Game Change- Tess Kihm

From watching "Game Change", it is clear that proper political vetting is vital to a successful presidential campaign. Sarah Palin may have looked like she was the perfect VP candidate, but in actuality, she had no idea what she was talking about when it came to issues of foreign policy and even issues on the home-front. Once it was clear that Palin was not clear on policy issues, McCain's campaign fell apart. The public could no longer could trust that Palin was ready to take on the vice-presidency, and it was clear that Obama and Biden had much more experience and knowledge.
When it comes to national political campaigns, I would like to think that career politicians with lots of experience would be valued over the candidate running solely on their ability to use their charisma and popularity to win over the American people. I think the best candidate would be a perfect combination of both aspects, charisma and experience. The president represents America and the American people, and needs to be able to be charismatic. They will have to tackle numerous speeches throughout their presidency, and be able to present themselves well to the rest of the world and world leaders. The most important thing a president needs to be though, is experienced. Their primary role is to make important decisions and create programs to better the country, and in order to do that, they need to be knowledgeable on the issues facing the nation. The biggest issue that Palin faced during her campaign, was her lack of experience. Her good acting skills could only take her so far, and once it was clear to the public that she did not understand major policy issues, they lost trust.