Oh. NOW, She Wants to Talk
For two months, when she was unknown, yet asking the American public to elect her vice president of the United States - when it mattered seriously for Americans to know precisely who she was and see her vetted in public- Sarah Palin couldn't be found anywhere near a challenging microphone. Even in the midst of an actual debate, she haughtily refused to answer questions asked of her.
Now, however, you can't keep her away from reporters. Now, if you were standing between Sarah Palin and a camera, you'd be stampeded. Now, it's like she's morphed into the creepy Norma Desmond at the end of "Sunset Boulevard," eerily gliding down the stairs of her home, calling out, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille."
Now.
Now.
Except, now, it doesn't matter. Now, we're no longer deciding who should be elected to lead the United States. Now, we don't care what she reads, what she can see from her porch. We already chose who we wanted. Sarah Palin lost, even if she didn't get to give her "concession speech."
Sarah Palin kept insisting she would only talk when she wasn't filtered. That was why she wouldn't do interviews, so people could get to know the Real Sarah.
But at some point between "You lost" and "Last boarding call for Anchorage," Sarah Palin miraculously realized that people could discover the Real Sarah even when filtered through a reporter. In fact, the more filters the merrier.
It's a smarmy, cowardly act. Just like her whole campaign. Hinting at her opponent being a traitor created a dangerous atmosphere in the country that lingers, all the while hiding behind a fake-whine that she should be the one protected against criticism.
And her cowardice continues: slamming the press she avoided, yet now courts. Smearing bloggers, yet "palinforVP.blogspot.com" started her crusade to become vice president.
Mind you, while it's annoying to see her empty interviews, that's not the problem. The problem is that too many interviewers are letting her get away, at best, with blather. And at worst, lying. When she told Matt Lauer that she couldn't have banned "Harry Potter" when she was mayor because the books hadn't yet been published, he should have said, "Yes, they had!" When she told a reporter she was annoyed by Katie Couric's question because "Alaskans read what everyone reads," he should have replied, "No, you were being asked what specific newspapers inform your world view. And you still haven't answered." And someone should have pointed out to Ms. Palin that she still hasn't delivered to Katie Couric that list of McCain regulations she promised she'd get. Or that she still hasn't made her medical records public, that she also promised.
So, as much as I hate seeing this losing candidate using up airspace that could be better spent on Barney (Fife, Rubble or the purple dinosaur), I'd LOVE to see reporters actually interview her. Not just hand over a microphone and let her continue to slam the president-elect, lie about her clothes, and cook a homey stew as if the state didn't provide her a chef that she never did, in fact, fire.
So many questions. Yet amid them all, sometimes I wonder what if I was allowed to ask Sarah Palin a question - but only one. What would it be?
After much thought, I've honed it down to this:
"Throughout the campaign, you talked endlessly about Joe the Plumber. How you cared about Joe the Plumber. How Joe the Plumber was what America was all about. How Joe the Plumber was what you were all about. How you understood Joe the Plumber to the depths of your very soul. My question is - What is Joe the Plumber's name?"
I have cash money on the table that she couldn't answer, "Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher."
Of course, I won't get the chance. But since every TV reporter in America with a camera will likely get their chance, here are some questions gratis they are welcome to ask Sarah Palin.
Why isn't the oil distribution payout you made to Alaskans socialism?
How could you say, "I'm comfortable with Barack Obama as our Commander-in-Chief," after suggesting he dangerously palled around with terrorists?
Did you find it creepy to have hands laid on you in church by a witch doctor?
Were you in church, as your pastor insists, when the invited speaker said it was God's will that Jews in Israel were killed in terrorist attacks?
Whether you were in church or not, why haven't you ever condemned the statement?
Why did you tape a greeting for the Alaskan Independence Party convention that wants Alaska to secede from the United States?
Your husband was a member of the secessionist AIP, which affiliated itself with the Iran dictatorship. Doesn't that mean you palled around with a domestic terrorist?
What was a typical day like as mayor of Wasilla?
Would you like to try that answer about your foreign policy experience and seeing Russia again?
You said that you also got experience from books you read. What books have made you an expert on Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, France, North Korea, Venezuela and Spain?
What newspapers do you read?
What places in America aren't pro-America?
Do you believe that Barack Obama is an anti-American terrorist?
Do you understand the great and lasting danger you caused America by hinting that he was?
When people at your rallies continually yelled "Traitor" and "Kill him," why didn't you say anything to them?
What do you want?
After insisting your family was off limits, why did you carry your children around like stage props, even bringing your two daughters onto the ice when you dropped a hockey puck?
Is something wrong with your eye?
If Sarah Palin wants to talk now - she has to now be willing to answer questions that she avoided before.
If Sarah Palin wants to talk now - she has to talk about "now." Yet she's still grasping at her old, divisive, hollow, losing stump speech. What the American public demands is someone who can speak to the collapsing economy - and offer solutions. To finally ending the Iraq War. Getting health care.
And the empty Sarah Palin keeps showing she has nothing to add to the public discourse. Yet talks anyway. Now.
Sarah Palin seemingly wants to lead the Republican Party in four years. Fat chance, but still, she should at least take the advice of the founder of her party, Abraham Lincoln. No, not that advice about, "You can't fool all the people all of the time" - though admittedly that's pretty good.
No, the advice I'm referring to is another from Lincoln --
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Updated.
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We keep feeding the beast. I just want her to go away. I can't even imagine how I would have felt had the election gone the other way. The way both parties ran their campaigns, they were like night and day. It still angers me, the way that she spewed all that nonsense, and put notions into people's heads. I know it only appealed to her base, but stil it stuck in their minds
Wow, I really wish you could interview her. It is funny that some whine about Palin being mistreated by the media, yet she was really handled with kid gloves. I think too many people were afraid of being called sexist that they rarely gave her followup questions.
See K.J. Dwyer's Profile
I LOVED this post. Thank you.
When you look at the totality of her moronic candidacy, it really takes your breath away. How 64% of Republicans can say that they want her to run in 2012 is beyond belief.
I've been advocating for a "Palin Watch" segment on HuffPo just to keep tabs on her during the next four years. I dread that she will somehow reappear the way that the similary dismissed (in 1976) Ronald Reagan did in 1980.
http://www
She has a dangerously strong telegenic and populist appeal that is easy to underestimate. Let's not make the same mistake twice.
I dunno, seems to me a Palin Watch might just serve to give her more attention. McCain has created a monster, I hope he's satisfied.
If that many Republicans say they want her to run again, it must mean that all the ones with any brains did what I did, and switched parties. If we educate enough people, the party may become small enough that it won't be much danger anymore.
See K.J. Dwyer's Profile
There's that adage "there's no such thing as bad publicity," however I don't think that applies to politicians.
In 1976, Reagan was written off. He had lost the Repub. nomination, was no longer governor of California, was 65 years old and after Carter won the presidency both Reagan and the Republican Party (which was in similar disarray after the Viet Nam War and Watergate) were eulogized.
Over those next four years, Reagan and the neo-conservative cabal within the GOP, were able to regroup and reframe the Republican message and in 1980 began arguably one of the worst periods in American Political History.
The differences with Palin only make me worry more. She's much younger, is still the governor of Alaska and given the Republican Party's Machiavellian ability to distract and deceive, she'll have the next four years to be molded and "handled." She already has enormous telegenic appeal (just like Reagan) and has ridiculously high support within her own party.
That Gingrich has said "no way" is just distraction. If enough Republicans come out against her at this point, it gets people to take their eye off her (even though she's personally doing everything she can, in the short term, to remain in the public eye). Republican operatives know that she's way too powerful an asset to simply write off and we should recognize this as well.
We need to continue holding her feet to the fire and disabusing her and her party of any such political future.
I can now sum up my interest in Sarah Palin in just one word...
meh
LOL
matt lauer and all the other interviewers should be ashamed of themselves, the questions you mentioned in your article were the ones i wanted answered but they didnt have the guts to ask, matt acted as if he had a crush, i have heard him ask britney spears deeper questions than that. all they are worried about are ratings not about the safety of our country, her rhetoric has caused the president to have more threats than any president elected, shame, shame, shame on the news media.
Great article. It upset me to no end hearing her in the interviews talking her mess. The MSM FINALLY got to interview her and didn't ask her the correct questions. What the he ll is wrong with these people. She had been in isolation so long and was ready, willing, and able to speak to anyone and no one asked her the real things that the public wants to know. What a waste.
Lincoln took that quote from the book of Proverbs. He often cited the Bible, but he certainly was not a "wingnut!" He was one of the best writers that the presidency ever produced. It seems Obama is trying emulate some of his policies.
Sarah Palin represents the base that she and MCain appealed to, as did
"Joe the Plumber". Whether she reads everything that comes across her
desk, or simply throws everything away, except maybe the local newspaper,
really isn't relevant. She was chosen to be a scapegoat in the event that McCain
lost. Maybe she simply didn't want to be labeled because of what she did read.
Maybe a busy Governor and hockey mom with a new baby simply didn't have
any time to read. Despite some of her faux pas, for some reason I really don't
understand, I felt protective toward her. Now I hope her "fame" brings her
happiness.
That is the best article I have read about Sarah Palin...es
Cracks me up you all keep bringing up Palin. Shows that she still holds interest, even to you.
This is my take on Palin. During the election, she loved all the attention she was getting with the large crowds during her speeches. Now that she has lost, she can't accept it and is giving interviews all over the place. She is not holding anyones interest but she can't stop failingly trying to hog the spotlight from the Obamas. She can't stand to see them visiting the white house when she thinks it should have been her. She can't accept that Obama is the president and Michelle is the first lady. She needs to and move on with her life.
She can smell the money that comes with the notoriety.
Don't be naive - It's not interest - the level of disbelief that most people feel about her comments and general demeanor and disgraceful divisive style is not something that goes away quickly. There are too many unanswered questions
This woman was almost one heartbeat away from the presidency - people are still kept up at night by that nightmare thought.
It is not something that goes away overnight.
But do not foolishly misunderstand any of that as being an 'interest' in the actual person. It isn't. Far far from it.
it's less interest, more fascination and fear.
Fascination because to this day I cannot understand how so many Americans were willing to let themselves be duped.
And fear, because what if those same Americans remain unenlightened til 2012? *shudder*
You must know your enemies. Well. And she is an enemy to all of us. Even to the 64% who say they want her to run in 2012. She's dangerous because of her incuriousness and ignorance. She wants power and nothing more. She's an opportunist who would step on her own mother to "crash through that open door" of opportunity. That's where the interest is. When someone tells me they want to lead my country, I find it in my best interest to know everything I can about them in order to make an informed decision. Well, I'm pretty well informed about her now. And I say no freakin' way.
Great article! I've been screaming at the TV during Palin's interviews and asking the same question--WhY is Palin being allowed to answer the questions posed to her with lies or non answers? What really irks me is that she will have a platform to further spread her bull---t!!! I hope it ends up in bookstore bargin bins all across America. Then again maybe those living in "Real America" will buy it. ICan we expect a forward by Joe the Plumber? UGGGH I'm so sick of this woman!!
i wish you would be guest on Mornin' Joe and get a chance to say all this. i am so tired of the nimwits on his program and even dimwitted, boorish Joe Scarborough, himself, defending Sara Palin and all the other "Center Right" Americans.
Oh, this is so funny! Dick Cavet just wrote an article about Palin's lack of English at the NY times. The title of his article is "The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla." He set out one of her long winded sentences that seemed to go nowhere, and everywhere -- here is Sarah Palin speaking at her most unclear moment:
My concern has been the atrocities there in Darfur and the relevance to me with that issue as we spoke about Africa and some of the countries there that were kind of the people succumbing to the dictators and the corruption of some collapsed governments on the continent, the relevance was Alaska’s investment in Darfur with some of our permanent fund dollars.
Here's more from the article:
And, she concluded, “never, ever did I talk about, well, gee, is it a country or a continent, I just don’t know about this issue.”
It’s admittedly a rare gift to produce a paragraph in which whole clumps of words could be removed without noticeably affecting the sense, if any.
(A cynic might wonder if Wasilla High School’s English and geography departments are draped in black.)
(How many contradictory and lying answers about The Empress’s New Clothes have you collected? I’ve got, so far, only four. Your additional ones welcome.)
Matt Lauer asked her about her daughter’s pregnancy and what went into the decision about how to handle it. Her “answer” did not contain the words “daughter,” “pregnancy,” “what to do about it” or, in fact, any two consecutive words related to Lauer’s query.
I saw this as a brief clip, so I don’t know whether Lauer recovered sufficiently to follow up, or could only sit there, covered in disbelief. If it happens again, Matt, I bequeath you what I heard myself say once to an elusive guest who stiffed me that way: “Were you able to hear any part of my question?”
The Wild Wordsmith Of Wasilla
LOL and another one that goes here, there and everywhere!
"Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said (Sara Palin speaking of Obama).
Americans aren't needing a President who speaks complete sentences? American's want Tito the Builder and Joe the Plumber slang echoing through radio addresses on Saturday? Or, more of Bush's stumbling rhetoric with a permanent sneer on his face as he speaks? Sarah, what must you think of the citizens of the USA if you believe that is what we want?
Oh, my. No one can make this stuff up. If she has any sense, she'll never open her mouth again.
She hasn't. . .so she will.
If she brings that sentence to me I could have it shortened by Friday.
While Sarah made for good material for comedies, she was actually a big embarrassment to us all>in America!!!
Especially embarrassing and damaging to the GOP, for even considering that such an inept person could be elected to such a prominent position while being totally inadequate in every possible way. What does that say about the GOPs???
Now they give her a book deal....wh
She feels her 15 minutes slipping away and she's desparate. She's not gonna grab that Senate seat like she thought so now she's got to figure out a strategy for not fading away into the Alaskan tundra.
Here's my humble prediciton:
1. She does guest appearances and op-eds until she runs out the clock on her governor term.
2. Full time Fox News blowhard
3. Announces run for the Republican Nomination.
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