Quintessence

As a teacher, I am always a bit bemused by students who attempt to cram for an exam. They come to my door a day before wondering "what is on the test" and how they should prepare. Because they have not made the effort needed to develop a coherent understanding of the material, they are justifiably afraid that they will not be able to regurgitate the requisite disconnected factoids Most often these are students who seldom show up for class and/or stare blankly into space when they do. Finally, when the scores are posted they complain that they were up all night studying and still only managed a charitable D. When they come to wheedle and whine, it usually becomes painfully apparent that they are lazy pretenders with a strong sense of entitlement.

On the other end of the spectrum are the legitimate students -- those who actually read the assigned material, show up every day, ask pertinent questions in class. With minimal anxiety they typically get As and Bs without all night study session. More importantly, they have a real understanding of the material and can evaluate evidence and even extend plausible conjectures in the face of uncertainty and complexity. They can think and speak for themselves. They can participate in an unscripted dialogue. Such students are a great joy to be around and frankly are the one's that make teaching worthwhile.

Watching Palin try to "cram" over the past few weeks makes it painfully apparent that she is, and apparently alway has been, that first kind of pseudo-student. She believes she doesn't need to learn because in her experience she has always been able to fake her way along the path of least reistance. She can read from a teleprompter. She 'knows what she knows' even in the face of overwhelming counter-evidence (as evidenced by her take on evolution) and when called on her willful ignorance (or flat-out lying) she claims she is being persecuted by a maliciously liberal media. Rick Davis, lobbyist-turned-McCain-campaign-manager thinks Sarah is entitled to deference and she apparently agrees. Sorry Sarah, but this has nothing to do with liberal or conservative and everything to do with a lack of real preparation on your part.

If Palin had any significant understanding of foreign policy, economic policy, science policy, energy policy, educational policy, tax policy, fiscal policy, environmental policy...something, anything...you would think it might be evidenced by an ability to talk about 'it' -- whatever 'it' might be. Her continued silence and deer-in-the-headlights look is exactly that of the ill-prepared student facing a big exam. Her handlers are hoping that cramming can get her through her big exam (VP debate) but it is clear that she is a complete sham. She will not talk about her ideas precisely because does not have any (Her fallacious "I stopped the bridge to nowhere" and her vacuous "drill, baby, drill" chants don't count). Note: for her neo-con handlers and backers, her vacuity is apparently a virtue.

We all know many of these pseudo-students (indeed, to varying degrees, most of us were these pseudo-students) and in truth they can be fun to be around most of the time. They're the folks who encouraged everyone to knock off the studying and head to the game, to check out the new band down at the pub, to watch a favorite re-run of some silly sitcom. Just regular guys and gals -- somebody with whom you would happily have a beer or two. But...not someone you would want as your surgeon, your pilot, or your president.

Think of your best friends, the people you most enjoy hanging out with...nice folks undoubtedly but probably not presidential material. Effective leadership in a complex and dynamic world demands a level of intellectual acumen and uncompromising integrity that few among us possess and that Palin clearly lacks. One would hope that we would select our leaders from the best and brightest among us rather than seeing Bubbahood (or Bubbette-hood?) as a somehow desirable leadership trait.

Labels: Politics