make a bad decision, you can't escape it. Every time you go to the grocery store, or the bank, or for a walk, you will see the people directly affected by what you have done. And, you are affected by your own decisions. Also, your office is not somewhere far away, or hard to find, so people come and see you with ideas, or when they are unhappy. You literally live what you do.

Too often people begin their political careers in Congress or State Houses, far away from the people they represent, and don't really have to live the decisions that they make, at least, not the way a small town Mayor does. This makes it far too easy for them to be out of touch with the voters, and with the lives of the people.

There is something to be gained from being a Small Town Mayor that you really don't get from any higher level of politics, and I suspect that this stays with you.

I believe that Sarah Palin understands full well that what she does, if elected to go to Washington, will affect the people, and don't we want someone that understands that?

Is her time as a Small Town Mayor something that works against her? I certainly don't think so. In my mind, we should demand it from any who seek a higher office.