# Teleprompter, Wasilla-style **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 7, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071 "2010-02-07T22:54:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/101 "2010-02-10T17:00:01Z")
Monday’s episode of the Daily Show is particularly relevent and hilarious: > **[The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Comedy Central](https://www.cc.com/shows/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah)** > > The Daily Show is an Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning program that looks at the day’s top headlines through a sharp, reality-based lens. ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/102 "2010-02-10T19:39:08Z")
deleted, redundant ---
**Author:** ![Pandoranoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce73a5/32.png) [@Pandoranoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pandoranoid)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/103 "2010-02-11T04:03:10Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I almost think she does it on purpose. She knows nothing stokes up her base like the media poking their pitchforks at her. This, absolutely. Plus she uses a very similar strategy to ol’ W: charm gullible voters with her aw-shucks-I’m-just-folks routine. The woman is ignorant (particularly on current affairs in the political realm that any serious politician oughta know), but I don’t think she’s dumb. On the contrary, she’s quite a crafty little manipulator. In the interview wherein she refers to her palm notes, she also takes pot shots at Obama’s intellectual persona and drops the g’s on her ing’s like crazy. Every detail of her simple-minded, straight-shootin’ persona is carefully constructed. She realizes the sad truth: Americans, like most humans, usually hate being made to feel stupid; and these days, it is rather easy to make an embarrassingly large percentage of our nation’s increasingly under-educated population feel stupid. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/104 "2010-02-11T05:27:12Z")
The day Sarah Palin makes me feel stupid will be the day that a Krispy Kreme opens up shop on the banks of the river Styx… what worries me is how many people think she’s the right hand of god and the rights of women she might remove with her evangelical bent. ---
**Author:** ![Pandoranoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce73a5/32.png) [@Pandoranoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pandoranoid)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/105 "2010-02-11T05:39:16Z")
> [@anya\_marie](#): > > The day Sarah Palin makes me feel stupid will be the day that a Krispy Kreme opens up shop on the banks of the river Styx… what worries me is how many people think she’s the right hand of god and the rights of women she might remove with her evangelical bent. although I agree with you, I would like to clarify my point. Palin isn’t _trying_ to make anyone feel stupid—quite the opposite. she knows that the majority of her ignorant constituency feel stupid when listening to clearly well-educated people, Obama being one example. She is tailoring herself to the lowest commmon denominator by styling herself as a sweet, simple-but-honest sort–the kinda gal who means well but has to write her talking points on her hand ‘cause shoot, she jis ain’t used t’ all this fancy-talk, she just knows what feels right in her small-town heart. It’s a pose, and by assuming that she really is that dumb, we all play right along. Trust me, Palin loves it when you call her simple-minded, because she knows how her fans hate the intellectually superior. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/106 "2010-02-11T12:09:49Z")
The only way to make people feel like you aren’t “talking down to them” is to consciously assume that they are stupid and literally talk down to them. Cause ya know, thinkin’ that they might actually know what a two-syllable word means is puttin’ on airs in a hopey, changey kinda way. Palin is a very good manipulator of people as well as being ignorant on the issues. There is probably a better chance of her becoming informed than there is of Obama deciding to cravenly manipulate people. I have no hope for America, ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/107 "2010-02-11T12:25:36Z")
> [@Pandoranoid](#): > > Trust me, Palin loves it when you call her simple-minded, because she knows how her fans hate the intellectually superior. Agree 100%. The proper way to treat her is to paint her as a Republican insider: an intellectual that prefers writing books to staying in office and helping real people with real problems. The sort of people Like Biily Wankman and Susie Stayhometon that made this country great by going out every day and rolling up their sleeves to do the real work. Not the high-profile, look-at-me professional talkers, but real people, doing real work to make this world a better place for little Timmy over there who would have died if the Republicans had had there way and cut funding for neo-natal wards. We’d never have seen him grow up and open that lemonade stand that years layer became WalMart that employs 100s of thousand of people and lets people buy real products at real prices wiyhout having to go to one of those “life style” malls with their high-end “designer” clothes that people like Sarah think they need to wear to impress the hoity-toity Republicans at the country club fund raisers. The sort of places that have lawns manicured by hard workers like Stan Lawnraker, who take a shower \*after \*work, but couldn’t even be a member at the very place he works so hard at. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/108 "2010-02-11T16:08:19Z")
I don’t think the palm-notes thing was something Palin planned to have this effect. Why? Because of “[del]budget[/del] tax cuts.” People don’t always like hearing about budget cuts–'cause, gee, it might be something they benefit from that gets cut. But tax cuts, now, everybody likes a tax cut! And then we just don’t mention all the services we’ll have to stop providing because we won’t have the funding for them. If she’d orchestrated the whole thing, she wouldn’t have crossed out the first thing she wrote. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/109 "2010-02-12T03:20:56Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Somewhere, Alanis Morrissette is writing another hit song. On her hand. You know, it’s like.. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/110 "2010-02-12T03:28:05Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > On her hand. > You know, it’s like.. [del]snow[/del] [del]slightly sarcastic with a good chance of donuts[/del] rain on your wedding day… ---
**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, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/111 "2010-02-12T11:28:38Z")
> [@Drain Bead](#): > > Somewhere, Alanis Morrissette is writing another hit song. \*I’m dumb but I’m happy I’m wrong but I’m right I’m lost but you betcha, yeah I’m poor but I’m well-dressed I’m sure but I’m overwhelmed I’m hugging my retard baby What it all comes down to Is that everything’s gonna be fine fine fine I’ve got one hand in my pocket And the other one is holding my speech notes\* ---
**Author:** ![Pashnish\_Ewing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@Pashnish\_Ewing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pashnish_Ewing)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/112 "2010-02-12T12:11:43Z")
Well done! ---
**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, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/113 "2010-02-12T12:16:56Z")
Is she the one that brags about giving head at the movies? Like its a big deal, or something? Boy, what some people will do for a box of Ju-Jubes… ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/114 "2010-02-12T13:18:09Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Is she the one that brags about giving head at the movies? Like its a big deal, or something? Boy, what some people will do for a box of Ju-Jubes… Is who the one that brags? 'Cause I got this box of Klonkide bars… ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/115 "2010-02-12T21:46:04Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > \*I’m dumb but I’m happy > I’m wrong but I’m right > I’m lost but you betcha, yeah > I’m poor but I’m well-dressed > I’m sure but I’m overwhelmed > I’m hugging my retard baby > > What it all comes down to > Is that everything’s gonna be fine fine fine > I’ve got one hand in my pocket > And the other one is holding my speech notes\* Right now I wish this was one of those boards where you could vote “like” or “yes” or “well played”. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/116 "2010-02-12T21:51:12Z")
When Gibbs made light of it, it was a perfect opportunity for the newscorp army to say "[Oh yeah, well… Obama… teleprompter…](http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/talk_to_the_hand_XsRXKpdIqkn25xit1Ig9HL) etc I can’t believe the teleprompter trope is still around. I can understand the birthers and all that silliness because it’s at least based on a premise. The teleprompter thing turns into sand as soon as you even look at it. Obama uses teleprompters for his major speeches! Well, I guess every other president since the invention of teleprompters has as well, but… well, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/117 "2010-02-13T03:00:09Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#): > > I can’t believe the teleprompter trope is still around. My spelling may suck worse than anyone else’s on this board, but I’ll still point out its spelled [‘trollop’](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/trollop). ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/118 "2010-02-13T05:01:21Z")
What I like most about your link, is that the second definition that uses an even more obscure word to define it. Strumpet? Is that woodwind or brass? Apparently, it’s woodwind or wood something anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/119 "2010-02-13T05:08:26Z")
I hear strumpet all the…well, actually, a bit more than I hear trollop. It reminds me of one of the appendixes to the 1st edition DM’s guide where you could roll for random city encounters, one of which was a prostitute. Then you’d have to roll on a subtable to determine which sort of prostitute: amongst the selections were “brazen strumpet” and “cheap tart”. Took me awhile to figure out that was tongue in cheek. (Trollop was there but I forget its matching adjective) ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071/120 "2010-02-13T05:27:17Z")
Well then, I’ve been educated. I have never before today seen or heard the word “strumpet”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleprompter-wasilla-style/528071.md?page=7)