Palin v. Federer
When I saw that Sarah Palin resigned yesterday, my first thought was “who will replace her as Alaska’s Governor?” Turns out it is their Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell. I have read many takes on this resignation, some saying that it precedes a scandal, others saying that it was a carefully timed ploy to grab headlines on the most patriotic day of the year.
To me, this shows one big glaring characteristic about Ms. Palin: She doesn’t understand the gravity of an election. An election is a very big deal. 51% of the Alaskan people thought would make a good governor, and now she is willing to turn over that job to a guy who did not win that race, and whose capacity as governor no one (including Parnell himself) knows. By abdicating the office, she leaves a lot of people in the lurch who believed enough to cast their vote for her. That says a lot about someone, especially someone who wants a future in politics.
On a mildly related note, Roger Federer accepted the Wimbledon trophy with exceptional grace and humility. Tennis players, for the most part, make great champions, and when I hear the unrelenting squawking of most American politicians, I think there are a few lessons to be learned from tennis greats about representing a proud history well.
