# And again -- who IS Sarah Palin **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 2, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686 "2008-09-02T15:30:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/41 "2008-09-02T17:52:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Why do you think they are pushing all that bad info about her to the press so soon? They would like to be able to pull this off _during_ the convention. Do you really think the Pubbies suddenly became totally inept at damage control? > > Do you really think Rove doesn’t have a hand in this manipulation? I don’t see how they could torpedo her without making their Presidential candidate look like a fool for picking her. I don’t believe there’s any such scheme going on. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/42 "2008-09-02T17:53:15Z")
Who is Sarah Palin? As best I can tell, she’s George W. Bush eight years ago, in a dress. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/43 "2008-09-02T17:56:26Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Bristol likely comes from her sportcasting days. Bristol ,Conn. is the home of ESPN. Yeah, I’m totally naming my next kid Saint Paul. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/44 "2008-09-02T17:59:59Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Honestly, I can’t get behind the outrage on this one. I’m whole-heartedly against Palin because of her views, but I don’t see this action upon entering the Mayoral job as worth mentioning. > > Any elected official at any level gets to put their own people in positions reporting to them. Be it Mayor, Governor, or President. The people who were there before - sorry, bye-bye. This is in small town America, not Mayor of New York. To display such overt ruthlessness, out-of-the-gate in her new job in a town where she likely knew all these people personally points to a vengeful, grasping personality to me. It also lends credence to the stories of firing the top cop when he thwarted her by not firing her ex-brother-in-law. If she were VPOTUS/POTUS she will not seek qualified people, she does not look to value any opinions that diverge from hers. She’d want “yes men” who are ruthlessly loyal to her. Sound a bit like what we have today? ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/45 "2008-09-02T18:08:58Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Has the email been vetted? (heh) > I’d want to know more about the authenticity of the email’s origin and the relationship/history behind the author and Palin before letting this sink in. But if true, _what_ books? The author of the email is quite clear about her relationship with Palin, gives means to contact her directly in the email and suggests google search terms to link to information on the author to assist in vetting the email. Go for it. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/46 "2008-09-02T18:32:59Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Yeah, I’m totally naming my next kid Saint Paul. Could be a tad difficult for her if she’s a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/47 "2008-09-02T18:36:21Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Jindal’s got the Van Helsing problem, though. If not for that, I think he might have had a better shot. He’s…a vampire? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/48 "2008-09-02T18:42:37Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > He’s…a vampire? More accurately a vampire hunter. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/49 "2008-09-02T18:45:10Z")
Who is Sarah Palin? [John McCain explains it all to you.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk8u8dBgDxI) [Samuel Jackson]“Well shit, negro, that’s all you had to say!”[/SJ] ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/50 "2008-09-02T18:46:24Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > More accurately a vampire hunter. Try googling “Bobby Jindal” and “exorcism.” Get back to us… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/51 "2008-09-02T18:46:45Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > More accurately a vampire hunter. I don’t get it… ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/52 "2008-09-02T18:51:00Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I don’t get it… Me either. Just fighting ignorance as regards Van Helsing. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/53 "2008-09-02T18:54:12Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Try googling “Bobby Jindal” and “exorcism.” Get back to us… 😛 Ahh…ok. I kinda get it. Jindal has personal experience fighting demons and curing cancer. And people say the media is overly kind to Obama. How does this stuff get by? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/54 "2008-09-02T18:58:39Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I don’t get it… Google Jindal’s name with “exorcist.” He believes that he’s literally done battle with demons. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/55 "2008-09-02T18:59:03Z")
How many times do we have to tell you? Demons are not the same thing as vampires! 1. Demons corrupt your soul. 2. Vampires suck your blood. 3. Santa Claus brings Christmas presents. 4. Frankenstein was a scientist who made a man out of spare parts. 5. The Easter bunny brings Easter baskets. 6. Ghosts are the spirits of people who are dead but still hanging around. Are we clear on this now? \ ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/56 "2008-09-02T19:25:43Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Google Jindal’s name with “exorcist.” He believes that he’s literally done battle with demons. Oh…I see. I mean, we all went through that phase in high school, but c’mon…he still thinks that? For reals? Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/57 "2008-09-02T19:39:36Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > [Good NYT article](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/us/politics/02vetting.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin) here. > > McCain still wanted Lieberman or Ridge as lates as the middle of last week. > > He punked out on choosing who he really wanted because the fundy children in his party would have thrown a temper tantrum. He passed over Romney and Pawlenty because he thought they’d be too boring, and he went with Palin, who was vetted with a Google search and hired a few minutes after he met her. > > The VP choices in this election show about as stark a difference in judgement and priority as you could possibly see. Remember how administrators for Iraq were vetted by checking out their views on abortion? Remember how well that worked out? McCain is doing the same thing for the vice presidency. Who cares if you’re qualified so long as you don’t piss off the religious fanatics. Don’t these scumbags ever learn? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/58 "2008-09-02T21:32:17Z")
Palin has been mayor and is familiar with all the problems of big cities and of America. There were 25 or so black people in Wasilla. That qualifies her. She can relate to the black experience . There were probably a couple Hispanics there too. A small time Alaskan mayor really learns all the problems on that job. Totally qualified. Of course she has been accused of abuse of power a couple times. That is fine ,she is an establishment repub and knows how we should be living. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/59 "2008-09-02T21:50:21Z")
[Here’s a photo safari of the bustling metropolis of Wasilla Alaska…](http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/a-photo-safari-of-wasilla-alaska-home-of-sarah-palin/) Feel free to check out the rest of the Mudflats blog entries–just to see how the locals up there in AK feel about this whole thing. [James Carville takes Michelle Bachmann to school](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c12DfJ_J2A) on the whole “experience” thing. How in hell does she keep her face like that? Does she even blink? Since it’s been such an issue this election, [meet Sarah’s pastor!](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html) He’s a gem! Uh oh, in spite of all that in depth vetting McCain’s campaign did in the two weeks since he offered Palin the job via cellphone, it looks like [Troopergate](http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5702697&page=1) isn’t gonna be as “minor” as people figured, better get all obstructionist on their asses! I like it that the state Senators involved in the investigation make it very clear that NOBODY from McCain’s camp bothered to ask them anything–not even “hey, how’s that investigation thing going? Anything we should be worried about?” Now THAT’S what I call VETTING!! [But…but… she has foreign policy credentials because she’s C-in-C of the Alaska National Guard, right?](http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1829) But it’s all good because this proves McCain’s “maverickiness” and that’s good, right? Not everybody thinks so… (may require free registration to view full article, salient portions available on this DailyKos story) ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686/60 "2008-09-02T21:52:13Z")
Interesting theory I’ve read: Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy is GOOD for McCain, because it puts the “Culture Wars” front and center, the only issue on which “McCain _can_ win.” Hmm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-again-who-is-sarah-palin/461686.md?page=4)