In Which Sarah Slowly Self Destructs
Watching Sarah Palin self destruct is a thing of beauty and, I daresay, inevitable considering what an extraordinary lightweight she was to begin with and how she not only has failed to grow on the national stage but has turned making a fool of herself into a cottage industry. We also can be thankful that it is increasingly likely that Palin will be a pimple on the ass of presidential campaign history by the time the 2012 election rolls around and we can be spared further fantasies from the aroused male bloc of the Party of Beavis and Butthead as well as her own bloviations.
An update on the Killa From Wazilla:
* She has been dumped as the headline speaker at the annual fundraising dinner for the Republicans Party’s House and Senate campaign organization. Newt Gingrich replaces her.
* While Palin’s staff claims that she had never committed to the dinner — another of the countless lies small and large that emanate from her midst like cow farts from a dairy farm — the snub is an indication of the disfavor into which she has fallen with some influential party bigs.
* That disfavor stems in part from warfare between Palin’s gubernatorial staff and her presidential PAC, which includes affluent trial attorney and Scientologist John Coale, the husband of Fox News talking head Greta Van Susteren and a reliable lightning rod for controversy.
* It also stems in part from Palin’s annoying habit of dissing fellow Republicans, most recently her claim that none of John McCain’s presidential campaign staffers would pray with her, and a forthcoming article in Men’s Journal in which hubbo Todd blames the Republican National Committee for the infamous $150,000 wardrobe scandal.
* In a recent poll on who the 2012 Republican nominee should be conducted by Rush Limbaugh, listeners went for Mitt Romney by 30 percent, with Bobby Jindal at 14, and Sarah Palin tied with Ron Paul at 13. Some 44 percent of listeners said they wished they had better choices.
* The Alaska legislature is not taking kindly to her recent appointments, having rejected two, nor her pandering to the almighty conservative base in the Lower 48 by announcing that she was refusing stimulus money earmarked for education, much of it for schools in poor communities like Wasilla with dropouts like daughter Bristol and for special-needs children like son Trig.
Then there is Palin’s personal life, which may not be able the withstand the kind of scrutiny it underwent in the 2008 campaign.
While hypocrisy is no bar to holding public office and is, in fact, the coin of the right-wing Republican realm, Palin serves up hypocrisy in Alaska-sized portions by using her brood, including poor Trig, as stage props and blathering about Family Values and who are true Americans while Bristol and the father of their child, whose mother is a drug dealer, are dropouts whose plans to marry dropped out sometime after Election Day.
Shaun Mullen is a former The Moderate Voice columnist. Over a long career with newspapers, this award-winning editor and reporter covered the Vietnam War, O.J. Simpson trials, Clinton impeachment circus and coming of Osama bin Laden, among many other big stories. He blogs at Kiko’s House.
60 Responses to “In Which Sarah Slowly Self Destructs”
CStanley : Twisted semantics won't get you the nod. You're backing a whacko loser with no meaningful experience; and we're backing the president. Can you imagine what a Frost/Palin debate would sound like ? Talk about a cringe factor.
Don't put words in my keypad. I'm not backing anyone- I'm pointing out how juvenile the level of discourse is regarding Palin. If I criticize the criticism, it does not logically follow that I'm a supporter of the person in question.
That's good to hear. I would have imagined you to be thougtful about those you support. Apart from that, there can be no juvenile criticism when it comes to Palin.
Indeed, there needs to be more transparency about her past, her principles and her platform. Faith based politics dumped America into the abyss and the fact that Roe V Wade trumps substantive issues in political debate is scary, therefore, yes I'm afraid of Palin.
Palin's record overall is not one of faith based politics, Daivie. That's the point- there are reasons to criticize her without buying into the misinformation that's been piled on to her. My opinion is that she was quite unprepared for national politics, and that's the main reason I'm not a supporter- but if you'll forgive another juvenile expression, “Two wrongs don't make a right.” When people criticize her fairly, I'll agree with them, but when they distort and attack her for her family, I'll defend against those kinds of attacks (I would also, for what it's worth, defend people that I disagree strongly with politically when they're attacked unfairly, ie, the 'Obama is a Musllim' or talking about Obama's half brother living in a hut in Kenya type of stuff. And please, don't attempt to persuade me that Palin made her family fair game. Jimmy Carter was also a family values guy but I wouldn't have condoned people taking digs at Amy or his loopy brother Billy.
As you can see, I've not gotten into Palin's family at all. I also disagree with those who try to make something out of Palin's experience. It's quite minimal against the requirements to become a national leader; so I agree with you that she's unprepared for national politics. I'm dismayed at those who say she can study up in 3 years to become qualified. Why bother ? There are many other conservatives already qualified who also can articulate the issues, lead the country and handle interviews maturely. Being a hockey mom is not a requisite for political office. Many of Palin's supporters say I'll vote for her because she is salt of the earth. That won't get us out of the depression or regain our international prominence. If I've seemed upset at Palin's supporters, it's because I truly believe their agenda is more anti choice than pro America. We can't afford to vote that way anymore, witness Bush and yes Reagan–the great deregulator. Let's not be afraid of intellectuals for our leadership. It's where our young people are heading.
I pretty much agree, Daivie, although I think she could have seasoned into a much better candidate if she hadn't come onto the national scene prematurely. I think what her supporters see in her is the natural charisma/ connection with people that she has with a certain portion of the voters. That's something that people either instrinsically have or they don't- and that's why it's a shame to waste a politician who has something of a natural gift. However, that alone is not sufficient by a long run, and the fact that she unwisely accepted the nomination before ready and then had no clue how to manage her image, and didn't have a fast learning curve for facts or for media management, made her a poor candidate IMO.
I have to disagree with the 'prochoice' thing- I really didn't get the sense that this was a huge part of her popularity. And I have to also say that I agreed with Camille Paglia about her admiration for Palin's brand of conservative feminism (the tough but feminine image) and I do think that a lot of liberals find that threatening because they can see the appeal as a counterweight to their liberal feminism. It's an image that's tough to beat unless you discredit her in other ways instead.
I'm not saying that her prolife stance isn't part of her appeal, but I think you're painting her conservative supporters much too two dimensionally.
Well, she is running for president. We'll have to wait and see what her policies and programs will be and how will they help America prosper, become secure and re-establish respect across the world. I don't think, however, that this time around she'll get past Romney in the debates as he too is fine tuning his campaign style and talking points as we speak. Then there is the question, do the republicans need a “white knight” to come out of the woodwork like Clinton did for the democrats in '92 : someone handsome, smart, disarming, previously unknown, articulate, moderate and captivating ? If they do, they'll create a level playing field against Obama. If they don't, Romney, Jindal, Palin, Huckabee…whomever from the current field…won't get it done. And as an aside, Jindal is history. It's amazing how one disastrous tv spot can end a candidacy.
And as an aside, Jindal is history. It's amazing how one disastrous tv spot can end a candidacy.
Oh, no way. I mean, that appearance was inexplicably awful but no way have we seen the end of him. He's doing what Palin should now be doing (and he doesn't have nearly the amount of damage to reverse that she does anyway): laying low, governing his state, and building an actual record to run on when the time comes. I don't think he'll run yet in '12 but watch for him in '16, I bet (of course that depends on the results of '12, whether Obama keeps his office or not.)
I have no idea who advised him or wrote that speech for him, but it was so out of character that I assume he tried to follow some foolish advice and now knows better for next time.
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What ARE you smoking?