I just watched about 20 minutes of Sarah Palin interviews here. Not a good way to set the mood for my day! Her inability to talk about anything other than opportunities we "cannot afford" to miss and to conceive of a scenario where things don't go exactly according to her(/God's) plan is breathtaking! Not in the magical pixar way, but in the "I've somehow been flung into outer space and the cold, heartless vacuum is sucking every ounce of life out of of me and I hope it's over soon because the pa[l]in is just that unbearable" kind of way.
She also apparently can't mention a single detail about any of her policies:
"Couric: When President Bush ran for office, he opposed nation-building. But he has spent, as you know, much of his presidency promoting democracy around the world. What lessons have you learned from Iraq? And how specifically will you try to spread democracy throughout the world?
Palin: Specifically, [emphasis mine] we will make every effort possible to help spread democracy for those who desire freedom, independence, tolerance, respect for equality."
Could you be less specific, please? HAVE YOU NO SHAME? It reminds me of the lowly sophomore (myself included) squirming in their seats trying to answer questions in Prof. Liebowitz's "H201 Intro to Modern Lit: Darwin and the Modern Ache."
But I digress:
"Couric: ....Why do you believe additional troops, U.S. troops, will solve the problem there? [Afghanistan)
Palin: Because we can't afford to lose in Afghanistan, as we cannot afford to lose in Iraq, either, these central fronts on the war on terror."
Huh? Troops will solve the problem because the problem needs to be solved? (Also, a "Central front" is a little oxymorinic, right?)
There was a similar moment regarding the bailout, but I can't find it in the transcript. The question - what will happen if the bailout fails? Answer: we can NOT afford for the bailout to fail! Ergo...er...huh? Is there some correlation between something being bad and its being impossible that I've missed out on all my life? Perpahs that's a corollary of believing you're doing God's work?
Please send this link to any of your friends who are terrified and not planning on being in the US come election day:
http://www.fvap.gov/
4 comments:
Mike, I agree with you about her comments (except about the central front being oxymoronic. I think she meant that these fronts were central to the war on terror, so that's a phrase I would accept.). Part of it is pandemic with politicians. If you watched the presidential debate (and actually I think this one was better than the Kerry, Bush debates), the failure of candidates to answer a question is sometimes infuriating. However, in the case of the debate, at least the candidates said something of meaning, even if it wasn't a direct answer. I seriously doubt that Palin is stupid, but she shows little ability to convey complex thought in interviews. I'm looking forward to the VP debate (at WashU!).
Yeah, I'm aware the central front thing was nitpicky, and I'm also aware that Palin is not the only question-dodger. But it's been a while since I've seen such obvious instances of it.
I am pretty sure I didn't call Palin stupid. But there's a significant difference between saying that someone is not stupid and saying they're a good VP candidate. And I worry that her problem might not be an inability to "convey complex thoughts," but rather just not having had much of a chance or impetus to think about politics on a national or international scale.
I haven't had a chance to watch the other debates yet, but I'll get to it.
I sent mine and bobby's absentee request in last week. VA is going to be very close this year, I wish I were at home to vote!
As a woman, I find Palin terrifying. As british feminists learned from Margaret Thatcher, it means nothing for women's rights to have a woman in the highest political offices if that woman isn't actually on our side.
Yeah, I wasn't trying to suggest that you were calling her stupid. And you're probably right that her problem is more being unfamiliar with these issues on this scale than having a problem articulating her position. Part of me thought it might be that, though, because of her avoiding the media. But I haven't heard her speak enough to really have a worthwhile opinion. Mostly I just hear what she has said from other sources, which is never a fair way to judge.
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