# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/121 "2010-02-08T05:37:41Z")
I enjoy Sarah threads. Sarah serves as a barometer for me\*, helping determine who can be taken seriously and who cannot. It’s been that way since she was nominated. Whenever she ups the ante by, say, quitting her job as Governor or saying something retarded, she is tuning the instrument. A few people snap out of it each time, and the un-serious become more clearly visible. Nonetheless, it still seems like roughly half the country falls for it. Won’t surprise me a bit if she is our next President. It’s nice to know that not even \*\*Starving \*\*would actually vote for her by now. (Not that anyone should take \*him \*seriously.) Any time I hear conservatives like the OP bemoaning her, it gives me hopey changey stuff. \*the word “teleprompter” is another very reliable one. Biden, however, I’ll have to give you. He is kind of a boob sometimes, but I like him anyway. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/122 "2010-02-08T05:55:16Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Well, I will now, I had no idea she did it _naked_. Now I see why she got 100 thou for her appearance in front of 600 Tea Baggers. yep 600. ---
**Author:** ![Cort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/77aa72/32.png) [@Cort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cort)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/123 "2010-02-08T10:37:20Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > So in other words, rather than answer honestly he decided to lie and pretend he’d seen a movie that he obviously hasn’t seen more than a clip of and couldn’t even remember the name of. Yeah. A little white lie. He didn’t want to look like an old fart. Can you blame him? > [@Starving Artist](#): > > You may have noticed that I haven’t been speaking to this issue one way or the other. I am challenging the allegation that she is stupid and that having a brief outline on her hand is proof of it. I don’t care that she wrote notes on her hand. I write notes on my hand too. That she thinks there is a legitimate scientific controversy over evolution, however, is a clear sign that she’s dumber than a sack of hammers. And that’s not even touching on the fact that she doesn’t know why there is a North and South Korea, or that she couldn’t name a single Supreme Court decision with which she disagreed, or that she couldn’t explain the Bush Doctrine, or that the question “What do you read” threw her into a tizzy, etc… ---
**Author:** ![noxxer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e68b1a/32.png) [@noxxer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noxxer)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/124 "2010-02-08T10:59:07Z")
if we are going to complain about hypocricy, i would like to know when it became ok to bash the president/vp in major news stories for his speech gaffes. oh wait… just after bush/cheney left office. we can ignore the fact that everyone laughed at bush behind his back on the internet, because for most people the internet is not credible as a source. When a major news organization does it though(especially fox with their “opinion news” that is then picked up by their “official news” because the people are talking about it.) that is when public opinion is sculpted, shaped, and adjusted into the positions best suited to the talking heads(and their bosses who make money off eyeballs watching the drama. think jerry springer.) ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/125 "2010-02-08T13:06:16Z")
> [@noxxer](#): > > if we are going to complain about hypocricy, i would like to know when it became ok to bash the president/vp in major news stories for his speech gaffes. oh wait… just after bush/cheney left office. You totally missed the pre-Internet Dan Quayle era, didn’t you? ---
**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 8, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/126 "2010-02-08T13:41:45Z")
> [@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. She also discovered a secret way of whitening teeth that _dentists don’t want you to know._ > [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > No, [this guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL_zOyk44Mg) sounds like an idiot. > > And he IS the vice president! > > Where’s your outrage there? I’m certainly outraged. This will cause untold damage to our diplomatic relations with Pandora. Clearly the only solution is for Obama to bow to the leader of the Na’vi. [Actually, seriously, I’ve never understood Obama’s choice of Biden for running mate, unless it’s as a Cheney-esque insurance policy against assassination. Maybe with his political connections he brought something important to the table (convention delegates?) but I haven’t seen it.] ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/127 "2010-02-08T14:40:20Z")
As a Democrat, my reaction to Palin’s crib notes: Run, Sarah, Run. Pleeease, please run for President in 2012 as a Republican. Better yet, run as an independent/teabagger, and split the nutjob vote. It’s a Democrat dream come true. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/128 "2010-02-08T16:51:34Z")
Yeah, what the heck. I live about four hours from the border, I figure I can make a dash for it before the Canadians close it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/129 "2010-02-08T17:01:02Z")
Confession time. We Democrats have several plants _very_ high up in the Republican Party, and picking Sarah Palin was our idea of a practical joke. We thought it would be self-evident that she was totally unfit mentally, morally and politically, but I guess we overestimated the Republicans ability to see a “Kick Me!” sign when it is slapped on, and _we_ sure as hell aren’t going to remove it. ---
**Author:** ![Burton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Burton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burton)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/130 "2010-02-08T17:25:49Z")
She strikes me as nothing more than an opportunist. As for how bright she is…she’s demonstrated pretty consistently she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. She’s bright enough to milk her notoriety for all it’s worth. She’s made it to exactly where I thought she would end up. TV. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/131 "2010-02-08T18:16:42Z")
Palin last night: > [@](#): > > "This was all part of that hope and change and transparency. Now, a year later, I gotta ask the supporters of all that, ‘How’s that hopey, changey stuff working out?’ " Babe, I hope _you_ change into something transparent. At least you’d have a reason to be in front of a camera. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/132 "2010-02-08T18:35:34Z")
> [@Burton](#): > > She strikes me as nothing more than an opportunist. As for how bright she is…she’s demonstrated pretty consistently she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. She’s bright enough to milk her notoriety for all it’s worth. She’s made it to exactly where I thought she would end up. TV. I wish. She is by far the republican front runner for 2012. She is slowly coming to believe she is qualified and can win. With the money in back of the repubs in the future, it is possible. As scary as it sounds, it is possible. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/133 "2010-02-08T18:43:28Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > As a Democrat, my reaction to Palin’s crib notes: > > Run, Sarah, Run. My first inclination is to agree, but the risk is simply too great. It’d be like voting for the dumbest kid in school for class president, just as a gag—and then discovering that not only did he win, he has a chip on his shoulder and access to nukes. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/134 "2010-02-08T19:05:16Z")
> [@](#): > > She is slowly coming to believe she is qualified and can win. I think she’s believed that all along. One of the problems faced by unintelligent people is that they lack the ability to appreciate intelligence. They see it as some kind of trick that smarter people use to get ahead. ---
**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:** [February 8, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/135 "2010-02-08T20:00:20Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I wish. She is by far the republican front runner for 2012. She is slowly coming to believe she is qualified and can win. With the money in back of the repubs in the future, it is possible. As scary as it sounds, it is possible. My prediction (and I’ve been right about her since the git-go): Sarah Palin will NOT/NOT run for president, despite her recent murmurings about how she would do so if the country needed her and her family agreed and blahblahblahbullshit. Oh, she’ll make the appropriate noises to string along the people who will pay to hear her talk, but political office doesn’t pay nearly enough money to suit her now, and not everybody will adore her if elected, which is unacceptable for her beauty queen mentality. She quit the governorship after relatively mild criticisms and the remote chance of legal actions came her way, so I can’t believe she would open herself to that sort of bad press again; it would affect her income, which is all-important to her and hubby. If she ends up actually running, I’ll buy somebody lunch. ---
**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 8, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/136 "2010-02-08T20:35:07Z")
Just out of curiosity - if Palin runs a brilliant campaign, will that be accepted of evidence of her ability to be president, the way Obama’s was? I ask because so far, despite how stupid you think she is, she has somehow managed to A) derail healthcare reform with her ‘death panels’, B) make perhaps a bigger splash in the media with her speech at a tea party convention than Obama made with a State of the Union Address, C) raise millions upon millions of dollars, D) have one of the best-selling books of the last year, and E) be the apparent leader of an entire new grassroots movement that is at this time kicking the ass of Washington. Her popularity rating is now higher than Obama’s as well. I share a lot of concerns about Palin. There’s something about her that kind of sets my teeth on edge. Even though I want to like her, and agree with a lot of what she stands for, she still comes across as a lightweight. Even when she says things I agree with, I get the feeling she’s just pushing buttons. But I wonder how much of my attitude is really bias, and how much is realistic assessment - because for a dunce, she’s sure managed to smack around a lot of really smart people. If she keeps growing in popularity and clout like this, then very soon she’s going to be the most powerful opposition figure in the U.S. - even more powerful than elected Republicans or the other Presidential wanna-bes. And that’s only a year after she was completely clobbered in the media, and a few months after taking a hit to her popularity for resigning as governor. As for the ‘crib hand’ - you guys need to pick your battles better. Palin has lots of weaknesses, but jotting a few main points on her hand isn’t one of them. This is a standard technique you are taught in public speaking. They’re the broad themes she wanted to make sure she touched on, again and again, She wrote them on her hand as an anchor, not as a cheat sheet. If anything, the hand note says to me that she’s not leaving much to chance and she’s preparing well for these speeches and staying focused. No one’s buying the notion that notes on her hand are some sort of example of a weak mind, except those of you who are dying to grasp at anything you can giggle and guffaw over. There may be other examples, but this isn’t it. And focusing on it just makes your own attacks look weak to people on the fence about her. ---
**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 8, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/137 "2010-02-08T20:56:10Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Her popularity rating is now higher than Obama’s as well. Please provide a cite for your claim. Here are Palin’s favorability ratings from Polling [Report.com](http://Report.com): > **[Political Figures: P](https://www.pollingreport.com/p.htm)** Here are Obama’s: > **[Obama: Favorability](https://www.pollingreport.com/obama_fav.htm)** I can’t see any recent favorability ratings across polls for Obama that are below 50. I cannot find any for Palin that are above 50. ---
**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 8, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/138 "2010-02-08T20:56:29Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > They’re the broad themes she wanted to make sure she touched on, again and again,… They are also, by a remarkable coincidence, the answer to exactly the question that she was asked. > [@](#): > > If anything, the hand note says to me that she’s not leaving much to chance and she’s preparing well for these speeches and staying focused. Ah, but in the real world things do happen by chance. The writing on the hand indicates to me that she is not ready for anything that she hasn’t prepared and scripted in advance. Since she was plucked from obscurity, has she ever answered any question that was put to her? She even made a point of mentioning that in her debate with Biden. ---
**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 8, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/139 "2010-02-08T21:04:54Z")
missed the edit window… > [@Sam Stone](#): > > As for the ‘crib hand’ - you guys need to pick your battles better. Palin has lots of weaknesses, but jotting a few main points on her hand isn’t one of them. This is a standard technique you are taught in public speaking. They’re the broad themes she wanted to make sure she touched on, again and again, She wrote them on her hand as an anchor, not as a cheat sheet. There’s no battle. There’s photos of her with childish scrawls on her hand. I can’t recall seeing any public speaker with notes written on his or her palm. People are simply making fun of her for it. Where’s the battle? The whole thing has reminded me of the first time I saw Clinton during his campaign before the 1992 election. Someone in a crowd asked a question about aviation issues - I can’t remember what the question was, but I was blown away because Clinton thought for a moment, then extemporaneously outlined three cogent points in response, citing facts and figures to support his argument. Palin apparently cannot remember “Taxes, Energy, Lift American Spirits” ---
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029/140 "2010-02-08T21:17:48Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Just out of curiosity - if Palin runs a brilliant campaign, will that be accepted of evidence of her ability to be president, the way Obama’s was? Please be honest. The quality and effectiveness of Obama’s campaign was never the sole reason his supporters considered him prepared to be POTUS. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarah-palin-seriously/528029.md?page=8)