# Sarah Palin - Seriously? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 7, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029 "2010-02-07T14:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/241 "2010-02-11T21:43:54Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Ruh Roh, **Sam Stone** : > > [Palin Polls Poorly with Public (from Washington Monthly)](http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_02/022354.php) Yeah, I said her ‘presidential fitness’ numbers have remained low. I surprised her popularity has taken another dip - I assumed that the publicity from her tea party speech would help her somewhat. But I’m not THAT surprised - she certainly doesn’t wear well with me. The more I hear her, the more she grates on me. Maybe that’s a general feeling. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/242 "2010-02-11T21:49:41Z")
It is refreshing to hear that one can be a conservative without being head-over-heels in love with Sarah. It gives one hope for the future of the Republic. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/243 "2010-02-11T21:57:01Z")
He just does that to get you to drop your guard. Canadians are sneaky. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/244 "2010-02-11T22:05:59Z")
And, they’re massing along our borders. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/245 "2010-02-11T22:12:31Z")
The teabaggers aren’t doing too well in the [ABC/Post polls](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/10/AR2010021004708.html) either. Only 35% of Americans have a favorable opinion of them. This latest poll would put Palin 15 points behind Obama’s [current aggregate](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/obama_favorableunfavorable-643.html) in favorability, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/246 "2010-02-11T22:17:29Z")
> [@stolichnaya](#): > > And, they’re massing along our borders. Hmmmm, population ~33,997,000, border length 8,891KM. That makes 3.8 Canadians per meter and that counts as massing. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/247 "2010-02-11T22:21:32Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The teabaggers aren’t doing too well in the [ABC/Post polls](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/10/AR2010021004708.html) either. Only 35% of Americans have a favorable opinion of them. > > This latest poll would put Palin 15 points behind Obama’s [current aggregate](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/obama_favorableunfavorable-643.html) in favorability, by the way. Which, if true, would still be frighteningly high. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/248 "2010-02-11T22:36:50Z")
On a more amusing note, Fox is currently running one of those fake, online mouse click “polls” called, [“What Do You Think Teaparty Movement Is About?”](http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/02/09/think-tea-party-movement/) in which the selection, “Fruitless mix of racism, conspiracy theories” is winning by a landslide with 77% of the vote. Yes, it’s a meaningless poll that’s easy to jack with, but it should be just as easy on a Fox News poll for righties to jack back, so I think it still says something about public sentiment in a way. It’s at least amusing to see a fake poll which was designed to make teabgger critics look like a fringe, kook minority blow up in their faces like that. I also have to wonder what a _fruitful_ mix of racism and conspiracy theories would look like. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/249 "2010-02-11T22:38:11Z")
Usually Fox polls come in with a margin about the same as North Korean election results. They usually phrase it along the lines of “Obamacare: Threat or Menace?” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/250 "2010-02-11T22:43:19Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I also have to wonder what a _fruitful_ mix of racism and conspiracy theories would look like. Glenn Beck’s career. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/251 "2010-02-11T23:21:41Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > On the right-wing forums, the common explanation is that she resigned because the Left wouldn’t leave her alone- that she’d have to spend all of her time defending herself, and wouldn’t be able to effectively govern. > > You see, her resignation was a noble sacrifice, not a blatant grab for money. These same people want her to run for President in 2012, and they can’t see the error in their logic. Yep, Obama should quit because the righties won’t leave him alone. How can he govern while he has to search for his birth certificate all the time. If Sarah runs, they would just have nothing to say. But after “she quit” what is needed. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/252 "2010-02-12T03:46:47Z")
Sarah Palin and Obama both… Where did they come from and how did they get on the ballot to begin with? It’s like watching a never ending reel of Dumb and Dumber! ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/253 "2010-02-12T03:52:45Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > Sarah Palin and Obama both… Where did they come from and how did they get on the ballot to begin with? It’s like watching a never ending reel of Dumb and Dumber! ha ha, your so right! Theyr almost extly the same!! It’s like they wer separated at birth! har har! ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/254 "2010-02-12T03:56:08Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > Sarah Palin and Obama both… Where did they come from and how did they get on the ballot to begin with? It’s like watching a never ending reel of Dumb and Dumber! In what way? Specifically, please. I’d hate to think that you were prattling off gibberish just to get a rise out of people. So in what way specifically are they similar? ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/255 "2010-02-12T04:37:45Z")
I am still dying to know how they got to be political choices to begin with? They came out of left field. They did not have experience, they are not the brightest bulbs fitting of a President and a Vice President. They lacked wealth and political families. I was prattling on, sorry, but I really do want to know where these two came to be on the ballot. Were they hand picked because of their lack of knowledge, power and polish? I mean to be the President and VP of the United States Of America? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/256 "2010-02-12T05:04:44Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > They came out of left field. They did not have experience, they are not the brightest bulbs fitting of a President and a Vice President. Are you familiar at all with Obama’s academic credentials, or are you merely prattling on again? ---
**Author:** ![Oldeb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ea666f/32.png) [@Oldeb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oldeb)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/257 "2010-02-12T05:16:18Z")
Obama lacks polish to you? 😕 He’s one of the better public speakers in a long time. His career in politics is pretty well covered. That he wanted to be president someday isn’t a suprise. He started working as a community organizer in 1985 before attending Harvard. He joined the Illinois State Senate in 1996 and was there until running for the Senate in 2004. He won the primaries in a landside, which is what attracted national attention to him. That attention got him up on the stage for the 2004 Democratic National Convention later that year. People who speak at national conventions may not be household names, but they certainly don’t qualify as out of left field afterwards. His extremely well received (polished, if you will) style of speaking gained him more fans among Democrats and he was pretty clearly on the rise, politically. He won his Senate seat in another landslide over Keyes. He was young, yes, but hardly an unknown by any definition. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/258 "2010-02-12T05:48:41Z")
**Perciful** old bean: The “Obama has no experience” thing that the McCain campaign tried to use? You know, to distract from the abysmal pick of Palin for VP? Didn’t work. Not at all. I don’t think it’s going to gain any traction again if you try to re-use it at this late date. ---
**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:** [February 12, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/259 "2010-02-12T05:50:26Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > I am still dying to know how they got to be political choices to begin with? > > They came out of left field. They did not have experience, they are not the brightest bulbs fitting of a President and a Vice President. They lacked wealth and political families. I was prattling on, sorry, but I really do want to know where these two came to be on the ballot. Were they hand picked because of their lack of knowledge, power and polish? I mean to be the President and VP of the United States Of America? In the case of Palin, she was handpicked because the McCain campaign was trying to target two specific parts of the electorate – the conservative, religious base, and (what they hoped would be) embittered Hillary voters. At the most simplistic level, they wanted a pro-life woman to try to sweep upboth Hillary voters and social conservatives who were, as yet, lukewarm on McCain. All the highest ranking, most experienced women in the Republican party are pro-choice (Hutchenson, Whitman, Snow, Condi Rice). They had to go all the way down the ladder to Palin to find a Republican woman who was pro-life. They were also superficially impressed with her “narrative,” and thought the hokey, folksey thing would be appealing. They did not vet her very thoroughly, and were not aware of her intellctual shortcomings until it was too late. Barack Obama did not come “out of left field,” but from the United States Senate. He first gained national attention after giving a show stopping keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention. Before he was a US Senator, Obama was an Illinois State legislator and a Professor of Constitutional Law. Before that he was an attorney, and before that, a community organizer in Chicago. His academic credentials are not exactly those of a dummy. He went to Columbia and Harvard Law School, where he was President of the prestigious _Harvard Law Review_, a job they normally don’t give to the dumb kids. Obama got elected President essentially by first convincing Democrats to nominate him, then convincing voters to vote for him. Any other questions? ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/260 "2010-02-12T05:54:33Z")
I’m still waiting for **Perciful** to return to [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=550473) thread and answer some questions, so if y’all are expecting some explanations, get in line. **Perciful** , seriously, please answer the questions offered in this thread (AND if I get my wish) in the linked one, in order to engender debate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029.md?page=14)