# 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:** 4
**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, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/61 "2010-02-07T18:15:32Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > 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. I am in the UK (so technically here it would probably be “programme”), but i’m pretty sure i’ve heard the term used that way in American films and TV. Not that necessarily using a rather outdated term speaks much better of him, though. ---
**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, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/62 "2010-02-07T18:20:31Z")
That’s a fair assessment, **SA**. I meant my comments to be about her relative intelligence as compared to other national leaders, not in comparison to average Americans. ---
**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, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/63 "2010-02-07T18:20:50Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > 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. _ **Quayle???** _ Are you serious? Boy, that’s selective memory in action. And Quayle was only in the spotlight for a few years while Biden’s been in office for over 3 decades, so the sheer concentration of stupid can’t be ignored there, either. > [@](#): > > 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. We don’t ignore them, but we also don’t ignore the larger context. Biden has years of service on multiple high-level committees and a substantial slate of accomplishments and contributions in the legislative branch. Reagan said lots of stupid things, too, but liberals don’t ignore the many things he actually did as leader (even if we may not like all of them). So while I might be appalled that Biden has foot-in-mouth syndrome much more often that I’d prefer, there’s still plenty of other reasons to think he brings things to the plate in the White House. But Quayle and Palin? They were both fashion plates (one figuratively, one literally) with very little national political experience when thrust on the public scene, with almost no major accomplishments while in office and offering little of substance in their pre-political careers. So when they say stupid things, it’s impossible to balance those statements against the larger weight of their more worthwhile and substantial accomplishments because they barely have any. Palin is planning on running for POTUS, so sooner or later, she’s going to have to have a press conference. That she has not had a single one on the national stage, despite one vice presidential campaign already, is the height of absurdity, and reinforces the notion that the stupid things she says are not one-offs or misstatements or indicative of mere poor public speaking skills, but symptomatic of something deeper. You can only work with the evidence you have, so you can’t blame some people for saying she’s stupid (again, I vote for “savvy but ignorant”) when even when she’s limited to carefully stage-managed public speaking opportunities, she still can’t stop telling transparent falsehoods and embarassing and confused policy “positions”. ---
**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, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/64 "2010-02-07T18:58:19Z")
Biden- grad. Univ of Delaware in History and Poli Sci. J,D, from Syracuse college of Law passed the bar in 1969. Palin- U of Idaho in sports journalism Yep they are even. Who could question her credentials. And she quit as governor. QUIT ---
**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, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/65 "2010-02-07T18:58:47Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > 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) From my POV, there is no evidence. That’s what I’m saying. I don’t care if she has plans to run for the presidency or not in 2012. The fact that people are discussing the \*\*\*possibility \*\*\* boggles the mind. ---
**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 7, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/66 "2010-02-07T19:01:14Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What evidence is that that she “is the best this country can produce”? Seriously, what on earth could possibly make you think that? Well, John McCain repeatedly said she was. He averred over and over again the best possible choice in the United States to take over the Presidency if something happened to a hypothetical President McCain was Sarah Palin. If the Republican party itself is going to present her as the best possible choice they can offer, then why shouldn’t we take them at their word? ---
**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, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/67 "2010-02-07T19:10:42Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Well, John McCain repeatedly said she was. He averred over and over again the best possible choice in the United States to take over the Presidency if something happened to a hypothetical President McCain was Sarah Palin. Yeah, and how did that work out for him? Appears he called that wrong. > [@](#): > > If the Republican party itself is going to present her as the best possible choice they can offer, then why shouldn’t we take them at their word? She was McCain’s choice, not the choice of the Republican Party. In fact, many in that party thought it was a stupid idea to pick her. ---
**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, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/68 "2010-02-07T19:19:56Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > From my POV, there is no evidence. That’s what I’m saying. I don’t care if she has plans to run for the presidency or not in 2012. The fact that people are discussing the \*\*\*possibility \*\*\* boggles the mind. People were talking about John Edwards seriously, too. I can’t see Palin as being in some unique position as someone mentioned as a possible candidate who would not actually be good in that office. There is a vacuum in the Republican Party right now, and the press abhors a vacuum. ---
**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 7, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/69 "2010-02-07T19:20:08Z")
The Party nominated her. McCain’s real choice was Lieberman. The Party basically forced him to choose a hard conservative for fear he would lose the base or have walkouts at the convention. The fact that the Party nominated her for VP made her squarely the “Republican choice.” ---
**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 7, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/70 "2010-02-07T19:33:06Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > People were talking about John Edwards seriously, too. There was no reason not to at the time. No one knew about his affair yet, but everybody knows that Palin lacks the intellectual heft and basic comprehension necessary to do the job. They didn’t know Edwards was a cheater, they DO know that Palin is a dummy, yet they still talk about her like she’s a credible, legitimate candidate for President. Marital infidelity has nothing to do with one’s ability to do the job anyway (and not for nothing, but there are persistent rumors that Palin hasn’t been perfect in that department herself). ---
**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, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/71 "2010-02-07T19:35:29Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The Party nominated her. > > McCain’s real choice was Lieberman. The Party basically forced him to choose a hard conservative for fear he would lose the base or have walkouts at the convention. The fact that the Party nominated her for VP made her squarely the “Republican choice.” McCain’s first choice may have been Lieberman, but when that wouldn’t fly, he chose to roll the dice with Palin. That’s what he is noted for. Besides, anyone who thinks that the VP selection process isn’t about finding someone to compliment the ticket, rather than finding the best person, doesn’t know much about politics. Palin was picked because of her gender, her age, and her conservative credentials (to compliment McCain’s age, gender, and lack of conservative credentials). ---
**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, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/72 "2010-02-07T19:38:44Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > There was no reason not to at the time. No one knew about his affair yet, but everybody knows that Palin lacks the intellectual heft and basic comprehension necessary to do the job. They didn’t know Edwards was a cheater, they DO know that Palin is a dummy, yet they still talk about her like she’s a credible, legitimate candidate for President. > > Marital infidelity has nothing to do with one’s ability to do the job anyway (and not for nothing, but there are persistent rumors that Palin hasn’t been perfect in that department herself). I didn’t say anything about marital fidelity. He’s an empty suit with a pretty face and charming smile. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/73 "2010-02-07T19:41:09Z")
I don’t really understand why people keep saying she’s an idiot. She’s not stupid. She’s just a terrible politician. She sounds pretty average to me. She doesn’t sound any dumber than, say, my grandmother, boss, bartender, or landlord. Her problem is that she can’t speak well and doesn’t know anything about international politics, economics, etc. That makes her a bad choice for president. It doesn’t make her dumb. ---
**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 7, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/74 "2010-02-07T19:52:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I didn’t say anything about marital fidelity. He’s an empty suit with a pretty face and charming smile. He still isn’t patently an idiot, and he still has a basic ability to comprehend and discuss policy, history and world events. He also put some effort into drafting some susbtantive policy positions and plans, which he busted out during the Primary, and he spoke substanntively in the debates. Edwards might have been vapid in someways, but he was vapid with normal, political limits (Romney and Pawlenty are about the same on the GOP side). There’s a difference between being a traditional, political empty suit, and actually being patently intellectually unqualified the way Palin is. Are you honestly arguing that there’s no qualification gap at all between Sarah Palin and John Edwards? You think they’re intellectual equals? ---
**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 7, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/75 "2010-02-07T20:01:40Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I don’t really understand why people keep saying she’s an idiot. She’s not stupid. She’s just a terrible politician. She sounds pretty average to me. She doesn’t sound any dumber than, say, my grandmother, boss, bartender, or landlord. > > Her problem is that she can’t speak well and doesn’t know anything about international politics, economics, etc. That makes her a bad choice for president. It doesn’t make her dumb. She can’t name a magazine or newspaper that exists in the world. She can’t name a Supreme Court case besides Roe vs. Wade. She can’t name any of the Founding Fathers of the United States. She didn’t know that North Korea and South Korea are separate countries. She thought Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11. She admitted she didn’t know who her son would be fighting against in Iraq. She’s afraid of witches. She believes in the Rapture. While I would agree that this doesn’t necessarily make her any dumber than the average person on he street, I would contend that the average person on the street is a freaking _moron_, and anyone who wants to be taken seriously as a candidate for POTUS needs to be a little smarter than the average moron on the street. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/76 "2010-02-07T20:08:23Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Ahem, not only are outlines (which is really all that is) very commonly used by some of the most intelligent and accomplished people out there, but Obama uses teleprompters when speaking to elementary school kids. > > Can we at least try to keep the hypocrisy around here on a level subtle enough that one has to at least think a little in order to spot it? You’re so cute. The “buh-buh-but, TELEPROMTERZ!!” meme has always been full of fail. I really don’t believe you can swallow your confirmation bias long enough to understand that, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt ONE MORE TIME, in what appears to be a long history of giving you that going back as long as I’ve seen you post. [http://www.google.com/gwt/x?ei=6sZuS4iSJpGNoAeP7b3PDQ&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com/stefan-sirucek/did-palin-use-crib-notes\_b\_452458.html&wsc=gh&wsi=3bcf03d25ab3ea1e](http://www.google.com/gwt/x?ei=6sZuS4iSJpGNoAeP7b3PDQ&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com/stefan-sirucek/did-palin-use-crib-notes_b_452458.html&wsc=gh&wsi=3bcf03d25ab3ea1e) What kind of national-level speaker needs to wrote down something that BASIC anywhere? Obama faced a large roomful of his political opponents, and for more than an hour \*\*extemporaneously \*\*answered all of their loaded questions and made them to look like the soundbite-seeking, half-truth speaking disingenuous “party of no” they are. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1y04g6OPLnQ/hqdefault.jpg "Obama Dismantles Republican Caucus Part 1 of 7") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y04g6OPLnQ) Your meme is dead. Buried. Obama’s put a stake through it’s heart, cut off it’s head, poured salt in it’s chest and buried it at the crossroads. Try making an argument about something that isn’t so clearly, blatantly, obviously, beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt wrong. For the record, I support Palin’s seeking the office of the president. I hope and pray she runs, whether as a republican or independent. Even if she wins, I hope she runs. Sometimes you have to hit rock-bottom before you can start the road to recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/77 "2010-02-07T20:08:23Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > I grew up in a pretty conservative part of the country and a lot of people there see her as one of them - a plain spoken soccer mom from a working class background who attends church regularly and didn’t go to an elite school. I’m not saying that that in any way qualifies her to run for public office, but a lot of people will vote for her based just on those merits before they vote for someone with a foreign sounding name and an Ivy League education who also “talks faggy” - and most importantly happens to have a D next to their name. Nailed it… this is exactly what i gather in several informal anecdotal conversations from my red meat eating teabaggin co-workers (literally and fig) Essentially one can question exactly why.. but a large number of people think that the smarty pants people are gettin over on em..she knows exactly how to play to this unintellectual populism.. attempts to “educate” Palin actually work against her very charm and appeal ---
**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, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/78 "2010-02-07T20:18:09Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > He still isn’t patently an idiot, and he still has a basic ability to comprehend and discuss policy, history and world events. He also put some effort into drafting some susbtantive policy positions and plans, which he busted out during the Primary, and he spoke substanntively in the debates. > > Edwards might have been vapid in someways, but he was vapid with normal, political limits (Romney and Pawlenty are about the same on the GOP side). There’s a difference between being a traditional, political empty suit, and actually being patently intellectually unqualified the way Palin is. > > Are you honestly arguing that there’s no qualification gap at all between Sarah Palin and John Edwards? You think they’re intellectual equals? I would rate Edwards higher, intellectually, than Palin. No question about that. But he falls far short of what I’d look for in a presidential candidate. And it’s not just about intellect. It’s about experience, accomplishments, and trust. I never got a good “trust” feel for him, and that was long before I found out about his affair. Palin may represent the extreme in not have the right stuff for the presidency, but she’s hardly alone among candidates in not having it. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/79 "2010-02-07T20:23:15Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > 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. THis is where i draw a demarcation line with you my friend. Purely my opin but part of intelligence is a certain amount of curiousity about the world..both the one close to you and I and the one far away. I need someone on a major scale who believes that the history of this country is important. Understands that if americans have fought and died for an issue or a war that its important to understand why. Not necessarily agree with it.. I understand the KKK for instance..i understand the feelings of southern whites post civil war.. the feelings of having the nothern carpetbaggers in their view heap shame.. or the feelings of the Germans post WWI.. the treaty of versailles.. My friend.. when u are gov of a state..forget that.. an educated person.. and you cannot and haven’t sought to educate yourself about say the civil war.. the us earlier involvement with Saddam..Grenada.. supreme court decisions and the effect on our society.. Thats unbevelievable.. unexcusable.. and lazy..simply lazy..she demonstrates Bush2’s disinterest in the world around them.. its simply unacceptable.. she should really be ashamed of herself.. ---
**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, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/80 "2010-02-07T20:25:23Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > You’re so cute. The “buh-buh-but, TELEPROMTERZ!!” meme has always been full of fail. I really don’t believe you can swallow your confirmation bias long enough to understand that, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt ONE MORE TIME, in what appears to be a long history of giving you that going back as long as I’ve seen you post. > > [snip] > > Your meme is dead. Buried. Obama’s put a stake through it’s heart, cut off it’s head, poured salt in it’s chest and buried it at the crossroads. Try making an argument about something that isn’t so clearly, blatantly, obviously, beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt wrong. Before I answer, I’d be interested in your opinion of Jon Stewart. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029.md?page=5)