Sarah Palin Has The Same World View As My 7 Year-Old!

When Sarah Palin started babbling to Katie Couric about the "good guys" and "bad guys" in the Middle East, I had one immediate terrifying thought — she has the exact same worldview as my 7 year-old son, Sasha. He too in his childish mind, sees the world starkly divided into the two camps.

He also believes in superheroes with superpowers and monsters under the bed at night.

Now, while you expect 7 year-olds to play "good guys" and "bad guys" — and they do — you don't expect the person who could be a heartbeat away from the presidency to think this way.

That was just one of the shocking revelations in Sarah Palin's second sit-down interview. The other alarming revelation — she is astoundingly inarticulate, ill-informed and NOT a quick learner.

It had been 12 days since her last aired interview with Charlie Gibson, in which she first claimed that her state's proximity to Russia gave her an understanding of that complex nation's politics.

Yet here she was, almost two weeks later, still untutored — or so it seemed — and claiming the very same thing. The McCain-Palin camp hadn't even bothered to prep a better answer to this obvious question. Which makes you wonder if she and her handlers didn't realize how inane she sounded in the first place, or if Palin truly believes that she gave a perfectly sound response.

My 7 year-old also wouldn't be capable of seeing the world in a more complex way, but then again, John McCain hasn't selected Sasha to be his running mate.

Speaking of quick studies, or lack thereof, it took John McCain at least three days to read the two and a half page, 700 billion dollar bailout proposal. If anything, Sarah Palin is even less clued in. When she and Couric discussed her running mate's plan for reforming Wall Street and how he has led the charge for more regulation, Couric asked her to cite specific examples of his push for more regulation, Palin could only lamely promise to "try to find you some and I'll bring them to you." That had to be a first for Katie.

What's becoming totally obvious is that Palin is a terrific actress. Give her a good speech/script, a Valentino jacket and a great pair of patent pumps and she can deliver with gusto. She looks and sounds perfect for the Lipstick Pit Bull VP part. No Hollywood actress could do better.

But once she has to go off script, in the Gibson and Couric interviews or even in her first four questions and answer session with reporters in NYC, recently, she can't string together an intelligent-sounding answer, if her life or the election depended on it. The "Great Communicator" she is not. She makes George Bush sound like the leader of the Oxford Debating Team.

Now there is one way that my 7 year-old does have an edge on Sarah Palin. He knows for a fact that dinosaurs walked the earth millions of years ago. He also knows that human beings were not around at the same time.

But then my son isn't a creationist like our potential Vice President.

Now all of this begs the questions: if Sarah Palin ever becomes president and has to deal with complex political, economic and social issues and crisis, both domestic and foreign, will she be able to see these worlds in terms beyond just black and white and "good guys" and "bad guys"?

Will she be able to inspire Americans to be leaders in science and technology or will her non-scientific views about science get in the way?

And finally, will she be able to multi-task a myriad of often unexpected issues and crises and speak intelligently and articulately about them to the American people or will she have to get back to us?

Follow Bonnie Fuller on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bonniefuller

Comments

[LillianB]

Someone should poll this question: Do you want a president smarter than yourself?

I think the answer may scare us.

[magen]

Unfortunately for Americans with brains, most Americans are not as smart as a fifth grader.

Sarah Palin should go on the show "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?"

For that matter, so should McSame.

Obama has degrees from Columbia and Harvard.

But brains are elitist, aren't they??????

[TRYKER]

She has been schooled in the need for the MIC to absolutely be in charge of all foreign and domestic policy.
We will NEED WARS damnit, plenty of WARS, bombs and thousands of dead brown people.
And if we don't have true enemies, we will make them by terrorizing anywhere we please, including terrorizing our own American citizens so we can manipulate them into giving up more rights and money.
We must foster social unrest at home, we must have class warfare so we can round up and imprison enough each month to fill the quotas of the new prisons and prison camps of Correction Corporation of Amurika.

[gabbinjane]

There's an old saying that goes something like "out of the mouths of babes (children) come pearls of wisdom". Sometimes, too much assumed knowledge and "sophistication" do more harm than good in analyzing issues.

[LillianB]

In analyzing? Nope. In making catchphrases? Yes. But elections should be about more than soundbites. Choosing a leader should be about choosing someone able to lead. And that will be someone sophisticated enough to analyze complex issues.

[truesteam]

You ain't kidding. I thought the same thing with the good guys -bad guys talk. In fact, we have a devided household. My DH is a Repug. and I am a Demorat. So, we disscuss..­.......oft­en times having to stop before we convince our 7 year old that she has something to worry about. My daughter asked me when Obama was on the TV, "is he the good guy?"

[itmaybetoolate]

She is a perfect example of the authoritarian personality - the world is divided into black and white - no shades of gray. Obedience to authority is of the utmost importance as is strict compliance with a rigid set of beliefs. Look, there is no need to understand the complexities of the world when those who believe as you do are "good" and can be trusted and those who don't are "bad" and cannot be trusted. You are with me or against me, and if you are against me, I'll force you to believe as I do, or destroy you.

Sleep tight tonight.

[tinec02]

Tina Fey sounds more articulate when playing the potential VPon SNL than Sarah Palin is in real life.

Tina Fey for president....?

[rationalthought1]

Bonnie, you hit upon something very significant. America is trying to make the difficult psychological transition from adolescence into adulthood. A good per centage of us find it comforting to try and return to or stay in our childhood, where everything seemed so much simpler, where there were strong authority figures who we followed in an unquestioning way. Its hard to become an adult and see the complexities, the gray areas in life, and take on responsibility. Palin is a last ditch effort for those stuck in denial and afraid to face reality. We, as a country, need to grow up or we'll all be a bunch of "Whatever Happened To Baby Janes" , lost in a fantasy. If we don't take the step, the world will look on us with pity and disbelief.

[cc]

You echo my thoughts! As a nation we're at the brink of an upgrade in consiousness--from selfish concerns of the ego to unselfish concerns of the heart. THIS is the true "second coming" and it's only taken humanity 2000 years to get here :-b

[Dana23]

It's the shades of gray that have gotten us into trouble. Nothing wrong with good guys and bad guys. That is something liberals can understand. kind of.....

As for the Gibson interview - even poor ol' Charlie got it wrong, there is no Bush doctrine. It is a figment of the media's imagination that has morphed three, soon to be four times.

Like it or not, the fundamentalist's views of the world and moral issues is correct. You don't negotiate with bad guys - they are evil. Your seven year old knows that, so why don't you? Because liberals insist on hugging the trees, singing Gumbuya, and repeating the Rodney King mantra "Why can't we all just get along." , Iran has nuclear capabilities, North Korea is back on track with their nuclear program, Russia is on the move to dominate Europe, and China is our friend. Melamine chocolate anyone? Honest, it beats Obama's brand of kool-aid.

Dana Pintago

[Rrhain]

Hunh...and when did Iran get these nuclear capabilities, North Korea kick out the inspectors and develop their own bomb, Russia push in on Europe, and China become our bestest friend ever?

Oh...that's right...when the Republicans took over and decided that negotiation was "liberal" and therefore "weak" and thus needed to be avoided at all costs.

Are you saying Obama is so powerful that he was able to mind-control the Republicans for the past eight years and get them to destroy the world just so that he could become president?

It's like the people who were claiming that the Bush I tax deal was what caused the recession: Never mind that the recession started the year before...tax increases are so powerful they can travel back in time.

[ContraEgoiste]

This post is a prime example of the statement "They are proud of their ignorance."

"It's the shades of gray that have gotten us into trouble."-Dana23

Wrong. It is our failure to see the gray areas that have been disastrous. Yes, a black and white view of the world is an immature perspective that lacks experience, intelligence and wisdom, as is evident by your post.

"Because liberals insist on hugging the trees,..."-Dana23

And there again you reveal your immaturity, lack of understanding and sight by relying on weak stereotypes that deride adults concern for the environment and the societies in which they work and exchange with. (Something tells me that you have never traveled outside of the US)

Yes, you are an immature child bereft of enough intelligence to even have developed any common sense as proven by your next statements. I'm willing to bet you don't even see the contradiction between...

"Like it or not, the fundamentalist's views of the world and moral issues is correct."-Dana23

...and the very next sentence...

"You don't negotiate with bad guys - they are evil"-Dana23

Let me give you a hint. The "evil bad guys" ..."views of the world and moral issues", ARE fundamentalist's views


"Iran...North Korea...Ru­ssia...Chi­na..."

Are all reacting to and/or taking their queue from the simpleminded, black and white, chest beating fools that have been driving the foreign policy of this country.

[TheQuickBrownFox]

My seven-year-old daughter has been trained to serve as a drop-in replacement for Barack Obama in Congress should the need arise. All she has been instructed to do is to look around at all the Democrats and vote with the majority. I predict she will represent Barack Obama with 97% accuracy.

[tweldy]

My son is also aware that the giant, disembodied head of Putin is not invading Alaska's airspace.

[BlueAsh]

Your points are well taken, but I believe you missed some important point. Palin was chosen for the sole purpose of conveying a message to the Republican base.

With her very being, Palin has delivered the message and thereby fulfilled the mission she was sent on. And McCain can't be bothered by what comes after.

[JennyJay]

A grownup adult said on TV - "when Putin flies over America, he will come to Alaska first".
Huh . . . Does the woman simply not know that Moscow is not up in Siberia, or the north pole?
And she cannot see Russia from her house, unless she lives on a remote island, far out in the middle of the Bering Sea.
Oh, that's right, she studied journalism in school, and not geography.

[MPCarr]

So your 7 year old daughter has been a city councilman, mayor, and governor? Yeah I see the similarities.

Obama is like my 7 year old son too, when on the debate, McCain showed his bracelet of the soldier killed in Iraq, and Obama said "I have a bracelet too!" Of course he had to look to see the name on the bracelet, but Obama was proud he too had one!

Biden is also childlike in his interview where he talked about Franklin Roosevelt going on TV when the Great Depression hit. Of course he wasn't president when this happened, and TVs didn't exist until aroun 1950. But Biden has such a rich imagination. I am proud of him.

[dctackett]

first of all, it's her son, not daughter... secondly, if you can resonably act and say things that make people feel nice and warm and fuzzy, belong to their church, and live in the sticks, you too could be a counsilperson and mayor.

With big money funding, resonable acting ability and again if you live in a backwater state, you too could be governor... you just have to be vague enough and hit the right emotional queues... just look at George Bush.

she also belongs to a chuch, where they speak in tongues, believe in a magical super being creator and think the earth is a few thousand years old...

[theBSR]

It's the authors fault for naming a boy Sasha for the confusion there....secondly, if you can reasonably act and say things that make people angry and feel worse off than should, belong to their American hating church, and live in a nice neighborhood but pretend you live in the ghetto with them, you too could be a community organizer and State Senator.

With big money funding, reasonable acting ability and again if you pretend to live in the Ghetto, you too could be a US Senator....you just have to vote Present enough and use race baiting and class warfare....just ask any Democrat Senator.

He also belongs to a church, where they speak in hate, believe in a magical super being creator and think the US is the devil.

[BlueAsh]

After someone has been a mayor and is a governor for a while and *still* sounds like a 7 year old -- then that is indeed scary.

[FreedomFries]

Where are you reading that her 7 year old was a "city councilman, mayor, and governor"? Good way to argue with someone, however. Just make something up and then attack your own make believe statement as if it were your opponent's. U.S.A.!! U.S.A.!! U.S.A.!!

[OakTrees]

Fact :
The first regularly scheduled television service in the United States began on July 2, 1928.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to speak on television. Roosevelt spoke at the opening session of the New York World's Fair on April 30, 1939.

[OakTrees]

The first regularly scheduled television service in the United States began on July 2, 1928.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to speak on television. Roosevelt spoke at the opening session of the New York World's Fair on April 30, 1939.

[MPCarr]

I am sure television existed in the 1930's, but nobody had one in their home until around 1950

[FreedomFries]

My friends, I just watched her Columbus speech and she is not a great actress. Her voice actually seems to be getting more irritating, my friends, and the talking points so stale they're almost comical. It has gotten to the point, my friends, where Tina Fey's Palin is much more likeable. I think she will be a disaster in the debate, my friends.