Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who ran as VP on the McCain ticket in 2008, has been praised as a “class act” by her detractors after she gave Biden’s freshly-announced VP pick Kamala Harris a long list of do’s and don’ts.
While US President Donald Trump has already unleashed scathing criticism on Harris, mocking her poor performance in the Democratic primaries, the now-official Biden running mate has received surprising words of encouragement from another Republican.
In a lengthy post on Instagram, Palin, who was relentlessly ridiculed by Democrats during her stint as running mate for the late Senator McCain, gave the third female VP pick in history advice on how to handle her time in the spotlight.
“Congrats to the democrat VP pick Climb upon Geraldine Ferraro’s and my shoulders, and from the most amazing view in your life consider lessons we learned,” Palin wrote, before providing Harris with thorough guidelines on how to stand her ground while campaigning on behalf of the other guy.
“Some yahoos running campaigns will suffocate you with their own self-centered agenda so remember YOU were chosen for who YOU are. So stay connected with America as you smile and ignore deceptive ‘handlers’ trying to change you,” Palin went on, although it’s unclear if she was citing her own firsthand experience in that regard.
Palin also warned Harris that she should not trust anyone “new” straight “out of the chute,” in addition to being careful about not getting “muzzled” by political operatives.
Rounding up her post, Palin told Harris to bask in the moment.
“Have fun!” she counseled. “This IS the greatest country in the world and hopefully you’ll be blessed beyond belief, like I was, with meeting new people from all walks of life and see just how great it is!”
Palin’s kind-hearted message comes in stark contrast to the reaction by GOP congressional leaders, who tore into Harris right away. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) argued that Harris’ “record would immediately disqualify her to any moderate, steady-handed candidate,” while House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (Wyoming) branded the former prosecutor a “radical liberal.”
Liberals on Twitter were quick to extol the virtues of the former Republican VP candidate, commending her for her courteous message and fair-mindedness.
class act
This, however, did not stop some backers of the Biden-Harris ticket from employing a more condescending tone.
I don’t think Kamala needs advice from *anyone but I read this in the well meaning spirit I think it was given, which is refreshing in today’s climate.
Others noted that Palin came out far more mature than those on the other side of the aisle when they were seeking to bring her down back in 2008.
“Whatever your thoughts on Palin, the process took a well respected [governor] & sort of destroyed her life. Not a fine moment for presidential politics,” WaPo and NYT correspondent Jose Del Real tweeted, calling her gesture “gracious & earnest.”
I was so struck by Sarah Palin’s “welcome to the club” insta post to Kamala Harris. It was gracious & earnest. Whatever your thoughts on Palin, the process took a well respected gov & sort of destroyed her life. Not a fine moment for presidential politics. https://t.co/zL5nsYyCQgpic.twitter.com/8VRXD7IuYr
“Helluva lot nicer than anyone on the other side has ever been to her. She wasn’t ready for primetime, but dad gum folks were awful nasty to her,” another commenter said.
helluva lot nicer than anyone on the other side has ever been to her. She wasn’t ready for primetime, but dad gum folks were awful nasty to her.
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