# Is Sarah Palin dumber than Ronald Reagan? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 21, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453 "2010-11-21T17:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/141 "2010-11-22T16:29:21Z")
Sarah is not smart enough to be a grade B movie actor, so she is dumber. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/142 "2010-11-22T16:31:52Z")
Bear in mind that by pushing back against the “Reagan was dumb” meme, we’re undermining the Palin’s “Regan was dumb, therefore dumb is good” meme. But how is it there we’re going, “Reagan…Palin”? Wasn’t there another Republican in the Presidential field for whom stupidity was an issue? If Palin is no worse than Reagan, than that might be good enough, but she _is_ worse. But if she’s no better than George W. Bush, then that’s very, very bad. So how _does_ Palin compare to Bush? ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/143 "2010-11-22T16:38:27Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > That’s why he was looking for a female running mate, yeah, but he went to Palin because she was an unknown. It’s been a couple years since I read the post-election article, but IIRC in his own words he was trying for a Hail Mary pass and it failed. Right. Which is the natural rebuttal to **Susanann** ’s argument that Palin’s press attention, book sales, etc. illustrate her exceptional charismatic qualities. People get the limelight through hard work, talent, importance or happenstance. Palin became nationally important when McCain took a gamble, otherwise I can’t see any route she could’ve taken through her own efforts that would’ve gained her such prominence. I guess you could credit her with pretty efficiently taking monetary advantage of her fame, though. If you believe that deserves credit of course. Oh, per the OP: Reagan wasn’t as bright as his Veep or main officers, but he had a definite and consistent structure to his beliefs and well considered reasons for them. Orders of magnitude more capable than Palin. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/144 "2010-11-22T16:40:15Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Ha! Ha! That Palin. What a moron. It’s not clear from your post who exactly mocked Palin for the 1773 comment. For the “fair use” thing, yes, Gawker’s sneering comment obviously backfired, but I thought Palin was mostly being criticized for her tendency to bemoan her alleged exploitation by the the Mean Old Press all the while promoting \*herself \*via a prolonged, calculated blitz across every medium she can manipulate. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/145 "2010-11-22T16:48:29Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > So how _does_ Palin compare to Bush? Separated at birth? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/146 "2010-11-22T16:54:13Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Now, having agreed that Palin is not tops in the brains department, I should also mention that I find irritating the tendency to criticize her for things she’s correct about. I agree. I find that even my broken clock can tell me the time twice every day. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/147 "2010-11-22T17:11:02Z")
If Palin looked like Margaret Thatcher she’d be completely unknown, even in Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![heavyarms553](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/779978/32.png) [@heavyarms553](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heavyarms553)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/148 "2010-11-22T17:11:44Z")
I am extremely afraid of having a woman like Palin be elected as POTUS. I’m not sure if anyone else has seen it, but there was a reality TV style documentary filmed about her life after she lost her bid for VP last election. She clearly said “I’m glad I didn’t win, I would have hated to have been cooped up in that office all the time.” That is not something a responsible and effective leader would say under any circumstance. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/149 "2010-11-22T17:29:18Z")
> [@heavyarms553](#): > > That is not something a responsible and effective leader would say under any circumstance. Shut your fat mouth, hippie! That brush won’t clear itself! -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/150 "2010-11-22T17:30:28Z")
Rank order: Reagan\>Palin\>Quayle\>fencepost ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/151 "2010-11-22T17:32:04Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > So if the OP is still defending his theme, which is that liberals attack Palin’s intellectual chops because of basic policy deisagreements they cannot otherwise refute… > > …then why do I do it? > > I mean, surely you can’t believe I’ve spent eleven years on this board honing a phony conservative reputation so I am perfectly positioned to attack Sarah Palin, right? > > I am a conservative, and I believe Palin would be a disastrous choice for President, because her intellect isn’t up to snuff. > > What’s my ulterior motive? You want to have sex with her and if she is not president you think your chances are better? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/152 "2010-11-22T17:39:10Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > You want to have sex with her and if she is not president you think your chances are better? You joke, but that’s exactly how I banged Walter Mondale! ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/153 "2010-11-22T17:58:36Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > You joke, but that’s exactly how I banged Walter Mondale! Is it true about why he is nicknamed Walter “Pringles” Mondale? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/154 "2010-11-22T18:05:08Z")
If I’m going to fantasize about an unobtainable sex object, it sure as hell isn’t going to be Sarah Palin. I just don’t understand her appeal to some men. She’s not ugly, she’s simply not fantasy stuff. I’d prefer my neighbor who lives across the street. Or Paris Hilton, washing my car. 😉 [Bad car, all dirty.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aENknVAt22I&playnext=1&list=PL287A1676903391A1&index=15) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/155 "2010-11-22T18:10:17Z")
**Bricker** for President! Sure, he might not lead us to prosperity, but he’ll make sure current case law supports the position that he can see Alaska before mentioning it in a speech. > [@Susanann](#): > > Bottom line: Sarah Palin is a very real and a very charismatic person. Both friend, and foe, fall over themselves to see and hear her her every word. Alaska is not big enough for Sarah Palin. I also cannot think of any other politician who would so fearlessly put themselves out there and say “This is who I am, this is my family, this is where I live.” I find it incredibly refreshing. Which is why she’s making a mint ripping off gullible people like you who think she gives a flying fuck about anyone but herself. I can guarantee you that liberals certainly don’t fall over ourselves to see and hear her every word. We have Jon Stewart’s staff to pick the amusing parts, and we ignore the rest. Palin is categorically _not_ dumb. Her IQ may not be in three figures, but she understands how to maximize her talent, and that takes a particular kind of intelligence. She also has one skill in particular that she shares with Dubya: the ability to portray a downhome, woodsy character while wearing $5,000 glasses and washing down the beating hearts of her enemies with '75 Dom Perignon (or in W’s case, while being the Ivy League educated son of a former President). In the same vein, Reagan was hardly a chess grandmaster, but he had a talent for picking people who could help him accomplish his goals (or accomplish them for him). ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/156 "2010-11-22T18:11:02Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Is it true about why he is nicknamed Walter “Pringles” Mondale? What, did he have scabs all over his body? ---
**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:** [November 22, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/157 "2010-11-22T18:11:29Z")
> [@IdahoMauleMan](#): > > I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but being a non-tenure track lecturer is not evidence of brilliance. Go click on some of the bio’s of the non-tenure track lecturers at any major university. They aren’t that impressive. > > If Obama wanted to use the HLR or his position at the UofC as a platform for his brilliance, it was certainly there. The facts are that his contributions were fairly humdrum and minor over many years. And there is that little detail of him not releasing his grades, when every other President has. Have any evidence that he ever tried to be on the tenure track? The New Yorker article on his background made it quite clear that his goals were elsewhere. And the University of Chicago doesn’t hire people like a community college. With his law review credential, I suspect he could have gotten a faculty job if he wanted one. > [@](#): > > (3) He is absolutely wedded to the idea of central planning of the economy. It’s clear from his off-the-cuff comments, as well as his prepared ones, that he truly believes government creates wealth and jobs. He has absolutely no idea how the private sector operates. Nor does he seem interested in understanding it. Ah, he’s a socialist? This accusation says nothing about his intelligence, only yours. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/158 "2010-11-22T18:27:41Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > If Palin looked like Margaret Thatcher she’d be completely unknown, even in Alaska. My take on SP is that she was the most popular girl in her high school and she found a way to make that into a career. Popular, popular, popular. Popular for _being_ popular. That is, meta popular. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/159 "2010-11-22T18:31:39Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > My take on SP is that she was the most popular girl in her high school and she found a way to make that into a career. > > Popular, popular, popular. Popular for _being_ popular. That is, meta popular. Paris Hilton, we just haven’t see the sex tape yet? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453/160 "2010-11-22T18:40:32Z")
> [@heavyarms553](#): > > I am extremely afraid of having a woman like Palin be elected as POTUS. I’m not sure if anyone else has seen it, but there was a reality TV style documentary filmed about her life after she lost her bid for VP last election. > > She clearly said “I’m glad I didn’t win, I would have hated to have been cooped up in that office all the time.” > > That is not something a responsible and effective leader would say under any circumstance. I don’t think that was a documentary, per se. I think you’re remembering a quote from a commercial for her TV show. [cite](http://blogs.forbes.com/meghancasserly/2010/10/15/sarah-palins-alaska-trailer-id-rather-be-out-here-than-in-some-stuffy-old-political-office/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-palin-dumber-than-ronald-reagan/561453.md?page=9)