Does Sarah Palin have the experience?

So ask the headlines written by those who don’t like her or the novelty of someone from out of the beltway gaining power, someone who has not paid her dues…to the “establishment,” the feminists and the socialist democrats.

The answer is “It doesn’t matter.”

The loathing of Ronald Reagan was in part due to the failed hope that he would not succeed. He was not a brilliant man but his skill was in the selection of people who were. He did succeed. He had experience, of course, “managing” the state of California as Palin has Alaska, but he was also intuitive about choosing people who understood the system and the politics of D.C. better than he.

Historically, those most elitist of institutions, the public school systems, will not hire individual in to senior administration unless the candidate has an advanced degree in, well, uh, “education.” The candidate must have "experience" and qualifications." That should include a PhD in education. Unless of course the favored candidate is a black man. Then experience and qualifications no longer matter.

In the early 1990’s the Seattle public school system wanted a black man as superintendent. No matter his qualifications and experience. He had none. He had been a senior officer in the service. But because the school board wanted a black man and he met that sole qualification, he got the job. You still won’t see solicitations for those jobs sans the requirement for an advanced degree in education but if the school system wants an appointment for any reason other than competence, they will make that appointment and explain it to no one.

To the superintendent’s credit his background as a senior military officer meant that he had managerial skills and he did his best. He had some successes. Can anyone really manage a school system under the watchful eye of the U.S. Department of Education, a state’s department of education and the employees’ unions?

Sarah Palin does not need “experience.” What she has is a brain (she has a heart but that is not a qualification), the ability to surround herself with staff who complement her skills and knowledge, and a sincere interest (lacking in Washington) to serve the public. She is certainly more qualified than Obama whose credits include inciting black racists and suing banks that resisted making bad loans to blacks in impoverished communities.

Since “qualification” and “experience” are buzz words and their use is always shallow.

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