UPDATE: (New updates and media reactions after the photos)
Closer inspection of a photo of Sarah Palin, during a speech in which she mocked President Obama for his use of a teleprompter, reveals several notes written on her left hand. The words "Energy", "Tax" and "Lift American Spirits" are clearly visible. There's also what appears to read as "Budget cuts" with the word Budget crossed out.
(Photos AP)
Final Thoughts:
Just to be clear: The notes most likely weren't for her speech, for which she used prepared remarks, but for the Q&A session that followed, during which she glanced at the hand in question.
But in my opinion that's even worse.
There were no specifics on there, just general concepts and things she supports.
The takeaway is that this presidential contender apparently can't remember her supposed core principles and needs a cheat-sheet when simply asked about her beliefs.
To quote Charlie Brown:
Good grief.
-Stefan
MEDIA REACTION
UPDATE (2/8)
Keith Olbermann gets to the heart of the issue. It's not just about hypocrisy - it's about Palin's apparent lack of ideas and core principles.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
CNN's Don Lemon discusses Palin's palm-reading:
David Shuster provided some "Telepalmer" coverage this morning on MSNBC:
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2/7
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (8 PM CST)
Ahh sweet Earl Grey Revolution! Sarah Palin knew that speech like the back of her hand. The Q&A answers, however, were on the front of her hand.
Or so it appeared.
During the Q&A following her speech at the Tea Party Convention, Ms. Palin appeared to read from her hand in answering.
The following image was caught by some sharp-eyed Twitter users, notably @jryanlaw
UPDATE #2: A high-quality video on youtube seems to prove that something was indeed on the palm of Palin's hand. The question is what.
Close-Up:
UPDATE #1: And, via ThinkProgress, the Video:
Crib Notes? This potential presidential candidate and "movement" leader was using crib notes to answer basic questions?
This would mean:
A) That she knew the questions beforehand and the whole thing was a farce. (Likely.)
and
B) That she still couldn't answer the previously agreed-upon questions without a little extra help.
If true, this is supremely rich coming immediately after a speech in which Palin took a shot at President Obama for using a teleprompter to read his prepared speeches.
You can bet that the President wasn't reading scribbles off his extremities while he sparred with Republicans and Democrats in an unscripted format in his recent Q&As.
Palin, on the other hand, seems to need a cheat-sheet just to get through a contrived lovefest with a smitten interviewer and an adoring audience.
I'm no fan of the Tea Party movement - if it can be called such - but if this is their leader I actually sympathize with them.
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Follow Stefan Sirucek on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sirstefan
Andy Borowitz: Fox News Gives Palin's Hand Job
"We were very impressed with the job her hand did at the Tea Party Convention," Fox News chief Roger Ailes said. "And we said to ourselves, let's give Sarah Palin's hand a job."
Huff TV: Ryan Grim Talks Palin's 'Holier Than Thou' Tea Party Tone (VIDEO)
HuffPost's Senior Congressional Correspondent Ryan Grim appeared on MSNBC Monday to weigh in on Sarah Palin's recent "tea party" remarks. Palin appeared at the group's...
Palin Hand Crib Notes Attract Scrutiny - Political Hotsheet - CBS News
The Buzz Log - Palin's Palm Holds the Answers - Yahoo! Buzz
Palin: Crib notes from a helping hand
Palin Hand Crib Notes Attract Scrutiny - Political Hotsheet - CBS News
Think Progress » Did Palin write the answers to Tea Party ...
What Do Sarah Palin's Hand Notes Say About Her Presidential Prospects?
Dianne Feinstein violated debate rules by writing notes on her hand, but no criticism of her? Oh, she's a Democrat, never mind.
Does it mean, if I was a Democrat, I could do whatever I want including selling your soul to the devil? Democrat should stick together even if it was principally wrong and ethically wrong, shouldn't it.
I'll tell you what is lack of core principles and ideas.
A govermental official who repeatedly voted "PRESENT" on most of the issues.
A public speaker figure repeatedly promotes "TRANSPARENCY OF THE GOVERNMENT" and then do the opposite, back-door dealing, vote-buying, choking free-speech with socasm and condescending remarks
1) It was not an attempt Palin tried to punk Obama, make a pithy understatement about teleprompters or an attempt to show how "regular American" she was....it was just stupid, though Michelle Malkin said it was sheer genius.
2) It's a good way to get blood poisoning...duh.
and
3) You end up looking like a 12 year old trying to pass the math midterm instead of a President. As dotty as Ronald Reagan got as he aged, he never once wrote crib notes on his hands. I don't know about you, but I don't want a President who Sargozy and Medevev giggle about after she's left the room.
I hope the interns and office help at Fox got time and a half looking through old tv footage for what must have been days for a Democrat, any Democrat, who had so much as an ink smudge on their fingers.
Frankly, Palin's responses were more embarrassing than the palm writing.
I'm sure the 'right' would find fault with that proposal. And too bad their isn't a test for empathy.
-RLee
http://therleepost.blogspot.com
Hey did Sarah memorize her speech or did she read them... Let's see she read the prepared speech see her head down on the Podium.......
The voters fell for a great speaker with no experience and obviously lacking in leadership skills (hey, you HAD a majority and did NOTHING), voters will fall for the another great speaker. If the repubs are smart (oh what predictable comments will be made to that statement), they'll groom SP for 2016. The dems put someone out there without the skills to do the job and it is showing.
The amount of attention SP garners on HP - oh yeah, I know, comic relief -is indicative of a fear of her.
Favorite
That’s quite a resume. Look in the mirror and see how you compare.
There is nothing funny about Sarah Palin; in fact she is quite serious.
She is loved by MILLIONS of people and she WILL BE very influential in 2010 and in 2012.
It doesn't matter what she does she is headline news. She writes on her hand and guess what? its headline news.
There is only ONE reason everyone would pay sooo much attention to her. Everyone believes she has influence and power and guess what? Everybody is right. And if she wasn’t powerful and influential then everyone would just ignore her. But that wouldn’t work either because no matter what people say or do not say about her there are millions who want to know what she is thinking and what she is going to do next.
She is fascinating.
She is not going away, because if she was she would already be gone, but instead everyone hangs on her EVERY word.
That's powerful. She's powerful. And everybody knows it. What she does with this power is up to her not us.
Power defined by en.wikipedia.org/wiki/power (communication): " Power is not a characteristic of any one individual rather, it is defined in terms of relationship and transaction between people."
And quote you stated, "with this power is up to her not us." repeat "up to her and not us."
Need I say more. The power is up to the American people! And everybody knows it! She is powerful as compared to what? And not us! Excuse me on the last few words of communication of power "in terms of relationship and transaction between people."
Try again. LOL
But she has a family to protect from the vultures.
the bracelet has her name on it-
......just in case
With all the controversy over cheating spouses and wayward mistresses what about a presidential hopeful who uses cribs notes to remind herself of her core values and principles?
Duh, “I am an American… yep that’s right… says so right here.”
You know, I don’t think we have to worry about Palin anymore! Whether she ever runs for anything again, it won’t be for President of these United States… maybe somewhere in her state of mind, where bulls are made for riding, and shinoala does shine.