I remember the morning I woke up in my college dorm room and went in to take my final exam in my Formal Logic class. I knew I was unready. Massively unready. And now I was going to be put to the ultimate test. I sat down in Dr. Sarkar's class and resolved to wing it. Of course I failed the exam and failed the class, because I had no idea what I was talking about. I wasn't a bad kid, or even a stupid kid. I was just badly unprepared, and in way over my head. Seeing the Palin interview on CBS, I thought of myself in Dr. Sarkar's exam. But see, I was a college undergraduate who had the chance to take the class again, which I did, and passed (barely). I wasn't running for vice president of the United States.I've been thinking a lot about this nomination and rewatching the videos of Palin's interview. Honestly, it's all made me tremendously sad. There are lot of us lefties who are guffawing right now and are happy to see Palin seemingly stumbling drunkenly from occasional interview to occasional interview. I may have been one of them. But I'm out of that group now.
The Palin pick was the most crassest, most bigoted decision that I've seen in national electoral politics, in my--admittedly short--lifetime. There can be no doubt that they picked Palin strictly as a stick to drum up the victimhood narrative--small town, hunters, big families and most importantly, women. Had Barack Obama picked Hillary Clinton, there simply is no way they would have picked Sarah Palin. To the McCain camp, Palin isn't important as a politician, or even as a person. Her moose-hunting, her sprawling fam, her hockey momdom, her impending grandmother status are a symbol of some vague, possibly endangered American thing, one last chance to yell from the rafters "We wuz robbed." Lineup all your instances of national politicians using white victimhood to get into offices--Willie Horton, White Hands, Sista Souljah, Reagan in Philadelphia etc.--they were all awful no doubt. But I have never seen a politician subject an alleged ally to something like this.
Let us take this story seriously for a moment. I have watched this whole Palin thing with some twinge of personal recognition. I come from a family of seven kids by four women. As I've said before, I've got brothers born in the same year, and brothers born to best friends. My father was a high-school drop-out. I am a college drop-out. I was a father by 24--my father had kids when he was 22. I come to books and learned things in a hard, organic way. I was watching Palin explain to Couric how it could be that she just got a passport last year, and I was thinking, "Shit, I don't have a passport now." What can I say? Azeroth was always a foreign country to me.
My point is that, Sarah Palin never struck me as stupid. When she talked about not backpacking across Europe and working her whole life, beneath the dumb anti-intellectual dig, I saw a gem of truth. I wish she had have mined it, instead of trying to score a cheap point. Rambling aside, she simply isn't ready. Maybe she would be eight years from now, but she isn't ready now, any campaign worth its salt would have known this.
In election season, there is a price for being turned into a symbol. When actual journalists, with a rep to protect, show up, they are going to do their job. Which brings me to the sexism of John McCain. He knew full well what Sarah Palin was going to face if he nominated her. He knew that reporters would go through her past, that they'd quizz her on the present, that she would need to be ready, and he shunted concern aside, and tossed her to the wolves. Think on that for a mement. For one last run at the White House, he risked a future star of the party he claims to call home. How do you do that? I don't meant to rob Palin of agency, certainly she is also a victim of her own calculations and ambitions. But where I am from the elders protect you, and pull you back when you've gone too far, when your head has gotten too big.
Of course the irony of all this is how conservatives have, for years, lampooned the liberal pursuit of multiculturalism/identity politics. But here's the thing, even when done haphazardly, awkwardly, and imprudently, the fight against bigotry and ignorance has rewards. But when you decide to not be a leader in the fight against sexism/racism and simply criticize those who do, you rob yourself of political experience. Put differently, there is a price--bigger than the black vote--to be paid for disengagement. You become ignorant of a growing sector of the world. They expected Hillary. And if it were a black man, they never even knew it could be someone like Barack Obama. So these guys go to the well one more time, and ressurect the old spectres of "Us against Them." But the fools haven't been paying attention--the"Us" has changed. This isn't Alabama, and it ain't 1968. There is a whole class of educated, working women, themselves, the children of educated working women. And this is what McCain has to say to them, "I don't care if you know a thing about foreign policy. I don't care if you know a damn thing about the economy. Here is what you are to me--breasts, hair and a lovely smile."
Turns out it helps to actually care about the fate of women, to know something about them, beyond your own lust, when going for their votes. Who'da thunk it?
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
i appreciate the humanity you're attempting to show here, but i, for one, don't feel sad in the slightest.
modern conservatism, which had some virtues when barry goldwater was first pitching it nationally, has evolved into right-wing thuggery. with any luck, the mccain-palin ticket will crash and burn so severely that the honest conservatives left (and there aren't many) resolve to take back their party from the swine.
the people who remain enthusiastic about palin are the people who will support anything as long as the "liberals" oppose it. nuts to them, nuts to her, nuts to the republican party as it stands today. she's what it deserves, and so will her and mccain's defeat be.
Wow. Best thing I've read about Sarah Palin since this whole debacle started. Thank you.
With his actions, John McCain has demonstrated he is too erratic to be President. What he is going to do if he's President and a major crisis hits, suspend the Constitution?
Brilliant and deeply humane essay. Brought tears to my eyes actually.
Thanks for this sort of nuanced view of Palin and McCain's use of her as a campaign prop.
I think a lot of the liberal critiques against Sarah Palin have all too often been about the schadenfreude regarding her performance/gaffes, when it really should be about John McCain and what her performance says about HIS values.
This is a nice, coignizant post and I hope this is how people will approach this subject in general.
She could have said "thanks, but no thanks" to McCain. She didn't. I understand the sentiment, but I can't feel all that bad for someone knowingly accepting a job that she is not qualified for.
What Howard said, all of it.
Great post. When they were intoducing Biden I wish the Obama campaign had done a better job of explaining the Violence Against Women Act, how it changed things for women, and how Biden was responsible for getting it done. When you compare the two campaigns on womens' issues the difference is just ridiculous. McCain made this cynical pick while Obama picked a guy that has arguably done as much as anyone living to protect women and their rights.
I feel sorry for Palin the woman when I see these interviews too. At the same time I'm very happy to see McCain's ruined her credibility nationally since Palin the politician's a charismatic vessel for extreme conservative, anti-feminist views.
I feel you. I actually had to stop watching the clips last night because I was getting sick to my stomach with embarrassment. Embarrassment for Palin, and embarrassment for myself for watching it all.
She doesn't strike me as dumb. You don't go from small-town mayor to governor by being dumb. You certainly don't grab a coveted commission seat (energy, I think?) after losing a state election by being dumb. You rise up like that knowing politics and knowing people.
But it's clear that she doesn't have a clue about larger issues. If you take someone who reads a newspaper twice a week and interview them, I think most would at least be able to give a rational pro/con summary of issues. I haven't seen her do that yet.
She obviously hasn't been paying attention during the last 4-6 years. Hey, that's no crime. Doesn't make her a bad person in the least.
But for the love of God, don't put her ass in the White House.
1. That is a beautifully written essay. As one who was not supportive of Palin, I concur with many of your thoughts. On Rod Dreher's blog, I wrote, several weeks ago, that I would blame McCain when Palin crashed and burned, which she was destined to do, based on her qualifications and experience and lack of vetting. However, your essay brings home the point that I've been making for weeks. Her failure is on McCain. If they had properly vetted her, there is no way they'd have chosen her. If they had properly interviewed her, they'd not have chosen her.
2. Get a damn passport. You're the kind of American we need traveling to other countries and engaging the locals. :-)
t,
You are a freakin literary samurai and you just cute me deep... keep up the good work.
I'm feel more like Howard, here. Maybe it's because I've spent 15 years as an activist, and am burned out, but as much as I cringe watching Palin, I can't bring myself to feel genuinely sorry for her. She may be a nice person -- although all the evidence points the other way -- but her politics are horrible, destructive, and evil.
And as far as miscalculating the electorate is concerned...I went and checked the results of the 2002 French Presidential election -- you know, the run-off between conservative (for a French politician), corrupt career hack Jacque Chirac and race-baiting pseudo-fascist Jean-Marie Le Pen? The results of that run-off were:
Chirac: 25,537,956 (82.21%)
Le Pen: 5,525,032 (17.79%)
Now that is how an electorate repudiates the politics of hate. And yet, even under a best-case scenario for Obama, McCain/Palin is still going to get what, about 43% of the popular vote? Meaning that well over 40,000,000 Americans will still pick them to lead our country. What McCain and Palin stand for deserve the Le Pen treatment, not what they're going to get.
I deeply admire your ability to look at a woman who would seem to be your polar opposite, and find in her a reflection of your own experiences. That sort of empathy is all too rare. And I agree with much of what you have written here, particularly that Palin is nothing more than a tool for McCain, and that he was incapable of seeing her beyond the symbolic level.
But I have to disagree, vehemently, with the extent of your co-identification. No, Sarah Palin is not stupid. But as best I can tell, she is incurious, and that is a far graver thing. Her personal experiences have been decidedly limited, but I cannot fault her for that - she is more, not less, impressive for having raised herself to prominence from a modest background. But she has displayed neither the desire nor the ability to look beyond the scope of her personal experiences. And that worries me.
It comes across in every interview she grants. She's clearly never thought about most of these issues before. What should be America's place in the world? How do we spread democracy to other countries, and is it in our interest to do so in lands in which the majority of the people would elect governments that would endorse our destruction? These are difficult questions, but many Americans have grappled with them in one form or another over the past seven years. Palin has a son heading off to serve his country in Iraq. She's the titular head of her state's national guard, and has gone to Kuwait to visit the troops. She's been a rising star in the GOP for years. You'd think that she, of all people, would have grappled with the complexities and the contradictions of our engagement abroad. But if there's any evidence of that in her remarks to date, I cannot find it.
It's not that I disagree with her answers. I disagree with McCain's answers, and often his logic, but it's clear to me that he wrestles with the questions. I listen to Palin, and I hear a simple faith, simply expressed. It's actually rather touching. She believes in America as a force for good; she's appalled by the presence of evil in the world. Fundamentally, I agree with both of those positions. But they are not policies. They are useful strategic guidelines, but in her answers, she seems to embrace them as tactical solutions. And that they are not.
I cannot claim to have shared your experiences, nor Palin's. But I read your blog because sometimes, you surprise me. Your reactions to people and events are not entirely predictable. You stretch yourself intellectually by reaching towards novel topics, and consequently produce thought-provoking observations. It may even be that, as a largely self-taught thinker, it is precisely the absence of preconceived notions and inherited orthodoxies that makes your writing lively and interesting. When I look at Palin, I see none of that. We do not have the freedom to choose our origins, but we do have the freedom to decide how we will respond to them. You seem to have responded with a voraciousness, a fierce appetite for the consumption and dispensation of knowledge, that leads you off in novel and unanticipated directions. Palin seems to have responded by embracing the things she has always known, and seeking to apply them ever more broadly. There can be no more fundamental difference in intellectual temperament.
You, sir, are no Sarah Palin.
I for one can't follow you on this, and have absolutely no pity for her.
If she's as smart as you say, wouldn't she realize just what a train wreck she would be getting into herself?
I know if someone came around and asked me to be VP, I'd be thrilled. I'd even try to justify it for a short while. Then I'd sit down, and rationally realize that I just don't have what it takes at this point in time. I know better then to prop myself up on false ego, and embarrass myself.
She should have too.
No pity for Palin, she had a choice, and she owns the results.
EXACTLY! I've been shouting to anyone who will listen that the choice of Palin shows that McCain believes women to be interchangeable; any woman'll do when you really NEED one. Even more craven is his obvious view that voters believe it too. And...some do. Walking around a woman all day long wondering who believes that, is a tiring task.
Great essay, Mr. Coates.
I've had these same thoughts. Do you know what firmly validated these emotions for me? I went to the McCain-Palin website to see what they'd written on there "women's issues" section; I was curious. Only one problem: no such section exists!!
I was suprised. How is it that a campaign with a woman on the ticket has nothing specific to say about women's issues?
Read TNC's post for the answer.
I can't feel at all sorry for Palin. It's apparent from all we've learned about her that she is extremely ambitious. She "didn't blink" when offered the nomination of vice president and now she's paying the price for her own hubris.
Conservatives don't care about the qualifications of politicians and government employees because they don't want government to do anything aside from increase the power and wealth of conservatives and their friends. Thus for McCain and most conservatives Palin is fully qualified. It doesn't matter that she doesn't know much of anything and has wingnut views on the few things she does care about. The important thing for conservatives is she hates liberals and the media, gives jobs to her friends, and would rubber stamp any Middle Eastern war, extremist judge, or capital gains tax cut that came up.
Well said. I was disgusted with McCain for choosing her, because it was such a cheap and cynical ploy. She did have the potential to grow as a politician, and while I don't agree with most of her positions, as a woman I find it offensive to see another woman's career sacrificed on the altar of identity politics.
Granted, she brought this on herself as well, but that doesn't make McCain's decision any less disturbing to me.
I feel sorry for Palin at this point. Not enough to vote for her--even if we shared more views on issues she is woefully unprepared to be president.
But did she really get elected in Alaska while being this dreadfully incoherent, repeating her talking points and flailing desperately? As I think Matt pointed out, she's been getting worse rather than better over time. I really think the McCain camp's decision to keep her away from doing any interviews for fear she wasn't up to snuff on foreign policy (which would be true of most governors) was completely backward. Surely they could have done enough diligence over the phone to determine she could speak coherently about some issue. If she'd been out there talking about all sorts of domestic stuff, the charge that she was a lightweight would have much less heft--and a governor strong on domestic policy would have made a lot of sense as a partner for McCain.
But they seem to see her as a woman and a hockey mom first and foremost, and now Fundraiser Barbie.
Your colleague Fallows is also feeling sorry for Palin today.
I truly think there's a chance that she will bow out, not in a Palin-career-destroying "I must spend more time with my family; let the blame for John's defeat fall upon me," but in a McCain-destroying "These people have treated me like an incompetent fool for almost 2 months now, and there's no way I'll tolerate this for 4 years: I am taking my base and saying to hell with them." Then she can storm back to Alaska and decide if she wants to start prepping for a national career or not (honestly she's very Alaskan, so maybe would prefer to stay there). If she does want it, then her narrative can be about how the old boys of the Republican party tried to destroy her, forcing her into their tiny box of conceptions about women and governors and normal hockey moms, but she fought her way out and she's taking the party back!
Also, it can't be all on McCain's shoulders. Gov. Palin isn't entirely powerless in this. Did she not recognize that she was being chosen for her gender? Did she recognize it and choose this path regardless? Was it ambition in the Joan Holloway tradition of using what you got to get what you want?
I feel alot of the stuff in this piece, the how did we come to this depression is squeezing all of us right now pretty hard for more reasons than we could ever need. How can people vote her to be next in line to be president? As a nation we have become so partisan that we don't see reason. I'm asking myself if I'm guilty of this too, but, damn, how can even very commited republicans be comfortable with this? I really have a rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic feeling when I talk to people about her but I can't in good conscience let someone whose thought process runs like that be one step from the presidency be behind a 72 year old man with a history of severe medical problems who is about to take on what is the highest stress job that I can imagine. Soon, as a nation we are going to have what alcoholics call a moment of clarity. It is going to hurt. We have it coming though.
Sorry about the rambling and paraphasing Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction by the way.
You're absolutely right about this, and I am very glad to see a "liberal blogger" express this clear-eyed and compassionate viewpoint. Sure, she's a political opponent, but all this schadenfreude is unbecoming of you Democrats and unfair. (Not to mention, in my opinion, counter-productive politically and sort of spiritually poisonous.) She's an adult, sure, but she clearly made an overly ambitious mistake in accepting the offer to jump aboard a sinking ship where nobody cares a bit about her. As someone who holds some conservative views but is disgusted with the Republican Party and wants to see a robust political system of ideas in America, it makes me sad to see someone of her promise screwed over like this. And I wasn't really one of her fawning fans, either. -sv
I hope that Obama wins this election.C'mon people and WAKE UP!We've had a republican in office for 8 years and look at how our economy is!!!!It's time for a CHANGE!!!OBAMA '08!!!!
Just last night a friend and I were discussing this very topic, which TNC writes about more eloquently than I. But it was the same sentiment. She's a campaign prop, and a human tragedy.
I've seen other people, who were behaving badly, and thought of the tragedy to come in their lives when the seeds they were sowing grew to full burgeon. (Damn TNC, you've got me waxing poetical.)
As long as it wasn't me involved, I often thought of how much unhappiness and pain there was to come in their life.
Such as the friend of my sister who has treated women badly his whole life, and will spend his old age without anyone in his house. Or my stepmother, for that matter. She did right by my father, for which I am grateful. But she managed to be obnoxious and petty enough to repel the rest of us. She is not having an easy time of it. There's sadness for their lot, even if it was self-inflicted.
And so it is with Sarah Palin. She's been reduced to window dressing and fundraising. She's secured Idaho and Montana for McCain, at the cost of losing more votes elsewhere.
I agree with everything you say, but "most crassest" is grammatically incorrect.
You're far more generous than I am. I feel no pity for this woman whatsoever. McCain may have put her in this position, where she is clearly way out of her depth, but she jumped at the opportunity without, as she said herself, blinking. Anyone with a drop of humility and an ounce of self-knowledge would have blinked, several times over.
From her very first speech, she's sneered at anyone who's her intellectual superior, namely Obama, insisting that her limited experience somehow made her more qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency than someone with genuine expertise. While it's been incredibly painful to watch her interviews, her failure is a just reward for the hubris, self-righteousness, and downright untruthfulness with which she's approached this process. Some small part of this former high school geeky girl can't help but delight in seeing the mean girl brought down to earth. I guess I'm just not evolved enough to pity her.
I was unable to watch the Couric interview after about 45 seconds. Then, last night I had my "dream". I show up to school (catholic elementary school) with my jumper on, but no blouse. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, total humiliation.
I have great compassion for Gov. Palin.
And
I want her to stay on the ticket, because I want Obama to win.
You brought tears to my eyes, too.
Palin's obviously not ready. But Palin reveals McCain and the Republican party in surprising detail. Their disregard for women. Their lack of caring about those rural moose-hunting folks who really are bitter.
John McCain also reveals himself in another way: his attacks on the left. He's accused Obama of being willing to lose a war to win an election, of putting himself before the nation. I have to assume McCain is capable of making these accusations because he's capable of the actions.
If it's moral insight we need to decide how to vote, I think we have enough information; McCain and Pailin themselves.
We measure others by our own yardstick. So consider Palin's and McCain's yardsticks:
Palin's, it turns out, is one of witch hunters. Those Kenyan witch hunters drive orphans out of relatives homes, relieving the economic burden the orphans place on the extended family without the social stigma because it's done in the name of Christ and the fight for good over evil. It's wrong, but at least it's something we can measure against our own lives. She would accept blessings from somebody who makes his living preying on society's most vulnerable.
McCain's yardstick seems to be made of rubber, bending any which way the wind blows, never giving consideration for the result of his Maverick bellowing. It's not a yardstick so much as a snake in the grass.
This is just a totally brilliant analysis, just absolutely brilliant, like nothing anyone else has come up with, because you really understand from personal experience what is going on here. What was that Obama said about clinging to guns and religion? Sarah P. is the ultimate confirmation of that reality.
I feel sorry for her too, to some extent, but I know an awful lot of people who don't. . .
The problem for me is that I think she is a fairly despicible person. What was done was crass and wrong and says a lot about the people who did it. But it also says a lot about her that she accepted and if it crushes any political future for her I say bring it on. I don't need a manipulative, mean spirited, apocolyptic nut running ANYTHING except maybe a mini mart. Am I being judgemental? Hell yes. Let's see if her prayer session against witchcraft helps her now. Not only is she not ready, she should not be trusted with a public office; and if she is everyone deserves what they get.
I feel bad for her, too. Or at least, I will. I'm deferring it until after Obama wins because the thought of her as VP is truly frightening. I don't think we can afford any soft feelings for Sarah at this point. There's too much at risk.
I don't think she's stupid. She's perfectly conversant on Alaska stuff. I think she's hopelessly ignorant of anything outside her backyard, and this is further exacerbated by the fact that Alaska is so different from the rest of the US. The knowledge she DOES have doesn't even translate well.
McCain is such an ass. If he was going to sink his own ship, he didn't have to bring her down with him - not to mention set back the women's movement. At first I thought (though it's hard to blame a politician for being ambitious): too bad. She should've had the sense to say no. But she's managed to convince me that she really is clueless enough to have not even had a good grasp on what she was getting herself into. Sigh.
So, yeah... I have sympathy for the lady. In 39 days. ;)
Chirac: 25,537,956 (82.21%)
Le Pen: 5,525,032 (17.79%)
Now that is how an electorate repudiates the politics of hate. And yet, even under a best-case scenario for Obama, McCain/Palin is still going to get what, about 43% of the popular vote? Meaning that well over 40,000,000 Americans will still pick them to lead our country. What McCain and Palin stand for deserve the Le Pen treatment, not what they're going to get.
Posted by Pesto | September 26, 2008 10:39 AM
What I'm looking for is a mild landslide, Obama winning at least 300 electoral votes. That would send be a big message.
Mondale won 41%, and Dukakis won 46%, but all anybody remembers is they got whupped in the Electoral College.
TNC, you're on the crest of a wave:
The Plank on the McCain campaign ruining Palin
How long does she want to put up with this intense disrespect from all the people who plopped her into this position? (I refer both to selecting her and then fatally Rapunzelling her.) As noted in Slate, you get better at interviews by doing interviews; keeping her away from interviews is the best way to ensure she'll flub them AND that each one will be microscopically analyzed.) When will her base start to be annoyed? (Right now "McCain's people are protecting Sarah from the evil media which wants to destroy her" is their narrative.)
Well written...And in a sense, I also feel sorry for her because at the end of the day, she wasn't ready, and she will not be ready.
When she was first announced as the GOP VP Nominee, I, like many other thought it was the most cynical of picks. Partly because of the reasons you so aptly expressed, but also because John McCain deprived Sarah Palin of her fair shot at establishing her political identity.
Sarah Palin, might be bright, she might be a quick study, hell she may be a political savant, a Rovian Forrest Gump for all I know. But the fact is, irrespective of her experience, she'd never expressed even a passing interest in national issues. With 60 days to go in the election, the American Public was NEVER going to get to know Sarah Palin, because the VP doesn't get to go on telling us what they'd do, they get to go around telling us why they support what the top of the ticket is going to do. The fact is, we don't really know what Palin thinks about Iraq, Iran, Pakistan or the Credit Crisis. We only know what McCain want us to think she thinks about those topics. And the fact that the McCain camp used and abused her hard-earned efforts in attaining the Alaska's highest office should be a stain on his political record and his soul.
The fact is, that while I vehemently disagree with a majority of the ascertainable stances that Palin has taken her political life and never would have voted for her, she didn't deserve to have all of her hard work pi**ed on and her family scabs ripped off for public amusement in order to get McCain his last shot at glory.
She is a grown woman and, as such, bears some responsibility for her 'arrogance of ignorance' in accepting a job she new nothing about. But I cut some slack for those 'sub-prime' folks who couldn't resist the free money being handed out like M&M's in the last few years. So how can I fault a politician for saying yes to an offer to be Vice President. Neither are good decisions, but Palin wouldn't be alone in her decision to accept the offer.
Great article.
I think we do not realize how dramatically isolated Alaska is. Palin has lived, almost her entire life, in a state that is unto itself and very much disconnected from the "lower 48, in many ways".
I read a comment from a woman who moved from Alaska to Pennsylvania. She said the problems and issues in Alaska are not REMOTELY the same.
Sarah Palin may have not known, but surely John McCain did. His maverick stuff scares me to death.
The best thing written about the Palin scandal that I've read. You go from height to height.
However, I feel nothing but contempt for Palin. I'll never forgive her for that acceptance speech at the convention, nor for her staggering arrogance to think she could be veep. How much contempt must you have for the office of President and Vice President to allow her to be your candidate?
Very insightful.
Palin did seem to have a good deal of potential -- indeed, pre-selection, see seemed to have a reasonable amount of horse-sense and a healthy distrust of the Republican party elite. Sadly, she got thrown into the deep end, and it was only the party elite who could save her.
It's an interesting question whether she'd have been another Huckabee by 2012 or 2016. Frankly, she was someone who the Republican party needs more of: local politicians willing to struggle with local issues, and often able to leave behind their ideological crankery in the effort to find local solutions.
Ta-Nehisi, and posters, how do you explain that Sarah Palin has not stepped down yet?
This is turning into the stuff of Greek Tragedy; I can almost not look at her her anymore, because all the signs are so obvious. The realization that she will be torn down by the people who are now her friends, and she will have brought it on herself by being enticed by the glamour of it all.
Don't you think that in six weeks time, when this is all over, the Rep. party will blame Sarah Palin for their loss? Whether it is just a loss in the Electoral College or an earth-shattering, apocalyptic voter meltdown has to been seen, but they are going to lose. Exit everybody, including Sarah, with shame heaped upon her head?
It is becoming too painful! Am I am watching this from the comfort zone of another Continent! If I can see it, Sarah Palin should see this coming a mile away, yeah?
Whenever I'm tempted to feel sorry for Palin being used by McCain as a prop to get what he wants, I remember Palin using her teenage daughter and Downs baby as props to get what she wants.
F*ck both of them.
I'm not feeling you on the passport thing, T-NC. I didn't get mine until this year either, but that wasn't what I took issue with.
I am sick and tired of being looked down on by small town values and the proponents thereof. What I heard from her when she talked about the parents who send their kids off backpacking was tied to insults about prep schools and moneyed elites.
My mother was divorced and raising two kids with next to no damn money in a city, and I defy her to name one value that small town people have that my Mom doesn't. I'm fucking sick of it.
And the truth is, if she has read a single book that mentions Russia or any other foreign country, my bet is that it was either written by Tom Clancy or has a painting of Fabio on the cover.
Education IS experience, and she has none.
'Nuff said.
I have moments of feeling sorry for her too, but I'm also cynical enough to worry about a groundswell of sympathy coming the more she looks lost out there. It fits right into the elitism thing: she's just a regular common-sense person, and now is being picked on by all these highly-educated, Washington-establishment types.
Another thing that checks my pity is simply the mean-spiritedness of so much of what she says, such as the crack about community organizers. I have a hard time being empathic or sympathetic to someone who is willing to be so nasty.
And the comment by Cynic highlights such an important point to me: temperament. She hasn't shown me any reason to want her in a position of authority, not because of her background, but because of her temperament. I feel the same about McCain, and certainly Bush has shown us just how much temperament really matters.
At the same time I'm very happy to see McCain's ruined her credibility nationally since Palin the politician's a charismatic vessel for extreme conservative, anti-feminist views.
This is an important point. Not discussing or caring about specific women's issues reflects poorly on Palin.
Again...the one section missing from the McCain-Palin website is "women's issues".
She has nothing to say on this topic? Nobody from the campaign even thought of addressing this? Not even a paragraph? This goes WAY beyond bad marketing...
Hey, I agree with your empathy for Palin. Doesn't mean you let her own calculation and ambition off the hook, of course. But we need more empathy in the world if we're going to put the us v. them harangue past us.
I felt sorry for Palin during the Couric interview. Her, "I'll get that for ya" elicited within me both bile (disgust) and a familiar belly flop (embarrassment on her behalf).
McCain's choice of Palin for VP is single greatest demonstration of sexism that I've seen in my 31 years. I'll always remember it.
I basically agree Kev. I thought there was a nugget of truth in there--but she blew it by trying to make a slight. If I were profiling her I would have pressed her on that and tried to knock her off that "score points" strategy. I want to hear more about that "Working most my life" thing. I want to know why you jumped from college to college--not because I think it's sinful, but because I think there a part of you in that decision. A part of your history and experience. And that part isn't evil, dumb or stupid.
Don Draper had the best quote ever from Mad Men. Betty is asking why one of their friends would cheat on his wife. And Don, pulling on all his own moral ambiguity, just says, "Who knows why people do the things they do..." I thought that was beautiful.
If a member of an under-represented group gets to a high office, I want them to be the best from that group, else the movements to get more diversity in our leadership suffers greatly. (N.B., this is not necessarily an affirmative action sentiment, I view it as expanding the pool from which we draw qualified leaders.) I view a Palin VP would set back the equality movement.
Do you have a pool going as to when Palin backs out or is kicked out? Personally, I think she will back out before getting kicked out, that way she can still salvage her political career. True, it will likely sink the McCain campaign, but isn't he doing a good job of that already?
Nice job, TNC.
I put this all on Palin. She should have known she wasn't ready. It shows better on you to say know to something when you aren't ready. She would have been the a very good pick for them in 2016.
This is the difference between her and a classy lady like Hillary. When asked to be vetted, Hillary said no because she probably had stuff that she didn't want known, and that may reflect poorly on her and her party.
Palin disregarded the fact that her lack of experience would reflect poorly on her party. My younger Republican friends hate her.
I agree that the most striking thing about Palin is less what she does than the cynicism of McCain appointing her. On the otherhand, she does what she can to avoid being sympathetic. One character type that is comedy gold is the character who is so craven that his abuse can be continually funny because as soon as you are in danger of feeling sympathetic towards him, he does something obnoxious enough that you want him to get hit again. Rick on the Young Ones was such a character.
With Palin it is clear that her main political talent has always been sneering contempt for people she can caracature (that word she couldn't say) as other. She did this well with a scripted speech in Minnesota. But if you watch her mangle the Russia impinging on Alaskan airspace, the problem is not just that she doesn't understand the example she is giving. But she additionally was apparently coached to give the example in a sneering tone suggesting that anyone who doesn't know the example must be an out of touch idiot. So I do find myself going back and forth between sympathy, and do it again.
But the more interesting point in Coates essay above is the one about identity politics. One difference between the left and the right in this regard is that the left actually believes diversity is a virtue. The right doesn't. So the appointments by the right in this matter tend to be more cynical. One of the things that oddly struck me about the Clinton impeachment was that when we began to see the administration officials who were supposed to remain behind the scenes, they were as diverse as the ones that were meant to be in public view. And they were pretty uniformly competent.
Republican diversity appointments tend to occur largely at the for the public level, and seem to be chosen without much regard for qualifications.
McCain would be in much better shape now if he had chosen Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who apparently has the wrong view on abortion for nomination, but is competent. But the idea that diversity can be competent doesn't seem to occur to the right.
sorry, but i agree with mark p.
no sympathy for palin.
other than the generalized sympathy that one would feel for an anonymous body, splattered on a roadway after a horrific and fatal traffic accident.
you are right about the fact that mccain has just sacrificed a potential future star for his short-term political benefit.
i GET palin's appeal. it's not an illusion. she has a unique combination of talents and the ruthlessness and the raw, naked ambition to have taken her to the highest political achievements imaginable.
but it is clear, by her decisions and her performance that she also has an amazing amount of hubris, and that's been fatal.
she really imagined that she could pull it off.
and, no, becoming governor of a small, peculiar state, while impressive in one sense, is not necessarily indicative of great intelligence.
go to c-span and watch the debates from the governor's race. she's a bit more polished, but performs in somewhat the same way: spouting memorized talking points and constantly referring to the note cards she keeps in front of her.
remember, she is a trained, television reporter. she did that for a living. not much difference between reading notecards about sporting events to a camera and reading notecards about political issues. neither requires the kind of understanding that should be required of a person who wants to be a vice-president.
palin is like this:
she is like a pitcher, one year out of college, who'd been learning his craft in a backwater minor league, who's suddenly been called up by the new york yankees in the middle of a september run for the pennant. the manager has simply given him the ball and told him that he's going to be his number 2 starter and that the team is depending on him.
he's a talented pitcher, with lots of talent and natural skill, but he's just not ready for this level of competition. he should be down in the minor leagues, polishing his skills, learning his crafr, getting rid of bad habits that he could get away with when dealing with lesser competition.
but now he's in the bigs, not ready, not prepared and he's going to get buried alive.
he loses his confidence, as each start goes badly and by the end of the failed, desperate gamble, he's a ruined athlete and he'll never be the pitcher he could have been if he'd been allowed to prepare appropriately.
does he bear blame for taking the assignment? sure.
but the main blame has to attach to the people who made the decision to bring him up to the big leagues before he was ready, before he could really perform at that level.
and in the end, everyone is the worst for the experience.
I have no pity for Sarah Palin or any other member of the Death And Torture For Jesus wing of the Republican Party - which these days seems to be about 80% of that party. Fuck them all and the Hummers they drove in on.
Rod Dreher and many other hardcore cons started talking about how they were "in love" with Palin the minute she was selected. There was something especially grotesque and fanboyish about that reaction. Now it turns out their pin-up girl is too stupid to fulfill their fantasies of a good screw followed by a discussion of the latest National Review. Boo fucking hoo.
And she is stupid. No doubt she's shrewd and ruthless and she's been using people like Kleenex on her rise to "the top," but her intellect is shabby and mean. Send her back home in disgrace.
I get what you're saying Ta-Nehisi, but I don't feel bad for her. I did at first, when it was clear this was purely political and she was McCain's sacrifice to the gods of right-wingery...
But she's a cutthroat politician who is smart and knows exactly what she's doing. Just because she's out of her depth when it comes to actual policy isn't a reason to pity her.
Palin got in over her head, and she only has herself to blame for that.
What's happening to her is terribly sad, but terribly necessary. It wouldn't be necessary if she, McCain, and the whole Republican project hadn't made it so. I've got neither contempt nor sympathy for the whole mess. It is what it is. I think that as a country, we've got to go through it, and really take ownership of it, before we can get past it.
I do feel a little bit sorry for Sarah Palin, but I'd feel that way about anyone who has had no serious intellectual challenges up to the age of 44 and suddenly is forced to realize that they're not nearly as smart as they thought they were.
On the other hand, I don't feel sorry for her because it's obvious that prior to August, she never did a thing to prepare herself for this moment. She's never issued herself the intellectual challenge of learning about the world and the 49 states outside Alaska, which means basically that she didn't want to and she just wasn't interested.
The average reader of this blog (including this 44 year old woman) would be far better prepared to answer questions from the media on most topics of national and international relevance. So shame on Sarah Palin, both for being intellectually incurious and not wise enough to realize that she'd get caught. Everyone gets caught, sweetheart.
I feel sorry for Palin only in that her upbringing, her DNA, her religion, and her own choices have made her into such a lame-brained, mean-spirited liar. Just imagine the level of deceit and delusion that are at work in her brain at all hours of the day!
But it's important that we all witness her outing at the hands of Couric and others, and it's important that we pay close attention to the self-immolation of the Rovian Right. Why? Because if you believe in a meritocracy, you have to destroy those who would do away with it. And you have to expose these theocratic, anti-intellectual fools for what they are.
Yes, McCain's choice of Palin was cynical and highly problematic for the reasons you present, but as a politician she will be FINE. She is still extremely popular among people who do not read this blog (I know, I know, you're blowing up). As some people have already noted, many Republicans demand different qualities and levels of intellectual curiosity than many others of us. And it embarrasses us to watch what feels like a train wreck of ignorance, but, prop or not, her profile has shot through the roof. She will be a player in national Republican politics for the next two decades. I am sure she is learning enormous amounts about both politics and policy through this process as she builds her celebrity among her core red state constituents.
I feel sympathy for her too when I see her struggle in interviews, but my stronger emotion, by far, is resentment that McCain is willing to gamble (http://www.betvega.com/miscellaneous-headlines/presidential-debate-betting-odds.html)with the possibility that such an unqualified person could be so close to the presidency.
At the end of the day, Palin is getting exactly what she wants. For every person that snickers at her uninformed, incurious answers another voter becomes more protective of (if not confident in) her. Republicans love to rally around embattled members of their ranks.
All I have felt about Palin since the DAY ONE is outrage. The woman is a whack job and it's high time that she gets called out for what she is.
For what little thought she has given to US foreign policy, she sees it totally within some simplistic world view of "good guys" and "bad guys" where the US is, of course, on the side of good. Israel should never be "second guessed." The US invasion of Iraq was a "task from God." Even the Alaskan gas pipeline is "God's will."
Separation of church and state is fundamental to our form of government and Sarah Palin should make it very obvious as to why.
Everything else she has said is either rooted in extreme, "religious" fundamentalist beliefs that are never questioned or analyzed by the believers, or she is regurgitating the talking points that have been crammed into her head over the past several weeks. Unfortunately, once inside her head the talking points became fragmented and disorganized and she is unable to eject them logically or in the right sequence or even at the right time. She is literally speaking jibberish.
Sad for Palin? To all of you who are, I envy your ability to feel compassion for someone so undeserving of it.
If you want to feel sad, feel sad for what is happening to our nation and the rest of the world. Feel sad about what right wing ideology had brought us to and the years of reparations that will be needed to get us back on track.
We cannot afford a mistake like Sarah Palin. Things are bad enough already.
"the"Us" has changed
First the republicans ran against the blacks. Then they ran against the women. Then they ran against the gays. Then against the immigrants. And finally now, when there is no one left to run against, they are running against themselves.
A sad end to the party of Lincoln.
Ta-Nehesi:
Wake your ass up!
Sarah Palin will likely be the country's next Vice President (maybe 50% chance anyway). A tremendous honor that she does not deserve. Imagine McCain and Palin in rapturous cheer as they stand victorious with confetti billowing about them in November.
You can get all gooey and soft in the head about her now. You're not seeing straight. She has enormous appeal to the regular folks out there who feel left out of the snooty elite circles. When she wins the Vice Presidency, you will not feel such charitable empathy. You will feel anger and you will be depressed.
You are not showing sympathy, you're showing condescension. Have enough respect for (and some real fear of) her to show her the truth and real tough love.
I think some here have this cartoonish view of Palin, much if it through the lies that have been spread about her. I don't think she is dumb or evil; however I understand that many here believe that having an "R" by your name means you are both of those.
But I think she is not the best person to be a VP because she appears that she cannot handle being second fiddle. Backing up John McCain is a rough task, because he is all over the place and is not quite the rigid ideology that many on the right want. A slickster such as Romney would have certainly fit this much better. Getting elected in liberal Massachusetts and then becoming Mr. Conservative a few years later shows that he can play any role.
I think if you let Palin go unscripted, you wouldn't get ignorance, you would get her contradicting McCain on many issues (energy, global warming, spending). When Biden contradicts Obama, it is a small story, but because there isn't that much behind Palin, any little thing like that would be portrayed as her being a lightweight or worse.
You can feel bad for her. As a woman, I've known that kind of woman, and as a Black woman , I've known that kind of White woman my entire adult life.
Don't waste one ounce of sympathy on her. If the situation were reversed, she wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire, TNC.
Nobody Black who displayed the level of incompetence that she has would even be spoken about. It would be a joke. And that's what she is - a joke.
And it's not about elitism or any of that crap.
This is the major leagues. This is the big time. She's not ready. And, don't give me the 8 years, she'll be ready. She doesn't have the capacity to be ready.
She's pimped her one kid; she threw her other kid under the bus. She's such a Christian, but guess what - I believe the National Enquirer. Her first impulse upon becoming Mayor of a crap town is to ask about banning books? A woman who forces other women to pay for their rape kits?
Like I said...as a woman, I have no sympathy for her whatsoever, cause she'd slit my throat in a nanosecond.
Snap out of it, Ta-Nehisi.
She's Clarence Thomas in a skirt, and she'd fuck over women the same that Thomas has done Black folk.
"Ta-Nehisi, and posters, how do you explain that Sarah Palin has not stepped down yet? "
Daphne, that's my question too, but I think we all know why. We've all seen that type somewhere along the way.
BTW, Kathleen Parker, KATHLEEN PARKER! is calling for her to get out of the race. Good for Kathleen.
"I am sick and tired of being looked down on by small town values and the proponents thereof. "
Kev, yeah. It's the snobbery of peasants. It's a disgusting type of spiritual pride played out in churches like hers, too. Disgusting.
sorry daz,
republicans may be dumb, but they are not blind. the damn is beginning to break. even gop toadies like this national review columnist - wo'd been in love with palin - cannot deny what is right in front of their nose. now, if she were already in office, they would not be so forthcoming. but they can see, clearly, that she hurts mccain and could sink his candidacy, so they are willing to tell the truth about her now.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDZiMDhjYTU1NmI5Y2MwZjg2MWNiMWMyYTUxZDkwNTE=
and if republicans would not worship ignorance and relish in stupidity, as they do regularly when they express disdain for pointy-headed intellectuals, observers would not be so ready to use the word "dumb" when speaking of republicans. they only have themselves to blame for that kind of association.
The problem is for someone whom lives in the high info world you didn't see it sooner. All you had to do is ask yourself as a black man if that were you do you have so little respect for yourself you'd take the job. If there as nothing to the job but big money the answer is yes, HELL YES. In America its acceptable to take the money. This is about being responsible for 335 million Americans so the answer is no.
No, DougEFresh, I disagree. If Palin were an intelligent woman, she would have those talking points memorized flawlessly. She would eject them from her pie hole in a logical sequence and at the appropriate time. Then, she would sound just like any other conservative Republican and no one would take any particular notice of what she was saying. That is what they have been trying to train her to do, and she can't do it.
Palin is a gimmick that bought the GOP something like three weeks of distraction coverage in mainstream media. The meltdown on Wall Street has brought the economy front and center while McCain searches for his next gimmick. His "I must suspend my campaign and save the economy" gimmick seems to be backfiring. McCain needs a new gimmick so what will it be? Replacing Palin? Who knows...
Palin attracted 60,000 people to her rally this past weekend in Florida. 60,000 in the heat of Florida.
She is a political powerhouse. She's a phenomenon who connects with the MASS of voters like no one else in the race.
Ta-Nehisi, your man Barack could get smashed by this woman. And you feel bad??? Because you both don't have passports? Don't be a fool.
The lyrics to Barracuda seem appropriate now, since they tell the story of a prostitute and her pimp-daddy:
You lying so low in the weeds
Bet you gonna ambush me
You'd have me down on my knees
Wouldn't you, Barracuda?
Back over time when we were all
Trying for free
Met up with porpoise and me
No right no wrong your selling a song
A name whisper game
If the real thing don't do the trick
You better make up something quick
You gonna burn it out to the wick
Aren't you, Barracuda?
"Sell me sell you" the porpoise said
Dive down deep to save my head
You...I think you got the blues too
All that night and all the next
Swam without looking back
Made for the western pools - silly fools!
Pretty much sums it up.
Sorry, but Palin isn't getting any sympathy for me because she didn't backpack across Europe after colllege. It's not like she was out in salt mines or working the fast food counter- we're talking about a former beauty queen whose first job was as a sportscaster. What a tough life. Cry me a freakin' river.
The whole Palin-struggle thing is ridiculous, especially compared to Obama, who faced actual adversity in his life.
As for pitying her, she's not some shrinking violet. She's the governor of a state and she knew she was being considered as a VP candidate, but she didn't bother to learn the issues facing this country.
Palin is only a "future star" because of her biodata- nothing more, nothing less. Reading the accounts of her term as governor, she comes across as petty, vindictive and clueless. If that's the future of the GOP, it looks just like the past.
thanks rikyrah,
while i do think that she could have been a competent politician at the national level with more seasoning, i do not disagree with the rest of your sentiments. in fact, i agree wholehearedly.
in fact, it burns me up that people even compare barack to that ne'er-do-well.
and the fact that some still make that comparison is the best indication of the rampant racism that informs much of any discussion of palin.
no black politician would ever be afforded the deference that she is being afforded. if she were a black politician, her incredibly bad, incompetent interviews would be THE lead story on every news broadcast and EVERYONE would be talking about affirmative action and of democrats trying to get a black face in a certain position despite their utter lack of qualifications. there would be NO mercy shown that black person.
instead, everyone tries to, as delicately as imaginable, imply that palin just may be a bit unsteady, in her public presentation.
every black person who's achieved, professionally and/or academically, understands this double standard, and has probably seen it operate in their lives.
what is different is that it is so, so obvious now that folks who would typically deny its existence have to confront it, because it is so obvious.
barack ....sarah palin? on the same level...
the comparison itself is a racist joke!!!!!
Daz writes: "As some people have already noted, many Republicans demand different qualities and levels of intellectual curiosity than many others of us. And it embarrasses us to watch what feels like a train wreck of ignorance, but, prop or not, her profile has shot through the roof. She will be a player in national Republican politics for the next two decades. I am sure she is learning enormous amounts about both politics and policy through this process as she builds her celebrity among her core red state constituents."
I saw dozens of similar claims about Dan Quayle, but when he ran for President on his own even the Repiglican base didn't give him the time of day. Not only had he been made into a public synonym for idiot, he'd also been on a losing ticket in 2000. Palin will be faced with the same combination. This election will finish her outside of Alaska, and I'll guess that she won't even win another term as governor. Repiglicans love their fellow idiots, but they hate losing and they always look for scapegoats after they lose.
I do not listen to pundits a great deal but last night I was listening to Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow talking about McCain and Palin. Olbermann was saying that McCain's strength has been his ability to create the next news story. Before the Wall Street meltdown he was able to create numerous disractions from the core issues (war, economy, healthcare) that the GOP does not want to discuss. Olbermann was saying that McCain's campaign strategy is about running down the clock and not much else.
Whatever happens to Palin, she has already served her purpose by buying the GOP three weeks of distraction. She has also rallied the GOP base and helped their fundraising. It is not unlikely that she will be rewarded somewhere down the line.
"Palin attracted 60,000 people to her rally this past weekend in Florida. 60,000 in the heat of Florida.
She is a political powerhouse. She's a phenomenon who connects with the MASS of voters like no one else in the race."
No, she drew less than half that. They lied about attendance figures, again. And it was a rally in a massive retirement town in deep-red Florida where nobody had anything else to do.
Her favorables are 41 positive 47 negative, far worse than any of the other three. She's a national joke, not a powerhouse. The voters she's connecting with would never in their life vote for a Democrat, but because McCain is so bad he couldn't even corral his own base they felt they had to run the 2004 strategy again.
Everything you've said is completely wrong. I have absolutely no doubt she will never see the White House except on a tour.
I agree this is an insult. As a woman, I look forward to the day she will hold office as President or Vice President.
It is painfully obvious, that McCain thought he was clever, and picked Sarah Palin as if he were casting a movie.
He used her, just as men have used women in the past, she's being treated like window dressing. He has basically thrown her under the bus and a once confident woman looks like an insecure girl at a Homecoming dance.
I'm SO MAD at the Republicans. I'm tired of this nonsense and bs politics. McCain with his 12 houses and 13 cars. Go play a game of golf or something, let Obama and Biden lead us out of this mess we call our economy.
I can't wait for the debates tonight.
I agree this is an insult. As a woman, I look forward to the day when a woman will hold office as President or Vice President.
It is painfully obvious, that McCain thought he was clever, and picked Sarah Palin as if he were casting a movie.
He used her, just as men have used women in the past, she's being treated like window dressing. He has basically thrown her under the bus and a once confident woman looks like an insecure girl at a Homecoming dance.
I'm SO MAD at the Republicans. I'm tired of this nonsense and bs politics. McCain with his 12 houses and 13 cars. Go play a game of golf or something, let Obama and Biden lead us out of this mess we call our economy.
I can't wait for the debates tonight.
Yeah, I thought about Quayle. Let's hope the same thing happens to Palin. But she has a charm that Quayle never did. Maybe the VP debate will be the nail in the coffin and ML&J and Frankie will be proved right, but I'll believe it when I see it. The tolerance GOP voters show for inarticulate and intellectually lazy candidates never fails to amaze me.
Given that the Wall Street meltdown was inevitable, I suppose it is good that it happened now instead of in mid-November. At least more people are paying attention to the economy and McCain and Babbling Barbie have a much harder time creating distractions from real issues.
TNC, you are a class act. Good piece, and a good check on those of us who have been doing the guffawing. Heck, I've been considering whether it was time to start making lolpalins.
I've also watched the Palin drama with a tinge of personal recognition, but in the world I grew up in, she would have been recognized as a "hyena" by most ten year olds. Education and experience don't change the temperament of hyenas, they get more cunning but they're still mean, manipulative egoists. Rich or poor, hyenas wear their own children round their necks like big gold crosses in show of pious self-redemption. For a hyena everything is always about "ME!"
FreshEDoug wrote: "I think some here have this cartoonish view of Palin, much if it through the lies that have been spread about her. "
Most of the lies being spread about Palin have been spread by Palin herself.
Very persuasive! I just think you were too generous in the end. For the McCain campaign, Palin is not "breasts, hair and a lovely smile." It's just one thing: lipstick.
I think alot of the Dem rage that has been levied at Palin has to do with the sheer chutzpah of McCain picking her.
If McCain wins — which is a possibility — it will be in spite of running the most slanderous, disgusting, cynical and erratic campaign in history.
Most Dems want to love America; but if McCain wins, I think I will personally lose all respect for my fellow citizens. And I don't want to. I want to love my country. But a country that would elect McCain even as he shows signs of enfeeblement and schizoid borderline personality is not a country I want to be associated with.
THANK YOU for saying so many of the same things I've been thinking -- and some new ones too. I think McCain's choice of Palin as VP reeks of sexism, and although I can't imagine ever voting for her (or indeed, anyone who's proud of the term "redneck"), I think she's strong and gutsy and smart. I hate the way the McCain campaign has hung her out to dry.
Her inability to articulate embedded talking points that are above her head with a free flowing subjective interview should come as no big surprise.
but does it have to be so ugly?
thank you for having empathy for someone who is clearly not as disciplined and prepared to be thrust into the spotlight of national politics.
Yes, McCain is questionable for asking but isn't she also culpable for saying yes?
Her stunning lack of awareness at her own limitations terrify me because if McCain were to be elected and God forbid, were to die during his term, she would bring this same approach to a Palin Presidency. It would be part three of an out of depth President being guided by advisors with their own agendas.
And for that reason, she gets zero empathy from me.
No one forced her to believe hey you can cram and coast your way to becoming the VP of the USA.
She did that to herself.
John writes: Most Dems want to love America; but if McCain wins, I think I will personally lose all respect for my fellow citizens. And I don't want to. I want to love my country. But a country that would elect McCain even as he shows signs of enfeeblement and schizoid borderline personality is not a country I want to be associated with.
I side more with Bill Maher: I'm here to stay; I'll go down with the sinking ship.
If McCain wins, it won't be the first time demagogy produced the result.
I feel no sympathy for Palin. she damn well knew what she was getting into when she accepted the VP post on the McCain ticket.
I am VERY happy she is failing miserably. We do NOT need a monster like her and McCain to win and destroy our country even more.
Next time, save your sympathy for someone more worthy.
Very nice. And if you would like some confirmation of McCain's sexism: http://acerbicbubblegum.blogspot.com/2008/09/holiday-with-john-mccain.html
To give a bit of perspective on this - the state of Alaska, a vast void of midnight sun with a population of under a million is mostly men - as a matter of fact - it is 10 men to 1 woman; most of the women there are burly, healthy, capable women; then, to have Sarah Palin, a PYT, makes her an anomaly; and celebrated; and drooled over. That whole thing just doesn't apply once you get out of Alaska. Katie Couric shines next to her; and no one would really consider her VP material; however, she is a lot more savvy about what foreign policy is; Bush's doctrine and many other things as Couric is not only a pretty woman, she is well read, well travelled, well rounded and quite smart. I hope that helps.
Welcome to Politics you young, naive and ignorant child.
I felt sorry for her for about one second, until I checked myself…I think this is a big problem with the Demcrats/liberals. When they see a person down for the count, they suddenly forget that this individual was employing every nasty, underhanded trick they could possibly find to defeat you in the most unfair way possible, and if given a chance, they would have completely destroyed you, your family and your dog. You think that just because she’s flailing, you suddenly give her these vulnerable, humbling qualities that she does not possess. This is a mediocre individual who has led a mediocre life, and because she’s a middle-America white woman, she somehow suddenly had the opportunity to become vice-president, and possible president. What Asian, African American, Latino person – man or woman – would ever be afforded that opportunity. And she would have gladly taken it, even though she didn’t deserve it, even though she wasn’t fit for the job and she KNEW it…but she would, like George Bush, rather destroy the country and all the people in it rather than sacrifice her own personal ambition and ridiculous beliefs.
I wouldn’t say she is unintelligent – more like incompetent, ignorant, selfish, power-hungry, mean and hypocritical. You feel sorry for her? Do you feel sorry for Bush after Katrina, hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi children, the legalization of torture (of a teenager of 16 even)…do you feel more sorry for what a lame-duck president he is now than the suffering and misery he has brought to millions of people in the U.S. and around the world. Because that’s what Sarah Palin would do if she becomes president, without blinking, and steadfastly refusing to admit any mistakes, she would have brought her own Katrina, her own Iraq war, her own version of acceptance of torture. I can’t feel sorry for her because I’m too busy worrying about people who have real problems, who can’t feed their children, who don’t have homes, who don’t have jobs, who are afraid to walk out their front door for fear of being kidnapped or bombed, BECAUSE of the Conservative party, her party…and let me guess, she supported the Iraq war, torture and doing nothing in Katrina. Do you feel more sorry for her than the victims of these policies.
I’m glad the Conservatives (in general) are being revealed for the shallow, incompetent, lying hypocrites they are, it’s about time, and I hope their downward spiral continues. We need a new party to run against the Democrats, another party that also aspires to helping all people, not some of the people, we need another party that will stop lying without blinking. I’m glad the media is beginning to turn on them, if this had happened 8 years ago maybe we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in. If people are unwilling to tell the truth, then I won’t feel sorry for them. There’s too many other people out there struggling who need attention, who need someone to look out for them. Don’t waste your time on this person who can’t stop lying to save her own life or her family’s, because if you blink and feel an ounce of pity for her, let your guard down and give her an in…she will F*CK YOU UP.
shannon makes this up: "To give a bit of perspective on this - the state of Alaska, a vast void of midnight sun with a population of under a million is mostly men - as a matter of fact - it is 10 men to 1 woman"
As a matter of real fact Alaska's population is about 48% female.
Words have meanings, and "fact" is a word.
Fuck all that, TNC. She's clueless, and she's gunning for the #2 spot. And the guy at the top spot is a very old 72. No sympathy from me. It's not that she's simply dense that's so unsettling. It's the fact that she has no intellectual curiosity. In fact, she disdains it. It's really sad when you consider that a good education and access to a good education are the keys to upward mobility in this country. But to her and her ilk, intelligent people are objects for cari....um..mocking.
On another note, if her interviews with Couric and Gibson were job interviews, would she get hired?
nuff said.
All of this comes as no surpise to me. America has a love affair with imbicils such as George Bush, John McCain etc., and an affinity for people who they claim they can "have a beer" with. Well Sarah Palin comes off as if she's inebriated, and for someone who is suppose to be a heart beat from the presidency doesn't sit well with me and many whom I have spoken to in the international community. Her candidacy is an embarrassment to American people, who most certainly deserve better and also to the republican party who has an array I vehemently disagree with many who claim she is smart because as one can see her display of incoherent ramblings and her inability to go beyond talking points shows her incompetence as a potential vice candidte.she is a victim of nothing more than her selfish gain. McCain, in his twenty plus years as a senator has always displayed poor judgement and that was proven in the 04 presedential campaign. So to this I say, if McCain wasn't good in 04, why is he good now?
Sen. Obama is the chosen one by the American people in this historic election! We have the McCain people "gasping for air" in their desperation to use Palin. Palin is a non-person, she's being protected, the McCain campaign won't allow interviews. They send her to THIRD World countries to visit the leaders there. Why not send her to visit Putin?
One leader describes her of capable. What does that mean? No reply, we know.
Yes, McCain's campaign is full of bigotry. Senior Bush: Willie Horton; Bill Clinton: Sister Souljah... Race tactics are now in the gutter!!!
Flip-flopping McCain and he can't stop. Nor, can Palin. They belong in a circus. They have the same outdated ideas that will never, never work.
Oh, c'mon, you bitter liberals need stop clutching your knowledge to your breasts like a talisman. She's been blessed against witchcraft and such, her knowledge is God given and she doesn't need to learn anything
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24402089-5001021,00.html
(and just in case people are thick as thieves, that's sarcasm). I'm also Kenyan, like the nutso pastor in the clip so I know enough to be very scared of Christian extremism.
"Think on that for a mement."
Ta-Nehisi, you have a achieved a brilliant coinage: mement, the instant in time/space when a meme is born, or when it dies. Wonderful! Please, do not correct it - and make sure Sullivan keeps his paws off it unless he gives you full credit and buys you a colossal dinner. Half a moose should do it.
I too think Palin is probably smart, albeit very ignorant of the things a VP candidate should know and not too particularly humble when her ignorance is made painfully clear.
She knows that she is ignorant of the facts, that's why I think she stumbles so badly in her interviews. Someone who was truly stupid wouldn't scramble so much, they would say stupid stuff like Palin does but they would do so in much short sentences. It's like Gibson said, Palin loses people in a blizzard of words. She says a bunch of things that sort of relate to each other but only barely relate to the question she was asked.
The lazy student example is apt but the oral examination comparison doesn’t strike me as the best one. It really is more like a freshman in college who studied for a test but not as much as they know they should have. They hope for Multiple Choice and they get Essays. So they write down a lot of crap, more than anyone else in the class and then hope for mercy from their Professor.
It's her ambition; her ambition is what overrided any sense she has in her head. All politicians are ambitious but most pols temper it with a bit of cunning. But Palin's ego keeps saying to her "why not"? You went from the PTA to the mayor's office in Wasilla and from the mayor's office to the Governor’s mansion in Juno. Why not accept the VP slot?
What she failed to realize was how unique a state like Alaska is, where a small-town mayor can becoming Governor. She was the proverbial big fish in a small pond. Her running for VP is just like George Bush running for President if his name was George Smith or something. Unlike Bush, Palin didn't have the better part of two years to be tutored by a former President's top advisors. Think about how Bush was in 2000 and then imagine what he would have been like in 1998 in a Presidential race.
If she was as smart as she thinks she is, as smart as Obama, she would have waited. She would have said no to McCain and let him go down in flames. Then she could have run for re-election in 2010, unlike Romney in MA, a re-election campaign in AK wouldn't have hurt her rising star in conservative GOP circles. She could have run as a hard-right Christanist pseudo-reformer in 2010, it would have secured her re-election and only strengthen her place among the National Review types.
Her political appeal itself, at least to the right-wing, is rather cynical. She spews out the same talking-points a guy like your typical red-faced Southern conservative might say but she does it in a more attractive package...and I just don't mean a physical one either. The Right, I assume, is feeling like have come to the end of that road. They don’t want to give up any of their ideas; they only want to present them in a more pleasant way. Thus the entire basis of Palin’s political potential was always more superficial than it was practical.
One GOP operative compared a possible nomination of Pailn or Gov. Bobby Jindal as "the Party eating their own seed corn". One comparison that came to my mind would warm the heart of any sci-fi geek. The episode of Star Trek: TNG where the Enterprise first meet the Borg. Take the one line of the Guinan character and swap two words, "McCain" has set a series of events in motion. Your contact with the "Country" came long before it should.
I think Mrs. Palin just might have scarified her political future on the alter of her own ambition.
And yeah, McCain’s ambition must come into play here as well. His recklessness might have spurred him to pick her in the first place, once her pouted over the fact that he couldn’t have his BFF Liberman as his running mate. But it was McCain’s arrogant ambition that let him think he could get Plain through the political minefield of the ’08 race without her being exposed as the novice that she really is right now.
It's about time people recognize John McCains extremely sexist move. UGH!!! It makes me so, so angry. Thank you!
They're just dumb. That's why I'm not voting for 'em.
Pardon me if someone upthread mentioned this, but "throw her to the wolves"? THAT would be delicious irony!
"Pardon me if someone upthread mentioned this, but "throw her to the wolves"? THAT would be delicious irony!"
Wolves.....Bears.....all of nature should be out to get her.
Kudos, Ta-Nehisi! You framed this situation in a way this is thoughtful, insightful, and truly original.
I may not have your apparent capacity for sympathy, but I do appreciate a well-considered piece of writing.
Thank you!
I think you can feel pity for her while still recognizing that she got herself into this--which I would put down to a mix of ambition and genuine cluenesses about how much there is that she doesn't know--she probably believed herself to be adequately informed. One element of this that might be worth considering is her religion: Pentecostalism doesn't, to put it mildly, put the kind of premium on intellectual analysis that other branches of Christianity have (for example, Roman Catholics), so she never was around people who valued abstract thought and learning.
In short, a big fish only because she was in a very small pond. But whatever you make of her, it is clear that McCain behaved badly: she can perhaps be excused the self-awareness, but his campaign doesn't have that excuse.
The argument over "intelligence" is a chimera, as others have pointed out. There are all kinds of intelligence and all sorts of ways people can deploy the intelligence god gave them.
But she is not just incurious out of laziness or due to a myopic focus on the issues that matter to her home state. She seems to take great comfort from her lack of knowledge, since it makes it easier for her to see the world in a narrow, decisive fashion (see: Israelis = "good guys" Iranians = "bad guys). Am i imagining the sneering anti-intellectualism I see behind her "just a hockey-mom" stage persona?
The intent behind many of her non-answers is quite clever. Asked yes or no questions (do you or do you not support mortgage relief for working americans) she takes no stand, while stumbling through a laundry list or words that she can claim, later, show see supported whatever outcome that proves to be the most popular. Hacks and other observers in Alaska say this has long been her MO.
I see almost no self-doubt or reflection in her.
I see great conviction that she knows what's right (like our current leader i suspect she honors decisions made from the "gut" and the "heart" -- any part of the anatomy, really, but the brain).
This temperament is terrifying in a national leader.
I'll buy that she was too poor to go backpacking in Europe as a young wife and mother. That sounds like fun, but who cares? That's not what this is about. She's had national political aspirations for a long time now, and never took the opportunities to get out and learn about the world. That's what that question was about.
I'm going to go deep-geek here. The Palin saga reminds me of a Futurama episode where Leela became the first female professional blernsball player (blernsball being something like baseball).
The problem was that she was only picked to play for her looks and, as to her actual skills, she sucked. Her incompetence was so utterly bad that it shamed the women who were actually good at the sport. They were appalled that Leela was the face of women in the sport and humiliated that she represented them by proxy.
Although Leela is a perfectly fine person (well, mutant), she wasn't qualified and she shouldn't have been playing and, ultimately, she realized that.
This is how I imagine the Palin nomination must seem to serious female politicians. There are plenty of women out there who could make a credible run for executive office (as Obama can tell you). For McCain to pick a women who is so clearly unready is not only cynical, it's paternalistic and demeaning. Whether or not she's a good or bad person is irrelevant next to the bigger point that she was, clearly, only chosen because the McCain campaign thought that she'd siphon away Hillary voters.
I was concerned, at first, that the gambit would succeed but, thankfully, the American public aren't as gullible as the GOP would like to think we are. I think that even most of Hillary's old supporters who are still upset with Obama are starting to see this for what it is, and thank goodness.
Here is the text of what Palin said about the bailout. Maybe actually seeing the text will make more of an impression.
That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, were ill about this position that we have been put in. Where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh, it's got to be about job creation, too. Shoring up our economy, and getting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans, and trade -- we have got to see trade as opportunity, not as, uh, competitive, um, scary thing, but one in five jobs created in the trade sector today. We've got to look at that as more opportunity. All of those things under the umbrella of job creation.
The woman is babbling, my friends. She is very confused. She does not have a clue what she is talking about. The talking points that have been rammed into her head did not gel. They are random bits of sentences that she cannot retrieve and form into a cohesive response. So, she babbles the bits she can remember apparently thinking that she was getting it close enough to pass.
Why would anyone pity this ridiculous woman? She is a politician, and a lame one at that. She doesn't see herself as a national joke. She sees herself as someone who is in line to be part of the ruling elite, one way or another. For her, this is a very minor setback.
This has nothing to do with white victimhood, TNC. Don't know why you're tying it to Sister Soulja and all that.
Perhaps the mentality within the GOP that sanctioned the choice of Palin reasoned that if George Bush can be president, anyone can. I remember a Republican neighbor of mine who told me that it was impossible for George Bush to destroy the country because the country is too resilient.
I guess we have to look at where we are now compared to where we were in January, 2001. Can you even imagine what the country would be like now if Al Gore had been president for the last eight years?
How far do we want to test our resilience? Wasn't eight years of Bush enough and how long will the reparations take, assuming they ever get started?
Palin's outrageous incompetence makes her dangerous, and that is the bottom line.
Great and insightful essay (as usual) Mr, Coates: but I think you're misinterpreting the possible future for Gov. Palin: even if the McCain/Palin ticket goes down to a Chirac-
/Le Pen-style debacle, Sarah will have a bright future in the Republican Party. It goes back to that "victimization" trip you mentioned. Even in defeat, Sarah Palin can (and probably will) be able to be portrayed as a sort of political St. Catherine: cruelly martyred (by the Evil Liberal Media) in the service of The Great Holy Cause- and forever One Of Us - in the tribalistic sorting of the American Right - done in by Them through (of course) no fault of her own.
Sympathy? Not much here, either: Sarah Palin chose this as a career: the downside should have been apparent.
McCain used her. She seeks to do the same. She was a toss of the dice. No one, not even his good buddies in the media, seem to know which McCain will show up next. In that sense, I could allow some understanding of her "plight." Poor pathetic thing.
Still, she brought it on herself. She's an adult, cunning with equal mixtures of stupid and ignorant. She's cruel: the animal stuff, charge the victim rape kits, and general behavior is more than enough to eliminate sympathy.
However, if she was a man and looked like Aaron Eckhart!!! I'd have plenty of compassion! Lots and lots of it! Yup! yup!
TNC
I have used two analogies to describe the Palin pick-- McCain hired a stripper and after the Gibson interview, a batter who can't hit AAA pitching. Katie Couric is a major league pitcher (see the Bob Dole interview in 96), Palin whiffed.
We can't let up. Now is not the time to groove a fastball to Palin. If she can't hit AAA or major league pitching she shouldn't be here. (Should we taunt her as she walks back to the bench after striking out? No). This is not little league, there is no mercy rule. I have a 13 year old nephew-- I don't want this woman anywhere near a decision to send him to a fake bs war via a draft. Remember that, when you feel like letting up.
You are a football fan. If the Skins single-covered Terrell Owens with a guy who ran the 40 in 5.0-- would you tell Tony Romo not to throw deep to TO? Maybe if you're up 35 with 4 minutes left in the game. Obama is up by 2-3 points with 40 days left. Are you comfortable with that lead?
Don't let up-- it's McCain's problem he nominated her. It will be our problem if we don't put it away because we feel sorry for a pretty woman.
While I admire your impressive wellspring of compassion for Palin, I can muster no such sentiment myself. And I don't see much in the way of intelligence or political savvy in her either. Intelligent people know their limitations. She should have realized she's not ready for the big time. And politically savvy people are shrewd judges of character and motives. She clearly failed to understand McCain and Co. planned to use her as nothing more than a symbol to attract women and religious conservatives to the ticket. When McCain approached her, she should have said "thanks, but no thanks," and if she was tempted by the possibility of national office, she should have started reading newspapers and paying attention to the world around her long ago.
actually, it may be possible (however remote that possibility is considering how cynical the republican campaign has been) that mcCain actually believes in choosing gov. Palin, and that her accepting the VP ticket goes to show that she DARES TO DREAM which is something that much of today's government has lost...SHE HAS A DREAM that one day, and maybe, just maybe, that she can bring a different set of values, an idealist set of values which can make people's lives happy, and that complications in life can be simplified by ideals and that no matter how perilous the path is to get there, it is worth fighting for (speaking about the repub's campaign, of course).
BUT, what she and the repubs who genuinely believed in her was that....DREAMS can become nightmares and highs can become bad trips, and the complications of today's world simply isn't ready for her.
oh well, not like the republicans had a chance anyways, it was a noble attempt tho, if what i ranted about was really the case.
oops, forgot the word "forgot" in my last post....sorry! and sorry about the double posting, i hit refresh by accident
I don't buy the "she should've known better than to accept the nomination" line of thinking.
you're asked to be v.p. you say yes. doubly so if you're a low profile governor from Alaska. When opportunity comes around you ride it for everything it's worth, not say nah, i'll wait for the next train.
But by the same token it is our duty to keep the pressure on her like she's a practice squad corner thrown in against Peyton and Marvin. When you find a weakness, you take advantage of it, not chide to other team for putting in an inexperienced player.
However, I feel nothing but contempt for Palin. I'll never forgive her for that acceptance speech at the convention
I just wanted to second this. Go watch her speech again. Divisive, smug, misleading if not outright incorrect. It's like a quick answer to the question, "What is wrong with American politics?"
That's what Sarah Palin looks like with adequate preparation.
I don't feel the least bit sorry for her. I'm sure she feels some discomfort, but if that's the price of drumming her out of national politics forever, it's a small one to pay.
Correction-- I meant McCain married a stripper as my other analogy.
But back to my never letting up-- did Michael Jordan feel sorry for his opponent? Does Tiger Woods feel sorry for the other golfers? Thanks for backing me up, green.
I hate to be cruel-- but now is the time to step on some necks. Sarah Palin isn't going on welfare after this election. She'll be fine. Dan Quayle plays golf on a regular basis. Geraldine Ferraro has a gig on Fox. Even if she doesn't become a Congressperson or Senator, Sarah Palin will be a commentator on Fox if she loses.
After the BS (and that is a mild term) used against Obama by the McCain campaign as well as the "country last" pick of Palin-- I have no sympathy for these fools.
Feel sad for her on Nov. 5 if you must. Read Fallows discussion of Spinney if you must.
I have absolutely no sympathy for a petty little tyrant who circumvented the laws of a state government she herself ran, whose fealty to her husband had her including him in official state correspondence he had no business being party to, who fired anyone who got in her way.
If Palin is the sacrifical lamb to prove that there is a tipping point to the Republicans' endless condescension, proof that they can't trot just anyone out, so be it. Let the axe fall. If she didn't know what she was signing up for, she should have.
I disagree that Mrs. Palin is simply "unprepared." I can think of a number of children who, even before their 10th birthdays, demonstrate a quality of thinking, compassion and understanding that exceeds that of Mrs. Palin. I also disagree that she may simply need more time for preparation. Her lack of self-awareness and insensitivity may simply be who she is.
More frightening and discouraging is that, as it has been alleged about George Bush, Mrs. Palin appears to believe she is on "a mission from God." This explains the troubling similarities between Mrs. Palin and President Bush including: a lack of curiosity about the world of ideas, other people, other cultures, history and oneself. Then there is the shared indifference toward people in trouble and the suffering of animals. I'm thinking of Bush's lack of response to Katrina victims and Palin's support of practices such as aerial wolf hunting and forcing rape victims to pay for rape kits.
From a viral email, the best Palin analogy yet:
"While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year-old Texas rancher whose
hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a
conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to
Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President.
The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle.'
Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle
was.
The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and
you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a
post turtle.' The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face,
so he continued to explain. 'You know she didn't get up there by
herself, she doesn't belong up there, she doesn't know what to do
while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put
her up there to begin with.'"
Palin would have been an excellent VP for Ron Paul, she would not have to remember talking points on TV. The fact is McCain's campaign is incoherent, it is run by desperate Neo Cons hoping they can elect him so they can bomb Iran.
Sarah, quit join Ron Paul.. he's smart and shares your view. McCain is a loser
Palin can't drop out. Too much pure comedy lost to the banality of presidential elections. She must keep on keeping on so McCain will be screwed and we can all have a good hearty laugh about moose burgers: http://www.236.com/news/2008/09/26/sarah_do_not_listen_to_those_b_9168.php
It's for the good of the country.
Oh please. Quit being such a huge sap. :)
Don't conflate your story with hers. It diminishes your achievements. She did not come from a broken home or a struggling family, her parents could afford to send her to Honolulu for her first semester of school, and she could easily take some vacation time abroad these past few years if she wanted. I'm sure she makes some loot from being GOVERNOR and has the ability to take some vacation time if she wanted to go abroad. She has never been a struggling single mom and her husband has had a booming family business that allowed her to campaign while still having a shit load of kids. Don't fall for her faux humble personal narrative.
Also, there are tons of people who never get the opportunity to travel outside of the US (or Hawaii for that matter)and don't have passports. TONS. We're in the majority not the minority, so don't feel bad.
Lastly, she signed up to be humiliated! Don't feel bad for this woman. She's cocky as hell, and this is just poetic justice. Save your sympathy for people who deserve it.
You are a gifted writer; keep it up.
IMHO
Sarah Palin has been known to read from flashcards. but at this level she cant read the cards - she has to memorize everything. this is why her words come out disjointed. McCain cancelled letterman's show so that he could go on Couric interview and do damage control....
The problem with this analogy is you failed the exam and she is "passing" with women in America. American women do not want a man in a woman's suit with pant legs. They want somebody who isn't intellectually booksmart - they want a woman who looks like a woman and who isn't afraid. I disagree with most of you "one-sided" shallow minded bloggers and say that she is a lot smarter than you think she is and she will play the "stupid card" all the way to the White House.
It is a lot of drama about one or two bad interviews. Give her a chance.
Palin is NOT passing with this American woman. I find her an embarassment. In my professional work, if I came across like she does, I wouldn't get work. Women everywhere should be offended that a male politician would pick THIS woman as his runningmate...someone so unprepared and unqualified. I supported Hillary regardless of what she wore or how youthfully female she appears or doesn't appear. I judged her by the intelligence she exhibits in every conversation, debate and interview. As long as I'm talking about women, I have to say that I thought Katie Couric was very gentle, almost empathetic with Palin. She wasn't trying to rattle her - she actuallly tried to be helpful. To the blogger who said that women want someone who isn't booksmart - it's our administration's lack of understanding about history and culture that has made our dealings with Iraq and Afghanistan so cumbersome. Looking at the crises we face today, I believe "booksmarts" - someone with intelligence about the history of domestic and foreign policy and failed and successful actions of the past - would serve us far better than Palin's ability to wear a pencilskirt and heels.
This interview with Couric makes me sooooooo sad for her. While before I used to hate her with a passion, now I actually feel bad for her. McCain threw her into the wolves and this poor woman is like a dear in headlights eaten alive and utterly unprepared to be President. Why did they pick her. I will NOT come back to the USA as will many other EXpats if she is president. This is really sad for her
Hector writes: "I have no particular fondness for many of Ms. Palin's positions, but I respect her immensely as a woman, as a Christian and as a human being. The insane and irrational hatred that you show for her is truly telling, and disturbing."
Why don't you go up to Alaska and ask her to take you on an aerial bear hunt, Hector? Then the two of you can discuss how much you want to start wars with Iran and Russia as you watch the poor bear drag itself through the snow.
And by the way, saying the fascist twit is unprepared for office doesn't amount to hatred, and it certainly isn't "irrational."
It's Saturday morning. When you get back from screaming at women in front of the abortion clinic calm down and ask yourself if you really respect Palin.
What kind of Christian is it that shoots innocent animals for fun? This broad makes Cruella de Vil look downright charitable. Who can feel sorry for that!
I still think McCain intentionally torpodoed his campaign and his party, which is now run by the Flat Earth Society. As a last act of patriotism, he wants to destroy the GOP as it now exists so it can be rebuilt along sensible lines.
Early voting has already started, and Palin has still not given a major press conference. Who knows if she can get through a 2-hour press conference, or a 4-hour NATO summit meeting, without freaking out. What are her medical records. She impresses me as brittle, unstable. Even conservatives may wonder if they will be surprised to see President Palin in action. What are her real views? Will she play ball with the "conservative establishment" once she is the President? Nobody knows! She is an almost total unknown.
Palin Repairs 18 Million Cracks in Glass Ceiling
http://blackmenformccain.com/
God, you are perceptive.
I've just started reading you (linked over from Sullivan), and I've got to say that this may be the single best essay of any sort that I have read in this election season. And I've read plenty.
Your other stuff is intelligently provocative, too, without the bitter aftertaste that I'm used to.
Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful essay. And great comments here.
As a 58-year-old white woman who was the first in her entire clan to get to college, I understand what you are saying about McCain's ugly paternalism and sexism. But given what I know about Palin's ruthlessness (which manifests itself in her professional AND personal dealings) I have no sympathy for her at this point.
She is quite willing to put her own interests above the welfare of her kids. She is certainly putting personal ambition ahead of her country's good.
The only thing that makes me sad about this is that the mouth-breathers out there will now use her as an excuse to not support viable women candidates in the future.
Screw her. I hope they eat her alive when she gets back to Wasilla.
Palin isn't even making the attempt to identify herself apart from the rhetoric. She's gagged.
And she's allowing herself to be. For what? I'm sure on some gut level she's aware that she's being used. And she doesn't care. So much the better for us now. If she cleaned herself up for future reference, we could have all been fooled. This woman is ignorant and downright dangerous. Does anyone in their right mind want this.........to be Vice President? Please!
We know better now. It's not too late. Thank goodness.
I wonder if this is the end of her political career. She had problems before, but the spotlight has really been placed on Alaska now, and its not good.
TNC,
You're so right, and I too am 'feeling sorry' for Sarah - for what 'they' have done to her and how pathetic she presents each time she opens her mouth. But this is her lesson to learn for 'not blinking.' She (and her husband) brought this on herself and their family. Pride, ambition, self-righteousness, fame, and even greed were her motivators. Now she is left not knowing who she is any more. Shame on you John McCain for sacrificing a talented young woman to your blind ambition...but shame on Sarah Palin for believing her own press and gambling the future of our country.
Sarah Palin is not a promising youngster--she is 3 years younger than Barack Obama.
Remember how the Republican talking heads--ALL of them--came on the airwaves and announced confidently that she was a far superior candidate than Obama? Palin happily basked in the limelight (how many hours ago was that?), innocent of comprehension of what it is a president does all day.
She may be extremely bright (though I do doubt it), but for all intents and purposes she is stupid, because she is not curious and not interested in the major issues that face America and the world.
This is the most important election in at least half a century. The American era may be ending, and even those of us who have not been impressed in recent years know that without it the entire world is threatened.
Sorry, but I don't feel sorry for her, because the problems of Sarah Palin "don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."
I am deeply impressed by this post, Mr. Coates. Thank you so much for this.
Couldn't agree more. I did a post a day or two ago on McCain's deep misogyny (http://mickeymusing.vox.com/library/post/john-mccains-deep-misogyny.html)
and highlighted a few of the concerns you mention--that women are interchangeable in McCain's world and are important from a visual perspective, but should be silent. I don't think McCain knew (or cared) what he was getting in Palin. I susupect Palin took him at his word, though, and believed he really thought she was a good choice for VP. I don't necessarily feel sorry for her, because her own hubris brought her to this point, but I do think she is suffering unwarranted national humiliation because of McCain's arrogance and reckless disregard for anyone but himself.
Great piece, but...it's hard to feel sorry for her. She's an adult. If she was such a good person she wouldn't put her own political ambitions above the country when she knows she is completely unprepared.
Is she stupid? Probably not. That's not the point. She hasn't even shown an inkling of interest of national issues. She wants to be on the national stage without the hard work that goes behind it (i.e. becoming well versed and understanding in world issues).
I do agree however, that you're right about why she was chosen. But again, if she actually believes she was chosen for her credentials, maybe she is actually not so bright.
Thoughtful commentary but I would suggest McCain-Palin is a throw-away ticket....once McCain won the nomination, neo-cons started preparing for 2012....the party bigwigs (McCain has never been one of them) decided to save their top prospects for next time....they knew very well Palin would eventually be exposed and sink the "Maverick"...just my take on it.
Yes, I felt no joy watching Palin stumbling through the Couric interview. Most of us remember having final exam flop sweat. But what is happening inside Palin's head? She may be so convinced of her own superiority that she either thinks she nailed it or that (more likely) those gotcha-type questions the evil media put out to trap her were written by demons and whispered into Incubus Couric's ear. (Is Katie a Media Incubus or a Media Succubus?)
Also remember: this woman has strongarmed, libeled, and fired good people in her desire to get ahead. She is a political animal first: not stupid, shrewd. I doubt she reads any paper unless there's an article in it about either her or one of her enemies. In Alaska, she got ahead by cozying up to people, extracting what she wanted, then turning around and shanking them.
The debate will probably be painful to watch, for anybody who doesn't have a heart of stone. I've an irrational fear that she'll acquit herself halfway decently, but you can't make up for a lifetime of disinterest in the world with three or four weeks of cramming; quality will out.
It is entirely McCain's doing, of course, and whether Palin is a monster or just an overreaching hockey Mom, you are right that she is being used as a prop. At great cost to her political ambitions.
But this is perhaps a service, and we're actually lucky McCain is performing it for us. Because this Hockey Mom is also an attractive, ruthless, demagogue. Better she be sent back to the Frozen North now. It won't be pretty; there's trouble ahead up there, too. But it will be much smaller trouble than what she might find down here.
Spot on.
I suspect you considered, but the closer should have been "tits, hair and a lovely smile." It's crass and insulting, but so is McCain's choice of Palin, and it would have driven that point home, along with having a nicer cadence.
Everyone's a critic, though.
But awesome, awesome post.
I don't know. Maybe she is a really good actress and when Thursday comes, everybody will be expecting her to implode, and she won't, and that will be counted as success.
She's not stupid. She is actually politically pretty intelligent. But she does not know about the world. That is the problem.
THanks, Mr. Coates, for brilliantly articulating something that I have been trying to say.
Gov. Palin is not just a victim of Senator McCain's sexism, but also of sexism that is inherent in our culture and our time.
What we see of Governor Palin is a shell/mask - one that she has cultivated and been rewarded for her whole life. So far, it has worked for her and she has had no need to develop personal introspection to find out what she thinks and who she is. Now, before the world stage, her facade is crumbling. I seriously fear for her mental health.
Like you, I was struck by Palin's response to why she had not gotten a passport, that she was not from the background in which people went off to Europe with a backpack after college. She could not mine that nugget because she has never learned how to know and trust her own truth.
This woman doesn't deserve your lovely essay. Is she dumb? Without a doubt? Is she craven? Mos def. Would she trample over most anything to get her way? Well, yeah. A person with even a hint of integrity, educated or not, would never have agreed to do the community organizer screed. That was beneath contempt and told me everything I needed to know about her basic character.
I'm a woman last I checked. I have NO pity for her. Back to Alaska, say I, and I hope they boot her out of state office at the first possible opportunity.
I feel sorry for the USA -- and for us.
Love your writing and I second the motion on your getting a passport!
I agree that McCain gives not a shit about Sarah Palin, but don't you think it's also kind of sexist to paint her as a victim? She's a grown-up gov. in the United States. She accepted the offer. I've turned down job offers before that sounded really sexy because when I took a hard cold look at reality I thought—I wouldn't be good at it—and I would only be able to fake it for so long. Or this job sounds really great but I've got two kids at home and this is totally not compatible with the role I want to play in my children's lives. Palin, obviously has the same contempt for America that McCain does for her. He might have picked her to be his symbol but she agreed! She's not an intern for godsakes! That is really insulting to women.
I don't know if anyone else has mentioned it so I might be repeating something. It's not that she is stupid. She isn't. Just like GWB isn't stupid. It's the fact that both of them are intellectually incurious. Do you think Palin, or Bush, would read liberal blogs just to see what the other side has to say? I don't. They revel in their narrow mindedness. I don't care that she's rarely traveled abroad. It is the fact that she doesn't have a clue of what is happening in Iraq, or Afghanistan. That is the problem.
Although I enjoyed reading your post, I have to side with those who don't feel badly for her. We can all identify that feeling of being unprepared for a test, when the boss asks us something or some other situation when we are caught off guard and unprepared. It doesn't feel good and we don't wish it on anyone.
However when feelings of compassion creep in, I remind myself of the fact that she jumped in feet first, without giving a second thought (by her own admission) to her qualifications or how this would affect her family. She willingly made her 17-year old daughter's pregnancy INTERNATIONAL NEWS when it could have gone largely unnoticed and dealt with privately. It's harsh to say, but she also used her new baby as a prop.
How many millions of people, and most of those reading this comment, looked at that baby during the Republican convention at thought "That baby should be back in a hotel room with a babysitter."
And then you can add in the making women pay for their own rape kits, whatever it was she was trying to accomplish with the local librarian, her loyalty tests etc etc etc. She had a record of bad deeds before she even took this job.
So yes I cringe and am embarrassed for her, often even looking away during one of her rare interviews, but she is a grown up and knew full well what she was taking on.
I come at this from a differemt point. If you take the news reports as accurate, McCain was 'forced' to take Palin to shore up the base. Sure, ultimately he has to own the pick, but this was a problem based in having to come to the conservative base on bended knee.
Of course, to thinking people the pick is an insult. Not because Palin couldn't at some point perform the job, but that she's not ready *now*.
I knew this would be a disaster as soon as she was picked. Why? Because people who approach high office don't do it on a whim. They are briefed constantly for years by the best in policy and politics. They practice on the stump, refine their message and media techniques. It is simply not possible to come from a small media state and be ready for the big leagues. It takes years even among the best to be ready, not 60 days.
This bothers her base not a whit because they've seen an administration defy reality over and over again and pull some of the most brazen and crass stunts in the history of the country. Why would this be any different? They thought they could get away with it because to this point, they've gotten away with everything the last 8 years.
This essay is--for want of a better word--gorgeous, and I deeply appreciate its honesty and eloquence and that of most of the posts added. I have to say--as one who has family members and acquaintances (even a friend or two) who STILL believe Sarah Palin is almost better than the Second Coming of Christ and would never acknowledge her pitiful lack of qualifications for the job--I fear that Daz is correct about her political future. But I fear even more for our own immediate future--because there are far, far too many voters who don't care one whit about a candidate's mastery of policy or issues, so long as he or she professes a fundamental and literal belief in the Bible. That's why McCain chose Palin. Somehow the Republicans will pull this off. And the rest of us will be wondering how we got Bush-whacked yet again!
Sarah Palin is no victim. She is an egomaniac who jumps at any chance to be the center of attention. No one put a gun to her head and forced her to say "yes" to McCain's irresponsible and cynical offer. If she had any character she would have said "thanks but no thanks" - which she has never done to any chance to advance her own interests.
She knew her pregnant daughter was about to become a national embarrassment and didn't bother to tell McCain until the day before the announcement - if even then. McCain isn't responsible for Troopergate or the bridge to nowhere or any other of the numerous blunders in her short but busy career.
As for intelligence, we are not computers and intelligence is always modulated by character. Palin is possessed of a good central nervous system which goes largely wasted because of her self-centered, bigoted, illogical and arrogantly ignorant outlook on life.
As a woman, I was personally insulted by McNasty's craven pick. Just how dumb does he think we are, that we'd vote for her simply because she has a uterus?
Then I spoke to my daughters, young, strong, confident women, my youngest is voting for the first time this year, and they were even more offended than me, but for a different reason. How could Palin accept the nomination with a special needs child and a pregnant unwed teenager?
My oldest one said emphatically, "She is a bad Mommy."
I had these thoughts too. She reminds me of a gold digger wife. I sensed, when they picked her, that she was thinking this was her one big chance to get outta that sad ass dump of a town/state and be great. She succumbed to her ambitions. I don't feel sad for her the way I feel sad for all us regular schmucks who struggle against the delusions of our nature trying to live outside the boundaries of an ordinary fate. She was a Governor, a higher title than any of us will ever see. And it seems even that might have been a reach for her.
The people I feel truly sad for are the demographic of women and men that saw themselves in her. Their desire for some unchanging bedrock in a chaotic world turned into a stereotype fed to them by the GOP, tattered remnants of pre-60's America devoid of context or meaning. And they are indeed bitter, even if they don't know why, because everything was taken from them and they got a Walmart, a pink slip, and a foreclosed house in return.
I don't think her pick is sexist. It was crassly political. And we need to give her agency. She and her people were clearly floating trial balloons for her as veep, to raise her own national profile. Especially once Hillary lost the primary and then wasn't picked for veep.
But how often are VP picks the 'best' of the universe of choices? From where I sit, political crassness trumps the best qualifications ALWAYS. Going back to '04, was Edwards really the best and most qualified candidate? No. Did he come on the scene as an exciting newcomer? Yes. Did he fade over time, coming off as a bit of a lightweight? Yes.
Was the pick of Joe Lieberman in 2000 the 'best' choice? No. By your logic, then, because Lieberman really didn't catch on with anyone nationally other than some south Florida voters, was Gore being anti-semitic back in 2000 by 'using' Lieberman? Gore did it in an attempt to pull off Jewish voters in Florida -- and to distance himself from Clinton's peccadilloes. Gore made a completely political calculus, which is fine in my view (that's how VPs are picked; we just only notice it more when the pick is a woman). Was Lieberman really the best, most qualified candidate? No. Does anyone think he'd make a good president? Very few. Lieberman is all politics, and he jockeyed heavily for the veep pick over more 'qualified' candidates.
And even G. W. Bush as the presidential candidate in 2000. It was pure politics to pick him, and then Cheney too. It was to restore 'dignity' from a time before 1992. That was the message. Who cares if GW Bush really wasn't anywhere near as qualified as McCain to be president? And same in 2008. Was Obama objectively the most qualified to be president of the Dems running? No. Is the Democratic party racist because they chose Obama as their nominee? No.
And so on.... Your post is a 'protecting' argument that McCain is sexist. But it is hard to argue McCain is sexist, but he is politically calculating. So is Palin. She wanted this, badly, just like nearly every other governor and senator out there wants to be prez. or VP. Her popularity is going down, but it isn't because McCain is sexist. It is because she did a bad job in her interview with Couric. She has muzzled herself too.
Plus, from where I sit, sexism reigns in this election. McCain's camp muzzles their female VP. If that is sexism, Obama passing over the most qualified candidate with loads of popular support (who also happens to be a woman), then 'dispatching' (phrases used by the Obama campaign and the media) her to places like Ohio, Florida, and Nevada to campaign for Obama is also sexist. If McCain's 'use' of Palin is sexist, then Obama's dismissal of Clinton as VP but 'using' and 'dispatching' her to gin up votes is just as sexist.
A significant difference between Obama and McCain is deliberation. Obama spends much more time studying an issue before he responds -- and he surrounds himself with a broader range of advisors. He seems to counteract his inexperience with hardwork.
McCain is truly set in his ways and relies to a greater extent on his intuition. He has much more experience and he's a gambler; so, I'm sure, he feels he can muddle through. His life experiences reinforce his certainty. His choice of Palin was surely a gut decision -- he must have felt his team could wall paper over her faults and look at all the positives: youth, the base, glamour.....These are all the imagery of an old man looking to cynically game the system.
I'd rather have Obama running the country because I think his approach will produce a greater number of positives on th big problems.
I have watched Palin struggle and each time, like the writer, I am reminded of tests in school that I wasn't prepared for. The sound of stuttering bullshit, the rambling of words thrown together. But that aside I think about her image as a mother and a wife. Her newborn child left alone with her husband and her teenaged daughter who probably needs a mother more than ever. Instead of taking care of the life she started she said yes to a life she must have known she was not fit for.
I met a man who said he liked Palin "cause you have to vote on your values" he was a father of 7 how could he not see what I see?
She didn't look like a student taking a test without reading the book. She looked like she hadn't read ANY books.
If she withered and collapsed under Katie Couric's steely gaze, how did she stare down Vlad Putin over the Bering Straits all these years?
If McCain's 'use' of Palin is sexist, then Obama's dismissal of Clinton as VP but 'using' and 'dispatching' her to gin up votes is just as sexist.
Posted by: Chris | September 27, 2008 5:03 PM
So does McCain's using Romney to "gin up votes" after not picking him for VP constitute "sexism" too? Wow, that McCain, sexist against both men and women!
Just out of curiousity, shouldn't Rush Limbough be sharing some of the blame with McCain? Isn't Sarah Palin his candidate? She must have known he's been touting her all summer (from what I've read or heard.) Imagine what an ego trip that must have been. Of course she thought she could do it.
Thanks for this. I just wrote a post on this very subject. What the choice of Palin says about McCain and his campaign is one thing. What some people's delight in her humiliation says about the rest of us is something else. I'm adding a reference to this in my post.
When Papi Bush selected Dan Quayle in 1988, he thought he was getting an up and coming star, even thought Quayle had been in Congress for 12 years. At the first signs of trouble, Bush packed Quayle in the closet and Quayle never had a chance to redeem himself. Even though he held his own in debates in 1988 and 1992, his reputation was ruined.
Further, it damaged Bush's reputation as a leader. He was saddled with a joke for his political partner, and he never helped Quayle mature.
McCain is treating Palin far worse. While Joe Biden was Obama's biggest advocate in the post-debate spin wars, Palin was not allowed on campus. Palin has not had a press conference and has been more shielded from the press than Jacqueline Kennedy-Onasis.
Even if McCain should win this campaign, and after last night the safe money says he won't, Palin will be a drag on him. If she should become President, her ruined reputation will make the transition even more difficult.
Palin made the choice to put herself in this situation. She agreed to put her family under a microscope knowing full well of Bristol's predicament. That said, I'm sure she expected more support from McCain than she is getting today.
She might just decide that she has had enough and leave McCain to fend for himself for the next month.
Yes, yes, yes! This may be one of the finest posts I've ever read online--it gets at so many nuances with such thinking and such compassion.
I've admired your magazine work, but this will now be surely one of the blogs I'll consult as well.
Peace!
I have to agree with Cynic:
But as best I can tell, she is incurious, and that is a far graver thing. Her personal experiences have been decidedly limited, but I cannot fault her for that - she is more, not less, impressive for having raised herself to prominence from a modest background. But she has displayed neither the desire nor the ability to look beyond the scope of her personal experiences. And that worries me.
To me, she had the opportunity to at least use her position as the Gov. of Alaska to expand her horizons. The other issue I have is that she shouldn't fault people who have had the opportunity to travel abroad (I did it on my own dime during college - not through a trust fund). Sarah, if you want me to respect your hockey-mom, moose-hunting personna, respect my background as well.
My sympathy goes to the panicked animals gunned down from airplanes.
I agree with mbtogut above. I thought this piece was very thoughtful, kind, and sensitively written, however I don't feel sorry for Palin. Someone with any level of introspection and humility would have known they weren't ready at the moment of being approached as the VP on a presidential campaign ticket. She could have said no but she didn't. Now she is in the international spotlight publicly crashing and burning. If she had said no she could have continued building he career, gaining more experience, and maybe someday achieving some sort of higher office. Now instead she is humiliated and has possibly destroyed her political career forever. But I put that squarely on her. Not knowing her own limits she behaved like Icarus and she flew too close to the sun. And now her wings are melting.
Apologies for the repeat posting, it kept telling there'd been an error.
For the life of me, I don't understand why Palin said 'yes' to McCain. While I don't disagree with you that McCain apparently chose her for cynical reasons, one almost has to assume that she has no self-knowledge of her limits. Or, maybe she really doesn't?
I am one of the so called "lefties" you speak of. I was not laughing at her performance but felt embarressed for her and started hoping she would pull herself together. No one really likes to see someone that out of their depth be made fun of. It would be like making fun of a handicapped person.
I do have twinges of empathy for Sarah Palin for what McCain has done to her; and I'm even more angry at McCain for doing so. But I always have to remind myself that Sarah Palin is a woman with agency who can certainly take care of herself. It is a fundamental flaw of Sarah Palin's character and her intelligence that, when asked by McCain if she wanted to be his running mate, she, by her own words to Charlie Gibson, didn't blink. She should not only have blinked, but also reflected and said "thanks, but no thanks" to this McCain earmarked career bridge to nowhere. So, my empathy only goes so far. I wish her well, but I want her (and by extension McCain) to crash and burn because I want Obama and Biden to win -- big.
I agree with some of the dissenters on this post; I don't feel sorry for Palin. And it's not because I'm a partisan hack with an ax to grind, but she is a grown woman. Instead of realistically evaluating whether she would be qualified for a job of this magnitude, at one of the most significant time periods in this country's history--she didn't blink. Didn't blink. That says it all right there. That isn't some admirable form of patriotism, that is downright stupidity and hubris.
Don't get me wrong---when Obama started his campaign two years ago, I thought he was exciting and fresh, but I didn't automatically jump aboard his campaign until I was confident that he could a) run his campaign; b) talk intelligently about the issues and display a substantive understanding about what the country needs to do in the next couple of years; and c) not completely falter under the enormous pressure. He passed those tests with flying colors. Now let's compare Palin---since being named McCain's running mate, the woman has done 3 interviews---3. As Chris Rock aptly noted, he did more interviews promoting his comedy special than she has done in weeks. This is insane.
Do people not see the state of the economy? Not understand the global issues we face? For people to defend her is not only intellectually dishonest, its downright delusional.
After this pick, it was the nail in the coffin for me with McCain. I no longer wanted to hear people waxin' nostalgic about this maverick who bucked his party--McCain is nothing more than a man who sees his last shot for the presidency and has wildly gambled someone else's political future to get there. He deserves no respect in my book. And Palin, fully aware of the challenges that she would face, deserves no sympathy.
You have beautifully and coherently described my exact feelings on this matter. Sarah Palin is not dumb: she's just overly ambitious. I blame McCain and his folks for caving into the demands of the lunatic right. But Gov. Palin should have known better than to accept the nomination. I told my husband today about people who'd call my law office for help, and if I did not feel that I had enough experience or the expertise to handle their cases, I'd turn them away. Sarah should have turned McCain away.
I would put down money that she accepted the offer because she believes God made it happen. And once you believe God is running things, you can stop asking yourself inconvenient questions like, "How in the world could anyone consider me qualified for this job?" and "What effect will this have on my pregnant teenage daughter's life?" She probably thought everything she would need to know would magically come to her. And no, I don't feel sorry for anyone who can think like that; they can do too much damage, and won't ever take any responsibility for it. (See Bush, George W.)
While I agree that Sarah Palin is being used by John McCain (and the neocons) for his/their own ends, I also feel that in her ignorance she is a willing victim.
I agree with you on your assessment of John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin. No doubt his choice was a poor one based on very self-serving, sexist principles. He has clearly done Sarah Palin a huge disservice by asking her to join the ticket.
That said, I don't think anyone is doing feminism a service by feeling sorry for Sarah Palin. Did you feel sorry for Dan Quayle? (Granted, Dan Quayle actually got to be VP, but there is still a chance that Palin will too, as scary an idea as that may seem.)
Don't pity her. She's a smart woman who made her own poor choice to accept the invitation. She is not entirely a victim here.
I too looked at the McCain campaign site and found very little on women. I did find a "Women for McCain" page, which had this (and only this):
"Welcome to Women For McCain!
Welcome to Women for McCain, the official site to activate the millions of women voters who will decide this election! Please make sure you use the tools to the left-side of this webpage to join our team, recruit your friends and family, and spread the word. Join John McCain's wife Cindy, his mother Roberta, his three daughters, and millions of other volunteers who will convince women to make John McCain the next President of the United States. As a woman and as an American, everything you hold dear -- your ability to earn a living, your concern about rising gas and food prices, your family's health care, your children's education, and peace in a dangerous world- all are at stake in November.
There is only one candidate who has answers to the most basic concerns facing women voters. John McCain will ensure security and opportunity for American families- health care security, economic security, and security from threats abroad and at home. It takes more than a speech to give answers to American women- it takes a plan and John McCain has one."
And what might that plan be? They don't bother to elaborate.
The only other page I found that deals with "women's issues" was a page on "Human Dignity and Life."
These people are clueless. Nothing even about violence against women.
If she's such a "shining starlet" she'd be bright enough to know she's not ready. She's a stupid, vindictive, overly ambitious liar. Much like the Bush but without the scionage. Another high order moron if you ask me.
Nice try but she's still trash and she deserves what she gets.
That was a very impressive essay. Thank you. I have not read something this insightful in quite awhile and feel smarter as a result.
I especially enjoyed the penultimate paragraph and your discussion about political experience. You really nailed it; it has the ring of truth about it.
Once again I'm reminded of why I turn to (some) pundits.
I wanted to feel sorry for her, seeing her last interview but I feel more sorry about the destruction of the Arctic National Wilderness Reserve, the wolves shot from planes, the polar bears.
This unfortunate person is also a destructive person. She'll rebound, go back to Alaska, to her expanding family and supporters, her home by the lake. That's more than a great number of Americans have.
Think of it this way: McCain needed an incompetent for a running mate. To shore up his base, he needed to chose an ignorant, telegenic, hypocritical demagogue.
Now, there are many men in the Republican party with those qualifications; but McCain reached past all of those men and chose a woman.
So don't say that the woman he chose is a liar; say instead that the liar he chose is a woman.
The Palin nomination is a sideways move for feminism. I call it Equality of Opportunism.
Okay, maybe, maybe I could work up some sympathy for Palin.
Except for one thing: her speech at the convention.
It was nasty, sneering, mocking, delivered with a hateful smile. She played the ridiculous "I hate elites" card. I thought it was shameful.
I know she didn't write it, but she said it all, with glee, so she owns it.
So, no sympathy from me - unless she apologizes. What are the chances of that?
good points, i agree with you
Great writing, but do me a favor--PLEASE save any pity until after the McCain-Palin ticket loses. The election is still very close, and it really looked like the Democrats were the stronger tickets in '00 and '04. If McCain wins, and he most definitely may, you pity for her will change to loathing, I guarantee. Not like Cheney, but it will be loathing. She won't be the First Lady like Laura Bush.
Funny how all the comments above read. Feelings, "couldn't watch", Palin (who will get the second most important job in the world) being a "victim", being a racist, being a dictator, about her being pitied ...
You know what's missing above here ? A single fact. Palin AND McCain must truly be perfect, because you "tolerant" (using the word in relation to the authors above makes me sick to my stomach) people would throw everything in her face (apparently "out of pity", well aren't you the noble knights and innocent princesses).
The critics are right, so to speak. For some politics is about hurt feelings, and it looks more and more to be the only argument Obama has. That he "promises not to hurt your feelings". Not for Palin, and not for McCain, for them it isn't about your feelings, not about mine, and not about theirs.
One other thing is for sure. Whatever Obama is in the race for, it's not to defend your feelings. Perhaps he's in it for HIS (though I doubt he's that obsessed).
Letting feelings override decisions doesn't lead to good decisions, not that there's anyone who doesn't know that, but apparently ...
Palin was the right choice for McCain. It brought out the ugliness in you, raging in impotence. It brought him my vote.
I am really impressed, someone has finally put down eloquently what I've been feeling for some time. I feel like John McCain is an incredible sexist, he doesn't value women and he believes we are all quite dumb. There were great women around him, but maybe, must maybe Kay Bailey Hutcheson, Linda Lingle and the others will not work for John McCain because they have minds of their own, policy agendas of their own and have worked hard, studied harder and fought in the political world for quite some time. I don't know but I tell you what I agree with everything you've written here.
Throwing Palin to the wolves may be Karma Payback time.
Or when the media goes after her after the debate like a pack of wolves--Payback.
But I think the kindest thing to do is to send her quietly back to Alaska, where maybe she has a second chance to stop killing the wildlife in the name of Machismo.
Like many others who've posted here, I too had tears in my eyes upon reading your essay - honestly, I was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down my face. Sorry, but there isn't an ounce of sympathy in my body for this women - she could have said Thanks but No Thanks to McCain, but she CHOSE to accept this position. Well, honey, welcome to the Big Game Hunt - and guess what? You're the prey - only difference here is that we don't have a bounty on one of your legs like you have on the wolves of Alaska.
paradoctor writes: "So don't say that the woman he chose is a liar; say instead that the liar he chose is a woman. "
When I was watching the Couric interview and Palin made her comment about Russian "trade missions" my immediate response was that this was just another thing she was lying about. I really do think she's a sociopathic liar of the most extreme sort. I know that most people think that all politicians are liars, but not like her - if she thought it would give her chances a boost she'd say she had a sideways vagina. It's the strangest persona I've seen in politics, and I've seen Alan Keyes and Lyndon LaRouche.
She's a small-town snob - so no sympathy from me, either.
We had absolutely no idea who this woman was when she stepped onto the stage at the RNC - but there she was in our living rooms completely INSULTING a large portion of the voting population.
Very little mention of her own vision or philosophy - just a lot of sneering contempt. How lovely to meet you, Madame. And what was your name again?
Her fans are shedding crocodile tears and claiming the media is out to destroy her. Spare me.
She is not a victim. She was dumb, thoughtless, and impatient when she accepted McCain's offer.
Imagine if she hadn't: "No. Thank you for this amazing honor, Senator, but I am not in the position right now to accept the position because of the particular needs of my family." Imagine!
It would have made news, her name would have been sprinkled into our consciousness and, in 4-8 years, she could have prepared herself and come back onto the national stage to a vastly different reception.
Please don't feel sorry for Sarah Palin.
Palin is a bully who charged rape victims for processing their rape kits, who abused her power as governor to get even with her brother-in-law and many other people who worked in government (from police chiefs to librarians), who is obstructing justice in the investigation against her, who continually lies about her record with a straight face, who took per diems for nights she spent out home and who left her town millions of dollars in debt. (Never mind that she also seems to be a really lousy mother.)
Yes, she is STUPID. Sorry but it has to be said. She can't string one sentence to save her life. She can't b.s. her way out of a paper bag. (I'm taking into account here EVERY clip of her I've seen, not just the recent ones. She even sounds stupid when she speaks at her church.) When she speaks I hear the echo of every stupid person I've ever had a conversation with. You know, the really stupid ones, who don't even know they're stupid or ignorant and just blabber on and think they're just the shiz.
Yes, Palin is just a pair of tits to McCain, and that's too bad. But that's what you get for sticking with the GOP. Palin got everything she deserves. I can't wait for her public humiliation in the debates. Frankly I'd love to see her walk off the stage in tears.
One of the biggest mistakes people on the left can make is to have compassion for the leaders of the party that sanctions torture, wages illegal war and trashes our constitution. Sarah Palin, who sneered at Obama for being a community organizer, is one of these leaders. She does not deserve our pity. She deserves nothing but our contempt.
Every time I start to feel sorry for her I think of her penchant for slaughtering wolves from the air and i snap back to reality. She richly deserves this and the nation is better off for her career being (hopefully) ended.
If Palin's resume' were wiped of everything indicating her gender, no one outside of Alaska would have ever heard her name.
And I mean that, double-like.
Sarah really thought she was hot shit at the Republican convention, spitting out these mean words that someone else wrote for her.
It's hard for me to feel much sympathy for her now, although you're right, she's been sorely abused by her "friend" John McCain.
Sympathy? No can do, and I'm one of those who gets teary at Mastercard "Priceless" commercials.
Michelle Obama, the working class daughter of the Southside who studied her way to Princeton (on her way to HLS and Sidley) only to have her southern roommate's mother request a room change, is denigrated as unpatriotic by the far right, caricatured as a gun toting revolutionary on the cover of New York Magazine, and publicly denigrated by a reality show lightweight some ten years her junior.
Sarah Palin is governor of a state. Is there any scenario in which one can imagine an African American woman with her background in that position? I didn't think so.
TNC, I admire your empathy, but have to reserve my own for the folks who need it.
Truly outstanding essay. Insightful and empathetic and one that will truly stick with me.
Like other commenters I feel little pity for her she's ruthlessly ambitious, dangerously insular and lacking in empathy and insight herself. You know who I feel bad for? Alaskans. She's opened this little enclave of theirs up to national scrutiny of a most unfavorable kind, she's traded in the transparency and ethics (so to speak) that made her appealing to her state, and I imagine there's quite a bit of buyer's remorse going on there right about now.
When Palin was first named as McCain's running mate, I went on the record on my blog saying this was a bad move for women, that a poor performance from her does nothing for other women seeking power. I'm not sure if I'm happy that I'm being proven right. But I can't say I'm sad that she's imploding either.
Sarah Palin is a very sincere and real artist. Her great talent is not with painting or sculpture, she works as a propagandist. Genius springs from the middle of nowhere and it makes its presence known in both men and women. She is a once in a lifetime opportunity employer for those that provide her sanctuary. It is the willingness and need of a great number of the American people to follow her so quickly that is the crucial issue here. Be thankful she is not very good at interviews and pray that her strain of artistry is not found to be common on our shores.
If Sarah Palin was smart she would have known that she was not ready for prime time, no excuses. She is so stupid that it is hard to watch her, it is embarrassing and sad. If McCain could not pick a person worthy to be VP it says a lot about his character and lack of judgment.
You give McCain way too much credit.
He didn't "know full well" anything at all. He thought she would score him points - the very points she did score him - and he just thought she could cram for all that policy wonk stuff. He has no respect for the policy wonk stuff. He and his know-nothing party rushed into the war with the same impulse-purchase mentality. Fuck him for being stupid. He deserves this shame and more.
It seems to me we all miss an important trend about Gov. Palin: She moves fast, and often -- not sticking with anything very long. Add to that, if you do not agree with her and she is your boss, bye-bye. (Quick, who did the same thing when he did not hear what he wanted from Iraq???). Small town values? Does that include abandoning your children to accept a candidacy that you had NEVER sought? Let's examine this further -- she said 'yes' to something she had no ambition to pursue (or so it must be assumed).
Too bad Trig, mommie's got a bigger love than you1
I've enjoyed reading the entire blog. They all have a share of the blame - both palin and mccain are ambituous and greedy.
What scares me though is that at the end of the day, this election will be about religion, gay marriage and abortion. The lack of knowledge of economics and foreign policy, the lack of eloquence and veracity will be forgotten, sadly. They've done it 8yrs in a row. What's to stop them this time?
Ta-Nehisi, that's a wonderful and generous essay (I'm going to send it to my mom; she'll like it.) But I find it somewhat more difficult to have sympathy for Palin--due to Walt Monegan, a good man trying to do his job. She basically ruined his career out of vengeance & spite.
And really, how hard would it have been for her to, upon first reading her VP acceptance speech, look at the community organizing line, and say, "You know what guys? The Dems praised McCain's service. Why don't we praise Obama's?"
Or her petty insistence that rape victims be charged for rape kits.
Or the librarian she bullied and threatened when the librarian refused to talk about banning books.
And then of course there are the other things--the fact that 18,000 Americans die every year due to lack of health insurance, and the likely probability that Palin, like many sociopathic conservatives, just doesn't care.
I loved it. I have been saying for a while that women have a double edged sword in the world of men and politics for that matter. You can use the woman, but if she treats the job/campaign like a man would(Hilary) than we say, oh she is too cold and not feminine enough, blah blah blah. If she is too feminine (palin) we immediatly say that a hockey mom is not a qualification. I believe that it is not. Watching Palin is like watching a really funny/embarrassing moment on The Office. I have been watching her with my hand partially hiding my eyes, cringing inside as I feel embarrassed FOR her. I do not feel as though SHE is embarrassed, so therefore I feel that she gets what she deserves for not saying 'Thanks, but no thanks' to the nomination. But I do agree that the issue ultimatly begins with McCain.
But for chrissakes, I am only 27 years old and still a college student and I could have answered those questions better. I have to say to Palin, Get out of church and read a paper once in a while, please, for America!.
furthermore, are not Church and State supposed to be separated? I could be mistaken.......
Also, anyone that is ignorant enough to vote for a candidate that steps out in front of the American people, only to first wave her special needs baby in front of the crowd claiming to know what it is like and then proclaim that her family is off limits, and second to insult the opponent in such a mean spirited way. Is that the Christian thing? To viciously attack the other guy for devoting his life to helping others, albeit through an unrecognized title (though not an unimportant one)? Really? Than I suppose she IS just another piece of eye candy. I therefore do not feel sorry for her too much.
Would McCain have picked Palin if she were a plain Jane who had not lost the baby fat? I doubt it. Just as that says a lot about him, Palin's unblinking acceptance says just as much about her. Disregard for her family and for the country
marks this selfish, stupid woman as unfit for the office of vice president. After viewing Palin's
pathetic attempts to answer Couric's reasonable questions, I can only conclude she deserves the contempt she's received. I have no pity for her, only for us, the American people, who been subjected to the Palin soap opera.
I don't feel sorry for mean people. By examining what she has done in Alaska it is obvious that her main skill is in manipulating people through their prejudices and then abusing her power to destroy dissent.
Palin would do well in a totalitarian state.
Palin would bring about an American equivalent of Communist China's Cultural revolution under Mao.
Palin is a liar,a bigot and a religious fanatic of the most dangerous kind.
I never feel sorry for people who would cause destruction,misery and pain for other people in order to gain power and money.
Palin obviously has an ego which FAR exceeds her abilities.
Palin makes Bush look like a wise and thoughtful person.
Her failure really isn't her fault. In her simple and narrow view of the world, she was ready to be VP. This is the tragedy of her selection and the politics that have put her in this position. Americans on the whole do not have a broad perspective of the world. While this may make Sarah Palin more like us, it does not qualify her to be in a position of power.
Heather
It seems to me, that the powers that pull the strings on our political puppets, knew McCain could not win against Obama, but they could not let the Democrats have it without a token fight. They selected Palin as a running mate to a candidate that will not win, knowing that the scrutiny will mark her as undesirable to hold future offices. This is the end of her political career, as well as McCain's. He’s too old anyway. We know he's not going to run again, for anything.
But for Palin, her ambition and avarice took her to her own demise, hoist by her own petard. She should've known better than to take a job she was not qualified to accept, and because she accepted the candidacy, I feel cheated out of a real candidate, a real campaign, and a real election.
Without doing her homework, and paying her dues, she thought she could run the country (if the president is incapacitated.) Her hubris shines brighter than the realization of a campaign gone south, but I think that was the plan from the start. That's why McCain selected her (or the 'powers that be' instructed him to select her.)
As a distraction, she functions quite well. It drew some attention away from McCain’s ineptitude. In the September 26 debate, ‘Mr. Congeniality’ didn’t cover-up his inability to answer direct questions, and I did see him swear under his breath. He is not presidential material and we should all know it. If we don’t know it yet, just wait until Palin debates Biden.
I don’t feel sorry for her or McCain. I feel anger that we, the people, are the recipients of distasteful chicanery. I want to know the facts about my country and what the candidates propose to do about the economy (why the poor people should bail out the rich people), health care for everyone (not insurance reform), bring our troops home (since we’ve won the war), build the infrastructure (proactive not reactive measures), and make education a priority for obvious reasons.
For those ignorant, poor people that still believe in McCain and Palin, I do not feel empathy for you. I feel anger. You need only to seek the truths, but instead, you follow party lines to the edge of extinction, as ‘the powers that be’ push you over the cliff to your death. They are no longer living in the USA. They’ve taken their billions (our billions) and moved offshore. They don’t care if USA survives or not. The current state of affairs is proof; they saw it coming and did nothing. Warren Buffet didn’t lose, he saw it coming. He warned us. How could this happen? “Gee. I don’t know. It’s just a mystery.” Oh yeah, sure. Wake up people. You’re going to be left with the mess.
I only have to say that a lot of commenters here do not understand empathy or its purpose in this world. They take the popular view that it is something one gives when another "deserves" it, or when one feels particularly moved. This view alone is the damnation of the global community- not Sarah Palin.
I pray that after the failure of the Republican ticket this November there is sufficient chaos in the GOP to allow a power grab by true conservatives a la Ron Paul, or Libertarians. Sarah Palin looks to be the next social conservative figurehead and she is going to need at least 8 years to gain any kind of credibility amongst true Republicans. That is just enough time for the Ron Paul Right to organize and capitalize. Smash social conservatism!
I am outraged that the Republicans decided to use Sarah Palin as a pawn for their campaign. With that being sad, Sarah also has responsibility for allowing them to put her on the ticket when it's obvious she's NOT ready to be VP or God forbid President of the US.
God help us all as we cast our votes!!!
I like your analysis very much but I disagree with the premise - that Palin is stupid. Likewise, I disagree with the implication that McCain and all his advisors are so terminally stupid as to pull a stunt like this and really intend to go all the way with her.
We are observing what the McCain campaign will refer to as some brilliant "rope-a-dope" but what should be seen as sleazy cynicism. It will become clear in two weeks.
Does anyone seriously believe any person who has acheived high political office can be as naturally stupid as Sarah Palin? Can anyone seroiusly believe that a presidential candidate surrounded by bright advisors could be so stupid as to invite an unprepared nincompoop he just met to spout disjointed talking points to make her appear even more stupid while making the candidate appear completely nonsensical for choosing her?
No. The arrangement that was made in August was that Palin would come on the scene to divert attention from McCain while "energizing" his campaign. So she appeared and stole the show for a couple of weeks while boosting his poll numbers. No one was available to ask McCain any probing questions because everyone was caught up with Palin. She started to fade so she's fed to the wolves to reinvigorate interest in her - three interviews with the last being a "disaster" - or so people think. And now the Republican party is arranging her daughter's marriage so it will steal a week's worth of newstime before the election and, again, take the heat off McCain.
Soon - but not too soon - she will withdraw. Something about spending time with her family or missing Alaska or not realizing the enormity of the challenge. Likely she'll say she's not qualified after all and Obama also should withdraw. McCain will regret it but accept it and name his real VP choice - Romney or Lieberman. No time for a lot of probing news coverage or, even, a debate - in "fairness." McCain's followers will be told Palin was "hounded" so mercilessly she was near collapse and they will all feel sorry for her. McCain gets the sympathy vote and everyone else - especially the media and the "libs" are painted as beasts.
And all through this, no one notices McCain's sexist approach - use the woman because she's a woman who is willing to appear to be a bimbo for him. He doesn't pick anyone even remotely qualified because that wouldn't serve the purpose. He needed Palin to deflect attention from his very real shortcomings. But she's almost finished serving her purpose and then he will toss her under the bus and move on. The conservative press is already calling for her to withdraw "for the good of the country."
It's not "rope a dope," though. It's a used up old man's cynicism.
I'm a 15 year old in a world of polatics. My family and frieds are split down the middle. lefties to righties and its stupid.
My dad is a total leftie and most of my cousins are righties. Naturaly i'd go for obama because of my dad and i just think he has the right issues. But Macain is convincing. Ive been looking stuff up online to get the details so i an dibait my righy winged fam but several bits of info that i get seem to not be accurate. what are the best sites for TRUE info?!
w/b any one please
smltweetie7@aol.com
And Obama's pick was not used to simply shore up votes that the Presidential nominee wouldn't otherwise get? Obama picked Biden solely to counter his lack of experience and appeal to the moderate Democrats. It can be argued that Biden, due to his lack of support in the primary and numerous blunders, is also not qualified to be President. However, this is the sole purpose of picking the VP, to shore up votes. Further, you are basing your judgement on one interview. During the Gibson and Hannity interviews Palin certainly did not come across as confident but she was hardly incompetent. You are premature in your critique. Wait until after the election and then point a finger. I am not a big Palin fan but the author is being a bit disingenuous.
I'm a woman, grappling between feeling sorry for Governor Palin, and angry with her for blindly agreeing to this atrocity. If she had stopped and set aside her ambitions for even a moment, she would have realized that she was in no way prepared for this task; that in accepting the VP nomination, she was in a sense agreeing that she was ready to be our President, should the situation arise. Instead, she jumped at the gold ring, and is suffering for it.
I do not, however, feel any sympathy whatsoever for Senator McCain, who, in an attempt to win over Hillary Clinton supporters, assumed that to us, any vagina would do; that we, American women, would be too stupid to tell the difference; that we would be so blinded by the fact that there was a woman on his ticket that we'd fail to realize that her beliefs are diametrically opposed to ours. In one fail swoop, he made a mockery of us, and of the position he hopes to attain this November; he has proven that he'll jump first, and ask questions later - not exactly the qualities I'm looking for in my President.
The fact that 43% of our population supports either of these candidates both frightens and appalls me.
Thank you for pointing out how her unpreparedness for this role points to McCain's sexism in the choice of Palin as running mate.
We quoted you over at the CA NOW blog: http://www.canow.org/canoworg/2008/09/not-our-candida.html
Hi from canada kids- just a thought- its not too late to have a nuclear war. I don't mean an India-Pakistan thing I mean the big one. Russia can destroy the US, if you dont believe that do some research. Palin and her ilk are trying to paint Russia as the bad guys- sure they have some issues- but if the cold war is over, why is NATO rolling right up to Russia's borders?
This situation calls for delicate handling.
Joke: how do you get a gay moose to sit still for lipstick : you tell him he'll look like a deer.
I think the rape- kit thing ( if true) is a potential ball breaker for Repubs. I 'd go with it ( if true) all the way.
Good luck Yanks you shure as f*** need it.
@Howard: It is refreshing to see an (aparently) true conservative stand up to the Republican party. I agree with your post. I consider myself a fairly conservative Democrat. Could it be that the whole conservative/liberal paradigm is mutating into something else?
This is a very insightful post, but in order to take anything else you say seriously one question remains: Horde or Alliance?
Now for the real story:
Palin was picked because it is the Republican's turn to lose. You see, the people that actually run the RNC and the DNC are one in the same; a Star Chamber if you will.
They figured out that to keep power without actually doing anything for the people they could just pit us against one another because, let's face it, most people are just plain stupid.
We're so dumb we can't even understand that someone can have an opinion different than ours without it being some violent assault on our very being.
They use that against us so we end up arguing with the other side even when we know they are right. Like we end up defending Sarah Palin as being an excellent VP choice when we know clear well she isn't qualified to run a church bake sale much less a state or even our country.
Both sides are guilty of this.
THANK YOU JC, EXACTLY MY THOUGHTS, THE PUBBIES DO NOT WANT THIS ELECTION. AS I HAVE POSTED AROUND THAT THE PUBBIES DO NOT WANT TO WIN THIS ELECTION. PATSY MCCAIN AND PATSY PALIN ARE SACRIFICIAL LAMBS. THEY ARE FOCUSING ON THE NEXT ELECTION.
Do you dream of your ?
May be you prefer ?
With over 100 species of domestic and ?
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