SarahPAC Short-Bus Tour

[pythonzzz]

Oh, shit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDGZm9ALBUs

needs to be:

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/1765/vgtmo1.jpg

;)

[Marley23]

Moved to the Pit in case the OP feels like adding some content.

[Shakes]

Uh, I see she spent a lot on production of that video. Now WTF does it mean?

I really do hope she runs. I could use a good year long laugh.

[Simplicio]

Doesn't PAC money have to go to some specific campaign? Can I really collect money for a PAC and then use it to just to have other people pay for me to tool around the country in a big bus all day?

I really do hope she runs. I could use a good year long laugh.

Yea, I thought the actual video was a lot funnier then the lazy photo-shop joke.

[John Mace]

Laughing all the way to the bank.

[LilShieste]

Doesn't PAC money have to go to some specific campaign? Can I really collect money for a PAC and then use it to just to have other people pay for me to tool around the country in a big bus all day?
There is a bit of ambiguity surrounding what PACs can and cannot do. Some clarity might come from an unexpected source, though... (http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/5453770-574/stephen-colbert-could-put-fox-news-in-bind.html)

[Omg a Black Conservative]

I've never understand some people's hate for Palin. It's as if she can do no right.

[Simplicio]

There is a bit of ambiguity surrounding what PACs can and cannot do. Some clarity might come from an unexpected source, though... (http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/5453770-574/stephen-colbert-could-put-fox-news-in-bind.html)

Thats a question of how they can raise money though. I'm asking about the legality of how SarahPAC is spending its money. I thought you could spend it on other peoples campaigns or issue advocacy. This tour doesn't seem to be either, unless you take a really broad view of "issue advocacy".

But its main purpose looks like its to raise the profile of Palin, which seems a pretty questionable use of the money that other people gave her with the understanding she'd distribute it to other campaigns.

But I'm only very vaguely aware of what the rules for PACs are, so maybe I'm wrong and its kosher, but thats why I'm asking. Given the amount of attention Palin draws, I'm sure someone somewhere must've examined the issue.

[Rhythmdvl]

I've never understand some people's hate for Palin. It's as if she can do no right.

It's because she's Steven Colbert in drag, except she takes herself seriously. A vapid, pandering 'candidate' that exudes the worst of the new-right movement. Her banality and transparent hacking are easy targets to laugh at. It's unfortunate that she should make people cry.

[MeanOldLady]

Yea, I thought the actual video was a lot funnier then the lazy photo-shop joke.I'm actually being 100% serious and free of all jest when I say I felt dirty after watching that video.

[LilShieste]

Thats a question of how they can raise money though. I'm asking about the legality of how SarahPAC is spending its money. I thought you could spend it on other peoples campaigns or issue advocacy. This tour doesn't seem to be either, unless you take a really broad view of "issue advocacy".

But its main purpose looks like its to raise the profile of Palin, which seems a pretty questionable use of the money that other people gave her with the understanding she'd distribute it to other campaigns.
Ahh I see. Then, I too am curious as to the details of the spending restrictions that are in place for PACs.

According to the PAC's home page:

Formed in January 2009, SarahPAC is a federally registered political action committee (PAC) dedicated to building America's future by supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation.
(http://www.sarahpac.com/about-sarahpac)(bolding mine)

According to the FEC's website, PACs are allowed to make unlimited "independent expenditures":

An independent expenditure is an expenditure for a communication which expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate and which is made independently from the candidate's campaign.
(http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/fecfeca.shtml#Independent_Expenditures)(bolding mine)

So, my WAG is that some tenuous connection can usually be made between a PAC's spending, and a "clearly identified candidate", which really helps blur the line of where their spending limit is.

[Harborwolf]

I've never understand some people's hate for Palin. It's as if she can do no right.I hate her because she's an jaw droppingly ignorant person. She's the brain dead hybrid of politics and reality television. She mistakes popularity with intelligence and quality. I hate her pandering and her folksy down home bullshit. I hate her reality celebutante daughter. I hate how her political views are shallow enough to be expressed via the 140 character or less Twitter service.

That said, she's easy on the eyes, so I guess she does one thing right.

Happy now?

[Cort]

Uh, I see she spent a lot on production of that video. Now WTF does it mean?

Well, duh! It's about Freedom. And Liberty. And the Constitution. And Vision. And Futures, our Futures. It's also about The People. It's about Truth. And America. And Honor. And God. And the Liberty Bell.

And Repetition. Endless Repetition.

And it's also about working Washington, Lincoln, and Reagan into the same sentence. The fuck's that about?

[No umlaut for U]

My hatred of her begins with one simple fact: Geraldine Ferraro was the first female VP candidate from a major party.
Sarah, you're not original in any way, shape, or manner. Just go away, now.

[mhendo]

There is an interesting article on Palin in this month's Atlantic Monthly: The Tragedy of Sarah Palin (http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/06/the-tragedy-of-sarah-palin/8492/).

The author discusses her record as Governor of Alaksa, and argues quite convincingly that she actually did a pretty damn good job, especially when it came to dealing with the incredibly important issue of oil taxes and the gas pipeline. She worked to assert the interests of Alaskans over those of the oil companies and their paid-off politicians, she challenged corruption among the Republican establishment, she worked closely with Democrats who were pushing a more liberal economic agenda, she didn't spend her whole time pushing socially conservative issues, and she drove a tax reform bill that garnered a much higher share of oil profits for the state. It partly due to Palin's reforms that Alaska currently enjoys a multi-billion dollar surplus rather than being billions in the hole like most other states.

Rather than run on this record, when Palin was elected as McCain's running mate she basically dumped all of it in order to pander to the far right, social conservative element of American society. The author argues that, had she run with the same sort of agenda and politics as characterized her term as governor, she might have dramatically changed the landscape of the 2008 election campaign, and could have made herself a viable candidate for reform in a period when Americans were concerned about the power and influence of corporations and corrupt politicians.

Instead, she let the less savory aspects of her character, her "relentlessness" and her "impulse to settle scores" with people who criticized her, override the rest, and she deployed them indiscriminately rather than against targets worthy of attack.But McCain and Palin didn’t run as mavericks. Instead, they turned hard right. Palin’s old colleagues were stunned. “The speech at the Republican convention that made her a star, that was just shocking,” [Democratic state senator Hollis] French told me. “She could have said, ‘I’ll do for the nation what I did for Alaska: I’ll work with both sides and won’t care where the ideas come from.’ Her background supported that. Instead, they handed her a red-meat script she’s been reading from ever since.” Sums her up pretty well, i think.

[Simplicio]

So, my WAG is that some tenuous connection can usually be made between a PAC's spending, and a "clearly identified candidate", which really helps blur the line of where their spending limit is.

I watched the video and flipped through the material on the tours website. If there's a candidate or set of candidates involved, they're definitely not being "clearly identified". Indeed, they don't even directly reference the election or the GOP. And her first stop is in DC, which has no federal legislators to campaign for.

I can't imagine its really illegal, since her PAC no doubt has plenty of lawyers to come up with a justification for it. But I'm curious what that justification is, as the point of the tour is pretty nakedly to boost Palin's profile, and that doesn't seem to be a valid use of PAC money. I assumed they would use the bus to go from campaign event to campaign event to shill for Palin-endorsed candidates, and thus justify the expenditure that way, but that doesn't seem to be what they're doing.

[GIGObuster]

I've never understand some people's hate for Palin. It's as if she can do no right.

Even the Republican pundits knew it was a dumb and cynical move when McCain choose her for VP, lets rewind the tape:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Noonan_Murphy_trash_Palin_on_hot_mic_Its_over.html
After a segment with NBC's Chuck Todd ended today, Republican consultant Mike Murphy and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan were caught on a live mike ridiculing the choice of Sarah Palin.

"It's over," said Noonan, who then responded to a question of whether Palin is the most qualified Republican woman McCain could have chosen.

"The most qualified? No. I think they went for this — excuse me — political bullshit about narratives," she said. "Every time the Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it."

Murphy chimed in:

"The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical."

While it was fun to discuss with many smart republicans during the campaign (it was fun when one knew what they really thought about her in private) the clear cynicism and the constant attempts at putting lipstick on that pig bitch, made me lose respect of many that claimed to have lots of intelligence and were willing to give McCain and Palin their votes.

So, are you serious or cynical?

[LilShieste]

I watched the video and flipped through the material on the tours website. If there's a candidate or set of candidates involved, they're definitely not being "clearly identified". Indeed, they don't even directly reference the election or the GOP. And her first stop is in DC, which has no federal legislators to campaign for.

I completely agree. The only thing I could find offhand about spending limits/restrictions for a PAC involved those "independent expenditures", which certainly doesn't seem like it would cover a video like the one provided in the OP.

The only reason I brought up Colbert's Super PAC is because I was reminded of a statement that was included in his Advisory Opinion Request (to the FEC):
Colbert Super PAC will make only independent expenditures, advertisements that expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate and that are not coordinated with any candidate or political party. Colbert Super PAC will also pay usual and normal administrative expenses, including but not limited to, luxury hotel stays, private jet travel, and PAC mementos from Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus."

[Lobohan]

I've never understand some people's hate for Palin. It's as if she can do no right.You don't understand it because you're stupid.

I hate to tell you this, but stupid people have trouble understanding things. This is perfectly normal. Just accept that the world rushing dizzyingly around you is being stewarded by people who can manage to take in what is going on.

[Rhythmdvl]

You don't understand it because you're stupid.

I hate to tell you this, but stupid people have trouble understanding things. This is perfectly normal. Just accept that the world rushing dizzyingly around you is being stewarded by people who can manage to take in what is going on.

Retort fail.


Too many polysyllabic words.

[Lobohan]

Retort fail.


Too many polysyllabic words.You callin' me a... wait... what 'er you callin' me?!

[Rhythmdvl]

A duckface (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610198)!

[Cort]

I've never understand some people's hate for Palin. It's as if she can do no right.


Here are five reasons to hate Sarah Palin. I was originally going to do ten but I got bored. If you want more, just say so. The woman doles out so much ammunition that I could quite literally keep listing grievances until the heat death of the universe, safe in the knowledge that she would continue churning out meanspirited fuckwittery faster than any one person could possibly hope to catalogue it. To make it mildly challenging, I restricted myself primarily to things which made me hate her during the 2008 campaign.

She's an egregious liar. Of the 46 statements scrutinised by the non-partisan Politifact (http://politifact.com/personalities/barack-obama/) project, 26% were rated 'False' while 8.69% were rated as brazen, 'Pants on Fire' lies. Now, you might say "So she lies. Big deal. She's a politician. And I'll bet your liberal God-King Obama didn't score too well, did he?". Well, no. He didn't really. But in the truth telling stakes, he's like George Washington compared to Palin. Of the 303 statements rated by Politifact, 17% were rated 'False' while a mere 1% were rated 'Pants on Fire' lies. Now, you could argue that Politifact itself is biased. But that's a separate case for you to prove. You may also try and argue that Obama should be held to a higher standard of truth because he's the President and Palin is just a pundit. IMO, that's a horseshit argument. There is only one standard of truth, and you either meet it or you don't. And Palin is far from a marginal political figure. She has a substantial following, is strongly rumored to be contemplating a Presidential run, and, moreover, made a great many of the statements rated by Politifact while campaigning alongside John McCain. So yeah. Reason number 1. She has a terrible record for telling the truth.




On October 4th '08 she said that Barack Obama was "Palling around with terrorists." Note the present tense. I'm no lawyer, but I think this meets the legal definition of slander. Hilariously, she attempted to corroborate her defamation by citing this (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04ayers.html) NYT article which actually concludes that Obama and Ayers had no working relationship of any sort at that time, proving that she's either an idiot, or thinks everyone else is.




She rails against "Socialism" when it suits her, but she herself has implemented numerous policies which are unambiguously socialist in nature. For example, her great Wasilla legacy was a $14.7 million dollar hockey arena in a town with a budget of $20 million. The arena was paid for with a 0.5% sales tax increase (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?pagewanted=all), as well as a bond issue which Palin approved before the land had been secured, leading to a protracted legal mess that ultimately forced taxpayers to pay more than six times (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122065537792905483.html) the original market price for property which the city ended up having to seize from a private citizen using eminent domain.

As Governor of Alaska, she instituted a windfall tax (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008103325_alaskatax07.html) against local oil companies which saw every Alaskan receive a cheque for $1,200.00. Fast forward to the 2008 campaign and we hear Palin saying stuff like this (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/10/palin-pushes-jo.html):

"Senator Obama said he’s somebody who wants to spread the wealth, which means, which means he wants government to take your hard-earned money and dole it out however he sees fit. Now Joe [The Plumber] said to him that sounded like socialism. To me it sounds like real bad medicine for an ailing economy. And whatever you call it, Senator Obama will do to those who want to create jobs what shouldn’t be done, and we’re calling him on it.”

This is a classic, textbook definition of sanctimonious, disingenuous, do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do hypocrisy. The woman has no regard for internal consistency and will say whatever she wants, whenever it suits.




She used $160,000.00 of campaign donations to buy clothes for herself and her family. Now, I don't know how much money Barack Obama spent on clothes, but I do know that Barack Obama never blasted his Republican opponents for being "Elitist", or for being out of touch with the electorate. Now, your mileage may vary, but I think spending a hundred and sixty grand of other people's money to buy yourself top of the line clothes when you could probably have gotten equally stylish garments for a tenth of the price if you'd just shopped around a little, is pretty damn elitist. It certainly doesn't display the "common touch" which Palin and all the other self-styled right-wing enemies of elitism claim is so important.




She's a creationist. A half-assed, somewhat wishy-washy creationist, but a creationist nonetheless. On page 217 of Going Rogue, she writes (http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Sarah_Palin_Education.htm):


" believed in the evidence for microevolution--that species change occurs incrementally over time. But I didn't believe in the theory that human beings originated from fish that sprouted legs. I believed we came about through a random process, but were created by God.

"But your dad's a science teacher," McCain's adviser objected.
"Yes."
"Then you know that science proves evolution."
"Parts of evolution," I said. "But I believe that God created us and also that He can create an evolutionary process that allows species to adapt.


The adviser winced. I had just dared to mention the C-word : creationism. But I felt I was on solid factual ground. Never had Dad or anyone else convinced me that the earth had sprung forth conveniently stocked with the ingredients necessary to spontaneously generate life; in fact, I thought that idea flew in the face of the evidence I saw all around.
So as well as being an egregious liar, a slander merchant, a hypocrite, and an elitist clothes horse, she's also a fucking idiot who doesn't know how to weigh evidence.



Also, death panels. And blood libel. And about five hundred ethics violations. And all that mama grizzly marketing horseshit. And...

[elucidator]

Part of the shock we get from the Malign Sarah is due to a enduring myth of populism being closely equivalent to progressive. One can be aggressively "for the people" and still be convinced that the only real Americans are ignorant and jingoistic rubes. Especially if one is such a person.

And why it surprises us so, that she might insist on cutting the people of Alaska in on the profits. Why should we find that proposition so odd, that the people of a state, or a nation, are the true owners of its resources? Why would we imagine we owe some sort of deference to people who take what is ours and sell it back to us at a profit? Certainly they deserve a modest but reliable profit, but would we be remiss is we did not insist that they partake of of civic virtue,the stern and somber pride which swells in the heart of he who sacrifices what he holds dearest for his fellow Americans! In this case, money.

What she did is only radical because nobody else much does it. I suggest that results from a mindset carefully fashioned for us, one we need not respect, a fit subject for sarcasm. Or, heck, who knows, maybe she just did it to hear the soprano porcine squeel when she squeezed their fiscal cojones. I could relate.

[gonzomax]

All that and she quit. People invested their time and money to get her elected and she just quit. She went after money and got it in piles. She is an opportunist who will walk over anybody for a dollar.
She is the" quitinator".

[Bryan Ekers]

Seriously, America.... you can do better.

[Ibn Warraq]

I've never understand some people's hate for Palin. It's as if she can do no right.

Because she's the Al Sharpton of downscale(I believe that's the new term) Whites.

[Rhythmdvl]

Because she's the Al Sharpton of downscale(I believe that's the new term) Whites.

The Association of Weights and Measures Professionals would like to have a word with you regarding your rude, offensive and defaming terminology.

[Typo Knig]

You don't understand it because you're stupid.

I hate to tell you this, but stupid people have trouble understanding things. This is perfectly normal. Just accept that the world rushing dizzyingly around you is being stewarded by people who can manage to take in what is going on.

I know this is the pit, but this approach tends not to change people's minds.

Omg a Black Conservative, have you read Gov. Palin's speech when she announced her resignation? I read it and read it and read it again and I could not figure out from that speech why she resigned. It's bad enough she left her second, and only major, elected office - earning derisive nicknames like "the quitinator" - but she gave no coherent reason for doing so. I admit that most of the sentences parsed, but they did not form or support clear ideas. The POTUS must be able to talk people into supporting policies, often unpleasant policies. In what way is the team that produced Gov. Palin's resignation speech ready to be in the White House? The the kicker for me is that the official printed version had sets of multiple explanation points. My emo 14 year old daughter no longer does so in her writing. Why should I support, or even respect, a grown woman who does so?

The resignation speech is not even the latest problematic statement from Gov. Palin. She seems to crank them out in industrial quantities. "Death Panels", "Blood Libel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel)", the untruthful moronic statements keep coming out of her mouth. It's bad for a politician to shoot form the lip. It's worse when said politician does so - says something of-the-cuff that is stupid, false, and highly offensive - but then does not apologize in any way for offending. Not even a "I'm sorry if anyone was offended". Palin *defended* her blood libel crack. If I hadn't given up on Palin before that, I'd sure as moose-shooting have given up on her then.

[FloatyGimpy]

Is the guy in the bear costume actually part of the video?

I can't tell if it's a joke.

[Lobohan]

I know this is the pit, but this approach tends not to change people's minds.I've read enough of OMG's posts to know he has no intention of debating intelligently or changing his mind. So why not insult him?

[Simplicio]

Is the guy in the bear costume actually part of the video?

I can't tell if it's a joke.

Not a joke. The same video is on the SarahPAC website, bear and all.

[FloatyGimpy]

Not a joke. The same video is on the SarahPAC website, bear and all.

That's so weird.

[Darth Panda]

Can you see the USSR from her bus?

[OttoDaFe]

Can you see the USSR from her bus?Only if you use a time warp.

[Rhythmdvl]

Only if you use a time warp.

Again? It's just a turn to the left...

[John DiFool]

She should take her short bus for a long drive on a short pier.

[elucidator]

Not a joke. The same video is on the SarahPAC website, bear and all.

Its the whole "Mamma Grisly" thing.

[Darth Panda]

Only if you use a time warp.

I'm assuming her bus has some kind of hot tub.

[gonzomax]

On her last bus tour, she would go off someplace . Then fly in when the bus got close to its destination, jump on and act like she had been on a long trip. She has such a sense of self entitlement. She panders to her base so much, that I do not know if she has any real beliefs of her own. She says whatever she thinks the Tea baggers want to hear.

[Naxos]

Oh, shit...

;)

I come in contact with a specific social group of a middle to upper class people who are the prime target of that slut's voting target.

She'll get a lot of votes if she runs. That's another indicator of the pathetic state of the US voting public, along with the voters for both Bush, Reagan, and that Austrian piece of trash in California.

[fumster]

She is the" quitinator".No, the half a term-inator

[a35362]

Please don't call her a slut. That doesn't help.

[GIGObuster]

I think the Soup show in ET tv said that she is not using Twitter, but a new social network tool called Quitter

[OttoDaFe]

Again? It's just a turn to the left...That trick never works!

[Rhythmdvl]

Did you try stepping to the right? Where were your hands?

[Steve MB]

You callin' me a... wait... what 'er you callin' me?!

A mendicant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groo_the_Wanderer).

[Steve MB]

And why it surprises us so, that she might insist on cutting the people of Alaska in on the profits.

You can do that.

You can denounce others for being "socialist"

You don't get to do both of the above.

[Chimera]

I so want to see her in an actual debate.

The downside is that there don't seem to be any serious Republicans of any intellectual heft.

Not sure whether or not I would bet on her being totally embarassed and blown out of the water, or that the others would go easy on her just so they don't look like bullies. I would hope to god they would just go as hard on her as they would on anyone else and show the true depths of her ignorance and stupidity.

[elbows]

You should be weeping for America, where they want to cut educational funding to balance the budget. After all, how can investing in education get you anywhere? If you educate people better they won't be so easily snowed by shite like Sarah-ultimate attention whore-Palin routinely spew.

When your racists can't even spell 'moron' it's definitely time for some change. She is a fair representation of America, in my eyes though. Where it's all about how she's doable, and wears the right clothes!

[ElvisL1ves]

I actually didn't think her performance against Biden was all that embarrassing, even though she mainly just repeated her rehearsed talking points. The damage had already been done, though.

[MeanOldLady]

I so want to see her in an actual debate.We've seen it. Remember (http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/10/03/palinwink460x276.jpg)?

[Typo Knig]

You should be weeping for America, where they want to cut educational funding to balance the budget. After all, how can investing in education get you anywhere? If you educate people better they won't be so easily snowed by shite like Sarah-ultimate attention whore-Palin routinely spew.

When your racists can't even spell 'moron' it's definitely time for some change. She is a fair representation of America, in my eyes though. Where it's all about how she's doable, and wears the right clothes!

elbows we 'Muricans aren't all like that, aren't always like that, and we are not the only country with embarrassing politicians.

Recall that the McCain/Plain ticket lost the 2008 presidential election. McCain announced Palin as the VP pick on August 29, 2008 (cite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin#2008_vice-presidential_campaign)). This graphic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_representations_of_two-way-contest_opinion_polling_data_from_the_United_States_presidential_election,_2008#Obama_v._McCain) of polls during the election shows a brief spike in favor of McCain right after the Palin announcement, falling rapidly in the two weeks after (which included the Labor Day holiday in the US), and then never recovering. McCain took a gamble on Palin, a last-ditch roll of the dice, a game-changer, but he bet on the wrong person and his campaign never recovered. The graphic shows the election was lost to McCain by the end of September - within 30 calendar days of his decision/gamble/impulse on Palin.

McCain had a lot of ground to make up in the 2008 election, but IMNAAHO he wasted the time between when he locked up the Republican nomination in March and when Obama sewed up the Democratic nomination in June. McCain seems to think of himself as a "maverick" and a "gambler" and waited until the last possible moment, and a "roll of the dice". I'm glad of the results - I'm an Obama supporter - but I'm sorry Sarah "The Half-Term-inator" Palin is still on the scene.

[Oy!]

I'm trying to figure out which is crazier - Palin or Bachmann. Bachmann typically comes off crazier because she talks less in generalities than Palin's general speeches cheering mom, apple-pie, and the flag. But Palin is the one who started "Death Panels," and she apparently sincerely believes she has need of "prayer warriors" to keep her safe from the evil forces aligned against her. On the Bachmann side, we have her call for general investigation into fellow congress members for unAmerican activities, and her comparison of taxes and national debt to the Holocaust.

Which has the greater claim to the title "Batshit Crazy?"

[a35362]

Nah, Palin is just a manipulative little narcissist. She knows exactly what she's doing. The only thing irrational about her is her ego. All she wants is to make a lot of money and be on TV as much as possible. She couldn't care less about boring stuff like domestic and foreign policy. She's just foolish, not crazy.

Bachmann is a loony. A weapons-grade, barking at the moon, full-on, nobody's home loony.

[sqweels]

My characterization of Palin is that she was the most popular girl in her high school and found a way to make a career out of it.

She's just a professional popular person.

[Oy!]

That's what I thought, a35362, until I started reading about Palin's fascination with prayer warriors, and her amazingly paranoid vindictiveness. However, some of that may be Rebecca Mansour, rather than Palin. Mansour appears to be the actual author of some of Palin's snarkier tweets. But the prayer warriors are all Palin's.

Still, you're probably right. Bachmann does appear to be a full-on loon. But I wonder if she'd be as dangerous as Palin in the presidency. Bachmann doesn't seem to have been nearly as successful getting popular support as Palin. And Palin's inclinations are certainly strongly right-wing. It's just that before she was tapped for VP, she seemed to grasp the difference between what she wanted and what she realistically could get, albeit she had trouble accepting it. I'm not sure she grasps that difference anymore. She seems to take remarkably poorly to being thwarted. Bachmann's had 10 years thus far of seeing the reality of politics up close and personal. Palin's actual political experience is limited to Alaska, where things work a bit differently, then the whirlwind of the campaign during which she was largely treated (and behaved) like a rock star, a few more months of Alaska, then disappearing into the echo chamber of FOX News and carefully vetted speaking arrangements (rock star again).

[fumster]

I actually didn't think her performance against Biden was all that embarrassing, even though she mainly just repeated her rehearsed talking points. The damage had already been done, though.I agree. Debates, as they are structured, favor people who just repeat talking points. You get in trouble if you actually say anything of substance and we know she in incapable of that. She's like the football player in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure: "San Dimas Football Rocks".

[BrainGlutton]

James Howard Kunstler Godwinizes Sarah Palin. Perfectly. (http://kunstler.com/blog/2011/05/memorial-day-enter-hitler-release-20.html) :D

[Really Not All That Bright]

Because she's the Al Sharpton of downscale(I believe that's the new term) Whites.
The Association of Weights and Measures Professionals would like to have a word with you regarding your rude, offensive and defaming terminology.
Well, if you're a white man who gets beaten up by black cops, who else would you call? :D

[ElvisL1ves]

I'm trying to figure out which is crazier - Palin or Bachmann.
Let's hope for a Palin win, because I'm sick and tired of Kristen Wiig on SNL but I needs me more Tina Fey.

[bengangmo]

Well, duh! It's about Freedom. And Liberty. And the Constitution. And Vision. And Futures, our Futures. It's also about The People. It's about Truth. And America. And Honor. And God. And the Liberty Bell.

And Repetition. Endless Repetition.

And it's also about working Washington, Lincoln, and Reagan into the same sentence. The fuck's that about?

This one I also gotta wonder - Washington and Lincoln sure, but Reagan?

Why?

[Death of Rats]

Because the far Right-Wing have turned Reagan into a caricature of himself. The now have some weird idealized image of Reagan that bears absolutely no resemblance to the man or his political career that they trot out to support the Republican Crazy of the Day.

[mhendo]

On her recent visit to Boston, Palin schooled the locals about Paul Revere's place in history.

Link (http://videos.mediaite.com/video/CNN-Sarah-Palin;recently_viewed)

I love the look on the newsreader's face after the story.

[AWB]

My hatred of her begins with one simple fact: Geraldine Ferraro was the first female VP candidate from a major party.
Sarah, you're not original in any way, shape, or manner. Just go away, now.

And take your daughter with you.

[LouisB]

I think the big difference between Palin and Bachmann is that Bachmann is being told by God exactly what to do and when to do it whereas Palin tells God exactly what she wants to hear and then hears God repeat it back to her.

[Ogre]

On her recent visit to Boston, Palin schooled the locals about Paul Revere's place in history.

Link (http://videos.mediaite.com/video/CNN-Sarah-Palin;recently_viewed)

I love the look on the newsreader's face after the story.I have Palin's Tourette's, a recently-described disorder. I can't stop saying "Fuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyou." to the computer screen when I view clips of Sarah Palin.

[Sampiro]

Related Cafe Society Thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13878804#post13878804) where you can test your power of prediction.

[Elmer J. Fudd]

nm - wrong thread

[Jamaika a jamaikaiaké]

<blah, blah...> the football player in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure: "San Dimas Football Rocks".

Without looking, I can tell you that the correct phrase is "San Dimas High School Football Rules!"

Moran. ;)

[elucidator]

Maroon.

[Rhythmdvl]

nm - wrong threadUltramoran
:D

[Hippy Hollow]

What disturbs me most about Palin and the Palinites out there, who are almost totally tea partiers or Republicans, is that they are actually in love with the concept of Sarah Palin, the promise, what she could actually be, you know, if she actually read the newspapers, took her responsibilities as an elected official seriously, and truthfully put the country first. The truth is, she's so far from the promise it's not even funny.

But her supporters think it's the mean, left-leaning media that's to blame. Every candidate gets raked over the coals and viewed under a microscope. Not just Palin. I wonder if Palin supporters could even fathom working with, or for, Palin. Someone who has an exaggerated sense of self, plays the victim whenever they are called out for not having their shit together, and more importantly, cynically drops the ball on their responsibilities that they signed up for in a transparent, self-promoting act.

I'm so disgusted that people with functioning brain cells, and more troubling, voter registration cards, give her the time of day. I mean, if Sarah Palin was fifty pounds heavier and looked like Golda Meir, would anyone give her the time of day?

[Cyberhwk]

I'm so disgusted that people with functioning brain cells...
Cite?

[saoirse]

Sh emay have sounded dumb, but at least she was being dumb extemporaneously. She has defenders who are taking it to the next level (http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2011/06/so-now-all-these-people-will-apologize.html)

[Oy!]

It's the natural reaction. Your guy makes some idiotic and false statement, so you search to find some plausible, obscure factoid that makes it sound like your guy wasn't being stupid and wrong, and then go "Who's stupid now, moron?" to your opponents.

It's even possible Palin had heard a lecture from a tourguide earlier in the day that included some of the info about trying to warn off the British, and mangled it into her statement. Or, she's just an ill-informed idiot. Based on her record thus far, I know which option strikes me as more likely.

[fumster]

Without looking, I can tell you that the correct phrase is "San Dimas High School Football Rules!"

Moran. ;)Well that's what it says now, after you went back in time to change the script.

[gonzomax]

I always had a feeling that a woman president or two would soften our foreign politics, cut wars and be more caring of the poor and downtrodden. But these loons throw that out the window.
. Bachmann or Palin with her finger on the button is very unsettling. I can not imagine either of them having discussion with world leaders, that would not require the US scrambling for a sufficient apology. They are not measured in their speech. They say whatever stupid thing occurs to them . Stupid things occur to them all the time.

[elucidator]

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/05/236840/palin-doubles-down-on-paul-revere-history-lesson-i-didnt-mess-up/

Palin Doubles Down on Paul Revere History Lesson

[Typo Knig]

ZOMG! Sarah, just admit to a mistake once in a while. Your followers will firgive you - God knows they've forgiven you worse.

[elucidator]

The same scurillous center-lefty site, Think Progress, is reporting a rumor to the effect that Ms Paleo's many fans are attempting to alter Wiki's Paul Revere citation to fit her narrative.

At present, this is an unsubstantiated report and your correspondent takes no responsibility for the truthiness or abundant lack thereof. Or much of anything else, for that matter. Just sayin', is all.

[Robot Arm]

The same scurillous center-lefty site, Think Progress, is reporting a rumor to the effect that Ms Paleo's many fans are attempting to alter Wiki's Paul Revere citation to fit her narrative.Wikipedia articles are supposed to provide cites, rather than original research. Are they linking to Sarah's comments? That would be just too perfect.

[Johnny L.A.]

Wikipedia articles are supposed to provide cites, rather than original research. Are they linking to Sarah's comments? That would be just too perfect.

You can view the history here (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Revere&action=history). You can see changes by clicking on 'cur' and 'prev'.

[Snowboarder Bo]

"I'm publicizing Americana and our foundation and how important it is that we learn about our past and our challenges and victories throughout American history, so that we can successfully proceed forward," Palin said in the broadcast interview. "It's not a campaign tour." (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PALIN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-06-05-18-28-27)

Is that even legal, as a PAC expenditure?

[Cyberhwk]

Is that even legal, as a PAC expenditure?
Granted Stephen Colbert probably isn't an authoritative cite, but it sounds like she's got pretty wide latitude as long as she doesn't officially declare herself a candidate.

[BigT]

Granted Stephen Colbert probably isn't an authoritative cite, but it sounds like she's got pretty wide latitude as long as she doesn't officially declare herself a candidate.

Colbert isn't, but he asked the guy who is apparently in charge of this sort of thing, and he confirmed it was okay as long as she didn't declare herself as a candidate. Hence the reason she is refusing to say she is running.