Why America Won't Buy Palinism

[babylonsister]

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/11/why-america-wont-buy-palinism.html

Why America Won't Buy Palinism
Andrew Sullivan

26 Nov 2010 12:26 pm


I didn't note Sarah Palin's verbal screw-up when she called South Korea North Korea in an interview with Glenn Beck. Why? Because in context it seemed like a simple verbal slip-up, the kind everyone makes from time to time. Yes, when you listen to the whole thing, there's a weird, nervous-laughter defensiveness about her recognition that she got something wrong, but she gets the benefit of the doubt in my book.

What's really fascinating is her response. It's a merciless, grammar-free, snearing compilation of Obama verbal gaffes. It's like a blog-post from some Malkin clone:

My fellow Americans in all 57 states, the time has changed for come. With our country founded more than 20 centuries ago, we have much to celebrate – from the FBI’s 100 days to the reforms that bring greater inefficiencies to our health care system. We know that countries like Europe are willing to stand with us in our fight to halt the rise of privacy, and Israel is a strong friend of Israel’s. And let’s face it, everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma and they end up taking up a hospital bed. It costs, when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early, and they got some treatment, and ah, a breathalyzer, or an inhalator. I mean, not a breathalyzer, ah, I don’t know what the term is in Austrian for that…

This may be a smart-ass retort; it may be useful innoculation against a potentially damaging gaffe; it may even be a well-researched blog-post, but what it isn't is anything approaching the kind of character we expect in a president. A simple respect for the office she seeks would not reflect itself in these increasingly callow, sarcastic, cheap jibes at a sitting president. But sadly, like so many now purporting to represent conservatism, there is, behind the faux awe before the constitution, a contempt for the restraint and dignity a polity's institutions require from its leaders.

There is no maturity here; no self-reflection; no capacity even to think how to appeal to the half of Americans who are already so appalled by her trashy behavior and cheap publicity stunts. There is a meanness, a disrespect, a vicious partisanship that, if allowed to gain more power, would split this country more deeply and more rancorously than at any time in recent years. And that's saying something.

[lunatica]

1. She thinks that getting more attention is equal to getting more power

She's wrong. The number of people who truly support her has never changed, except to diminish in size.

The court jester gets a lot of attention, but never gets to be king.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

2. What can you say when 20% of the people think Obama is muslim.

[Andy823]

4. Well...

Since the same 20% who think Obama is Muslim also support Palin, I would say they are simply the same bunch of idiots! Sure she has a "base" the far out fringes of the right wing, but the vast majority of americans aren't that stupid, and even the moderate and mainstream republicans don't want this lunatic in office! No she will keep her base, and the idiots will continue to give her their money, but she will never be able to fool enough people to become president. Now she may run in the republican primary, I doubt it, but she has to win and that won't be easy for someone with so little knowledge of the world and it's problems!

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

5. So why did Republicans run her for vice president?

Did they want to loose?

[babylonsister]

6. They knew practically nothing about her imo; I bet they're sorry now. nt

[CrispyQ]

7. The McCain camp didn't properly vet her.

They thought a woman on the ticket would sway a lot of Clinton supporters. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Now they are stuck with her & her out of control ego & her thrill of thumbing her nose at the republican PTB.



Of course, there's another camp that says, yes, they did want to lose. They knew the shit pile bush/cheney left behind & are counting on the short memories of Americans to forget, in four years, about bush/cheney's role in the clusterfuck.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

10. I believe the latter.

[babylonsister]

11. Perfect 'toon and response! Props! nt

[Blue_In_AK]

12. You're absolutely correct about the lack of vetting.

That was something that had all of us up here absolutely amazed when she was announced as the VP candidate. McCain's people didn't talk to anyone in our legislature, Republican or Democrat. They didn't talk to her friends, her enemies, the Alaska Republican Party, her neighbors. They didn't talk to ANYONE. If they had, they would have known what a divisive figure she was here within the state Republican party. They would have known that she was so frequently absent from her job that people in Juneau had taken to wearing "Where's Sarah" buttons that someone had cleverly produced.

The day we first heard that Sarah was nominated, we were camping with my daughter and her family, and we all had a huge laugh. It was so utterly ridiculous that we could hardly believe it.

[golfguru]

8. Because DOM McCain has a roving eye?

and she was better looking than the others he considered?

[Peregrine Took]

3. Had she been an intelligent person....

She would have continued on as governor of Alaska, and 'used the remaining time in office to develop herself.

She would have traveled all over the world seeking extended trade alliances for her state, talked to world leaders, read the Great Books (and used that to her advantage by promoting same for students.)

She would have adopted a more sedate public image and cut out the one-liners, kept her family out of the limelight and, in general, just conducted herself more like Hillary Clinton than Phyillis Diller

[Peacetrain]

9. A celebrity and nothing more.. a halfgovinator... K&R

[MrsCorleone]

13. America won't be buying Palinism, because they will be buying this instead:

IMO, it'll be Romney/Rubio, a very hard ticket to beat. Palin is the distraction.


H.W Bush has already given an unofficial endorsement to Romney. Now, watch the RW media and, in turn, the teabaggers fall in line with Romney.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/11/24/elder_bush_praises_romney/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Top+political+stories

"WASHINGTON — Former President George H.W. Bush has offered Mitt Romney what some might consider an informal endorsement, saying he thinks the former Massachusetts governor would be “a very good president.’’

“We like Mitt Romney,’’ Bush said on CNN Monday night, when asked by host Larry King who his personal favorite is for the 2012 race for president. “We know him well and like him very much.’’

“He’s a reasonable guy,’’ he added. “A conservative fellow, which is good. But no, I think he’d be a good president, a very good president.’’"

[COLGATE4]

15. I believe you've hit the nail on the had. Mittens will come across

as a 'pro-business, experienced mature statesman, while TeaBag Rubio will appeal to the Latino and uber-conservatives. If that's their ticket, Obama is going to have his hands full.

[nxylas]

14. I fear Sully is too optimistic

Overestimating the intelligence of the electorate once again.

[Vinca]

16. That was my first thought. Look at 2 terms of Shrub with wars thrown in to boot.

[nxylas]

17. And 2 terms of Reagan

The "she'll never win, she's too stupid" line seems like a triumph of hope over experience.