# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/261 "2010-02-12T10:56:42Z")
Until the P-man returns: > [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Glenn Beck’s career. Win! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/262 "2010-02-12T12:13:25Z")
> [@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. I don’t know that that poll is as bad for the tea party movement as you seem to suggest. Even though the poll says that only 35% have a favorable impression of them, it also said that 25% doesn’t have any impression of them at all, 2/3rds only have just some or very little knowledge about what the tea party people believe, and that, of what the polled people know about what the tea party people believe, 45% of them agree with the tea party on the issues. You also have people saying that half of the money collected in taxes is wasted. So, I really don’t know that the news is that bad for them. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/263 "2010-02-12T12:26:32Z")
And among the 45% of two-thirds, 50 to 75 believe that Bat Boy is Obama’s secret twin. Seperated at birth. In Kenya. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/264 "2010-02-12T13:01:28Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I don’t know that that poll is as bad for the tea party movement as you seem to suggest. Even though the poll says that only 35% have a favorable impression of them, it also said that 25% doesn’t have any impression of them at all, 2/3rds only have just some or very little knowledge about what the tea party people believe, and that, of what the polled people know about what the tea party people believe, 45% of them agree with the tea party on the issues. You also have people saying that half of the money collected in taxes is wasted. > > So, I really don’t know that the news is that bad for them. 45% of the people agree that the UN is going to quarter a soldier in everyone’s house? I don’t believe that for a minute. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/265 "2010-02-12T13:23:30Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > 45% of the people agree that the UN is going to quarter a soldier in everyone’s house? I don’t believe that for a minute. I think it’s more that 45% of the population agrees that the government is too big, and that we need to cut taxes, spending, and regulation, rather than particularly about UN troop housing plans. ---
**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, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/266 "2010-02-12T14:07:40Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > 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? Thanks, That is what I wanted to know. Obama is well educated, spent time in the senate. Sarah had the pro-life angle they were looking for among many women who had experience but were pro- choice. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/267 "2010-02-12T14:16:20Z")
The best part about the “Tea Party” will be watching them disappear during the next period of Republican control. ---
**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, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/268 "2010-02-12T14:38:58Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I don’t know that that poll is as bad for the tea party movement as you seem to suggest. Even though the poll says that only 35% have a favorable impression of them, it also said that 25% doesn’t have any impression of them at all, 2/3rds only have just some or very little knowledge about what the tea party people believe, and that, of what the polled people know about what the tea party people believe, 45% of them agree with the tea party on the issues. You also have people saying that half of the money collected in taxes is wasted. > > So, I really don’t know that the news is that bad for them. 45% said they agreed with the baggers on _some_ issues, not all of them, and 40% had an unfavorable view of the teabagger movement. I don’t know the point of the comment on taxes since Obama has cut taxes on 95% of Americans and raised them on nobody. ---
**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, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/269 "2010-02-12T15:40:53Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > Thanks, That is what I wanted to know. Obama is well educated, spent time in the senate. Sarah had the pro-life angle they were looking for among many women who had experience but were pro- choice. Thank you for acknowledging this. I am curious. Did you actually think that Obama and Palin were equivalent, and really were “dumb and dumber?” Did you not know about Obama’s background and experience during the election? ---
**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, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/270 "2010-02-12T16:34:24Z")
At first I thought **Perciful** was another **Carol Stream** , but I’m now starting to think she’s not being intentionally inflammatory or provocative, but just has some what of a naive and superficial understanding of politics (I’m not talking about ideology, just about factual fluency with the issues and events). My feeling is that she probably doesn’t really pay that much attention to the news. Her posts in the Abstinence thread (speaking just from her experiences as a parent) have actually been pretty thoughtful and substantive. ---
**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, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/271 "2010-02-12T16:44:47Z")
That very well may be, but she does have an annoying tendency to fail to answer questions asked of her after she makes some pretty inflammatory posts. ---
**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, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/272 "2010-02-12T23:39:18Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Thank you for acknowledging this. I am curious. Did you actually think that Obama and Palin were equivalent, and really were “dumb and dumber?” Did you not know about Obama’s background and experience during the election? I must admit I knew very little about either of their backrounds. When Sarah Palin was announced as VP I did watch the debate. I knew she was the Senator of Alaska which surprised me. Most of my understanding of Obama came after he was elected. I didn’t vote for McCain because of Palin being on the ticket. I thought it would be dangerous that she might become the president if something happened to McCain. I did not like seeing Obama go back on his campaign promises. I didn’t know they were the pick of the people as being the best candidates. So “The Dumb and Dumber”, quote was said without knowledge of his backround. ---
**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, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/273 "2010-02-12T23:41:44Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > That very well may be, but she does have an annoying tendency to fail to answer questions asked of her after she makes some pretty inflammatory posts. I work two jobs. I need to sleep a bit too. I don’t have internet access at work. I get back when I can and don’t mean to be rude. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/274 "2010-02-13T02:37:46Z")
> [@Perciful](#): > > I knew she was the Senator of Alaska which surprised me. It would probably surprise her too; she was Governor of Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/275 "2010-02-13T02:49:31Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > It would probably surprise her too; she was Governor of Alaska. I don’t know about that…she may very well believe that she is a senator of Alaska too. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/276 "2010-02-13T04:09:11Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > . I’d hate to think that you were prattling off gibberish just to get a rise out of people. Yeah, that would be a first around here… 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029.md?page=13)