Kathleen Parker: Palin 'Not Stupid' But 'Disingenuous'

In an online chat with the Washington Post readership, the National Review's Kathleen Parker continued to express her overall vexation with vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, leading off with this fairly realistic take on Palin's strengths and faults:

My column about the debate recognized that she did what she needed to do to reanimate the base, but the question that remains unanswered satisfactorily is whether she is prepared to serve as president should that become necessary.

Parker, who forthrightly averred, "I call it as I see it," offered wide-ranging criticism of Palin. Palin's winking, to Parker, was "beyond annoying." Also: "girly, silly, unserious and obnoxious." When faced with a questioner who asked, "I want to know why you hate Sarah Palin so much. Is it because she is not an elite like you?" Parker responded, "I don't think anyone at the Hay and Feed where I shop for compost would consider me an elitist. But let me just say: I'm in favor of elite leadership; I despise elitism. So let's drop the labels and stop playing the class warfare game." Parker basically summarizes her judgment thusly:

I do not believe that Sarah Palin is stupid. Far from it. But I do think she is disingenuous. When asked to name the papers she reads, she couldn't name any. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, she may have been hamstrung by her coaching. This wasn't a question she had been prepped on. How to answer? Does it matter? Is there a right/wrong answer? But, her failure to shoot straight and give a possibly "wrong" answer suggests a more serious question about her ability to think and make her own judgments. Now she says she was just annoyed at Katic Couric and didn't feel like answering. I'm sorry, but I don't buy it. I also don't buy that her annoyance kept her from telling Couric which Supreme Court cases she disagrees with. In fairness, again, most people couldn't answer that question. I would have preferred an honest answer. "Katie, I have no idea. I'm not a lawyer and can't name cases. But I can tell you what principles I care about that the court has undermined. I care about personal property rights; I care about protecting children from pornography, etc."

Now that she's over her annoyance, she can drop names such as "Kelo vs. New London." Please. Now I'm annoyed.

Parker was more than merely critical of Palin, however. The Palin pick, to her estimation, makes "McCain's judgment...a fair target." And by her anecdotal accounting, it's a judgment call that could come with a cost:

Judging from my mailbag, McCain has lost a lot of support among moderate voters. Hundreds have written to say that they were on the fence until the Palin pick. They will vote for Obama. Whether these self-selecting emailers represent a statistically significant voting bloc, I can't say, but generally it seems that Palin has strengthened the base and weakened the middle McCain needed to grab. Also, all those women voters who initially left Obama for McCain in the immediate aftermath of the GOP convention have returned to Obama in even greater numbers.

RELATED:
Kathleen Parker exposes the right wing attacks against her for speaking out against Sarah Palin [Crooks and Liars]

Comments

[apatheticmoth]

palin is a GRIFTER, pure and simple... emphasis on the simple part. she has used her looks to try and con people into giving her things, like governorships, vice-presidential nominations, and clothing.... sad. but the american people will not be swindled out of their future, we will not be easily duped like mccain was...

[WorkingClass]

Screw Parker. It took her how long to figure out her readers are scum?

[lw1899]

Ms. Parker is admirable for remaining objective and not kowtowing to the conservatives' lockstep allegiance to Palin. If only more people had her integrity...

[AndrewInToronto]

While Palin may not be stupid, she is certainly incoherent and illiterate, ironic in the extreme given that she has a journalism degree. She does not know the difference between quoting and paraphrasing a person; is unable to paraphrase correctly; SPEAKS in run-on sentences while mixing the subject of one sentence with the object of another (listen to the speech she is now giving in NC); with that, she is verbally dyslexic; does not apparently know how to conjugate verbs correctly (global warming being responsible for "man's" activities); repeatedly, and with pride I would add, demonstrates her anti-intel­lectualism by being committed to knowing (for instance) history while looking at a coastline (Russia) or being unable to name any newspapers which she reads; and speaks with a very simple lexicon, probably more commensurate with her ability to reason and analyse than reaching her electorate -- remember the two times she froze in the debate when it was a topic beyond talking points.

[palinsnohillary]

I commend Parker as a truth-teller. One of few on the other side of the political divide.

[JD2774]

Now that the future presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has broken from McCain's campaign and has started her right wing ranting, we are mesmerized. What's next, bombing an abortion clinic? Sarah is dangerous and there are people out there who believe her (listen to comments by crowd when she talks) and will commit crazy acts to support her. Come on media, stop this misguided missile before she causes news to be made that will shake this country as much as the economic recession.

[Noogie]

Palin can talk quickly. Some people believe that's a sign of intelligence.

[Brooklynindy]

Just a reminder that there's a difference between being stupid and being ignorant. One can be intelligent without being educated. Some people are willfully ignorant, because they believe that their way of thinking is superior therefore there's no need to gather information. They loudly proclaim their lack of education. In this regard, Bush and Palin are twins separated at birth.

[bakingmom]

I completely and totally agree! Well said!

[mairs]

People who aren't stupid don't seem to realize how far stupid can get you when you are a driven, scheming human being. I keep seeing intelligent people overestimate the intelligence of people like Palin. Being smart isn't everything. It's only one part of the equation.

[mairs]

I do believe Palin is stupid, otherwise she could demonstrate that she can actually think. Being stupid doesn't mean you can't be minimally clever, ambitious, and without shame.

[redsongia]

ambitious AND naive.

[valleyrose]

it's pretty simple. i dislike this dizzy individual because she's stupid.not because manly mccain tapped her for the VP seat but simply because she's stupid.and quite simply america, if you like her, you're stupid too.

[JCB360]

If you support Barack Obama and Joe Biden and you are tired of all of the republican lies, smear capaigns and want the truth visit. There is detailed information on the Keating 5, McSames record, Palin and the Alaskan Independence Party, Palin and the witch doctor (seriously) and much much more.


www.republicansareliars.com

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

Watching them eat their own is quite fun!

[Fbart]

It is hilarious to watch them throw their own under the bus.

[JT16682]

Palin does not want to talk to "unfriendly" world leaders, but (knowing they were all watching her) she winks to them incessantly and obnoxiously. What does that say about her character?

[caterpol]

"but the question that remains unanswered satisfactorily is whether she is prepared to serve as president should that become necessary..."

This question hasn't been answered satisfactorily? She is clearly not prepared. No serious person would consider her for VP or President. It's not her lack of knowledge necessarily, it's her lack of intellectural curiousity about the greater world.

Loved the part about "elite" vs. "elitism". Perfect.

[suzyku]

palin was and still is obnoxious. actually she gets more so with each nasty, bitchy, good ol' girl rally she holds. It's clear that she has no depth, no real understanding of the issues, she is only capable of her "talking points" and to go off of them is to show her complete moronic ignorance! She is a complete embarrassment and as a woman voter I cringe each time she opens her mouth and spews her garbage. The country is in desperate need of "real" leaders, "intelligent" leaders and what do the Republicans offer us, a nasty, ill tempered, out of touch, befuddled OLD man who blames, blames, blames, lies, lies, lies and shows us his complete lack of integrity, lack of any character at all, UNpatriotic, puts himself and his election first ahead of this country's best interest and he chooses the idiotic, moronic, nasty palin to be a heartbeat away from running this country when he's OLD and has a 1 in 4 chance of dying while in office! There is NO wink, wink, nod, nod, wink, wink here! They will destroy this country and lead with hate, just as they encourage hate in their dirty, sleazy rallies!