[PAA-Discuss] The 11 Dumbest Things Sarah Palin Has Said So Far
Juli3 at aol.com
Juli3 at aol.com
Fri Oct 24 08:07:10 EDT 2008
By _AlterNet Staff_ (http://www.alternet.org/authors/2909/) , _AlterNet_
(http://www.alternet.org/) . Posted _October 23, 2008_
(http://www.alternet.org/ts/archives/?date[F]=10&date[Y]=2008&date[d]=23&act=Go/) .
When Sarah Palin was first added to the Republican ticket, the McCain
campaign went to almost comical extremes to guard her from press scrutiny. The
Alaska governor was hustled through photo opportunities, kept from doing
interviews and hidden from reporters at several events. Palin did prove adept at
reading from a teleprompter in front of conservative supporters, though, so the
campaign mostly had her do that.
When Palin finally made her teleprompter-When Palin finally made her
teleprompter-<WBR>free debut in an interview with Charlie Gibson, it became clear
why McCain had effectively kept his running mate in quarantine: Palin was
uninformed and inarticulate; she said embarrassingly stupid things; and she
looked at Gibson as tho
Since then, the Alaska governor has done little to dispel concerns that she
can't articulate thoughts that aren't preprogrammed talking points. More than
once, Palin has slipped into George W. Bush territory with statements so
absurdly inane they seem closer to Dada art than standard political speech.
We've assembled the 11 strangest, dumbest, most alarming and most harmful
statements to come courtesy of Palin since she joined the McCain ticket. Here
is Gov. Sarah Palin, in her own words.
1. The News Makes Me Sad ... So I Don't Watch It
Sarah Palin at a North Carolina fundraiser:
At those times on the campaign trail when sometimes it's easy to get a
little bit discouraged, when, you know, when you happen to turn on the news when
your campaign staffers will let you turn on the news ... Usually they're like
"Oh my gosh, don't watch. You're going to, you know, you're going to get
depressed."
Maybe her handlers could put on a puppet show instead -- something fun that
allows Palin to maintain her cheery optimism in the face of overwhelming
evidence that the McCain campaign has imploded. There was once another politician
similarly unconcerned with current events and the news: George W. Bush. That
went well.
2. The People Don't Elect U.S. Presidents, God Does
Upon being asked by James Dobson if the McCain ticket's precipitous slide in
the polls _gets her down_
(http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/REL_PALIN_DOBSON?SITE=CAGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) :
... [it] strengthens my faith, because I'm going to know, at the end of the
day, putting this in God's hands, that the right thing for America will be
done at the end of the day on Nov. 4. So I'm not discouraged at all.
... and I can feel it too, Dr. Dobson. I can feel the power of prayer, and
that strength that is provided through our prayer warriors across this nation.
Ah yes, the always helpful "prayer warriors," whose appeals to the Almighty
actually count for more than the average American citizen's vote. Apparently
the next president of the United States will be handpicked by God.
3. Palin Believes in "Divided" States of America
At a fundraiser:
We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to
visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America
, being here with all of you hardworking, very patriotic, um, very, um,
pro-America areas of this _great nation_
(http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/palin-visits-a-pro-america-kind-of-town/) .
Palin later apologized for the statement. But her backpedaling shouldn't get
her off the hook for putting forth a deeply divisive vision of America . How
would conservatives have reacted if, in an attempt to pander to yuppie
liberals, Obama said "I love visiting the parts of the country where people aren't
close-minded assholes"? Probably not well.
4. The Vice President Is Supreme Boss of the Senate
Here's what Palin said when Brandon, an elementary school student, _asked_
(http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/21/palin-vp-senate/) : "What does the vice
president do?"
That's something that Piper would ask me! ... They're in charge of the U.S.
Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and
make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and
his family and his classroom.
To be fair, Palin had no idea what the VP does the _last time_
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/29/sarah-palin-what-exactly_n_122514.html") the
issue came up, so this is almost an improvement. Except that saying the vice
president is in charge of the U.S. Senate reveals an embarrassing ignorance of
our government's system of checks and balances. Also, it's a bit
disconcerting to hear someone running for VP endow that office with God-like powers over
a separate branch of government.
5. Delusional Response to Troopergate
"Well, I'm very, very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing ... any
hint of any kind of unethical activity there," _said Sarah Palin last
Sunday_ (http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/553680.html) , soon after she was
found to have engaged in wrongdoing and unethical activity in the "Troopergate"
investigation. Again, a propensity for denial and lies, a deep aversion to
reality -- not the best ways to signal your commitment to "change" from
"politics as usual."
6. Vicious Attack on Obama
The following quote needs little introduction. It's famous now, not only for
its inaccuracy but also for how much this line of attack has fallen flat
with voters and backfired on the McCain campaign:
Our opponent though, is someone who sees America it seems as being so
imperfect that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own
country.
Outright deception is probably not something the American voters are looking
to put in the White House; pretty sure they've had enough of that in the
past eight years.
7. The Lord is a Pollster
While speaking in North Carolina, Palin decided to take a moment to thank
God for a very small bump she and McCain experienced in their otherwise sliding
poll numbers.
We even saw today, thank the Lord, we saw some movement.
People often thank God for things that appear to be outside the realm of
divine intervention. An incredibly small bump in the polls though? Seems
excessive. Not to mention, Obama now has the widest lead he has ever had in the
polls. Should God be given credit for that too?
8. America 's Teachers' Rewards Are in Heaven (but Nowhere to Be Found on
Earth)
In the vice presidential debate, Palin had this to say about Sen. Joe
Biden's wife's career in education:
You mentioned education, and I'm glad that you did. I know education you
are passionate about with your wife being a teacher for 30 years, and God bless
her. Her reward is in heaven, right?
Governor, America 's teachers should not have to wait until heaven; they
should be praised and rewarded right here on Earth. Possibly with living-wage
salaries.
9. I Read ... All the Publications
When Katie Couric _asked_ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyoafptEm5c) Palin
the complex trick question of where she gets her news, the two women had the
following exchange:
Couric: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious,
what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped
for this -- to stay informed and to understand the world?
Palin: I've read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press,
for the media --
Couric: But what ones specifically? I'm curious.
Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all
these years.
Couric: Can you name any of them?
Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news.
With all of the intensive reading Palin has done over the years, it's a
wonder she's had time to do other important things, like govern Alaska and learn
to play the _flute._ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0OZ9W2K_z0)
10. Some of my best friends are gay, but ...
>From the same interview with Couric:
One of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years happens to be gay and
I love her dearly, and she is not my "gay" friend, she is one of my best
friends, who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I have made,
but ... I'm _not gonna judge people._
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkuIQH0z-RQ)
Stating in no uncertain terms that being gay is a choice is an odd thing to
do on mainstream, national television when medical and psychological
associations have contended for years that sexual orientation is biologically
determined. Then, she slimily criticizes that so-called "choice" by saying it is not
one she would make. But hey, some of her best friends are gay ...
11. A Little Wet Behind the Ears ...
During the vice presidential debate, when Palin was asked which policy plans
proposed by the McCain-Palin ticket would have to suffer due to the current
economic crisis, Palin gave a pretty dubious response: none. When pressed on
the issue, Palin decided that an easy out would be to fall back on her
inexperience:
And how long have I been at this, like five weeks?
Uh ... wow, that actually wasn't dumb at all. In that case, she was
absolutely right.
That's our list. Please make any additions you see fit in the comments below.
Let there be Peace on Earth and Let it begin with Me
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