# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/41 "2010-02-07T17:12:09Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > How can you compare not knowing what North Korea is or who did 9/11, or what the Iraq war is about to not knowing much about movies like Avatar? Easy! “Blah blah HYPOCRISY blah blah LIBERAL BIAS blah blah TELEPROMPTER blah blah SOCIALISM” Liberals have motes in their eyes and “conservatives” have telephone poles, so guess which they decide to fixate on? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/42 "2010-02-07T17:12:49Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Are you comparing Biden’s lack of knowledge of movies with Palin’s lack of knowledge about foreign policy? No, I’m comparing Biden’s dishonesty, flim-flammery, and calling a movie a “program” as much greater evidence of stupidity than Palin’s mere writing of a three or four point outline on her palm, and which stupidity **Hentor** was trying to allege with his cite. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/43 "2010-02-07T17:15:18Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > I’m sure she’ll throw out some hints to tease her supporters and keep interest in herself alive, but I doubt she’ll jump into the fray. From your keyboard to Somebody’s ears! “How’s that hopey changey stuff workin’ out for ya?” Doesn’t she know how that sounds? It’s not that she’s ridiculing millions of Americans who voted for the other ticket – she’s ridiculing **everyone** who’s out of work, losing their home, fighting a war, waiting for a loved one to come home, everyone who’s sick and without health insurance, flood victims still living in FEMA trailers, etc. etc. The saddest part of that sound bite is that Sarah’s fans will think it’s a kick in Obama’s balls – they won’t see that she’s kicking **them**. What a stupid bitch. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/44 "2010-02-07T17:16:57Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’ve yet to see such stammering and loss for words coming from Palin, and I’ve yet to hear her call a movie a “program”. (And I’m certain I would have heard of it for days around here if she had.) Uh, how about “what magazines/newspapers do you read?” Beyond pathetic. > [@](#): > > The fact also remains that Obama feels the need to work from a teleprompter when speaking to the media, which is even worse than an outline, and an outline is pretty much all Palin was using when delivering her speech. How come Obama gets to speak to the press with a teleprompter and gets no grief while Palin gets called stupid for using a three or four point outline when delivering her speech herself? Because we’ve seen plenty of times when Obama does speak at length and with great detail extemperaneously. Even as a former VP candidate, Palin wouldn’t even pony up for a single press conference. > [@](#): > > Answer: Neither is stupid, and accusations of Palin stupidity are no more than hypocritical partisanship. How about savvy but ignorant? That seems much closer to the mark. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/45 "2010-02-07T17:18:14Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > No, I’m comparing Biden’s dishonesty, flim-flammery, and calling a movie a “program” as much greater evidence of stupidity than Palin’s mere writing of a three or four point outline on her palm, and which stupidity **Hentor** was trying to allege with his cite. Dishonesty and flim-flammery imply cunning, to me. I’d say your impression of stupidity comes less from the dishonesty per se but the dishonesty poorly implemented. On the other hand, i’m not sure “program” is a stupid term to use. Weren’t films in cinemas often called a “program”? I don’t think he’s necessarily pulling it out of his arse. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/46 "2010-02-07T17:21:00Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > No, I’m comparing Biden’s dishonesty, flim-flammery, and calling a movie a “program” as much greater evidence of stupidity than Palin’s mere writing of a three or four point outline on her palm, and which stupidity **Hentor** was trying to allege with his cite. So in short, Biden can’t bluff his way out of an irrelevant question having nothing to do with national policy, while Palin can’t argue herself out of a paper bag when it comes to substantive issues related to running the country. Biden has loads of gaffes and Palin boatloads of transparent falsehoods, but I know I’ll still take the buffoon who misspeaks periodically (even regularly) over the liar who is nowhere as clever or informed as she thinks she is. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/47 "2010-02-07T17:21:13Z")
I noticed this morning that she has taken to wearing a lapel pin with both an American and Israeli flag. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/48 "2010-02-07T17:28:46Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > No, I’m comparing Biden’s dishonesty, flim-flammery, and calling a movie a “program” as much greater evidence of stupidity than Palin’s mere writing of a three or four point outline on her palm, and which stupidity **Hentor** was trying to allege with his cite. Is it time to re-trot out Uncle Joe’s plagerism of Neil Kinnock’s speeches or is it too early? ---
**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 7, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/49 "2010-02-07T17:29:40Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > You have got to be kidding me! He’s asked a simple question about whether he and his wife have time to watch movies, and he’s apparently so deeply dishonest that he feels compelled to wing it and pretend that he’s seen a movie that he’s only barely aware of, stutters and stammers for what seems like an eternity before finally pretending to have seen it, then refers to the movie as a “program” and then finally stammers out a lame prediction that it will win an Oscar. Again, he sounds much, much smarter than Palin. He forgot the name of a film, that’s acceptable for a guy with a lot on his mind IMHO. > [@](#): > > I’ve yet to see such stammering and loss for words coming from Palin, STOP! Seriously STOP! I need you to hear this part: Yes you have. You have glazed over and ignored it. Palin gaped like a fish in a bucket for minutes in response to, “what do read.” She stumbled and fumbled when asked what SCOTUS decisions she disagreed with. She couldn’t even answer which of the Founders she liked. Because she doesn’t know anything about the founders. She’s a moron. She’s a completely uneducated, uninformed ass-hole with plenty of opinion, but no facts on which to base them. So please, don’t bullshit us with your, “I’ve never heard here fumble.” Yes, you fucking have. You have just chosen to ignore it and gloss it over because it doesn’t fit your ideological narrative that you follow blindly and without question. > [@](#): > > and I’ve yet to hear her call a movie a “program”. I’m certain I would have heard of it for days around here if she had. I would take that as reasonably lucid for her. > [@](#): > > A person would think I’d be used to the blatant and hypocritical double-standard that exists around here by now. Oh, wait…I am. In fact, I’d pretty much predicted the responses myself as I was typing the post. You are the hypocrite here. Forgetting the name of a movie isn’t the same thing as not ever having learned why there is a North and South Korea. > [@](#): > > Soitenly! It appears I was done in by one of the board’s [favorite sons](http://rawstory.com/2010/01/jon-stewart-rips-obamas-teleprompters-middle-school/). 😃 > > Still, the fact remains that further investigation reveals that the teleprompters were used by the president while addressing the media after the kids had left the room. > > The fact also remains that Obama feels the need to work from a teleprompter when speaking to the media, which is even worse than an outline, and an outline is pretty much all Palin was using when delivering her speech. How come Obama gets to speak to the press with a teleprompter and gets no grief while Palin gets called stupid for using a three or four point outline when delivering her speech herself? Professional speakers use teleprompters. Welcome to the 21st century. > [@](#): > > I’m sure some of you will try the out of claiming that speaking to the press is more important than speaking to a group of righties, but hey, words is words and if Palin is stupid for not relying on her own memory to deliver her speech (and likely a longer one), why is Obama not even more stupid for having to have every word laid out in front of him? Palin doesn’t need to sound good, or even make sense. Because the people at the tea party are barely literate, angry children. They like Palin because she’s one of them. > [@](#): > > Answer: Neither is stupid, and accusations of Palin stupidity are no more than hypocritical partisanship. No. Palin is not the equal of the average American, much less Obama. She’s a fucking moron. > [@](#): > > And again, lest it get lost in the excitement over my admitting an error, I’ve never heard Palin stammering around like Biden did in that clip I posted, and I’ve never heard her refer to a movie as a “program”. And Biden’s history is so laden with dumb comments that he’s famous for it. So again, why Palin=stupid/Biden=good old Joe? ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YxAO7cH-xrE/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/YxAO7cH-xrE?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/r5G5fOYAT18/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/r5G5fOYAT18?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xRkWebP2Q0Y/hqdefault.jpg "Sarah Palin Can't Name a Newspaper She Reads") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRkWebP2Q0Y) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VXuBIyJsbCE/hqdefault.jpg "Watch Sarah Palin’s Most Embarrassing Interview Yet") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXuBIyJsbCE) ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/50 "2010-02-07T17:30:59Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > So in short, Biden can’t bluff his way out of an irrelevant question having nothing to do with national policy, while Palin can’t argue herself out of a paper bag when it comes to substantive issues related to running the country. > > Biden has loads of gaffes and Palin boatloads of transparent falsehoods, but I know I’ll still take the buffoon who misspeaks periodically (even regularly) over the liar who is nowhere as clever or informed as she thinks she is. Biden is a smart guy. because he does not keep up with movies, is no slam. Nobody can actually believe not being familiar with what an avatar is ,is equivalent to not knowing who the founding fathers were or if she reads any newspapers. ,is pulling it out of his sphincter. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/51 "2010-02-07T17:32:51Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > The saddest part of that sound bite is that Sarah’s fans will think it’s a kick in Obama’s balls – they won’t see that she’s kicking **them**. What a stupid bitch. Who is more stupid: a stupid person or those who believe a stupid person? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/52 "2010-02-07T17:37:37Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > Dishonesty and flim-flammery imply cunning, to me. I’d say your impression of stupidity comes less from the dishonesty per se but the dishonesty poorly implemented. Exactly. The stupidity lay in the clumsy and transparent way he tried to implement it. (And as an aside, if he feels compelled to lie about something so inconsequential as having seen a movie, what else is he likely to have lied about?) > [@revenant threshold](#): > > On the other hand, i’m not sure “program” is a stupid term to use. Weren’t films in cinemas often called a “program”? I don’t think he’s necessarily pulling it out of his arse. I don’t know for an absoute certainty, particularly in the U.K. which is where I believe you are, but I can tell you I’ve never heard a movie referred to as a program in my life. > [@Archive Guy](#): > > So in short, Biden can’t bluff his way out of an irrelevant question having nothing to do with national policy, while Palin can’t argue herself out of a paper bag when it comes to substantive issues related to running the country. > > Biden has loads of gaffes and Palin boatloads of transparent falsehoods, but I know I’ll still take the buffoon who misspeaks periodically (even regularly) over the liar who is nowhere as clever or informed as she thinks she is. Excuse me, but you’re missing the point. With regard to my post we’re discussing criteria for the exhibition of stupidity. Biden has a much worse history of making stupid comments than either Dan Quayle or Sarah Palin, and yet they get excoriated and he gets a pass. It’s hard to take seriously the claims people make about Palin’s so-called stupidity when much worse examples are ignored when coming from a guy who’s on your own side. The fact of the matter is that neither is stupid, and anyone trying to portray Palin as stupid on the basis of her having a short outline on her palm is doing nothing but displaying partisan dishonesty. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/53 "2010-02-07T17:44:15Z")
Quoth **Wesley Clark** : > [@](#): > > They showed Obama ahead pretty much all year until Palin was picked. After Palin was picked, for about a month afterwards McCain was set to win. Picking Palin pushed states like Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio and a few others away from Obama & into the McCain camp. Were you following the same [FiveThirtyEight.com](http://FiveThirtyEight.com) I was? The one I was following had Obama and McCain running about 50-50 right up until that time, and then within a week afterwards slewed over to a 75% chance of Obama winning. Now, admittedly, it was also right around then that McCain said that “the fundamentals of the economy are strong”, and it’s statistically difficult to disentangle which event cost him more, but there’s absolutely no evidence that picking Palin helped him at all in the polls. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/54 "2010-02-07T17:50:37Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > [A]nyone trying to portray Palin as stupid on the basis of her having a short outline on her palm is doing nothing but displaying partisan dishonesty. I could get behind this. A crib sheet for a canned Q&A is lame, but not a sign of stupidity, necessarily. But it is equally dishonest to ignore the dozens of examples of Sarah Palin being objectively stupid. She’s not necessarily dumber than a lot of other politicians, like Maxine Waters or Mike Pence. But she’s not even close to being on the level of Obama or Lindsey Graham. Let me ask this, can you identify a difference in intelligence between, say, George Will and Sean Hannity? Mike Pence and Russ Feingold? How about between Ed Gillespie and Michael Steele? I think that most people, or whatever partisan stripe, see these differences. Just like they see that Palin just ain’t that sharp. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/55 "2010-02-07T17:50:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **Wesley Clark** :Were you following the same [FiveThirtyEight.com](http://FiveThirtyEight.com) I was? The one I was following had Obama and McCain running about 50-50 right up until that time, and then within a week afterwards slewed over to a 75% chance of Obama winning. Now, admittedly, it was also right around then that McCain said that “the fundamentals of the economy are strong”, and it’s statistically difficult to disentangle which event cost him more, but there’s absolutely no evidence that picking Palin helped him at all in the polls. From what I remember seeing Obama was likely to win until Palin was picked, then McCain had about a 60% chance of winning. However when Palin’s interview with Couric and the economy collapsed, things went back for Obama. But there was a clear change after Palin was picked. Several states and the election went from being likely Obama to likely McCain. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/56 "2010-02-07T17:55:27Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Exactly. The stupidity lay in the clumsy and transparent way he tried to implement it. (And as an aside, if he feels compelled to lie about something so inconsequential as having seen a movie, what else is he likely to have lied about?) I don’t know, death panels? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/57 "2010-02-07T18:00:56Z")
Well, really, who knows? If a man is willing to lie about what movies he’s seen, might he not also lie about what toothpaste he uses? ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/58 "2010-02-07T18:01:33Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Has no one mentioned this yet? > > [http://thinkprogress.org/2010/02/07/palin-war-ira/](http://thinkprogress.org/2010/02/07/palin-war-ira/) > > \*\*Palin: Obama could win reelection if he ‘played the war card’ and declared ‘war on Iran.’ \*\* > > Offered without comment, none being necessary. This is what really caused me to post. The interview with Chris Wallace this morning. Good Lord. Full disclosure here: I worked on the McCain campaign team in 2008, met the man, and would vote for him again in a heartbeat. He is truly an impressive guy, genuine and inspiring. A true leader. Whether you agree with his politics or not (and I respect those that don’t, even if I don’t understand you people! 🙂 ), I was dumbfounded when he chose Palin as his running mate. If McCain had any chance, I thought he lost the campaign at that moment. I was stunned to realize I was in the minority with my opinion with the folks I worked with. I felt a huge disconnect with these people. I am no big fan of Obama and his policies, and I believe he has set this country on a dangerous course. But I truly wanted (and want) him to succeed. This country is in deep trouble. We have a recession much deeper than anyone wants to admit, unemployment numbers are massaged to make them look “good” at 10%, and I don’t even want to go into the debt and deficit spending. But Palin disturbs me on so many levels. I don’t care about her politics, per se. If she was a democrat I would still be disturbed because she is clearly a player on a national level. If she were to ever be in a decision-making position for the US, I would truly feel low. She cannot be one of the best minds in politics… how can anyone who takes politics seriously take \*her \*seriously? It saddens me that this is the best this country can produce. With that said, Joe Biden is a joke. Anyone that stands back and objectively looks at Biden without the blinders of party loyalty should come to the same conclusion. I think he was a brilliant pick to be Obama’s running mate, because imagining Biden as President terrifies me as much as the idea of Palin. So, here’s one person who hopes that Obama makes it through his term intact. No heart attacks, no attempts on his life… hell, I don’t want Obama to have heartburn. Joe Biden truly looks and sounds like a talking political doll. Just pull a string and something will come out. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the question, but that’s ok. Who’s really listening? Finally, even though I wanted opinions, I guess it was inevitable it would end up in great debates. I’d like to keep it civil. I didn’t help things with my opinion of Palin in the OP, so for that I’ll take the blame. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/59 "2010-02-07T18:08:04Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > But Palin disturbs me on so many levels. I don’t care about her politics, per se. If she was a democrat I would still be disturbed because she is clearly a player on a national level. If she were to ever be in a decision-making position for the US, I would truly feel low. She cannot be one of the best minds in politics… how can anyone who takes politics seriously take \*her \*seriously? It saddens me that this is the best this country can produce. What evidence is that that she “is the best this country can produce”? Seriously, what on earth could possibly make you think that? She was a disaster on the national ticket and even [most Republicans would not want her to run for the presidency.](http://www.pollingreport.com/p.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/60 "2010-02-07T18:13:57Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > I could get behind this. A crib sheet for a canned Q&A is lame, but not a sign of stupidity, necessarily. But it is equally dishonest to ignore the dozens of examples of Sarah Palin being objectively stupid. She’s not necessarily dumber than a lot of other politicians, like Maxine Waters or Mike Pence. But she’s not even close to being on the level of Obama or Lindsey Graham. > > Let me ask this, can you identify a difference in intelligence between, say, George Will and Sean Hannity? Mike Pence and Russ Feingold? How about between Ed Gillespie and Michael Steele? I think that most people, or whatever partisan stripe, see these differences. Just like they see that Palin just ain’t that sharp. I agree largely with what you’re saying, although I don’t quite agree that Palin “ain’t that sharp”. I think she’s pretty much a normal person with a level of intelligence that is likely somewhat higher than average. Same with Hannity. People like George Will on the other hand, are intellectuals and are considerably smarter than Palin or most of the rest of us average bears, many of whom are pretty smart in their own right. Palin’s biggest problem isn’t that she’s stupid, it’s that she’s unschooled, unpolished and inexperienced. I also believe that this is a large part of her appeal. My take on her raw intelligence is that it’s likely somewhat above average but certainly not on the level of a George Will. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029.md?page=4)