[video] Couric Interview on Supreme Court Cases of Concern to Palin
Okay. Disclosure: I went to law school. Big whoop. I’ve got kids who are in or have been through middle school – and that is where you first learn about Brown v. Board of Education and Miranda and even in the supplements they get from Newsweek or TIME, Bush v. Gore.
And yet Alaska Governor and GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin could not even mention summarily issues that SCOTUS has written about that matter to conservatives such as the death penalty, the gun law from DC that got panned this past term, school prayer or school vouchers. There were hundreds of ways she could have responded without having to name or even know the name of a single court case. But she is so over-confident in being told that she is in fact qualified to be VP when she isn’t that she is in too deep to ever say when she doesn’t know something. That is her single biggest flaw. Sarah Palin is a walking example of why students should take proficiency exams because either no one taught her, she wasn’t listening, she doesn’t remember or she doesn’t care.
None of those reasons suffice for the person we’re expected to consider as eligible and qualified to be vice president or president of our country.
24 Responses to “[video] Couric Interview on Supreme Court Cases of Concern to Palin”
Amazing, absolutely amazing. She is so good at saying NOTHING and making it sound like she's said something. No wonder this interview has been coming out in snippets – each one is deserving of consideration on it's own (de)merits. After watching this I find myself wondering if the expectations for Palin's performance are low enough. Maybe the bar needs to be taken down another notch.
You know, there are names for the clinical condition of when people think more of themselves than they actually are – grandiose narcissism. Maybe she is something like that – because she is so incapable of saying, NOT ONCE YET, in ANY interview (of the three she's done ugh) that she's unfamiliar with something. I think they've drummed it into her brain that she must never surrender that she knows less than everything.
NO ONE KNOWS EVERYTHING. It is OKAY.
Except of course when you're running for VP and your running mate tells everyone that you are THE best pick to be one heartbeat away from taking his job.
I try not to pile on anyone. But Governor Sarah Palin is a magnet for piling on (figuratively speaking). I do see why she appeals to some. Heck she reminds me of some of the women on the PTA with me (and I love their “rawness” when speaking). But for VP… well…. uh…. She just doesn't move me.
Actually its more like this:
http://palinquotes.sillycloud.com/
Holy crap. That clip was just as bad if not worse than the advance buzz advertised.
Anyone who tries to claim she is qualified is completely out of their minds.
This from Andrew Halco, from The Christian Science Monitor :
“When he faces off against Sarah Palin Thursday night, Joe Biden will have his hands full.
I should know. I've debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times. And she's a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality. Against such charms there is little Senator Biden, or anyone, can do. “
Interesting warning. We shall see…
I've now read in a couple of places that a case involving Alaska had a decision just a few months ago:
“What's so troubling about Palin's deer-in-the-headlights silence on the question is that it should have been an easy opportunity for her to pivot back to her home turf – Alaska. Either Palin doesn't have a good memory, or she's deeply confused since just this past summer, a U.S. Supreme Court decision in Exxon v Baker, cut damages from the Exxon Valdez oil spill to $500 million from $2.5 billion. The decision, according to an International Herald Tribune article, was a tremendous slap to Alaskans who found their commercial fishing industry upended after the spill destroyed the herring population.
“Palin even took a few moments the night of the decision to appear on Alaska television.”
You can go to that link to see the video of Palin talking about the case – just this year.
And she couldn't recall that case w/Couric? Again – this might be high stakes, but anyone who thinks having her sit and negotiate or present anything with anyone, as president of the USA, isn't as high or higher is being deceitful.
Oh I totally can see that. But I really do believe that, as the polls are showing, moderates and independents simply will not be satisfied by that stuff – of non-stuff as the case may be.
Thanks for this T_Steel. I don't understand why some people find it so hard to acknowledge that we have different thresholds of expectations depending on the role we're choosing them for – why is it so hard to just say that we want and deserve and need someone how has more knowledge? It simply is not an elitist thing and it just feels so much about winning at all costs – to an entire nation. That just feels so undemocratic to me. But maybe I'm just a Pollyanna or something.
I am sorry, but no one who has been to High School, seveenteen colleges, council woman, mayor and governor (and, let's not forget, in the PTA) can be so ignorant about the historic decisions our Supreme Court has rendered. Sarah Palin is just faking it, to lower our expectations for tomorrow.
OK, well if she turns out to be a forensics allstar tomorrow night, then she has most of us fooled, including lots of republicans. Conversely, if she is cheery, charming and talkative then her core supporters will have had their threshold for success met.
Well, at least there is one thing that we can thank Sarah Palin for — the resurgence of funny folk songs!
Hey Sarah Palin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DIc8jdra0o
To look at a slightly different angle on this, this is more evidence that Palin isn't really in constant touch with the dominant conservative conversation. There must be a thousand decisions that a Limbaugh listener could list that they hate, from eminent domain to religion in schools to gun control…. These are not on the tip of her tongue at all. It really reinforce the notion that Palin has always been a local politician, interested in her town's issues and then her state's. She is very conservative socially, it appears, but she doesn't appear to sit around mainlining national conservative talking points either.
Good thoughts Pacatrue.
The problem with Palin is her lack of interest and fluency in the issues of the day.
JSpencer- and sadly, that cheery Palin, assuaging supporters? It's turning off the votes they need: the independents. And that is not even a tiny bit of a surprise to me – which is why I've said from the start that this pick was a huge miscalculation.
Mlhradio – thanks for sharing – I think.
ok – snark alert: what DOES she sit around or walk around or ricochet around actually DOING? I won't run through the list of what we can surmise she does not do – but what HAS she been doing in 18 mos. of being Gov.? What did she do as Mayor? Seriously.
And that's the truth, Gichin. It's weird – it's like she's trying to show that people can pick up what they need to know to run the country through osmosis and…I'm not sure what exactly. Not getting educated. Not making decisions on her own. What – what exactly, other than the innate personality she was born with, does she offer?
I think one of the more scary things about Palin is how much of a blank
slate she is. Way too much open canvas for unknown persons to fill in
for me.
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Jill — Bill Press (liberal talk show host) played the clip of Palin's answer to the court question this morning. Press was a typical liberal, mistaken-at-least about Couric if if not delusional or outright dishonest (gentle style, great interviewer — phffft, Couric was and is terrible), but it was not Couric's question, but Palin's answer that was so agonizing that I, for the first time, quickly turned off the radio momentarily, it was that bad.
The hatred of Palin is inexcusable, but — that answer by Palin was godawful. It truly was agonizing or painful to hear. I shut off the radio momentarily, it was that bad!
I do not hate on Palin – there is nothing hateful, IMO and of course I'm biased since I'm voting Obama – but there is nothing hateful in reciting observations that are negative. Anyone who tries to spin negative expressions about Palin's readiness or performance as hate is doing just that – spinning.
Yes – there is actual HATEFUL stuff out there – much as its been directed at Obama and Clinton before Palin.
But again – to state as you have that it was “godawful” – how can we not say that? It's the truth – that answer WAS godawful. Especially if you view that video I linked to a few comments up in which she discusses the Exxon SCOTUS decision from just a few months ago – she is on the record for two mins talking about how disappointed she is with the US Sup. Court. That was an ENORMOUS case – not only for Alaska but for the country, seriously. The Valdez accident is a seminal moment in history, not unlike the Columbia disaster and so on.
Anyway – in that clip, as an aside, Palin does exactly what she's been doing w/Gibson and Couric – and IMO, this is the most damning thing about that:
She repeats, over and over, the exact same phrases and words, for the two mins that she's interviewed by her local news. People want to give her the benefit of the doubt – I can only imagine how painful it has to be for GOP supporters. But the fact is, she really really really is limited – now and forever. So am I – so are most people.
But not all. And it's from that “not all” that I prefer to choose my presidents and vice presidents. Being like most people, all the way around, is just not what I want in the CIC.
Palin might have at least mentioned the Dred Scott decision- you learn about that one in grade school and its a safe answer.
DLS, what on earth are you talking about when you say that Palin is “hated”? I think you're off the deepend again. Concern about qualifications is not hate.
JS- I agree- people are just concerned that her lack of qualifications could be dangerous.
DLS– You yourself didn't like the pick a few weeks ago, and praised Obama for having the sense to pick Joe Biden??????:)