Sarah Palin is good at memorizing.
That was clear last night during the debate between Palin and her Vice Presidential opponent Joe Biden. Many think she held her own and redeemed herself by being able to answer questions in complete sentences.
That’s not what I saw.
I saw a woman who was prepared for the debate by memorizing a few answers and was schooled in the ‘if-you-don’t-know-the-answer, talk-about-something-else’ model of exchange. I was shocked, though, that she outright told Gwen Ifill and Biden, in her own special Northern Exposure perky way, that she’d darn well only answer the questions she wanted and was going to ignore them and talk to the American people about the topics she came to talk about. I’ve never really seen that kind of F- you moment in a national debate.
It was a true Dick Cheney moment. Palin, in a way Cheney has done so many times, was clear in her contempt for her opponent, the moderator, the process and, yes, the American people. Palin was a woman who was convinced that she didn’t have to play by the rules. She’d say what she G-D pleased, thank you very much.
Even worse, was her lack of grasp on how the economy got in the situation it is today.
She thinks we can get out of this economic mess by tightening our belts, learning how to be more responsible with our credit cards and trust that John McCain, who has called for deregulation up until a couple of weeks ago, will bring the hammer down on predatory lenders and Wall Street?? Clearly, she needs to do a little more research on her running mate’s historical perspective on the evils of government regulation and guidelines and his misguided ability to trust in voluntary compliance.
But here’s the thing that really jolted me back to reality when it comes to the McCain/Palin ticket.
Earlier this week, it was clear during the Katie Couric interviews that a woman who wants to be second-in-command of the United States knows nothing about any Supreme Court decisions, maybe not even Roe v. Wade. I don’t expect people who haven’t gone to law school to be able to answer that question, but if you want to be someone who has influence and sway over the national process and future Supreme Court appointments, you should be able to name a few — especially, for Palin, a recent one that directly involved her state.
During the vice-presidential debate, it was also obvious that either she doesn’t understand the Constitution or doesn’t care to. If you were averting your eyes and ears for a quick second, you might have missed it, but Palin announced to the world that, as far as she’s concerned, the Constitution makes her not only a part of the executive branch, but the legislative branch, as well.
“The Vice President should have more authority over the Senate if the Constitution would allow it.”
So the woman who can’t name a case other than Roe v. Wade is now a Constitutional authority??
I think it’s time to make sure my passport is up to date, because I don’t want to live in a country where a woman like Sarah Palin is a Vice President who will be pushed into the mold of Cheney.
It’s scary enough to think of Palin as a heartbeat away from things like having to deal with our current economic crisis or how things are going in Afghanistan. But we DON’T need another administration that will run roughshod over the clear, unambiguous provisions of the Constitution, like Article I:
“The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.”
Period. That’s it. The only legislative duty of the Vice President. Clearly, Palin didn’t watch the John Adams mini-series scene where Adams was horribly put out, as he had to preside over Senate debate, yet remain silent.
My blood pressure was high enough with the economy going in the tank. It wasn’t helped by watching Palin’s performance in the debate. Her tone, her smirk, her refusal to answer questions about her understanding of substantive issues like the bankruptcy laws and her penchant for winking at the camera, almost made me get out the home BP monitor and stay hooked up for the duration.
Good thing I was watching with a glass of wine.
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 am
I have no response to her hokey BS. That’s why I had to make them squirrels. Seriously – I can’t deal with her. WTF?
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:20 am
Have been watching this morning many decisions about the debate. I am floored at how many seem to think she did great. Yes, she was able to for the most part make complete sentences…but that was about it. She didn’t answer questions, she didn’t make the most sense when she did answer questions…and please don’t get me started on her winking! Why do you think so many think she did so well? Would love to hear your view on this. Were way too many voters fooled by her last night? Did way too many actually see someone they think is right for the VP?
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
It was very obvious that she was groomed on certain responses, as I even pointed out to my husband every time she spit out an eloquent answer that didn’t quite fit the question. She continually went off on tangents during her responses that were deliberate digs at the other ticket or were trying to boost her running mate. I was a little tired of all the ‘John McCain’ this and ‘John McCain’ that, instead of her saying what she felt, or how she would have voted, or what, precisely she did prior to her nomination.
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:49 am
People think she did well because she did better than she did in the Katie Couric interviews and actually spoke in complete sentences with a modicum of conviction.
Sadly, I think those who wanted to see her as really ready and qualified did.
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
Yes it was clear she was rehearsed and reciting by rote. She was feeding the hunger of those who like her. Yes, her “knows the issues” number went up, still under 50% if I remember correctly, but Biden’s went from 87 to 98! We just have to hope that Obama doesn’t peak too soon, that there isn’t an October Surprise (I worry about Bill Ayers) and that people have that moment in the voting booth where you know some things just aren’t RIGHT!
Punditmom I envy you that wine; we don’t drink and both my husband and I were rattling around until very late trying to calm down! Nicely put as usual.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
It is beyond any scope of reason to think that persons watching this debate with objectivity could come away feeling good about Palin in her current position.
Of course, nobody went into it with any objectivity.
Palin supporters think she won because she didn’t crash and burn. What faint praise, indeed.
What I saw last night was a political neophyte who flailed horribly in hopes of keeping her head above the shark infested waterline. She failed. A fact made that much more obvious by the mere presence of Joe Biden on the stage beside her.
She is intellectually soft, incurious about the world beyond Alaska’s borders, and woefully out of her depth. She may have had potential as the “future of the GOP”, but that’s been wholly tarnished given this period of her political life. How does she ever get past the public record of her current performance?
Biden can get away with his “being Biden” moments because he has earned the political capital and goodwill that comes from putting yourself out there, warts and all, to be judged for all these years. Palin, trapped in her ivory tower lest she rub shoulders with reality, has earned no such leeway, and gets none.
There is a name for the pathology of a human being who holds themselves in the highest regard with the utmost bold self-confidence despite reality; it escapes me at the moment, but Palin suffers from a severe case of it.
Have you ever heard her say one self-deprecating thing? The moment that struck me above all others last night was her inability to name one weakness in response to Ifill’s question about the candidate’s self-perception of their own Achille’s heel.
Were it not for her own willing complicity in this sham, I’d almost feel sorry for her.
I apologize for my windbagginess. I just couldn’t help myself once I got started.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:59 am
Punditmom you hit it when you said that she was basically saying “f***you” to everybody when she said she would wouldn’t answer the questions if she did not want to.
I’d like to hear what independents and people how are TRULY undecided thought of this debate.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
PunditMom, you and I were watching the same debate, thank goodness. In fact, I had many of the same reactions you did. The republican spin has been unbelievable. However, from the poll numbers I’ve seen it looks like the majority of Americans have figured out that Palin is not qualified or ready to govern.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:19 pm
She memorized some rote phrases, but the thing that appalled me was when she was just reading the cue cards. Reading, like she was giving a speech. Argh.
She did better than she did with Couric, but that’s damning with faint praise.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I was horrified by her statement about expanding powers, and disappointed that Ifill didn’t pin her down harder on that. I want to understand how she thinks she’s entitled to abuse the Constitution in such a blatant fashion.
I am applying for my first passport. (Yeah, I know….) I will use it if this incredibly evil pair is elected.
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I am constantly astonished at what can only be described as the ‘lowest common denominator” in political history. The ideas, which I don’t think she really gets, that the VP should have authority EXPANDED over the senate is unbelievable. beware, code word “Exceptionalism” is a Neocon ideology shout out, as is ‘evil”. I am absolutely stunned at the irresponsibility of McCain in selecting this over achiever….Who is controlling puppet strings. Will she have index cards in her top drawer? Hope she pulls the correct one in a crisis….
I am a huge biden fan, and thought he was remarkle last night. We all know who won, we all know who to vote for. Not the pageant winner and “NOT Mr Congeniality” enough pageant references all right? The only thing she didn’t say last night was that she wanted “world peace” cause you know, she doesn’t, she’s reckless, invoking Jerusalem….lack of tact is unbelievable.
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
You only needed ONE glass of wine? I needed three to get through her BS without breaking my television.
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:12 pm
She truly scares me. I literally had a nightmare about her last night.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:32 am
First, I must say, that before the debate I liked Joe Biden, but by the end of the debate I loved him. He was knowledgeable, clear and precise with facts, records (his team’s and the opponent’s), history and plans. I was thriled each time he fact checked Palin and put her and the public straight. And, most of all, I thank the good Lord that finally, finally someone (he) called Palin on the whole Maverick thing and said “McCain: a maverick he ain’t”.
I was horrified with Palin, her gibberish, her memorized Republican talking points that explained nothing, her avoidance of each and every question (I really don’t think that she knows what an Achille’s heel is!)and her contnually spouting “maverick”, “reform”, and and everything that filled up time and meant nothing. I thought that she was EXACTLY what she had been during her Gibson and Couric interviews: she didn’t say one thing that made any sense.She is extremely dangerous for this country. And I, too am amazed that anyone thought she did well!
October 4th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I’m so glad to read your post and these other comments. I was stunned at the reactions I heard at work the day after the debate. It continues to shock me that anyone can give her an ounce of credit. I agree that the only reason she got kudos was because the expectation was so low going in. And it’s true…she didn’t fall on her face. I was irritated that the mediator didn’t call her on not answering the questions. At one point, she politely re-directed Biden back to a question. I think she was so afraid of seeming biased that Palin got away with murder. Also, I think the questions could have been far tougher. But I was really proud of Biden’s conduct, because he truly contained himself and came off exactly as he needed to.
October 4th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I was so creeped out that she never stopped smiling…wasn’t it like listening to a talking doll?
October 4th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
To stand there and announce that she’s not answering how the moderator would want her to, is a sure sign of what she would do in office.
And it was quite obvious how frazzled she was when she nervously started to answer, knew she was in trouble and then immediately went right into a rehearsed speech about how great she was a Gov. of Alaaaaska.
What a ditz. Crazy to think people not only say she’s great, but will actually vote for her.
October 4th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Punditmom, thanks for the comments because I thought perhaps I had seen a different debate that the spinsters we speaking to. My daughter and I could barely watch Mrs. Palin painfully disgorged the data fed to her. And, what I don’t understand is, how she has the audacity to speak about reform and corruption in the same breath when she is under investigation for the same thing. I mean like one of the other writers says, this ticket scares the h— out of me.
October 5th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Yes, she has no grasp and barely got by in the debate but how come Obama is not leading in double digits???
Where is the disconnect?
October 6th, 2008 at 2:46 am
I’ve already posted on this one, but it makes one think that McCain made a deal with the devil – “You allow Palin to be your running mate, and … I’ll do what for you?” What DOES McCain get in return? The Presidency? For how many years? McCain isn’t stupid enough not to understand that his performance in the first Pres debate made him look old, condescending and angry,while Obama looked Presidential, and Palin’s performance only highlighted her lack of knowledge, judgement and humility (and humanity) while Biden was informative, smart, and, yes, Vice Presidential. So now all he has are smear attacks on Obama to fall back on, in the hopes that enough angry, uneducated hockey moms and dads will believe his and Palin’s lies, never question either his (McCain’s) plans or record, and vote blindly for the Republican ticket. Country First my eye!
October 7th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Sarah could definitely use an ‘Undisclosed Location’.
http://www.WilyTrax.com
October 7th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Hi Punditmom-
Thanks for your thoughtful analysis of the facade Palin can create…as effective as it seems at first glance, Palin’s performance leaves me with the chills. I’m concerned about the number of folks who will actually stop at the surface, and think that there is any substance behind Palin’s comments. I’ve thought about this some, especially how it applies to organizations. You might be interested in the post, 4 Ways Palin Creates a Fake Reality at http://www.AuthenticOrganizations.com.