The Lyin', the Witch and the Wardrobe

Watching the fruit fly speech, I wasn't sure if I was seeing the real Sarah Palin, Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, or Sarah Palin as Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. It's all starting to blur. She was so absurd, so off-the-rails embarrassing, so staggeringly dumb, that it left me thinking that maybe Sarah Palin is a special needs child.

If you missed it, this candidate for vice president of the United States of America made a so-called "policy speech" on special needs children. In that speech she took on earmarks (naturally), and said that money "goes to projects having little or nothing to do with the public good -- things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not."

Sorry, but everyone knows -- and I mean EVERYONE -- that fruit fly research is not about fruit flies! What I didn't know specifically, but I love knowing now, is that fruit fly research has led to the discovery of a protein that is apparently critical in treatment of autism in children, the very kind of "special needs child" the candidate was speaking about. Just when you think she couldn't get any more embarrassing.

Palin's supporters are outraged, wondering how we could expect her to know that. Um, when the candidate for vice president of the United States chooses to give a policy speech on a topic that she claims to be an expert on, shouldn't we expect her to actually be an expert? She claims in her speech that she is the one in the McCain/Palin administration who will "lead the reforms" necessary in the area of special needs children. She's not asking us to put her in charge of the church bake sale. She wants us to put her in charge of our most vulnerable children. And, no, it doesn't matter that she is the mother of such a child. Just like it doesn't make her a foreign policy expert because she can see Russia from her house, it doesn't make her an energy expert because she lives near an oil pipeline, and it doesn't make her knowledgeable on the job of vice president because she plays one on TV (she thinks the VP is in charge of the senate!).

For the few people left who continue to stubbornly love this woman, I know it feels great to see someone on the national stage who reminds you of yourself and your own $150,000 wardrobe. I know you felt the same kind of familiarity with George W. Bush, when his brush clearing reminded you of your own 1500 acre estate, er, ranch. I get it. We all suffer from a touch of the narcissist from time to time. But how about we all stop looking in the mirror and start looking out the window? The world is big, complicated, messy, and very dangerous. The problems are deep and the problem solvers need to be deeper. We don't need more superficially familiar, intellectually vacuous, and insecurely arrogant people running the country into oblivion.

What we desperately need are smart, educated, curious, intellectually honest, and genuinely confident leaders. We can't afford to keep voting for ordinary because yet another snake oil salesman (or saleswoman) sold us on the idea that we should somehow be terrified of the extraordinary.

Comments

[hrhkat]

BEST TITLE OF THIS MONTH! ITS GREAT! GENIUS!

[NoneSoBlind]

Yup, so very apt use of this frequently adapted C.S. Lewis book title, but I first saw this clever adaptation last week in a more complete incarnation in a post on mudflats:
"The Chronicles of Sarahnia: The Lyin', the Witch, and the Wardrobe"

In fact, the novel has been borrowed to further limn the true character of "the Witch Sarah" in this brilliant little piece:
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/the-lyin-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-an-alaskan-tale/

Enjoy.

[rabiddog6708]

It is disturbing that she would bring up the Fruit Fly issue without doing any research, vetting the matter if you will. Common Sense and basic competence would lead a savy politician to know of where he or she speaks. It would seem to be a little thing, but it speaks volumes about Sarah Palin. She hears about the Fruit Fly research and is reactionary, assuming that it must be a trivial pursuit. We don't need more reactionary politicians; we need leaders who will do their homework.

[canuck4barack]

I have just signed up to become a fan of Michael Seitzman. I could tell just from the wonderful title that I would love this article and you proved me right within the first paragraph. I look forward to reading all your past and future blogs. Keep telling it like it is!

[cherrycola]

Enough of this fruit fly mumbo jumbo! More money should be allocated to researching the impact of prayer in alleviating the symptoms of homosexuality! And nucular physics, also.

[Gidster]

That was a joke right?

[ObamaSheeple]

Pray about it for a while. I think you will find Jebus says yes!

[Row69]

Great article. But the title? Pure genius.

[NationalTreasure]

There is a bit more here that seems to escape the intellectually uncurious Sarah Palin -- the extra funding that special needs children would get is socialism. Those vouchers that Palinspoke of are simply socialism as is all public education in this country and to some extent so is private education.

Palin also draws attention to the fact that during his 26 years in Washington John McCain has voted more than 18 against funding programs for disabled Americans.

[liberalrebuttal]

Best post and title ever !

I love it.

[BigHeadTodd]

It's shocking how much she DOESN'T know. Hey, Alaska! Maybe she was the caribou's meow at makin' some really kick-you know what S'mores for the Secessionist Party bake sale, but she has become an arctic tern (do they albatross in Alaska?) around the neck of the REACTIONARY party. The last best chance you have to win this election is to put a tight-fitting muzzle around this lipsticked pitbull.

[Dr. Alchemy]

Please don't insult Pit Bulls!!

[MissMiller]

Our darling Mr. Seitzman,
Once again, you hit it out of the park with the flair, intelligence and charming ferocity I've quite happily come to expect from you; you have yet to disappoint (unlike so many of your punditry brethren). You seem to be, arguably, the lone wolf howling in a pack of seemingly mentally-castrated, not-quite-­thinking-w­ith-the-he­ad-attache­d-to their-necks, "gentlemen" talking heads who have refused to poke holes in the mythology of a woman who poses (and poses) a wholly significant threat to our real national security as well as our individual, collective and ever so American pursuits of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

But here's hoping you do take great and pleasurable refuge in the company and cocktails of the Women (good/white witches?, does this help salve the "witch wound" you unwittingly opened?) Willing To Pull Back The Curtain On Oz: the Campbell "Free Sarah Palin" Browns, the Katie "Never underestimate the mettle it takes to be a real 'America's Sweetheart' " Courics, the Maureen "George W. in lipstick" Dowds, and even that crazy, pot stirring cauldron brew of "The View". No Cowardly Lion, you!

And so I raise my always half-full glass to you and the Ladies (you, too, Arianna!)who helped break this sorry spell with my new favorite toast: "Here's to looking out the window, instead of in the mirror!" Thanks.

[RGray]

Michael, you are such a mensch. I love you!

[gbw1954]

Great post...
All she needed to do was ask some one Why do we do fruit fly research? But that goes to the curiosity issue.
I for one feel a little more confidence in some one that actually knows and understands the laws, and has the intellectual ability to not only make law review at Harvard but be asked to lead it. A little more critical thinking skills than Wasilla Library monitor. Sarah critical thought is not the same as criticizing that which you do not understand.

[bison1]

Fruit fly research is Genetic 101--

[northidaholiberal]

Spring is comming to Narnia

[arieb]

I love it, never has an election been so colorfull. Or would be, if we're electing the Mayor of Wassila. But we're electing the leader of the free world, which, if McCain wins, would put the colorfull fruit fly a heartbeat from the Oval Office.
Alaska, what where you thinking?

[joebiz]

Good post.

Don't buy the snake oil nor drink the GOP Kool-Aid.

[GroveGal35]

How do I say thank you--how many ways can I say thank you? It doesn't matter which party you belong to--Sarah Palin is embarrassing to the nation. I am saddened for her she was pulled into this unprepared, lacking in essential basic knowledge, and saddened for us we have to witness this debacle. The world must think we have lost our minds that, using the terminology of reporters, she wasn't "vetted" well enough. That's a word used when horses need an examination.

Oh, please make her go away very soon. As a person she might be very nice to traipse through Moose country with, or maybe on a shopping spree to her "favorite consignment" shop in Anchorage--that one was just too much. Not a thing wrong with consignment shops but don't we want leaders who represent this nation to look a bit better than that? Doesn't have to be a $1,500 suit--just something new off the rack would do nicely. Oh geesh, this has gone just too far.