“How do you solve a problem like Ms. Palin?”; Conservative Calls for Palin to Drop Out
I get that it’s nice to see someone who we think is like us running for president or vice president. But the fact is that even conservative voices, including conservative female voices, are chiming in that Sarah Palin is not ready and is a dangerous choice. Please – do not take what these writers and thinkers say personally – they are clearly not happy about what they are writing but they are being responsible. And Kathleen Parker of the Dallas Morning News goes so far as to say something I tweeted yesterday: Sarah Palin should drop out.
The most important parts of what I want to share, and not all my blathering:
From conservative columnist at the Dallas Morning News, Kathleen Parker (she also posts at Townhall.com and TMV’s Jazz Shaw mentioned this column of hers here):
Some of the passionately feminist critics of Ms. Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Ms. Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick – what a difference a financial crisis makes – and a more complicated picture has emerged.
As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that she is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion.
And about what I keep writing about regarding conclusory retorts from Palin:
Ms. Palin didn’t make a mess cracking the glass ceiling. She simply glided through it.
It was fun while it lasted.
Ms. Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.
No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Ms. Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.
Ms. Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage, and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example from her interview with Mr. Hannity:
“Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.”
Most stunning and sobering, however, Parker suggests that Palin drop out:
Only Ms. Palin can save Mr. McCain, her party and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.
Do it for your country.
I tweeted that yesterday – if McCain wants to suspend the campaign, he should expel Palin.
Finally, from Crunchy Con (as in, conservative) Rod Dreher (who also writes for the Dallas Morning News) in Palin Debacle on CBS Evening News:
Watch the Couric interview here. Couric’s questions are straightforward and responsible. Palin is mediocre, again, regurgitating talking points mechanically, not thinking. Palin’s just babbling. She makes George W. Bush sound like Cicero….
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.
UPDATE: New Palin excerpt up, in which she discusses why having Russia next to Alaska gives her relevant foreign policy experience. I am well and truly embarrassed for her. I think she’s a good woman who might well be a great governor of Alaska. But good grief, just watch this train wreck [cuts to the Couric-Palin clip]
No one should feel good about this because McCain’s choice impacts (and some may say imperils) all voters and Americans. Even conservatives (George Will earlier this week too) realize just how serious the job of president and vice president are. We must not keep putting ourselves and our politics before our country.
A strong democracy requires that nominees for our highest office possess basic threshold competencies. This is because democracy means there will always be millions of people who will be governed by someone they did not vote for. But we stay intact as a government because we trust that even if we don’t agree with the political leanings and decisions of the winner, we trust that he or she will do what’s best for all 300 million of us.
There are tens of millions of voters, now, on both sides of the aisle, who find Sarah Palin to fall below this basic threshold for competence as a vice president or president of our country. And at least two of us are asking for her to step down.
I hope other people will come forward and express themselves too. And of course, if you disagree or "couldn’t disagree more!" – bring it on. And please, be sure to voice your opinion with Parker or Dreher:
rdreher@dallasnews.com
41 Responses to ““How do you solve a problem like Ms. Palin?”; Conservative Calls for Palin to Drop Out”
Conservatives finally realize the bubble gum has lost it's flavor….well duh we could have told you she was donut from the get-go!
Republicans are extremely fortunate that the media's attention (and the public's) is focused on Wall Street's financial mess and that Couric's interview with Palin was not plastered all over the news. Hillary Clinton's defense of then Governor Spitzer's immigration proposal during one of the Democratic debates received more attention!
If Palin's had been highlighted, it would have been devastating for their presidential hopes. She seemed unprepared, naive and extremely nervous.
She is a complete disaster. God help us if McCain wins and then croaks, we are completely and totally screwed.
Parker speaks of how much Palin loves her country. Honestly, I think that one reason Palin is so unprepared and will always be so is that she loves Alaska far more than the United States. While it was her husband who belonged to the AIP I just don't see this as a major difference between them. Look how involved Todd Palin has been in his wife's role as governor. Are their political philosophies really all that different? Unlikely.
Who cares about Palin since the Republicans are not going to win. Any political scienctist who honestly reviews the data can see that the future of the Repulbicans Party is bleak and that the Republicans will soon be irrelevant to politics in America.
However, the question is then will the Democrats stop fighting old battles and be able to demonstrate leadership in the coming one party state.
Another question is where will all of the former Republican voters go after the Republican Party collapses. Will they start voting in the Democratic primary and move the Democratic Party to the right or will the Democratic Party find ways to limit the number of primary voters in future.
IN 2016, the real presidential election will be in the Democratic Prmary the same as this year. However, in 2016, even the MSM will have to admit that the Republicans have no chance of winning and that Iowa and New Hampshire would pick the next President after Obama without anyone else having a say.
SD- are you back to that old routine now? Republicans have won all kinds of elections that they should have lost– like 2000 and 2004— they have a slew of dirty tricks and smears up their sleeves. Democrats aren't breaking out the Dom Perignon yet!
kritt11,
Look at states like Virginia. That Obama is even or ahead in Virginia means that McCain is going to lose in a rout. Also, given that the Democrats are going to gain seats in the House and Senate, the Democrats are going to be able to do what they want.
I suspect than in January or February, the Democrats will quietly propose opening up immigration as a cure for the collapse in housing prices. Why not important millions of more poor people who cannot afford to buy houses to buy up houses the last round of immigrants could not afford.
I hate to generalize about people but quite frankly my estimation of conservatives went waaaaayyyy down over their blind support of Palin. This quote you have from Karen P is exactly why:
“But circumstances have changed since Ms. Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick – what a difference a financial crisis makes – and a more complicated picture has emerged. As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that she is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion.”
“But circumstances have changed”…. really the only thing that has changed is that some conservatives have woken up and realized Palin is unprepared. The nation (and world) still has unexpected problems and the leaders of the US are among the most powerful people in the world.
The reason my estimation of conservatives went way down is that they were so overwhelmingly ready to support a pretty candidate they knew nothing about. That's fine if she were running as beauty queen and I will assume that Alaskans knew enough about her to make her governor, and she may be a good governor.
But to teleport Palin through the glass ceiling and have her become one of the most powerful and influential people in the world when she doesn't understand much beyond Alaska is dangerous. And these conservatives were willing to hand her the freshly minted VP tiara without question. The reason why the country is in such a mess is that people jump first then look. It is jaw-dropping that everything the Republicans have attacked Obama on (except for race) is evident (and to a much greater extent) in Palin. Whether it's patriotism (I don't want anyone who supports a separatist party as VP or P as Palin does) or religion (she's a hard-core Christian fundamentalist) and she has abused her power with honest scandals floating about her where ever she goes.
Before conservatives jumped on the Palin bandwagon they should have looked at her first. It's that utter blind faith (while important in religion) that scares me when people use it to make political or business decisions.
Now don't get me wrong…. My estimation of conservatives may be low (with exceptions, but after this it will be a long road to get me back to the point where I respect conservatives as a whole).
But for people like TMV's Polimom who stopped supporting a candidate and looked and considered Palin as a contender my estimation went up. Polimom got criticism for being back on the fence, but my respect rose because she was willing to look at Palin before making any final decision. That's something we should all do in considering candidates and Polimom was acting very responsibly as a citizen of this country. Too bad more people aren't like Polimom.
The woman is obviously overcoached in these interviews. And she is obviously too nervous. If the McCain Camp is smart they would let her have more interviews. There is no way she could been elected Governor of Alaska without being able to form a complete sentence.
Let's see how the debates go.
Yes, Conservatives were so anxious to have one of their own back in the WH, they didn't care about her qualifications or lack of them. They actually crowed about her experience as an executive– which Obama and Biden lack—- yet didn't realize that she would bomb out on the national stage. McCain apparently knew- which is why she's been hidden.
She will be even more popular with everyday people, if the elite media keeps treating her like they are. They are not helping Obama. I guarantee you next thursday's VP debate will be the most watched VP debate in history.
SD- Its obvious that this is why Bush was hoping that his comprehensive immigration package would pass– that way money would be flowing into the economy — and none would be given back for federal entitlements like soc sec and medicare!
Batony- everyday people should have already learned that someone you want to have a beer with doesn't necessarily make the most competent person for our highest elected offices. We've had 8 years of someone who was supposedly just a “regular guy”.
Great comments! I am reading but on deadline for another writing gig (totally different from this: it's on Rosh Hashana for About.com!) and will get back here. Thank you – this discussion is CRITICAL to being informed and rationale voters. This isn't about Palin personally – this is about McCain's choice and our expectations of who we want to lead this country. That is a really, serious question – it is NOT just about politics.
I'm insulted. I think I'm far more knowledgeable about national issues than Sarah Palin.
She would have been a great surprise speaker at the Rep Convention, and maybe in 4 or 8 or 16 years, she could have been a real powerhouse in the conservative movement. I'm starting to feel really bad for her in one way — not only would she be a disaster of a VP (and everyone knows it), not only will she very likely be one of the death knells of the McCain campaign, but in pulling off the water-wings too quickly and going for a sink-or-swim VP pick, I think McCain may have totally crushed any chances she had of being a beloved leader of the right in a decade from now.
[...] “How do you solve a problem like Ms. Palin?”; Conservative calls … – The Moderate Voice [...]
Kritt11…guess who was also a person people would want to sit down and have a beer with…Bill Clinton.
I just don't think this lady is as dumb as these interviews make her out to be. So she doesn't have foreign policy experience. So what? Neither did Clinton, Carter or Reagan. Nor does Obama. That's why Presidents have advisors. Let's be fair
roro80…I think you are going a little overboard there.
kritt and Batony: re your comments about everyday people knowing that the president should not necessarily be the guy one wants to have a beer with…. (the assumtion being that one may want to have a beer with Bush, but he hasn't been a good prez)
My brother, his wife and her family and their friends all continue to support Bush. They are convinced that everything wrong with the country, including the Iraq War is the Dems' fault. As an example on the Iraq War, they say if Bush had sent more troops into Iraq then we would not have been in the position we are in. They believe that the Dems wanted fewer troops sent to Iraq in 2003. They refuse to see that it was the Bush administrations belief that we could win hands down in Iraq with very few American causulties and we would use the Iraq oil money to rebuild Iraq that got us into the mess. It was the critics of the (proposed war, at that time) who were calling for more troops, if we had to go.
So, while the everyday person SHOULD have learned by now the distinction between someone you want to have a few beers with and the president (though the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive) many people just don't think with their brains.
My brother, etc. felt the above even before the presidential race began. Obviously he's not an Obama supporter now, and unfortunately it comes down to race and taxes. Deeply held beliefs and biasis (in this case my brother believes that all Democrats will raise taxes on everyone) more often than not trump common sense.
I don't think roro80 has gone overboard…. I think if Palin had the interest in applying herself to serious national and international issues then she would have a shot at being a national figure in a few years.
But even if she had the same values of me and I liked her in every other aspect, the fact that she's a strong supporter of a separatist group is a non-starter for me. She may not have been a member of the Alaskan Independent Party, but she did go to their functions and she did speak at their convention (while she was governor) saying they were doing a good job. I'm not about to support anyone with separatist leanings, much less a strong supporter of a separatist organization, as prez. It doesn't matter that she is not a member, she's still a strong supporter.
If she belonged to the Alaska Independent Party as a student or something, that would be one thing though I would have to really look closely at her or anyone else. But come on! Being a strong supporter of a separatist movement when you're governor of that state is something else and in my mind disqualifies her to be prez or veep. You find your political philosophy when you're young. But something that major should be set by the time you're governor of a state. And then to suddenly change your tune overnight because you want to be president or veep is suspicious to me. By the way, has she even severed her ties with this group? All I've heard is, “I'm not a member”.
Stockboy…I understand what you are saying.
However people vote for who they like. Unfortunately for Obama, for all he talks he is going to do , there is not enough evidence that he is going to be anything special. And for someone like me who sees right through the BS on both sides, and with the media, I am really not impress with the guy.
Stockboy- great comments– and I agree. Voters need to think beyond who they like and about how Palin would function if she had to take over the top spot. There is too much at stake to go by the “who do you identify with” method of choosing a candidate. Ms. Palin isn't running for mayor of Wasilla this time!
Batony- Yes voters felt that Bill Clinton understood what they were going through– but he lacked the ability to function in Washington and didn't have much foreign policy experience.That accounts for key missteps that he made in his first 2 years in office.
He was a quick learner and did have some great people around him. Even so, he might not be the best choice in the current situation we face if he were running for the first time.
I think you should vote on the issues and a candidate's competence more than their personality- or whether you think they're likeable. I actually supported Hillary Clinton- but have switched to Obama because they have the same voting record- and I think he has run his campaign brilliantly. The choice of Biden over Palin is one where I think he used judgment that was superior to McCain's. McCain also has made very rash statements in the past few days (like firing Cox) that make me question his judgment in other areas.
Stockboy
- I understand perfectly about your family. My husband's family will never vote for an African-American – no matter who they are running against. When you talk about Obama they bring up David Dinkins– as evidence that a black man can't be trusted to run anything.They know they are prejudiced — but don't care. Its sad– but that's just how it is.
Batony, I understand that people will vote for who they like, and they often let biases such as racism or sexism or whatever cloud their better judgement. It's part of being human. I would hope that we all strive to recognize such beliefs within ourselves and set them aside, as much as possible. We're not perfect. My comment was a recognition of this. And it's this “bias” dynamic that certainly keeps things interesting!
Much as I dislike most of her political positions, I'm beginning to feel sorry for her. The McCain campaign used her cynically and ruthlessly. She may be foolishly arrogant and certainly shouldn't have accepted the McCain offer, but I think Orr's column is correct. Her confidence has been shattered by the ridiculous way the campaign has hidden her away. Even if she was completely unqualified earlier, she at least had the confidence to bluster her way through an interview. I don't think she is qualified and I despise most of her policy positions (what little we know of them), but I do pity her for being humiliated so thoroughly in public. McCain and his campaign should have known better and it's hard to believe her career is benefitted by this public flaying. On the other hand, the thought of her as VP is terrifying. So I'm sorry for her, but I certainly hope she continues to perform so badly and it helps to pull down McCain's chances. McCain's bad judgment is more appalling than Palin's arrogance.
kritt, thanks. My parents raised my brother and I to be open minded. I hope I am fairly open minded, but my brother doesn't have much interest in anything outside his world and sees no reason why he should expand his horizons. He's really smart and has his own successful engineering company… but he just doesn't have much interest in the larger world.
[...] “How do you solve a problem like Ms. Palin?”; Conservative calls … [...]
crosspit, I understand exactly what you're saying and if she hadn't abused her own power in Alaska and if she clearly had not told so many lies for her own political gain I would be sorry for her too. But she knows how the game is played and she's been pretty ruthless in Alaska from what I can see, and has done things which should appall anyone with any common sense. She doesn't get a pass from me just because she's out of her league. My Mom even said that she thought that Katie Couric was kind to Palin in the interview. And I am glad Katie was kind to her. I may not feel sorry Palin or for the position that Palin has put herself in, but I do not believe in kicking someone when they are down.
Palin could very well be VP and then P if something happens to McCain. in such a position Palin would not hesitate in trampling over the beliefs of a hundred and fifty million people (assuming McCain/Palin gets roughly half the support in the country) to pursue her own agenda.
So I'm sorry but Palin doesn't get any free pass or sympathy from me. She's never showed any compassion herself, including in the sport hunting of animals from helicopters, where they are literally run into the ground from exhaustion and then killed. If Palin were a compassionate person, had tried to run Alaska with integrity and if she had gotten into this mess because McCain wanted to use her, then I would feel sorry for her.
Stockboy, the story on the aerial hunting seems to be a lot more complicated. Here's the recent FactCheck.org article.
I was just going to say that I wouldn't want to be the person triaging Parker's email box today. It probably looks something like Lieberman's after the RNC.
Stockboy I agree with you entirely about Ms Palin's hunting habits— I just find them horrifying. At least Cheney didn't shoot animals from a helicopter- what kind of sport is that??
Palin is over her head bigtime— maybe she thought the campaign was going to be about looking good in red suits and giving rousing speeches to adoring crowds.
I lost a lot of respect for McCain after that cynical pick. There must be a 1000 more qualified Republicans to pick from. And if he really were going to buck the Washington establishment he would have gone with his own favorites— Sen Lieberman or Governor Ridge. This just tells me he's not a strong enough leader within his own party and was forced into an incredibly foolish compromise.
pacatrue, thanks! I appreciate the article and the further story. But I am still against the cruelty aspect, even if it is considered “predator control”. I'd like to know if the wolves are hunted down in inhabited areas or just wilderness…. If they are hunted down in inhabited areas, then I can see how they would be considered “predator” control. But if the wolves are hunted down only in wilderness areas, then it seems to me that the label “predator” has been placed on the killing to justify the sport. Sort of like saying “Americans don't torture” and then defining torture in such a way to exclude anything short of death.
At any rate, I'm still against the idea, predator or not, because it is cruel. Now having said that… I understand sport hunting and while I would not participate in it, I think it's fine if people do sport hunt (I can hear a lot of people on here groan at that….). But cruelty to animals should be banned whatever the circumstance.
From the article: “The tension in the state between those who object to aerial shooting of wolves on moral grounds (the concept of “fair chase” doesn't exist in predator control) and those who want to limit these predators so hunters will have plentiful targets, has given rise to frequent changes in the law.”
Thanks again, pacatue! It does explain why some people might think it's fair to control “predators”, but I still think it's cruel.
You're absolutely right. She has been a liar front and center from day one. I used to completely despise her. And I agree Couric seemed to be trying to help her out and WAS kind. And you're right about her hunting record and the frightening thought of her as VP. But she did get into the mess because McCain and Co. used her, however, and so I do not entirely blame her for the VP mess. I guess it's just hard to see yet another female politician (however appalling she may be) looking the fool and being humiliated publically. After thinking over your comments, although I still pity her humiliation, I also agree she deserves it. It's a contradictory position, but it's an emotional response. The McCain campaign put her in an untenable position, and and I am hopeful she will no longer be a viable politician on the national scene and maybe not even AK–but watching another person's public humiliation is still disturbing.
Oops the last comment should have been prefaced by: StockboySF
And in case it's taken the wrong way: “another female politician” is probably not accurate. Many, many fine female politicians who never look the fool. I guess I mean another woman in general. Rather sexist of me, actually. I don't like to see men humiliated publically either, but apparently it doesn't bother me as much! For example, I wouldn't mind seeing Bush or McCain publically humiliated.
The most benign thing I can think of to say after that interview, is that Palin seems more like an elementary school teacher than a candidate for the second highest office in the country. She's under too much pressure to learn too much in too short a period of time. All eyes and ears will be on her performance on Oct 2 against Joe Biden.
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…
It's for the good of the country.
crosspit, thanks. I completely understand your position and I find myself sympathizing with others in similar positions. I just can not sympathize with Palin, but that's just me. You're probably a better person than I if you can still find sympathy for Palin and I respect that.
By the way: your comment about “another female politician”… I knew what you meant (and it was pretty clear from your overall tone). But thanks for the clarification.
kritt: “The most benign thing I can think of to say after that interview….”
I think you're probably a better person than me too, if you can withhold your tongue like that and be graceful in your comments!
The Couric interview only proves that she's unprepared for an interview with Katie Couric and to speak in detail about things. Palin is vastly ignorant of government and its history, but that doesn't mean she is incapable of good decision-making when she needs to make a decision or that her judgment is bad. I don't support her or McCain, but I think the responses cited in the posting fail to support their conclusions. I don't necessarily think she'd be a good president, but I do think Dreher is still unprepared for his logic exam.
With Palin's resignation as Governor of Alaska, the feeding frenzy is on of news organizations clamoring to be the first to announce all the details. After all, if one quits their job they either couldn't handle the pressure or were up to no good, right?
http://richardtgarner.blogspot.com/2009/07/pali…