Can we finally draw the curtain on Sarah Palin's mainstream GOP career? If only ...
By David Neiwert Tuesday Jun 30, 2009 3:00pm
Both Mark McKinnon and Nicolle Wallace, recently the McCain-Palin campaign's media gurus, were both on MSNBC this morning to talk ostensibly about serious subjects but eventually came around to the matter of Todd Purdum's Vanity Fair piece on Sarah Palin, in which they both figure prominently as objects of the diva's ire.
Both do their best to speak glowingly of Palin -- McKinnon says he actually only coached her for two hours -- and Wallaces talks up Palin's future prospects. But really, one only need read the piece to see the writing that's been on the wall for some time for Palin: She is road kill in the rear-view mirror of the Republican Party's Beltway movers and shakers.
It also raises some salient larger points:
Whatever her political future, the emergence of Sarah Palin raises questions that will not soon go away. What does it say about the nature of modern American politics that a public official who often seems proud of what she does not know is not only accepted but applauded? What does her prominence say about the importance of having (or lacking) a record of achievement in public life? Why did so many skilled veterans of the Republican Party—long regarded as the more adroit team in presidential politics—keep loyally working for her election even after they privately realized she was casual about the truth and totally unfit for the vice-presidency? Perhaps most painful, how could John McCain, one of the cagiest survivors in contemporary politics—with a fine appreciation of life’s injustices and absurdities, a love for the sweep of history, and an overdeveloped sense of his own integrity and honor—ever have picked a person whose utter shortage of qualification for her proposed job all but disqualified him for his?
The issue, it seems, comes down to the initial lack of vetting:
There is virtually nothing about Palin’s performance in the fall campaign that should have come as a surprise to John McCain. Had he really attempted to learn something about her before the fateful day of August 29, 2008, when he announced that she was his choice for running mate, he would easily have discerned all the traits that he belatedly came to know.
Palin's career as a mainstream Republican is probably at a dead end, because her name is now synonymous with Wacky Loser. However, that doesn't mean her career is dead, by any means. There's a big bunch of Teabaggers out there primed and ready to party with a charismatic leader, and Evita Palin fits the bill.
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The end has got to be near.
You'll see, I'll never leave you... I've had my wild child, my big-mouthed faux pas... I keep no promise. You keep your distance.
What part was admirable? The part where they called Obama a terrorist or the part where they used Sarah's children like pieces of meat to try and gain votes?
Sells.
Sarah Palin was nothing more than a hot mama to try to lure votes in to the McCain camp. Period.
That's why they had to doll her up in Chanel suits and come F me pumps and have her hair and make-up done.
The problem is there was nothing that could be done when she was alone with a journalist and the cameras were running. Which was why they put the interview with Katie Couric off so long. They made a mistake in thinking Couric would "make nice" with a sister.
Had Couric not "exposed" Sarah Palin for the dimwit she is we might be having a completely different discussion right now on this thread.
IMHO Katie Couric should have won SOME award for the interview that I believe, saved us from McCain, Lieberman and Graham...Sarah and Todd and Rev. 'The Witchhunter" Muthee.
"Show Sarah a way God!!! Show Sarah a way!!!"
Yes! A way back out of politics!
Moosegirl was, and is, only about sex appeal. That's it. A beauty queen on parade. Pulchritudinous to the end.
Here's a woman who couldn't name a Supreme Court decision, didn't know what the Bush Doctrine was and said she reads "anything" and "everything" in the way of magazines and newspapers. She also routinely spikes her language with the juvenile crutch word "like." As in, "Like, I'm dumber than a, like, bag of hammers."
Fer sure! You betcha!
You've had your 15 minutes and then some, Caribou Barbie. Please go back to the Klondike and leave us alone once and for all.
BID
.
... at least you can drive a nail with a hammer. Though it is obvious that Palin is definitely a blunt instrument but much further down the hierarchy than hammers or even clubs.
...who were mesmerized by the Narcissist from Wasilla were thinking hummers, not hammers.
Hey, I used both a hammer and a power drill yesterday. Carpentry, you know.
BID
She won the Walter Cronkite Award for television journalism. Pretty prestigious stuff, they say.
The biggest point of the post is knowing what was at stake and how could McCain risk this countries safety for his own political ambitions and put this country at so much risk? Call McCain a maverick if you want, but this shows how irresponsible he was to achieve the White House and should be held accountable for it. I'll say it again, McCain should be held accountable. People can attack us and call us Palin basher's but one thing is fact. This hick has no business even running for the White House. She runs, poorly, a state with a smaller population than Rhode Island by taxing oil companies then calls Obama a socialist. She fights with night talk show host. How can anyone, including the extreme right who like to start wars, think this woman is fit to lead this nation?
she wouldn't be running it. The corporate neocon fascist rightwing nazis would be running it and she would be just another puppet.
She's into being tied up?
Cheney.
Palin has a unique ability to convince herself that the crowds of wingnuts at rallies represent a majority, or else a foundation for a majority. Yet clearly, the GOP establishment is never going to put her in the nominee's spotlight. Her 2012 candidacy is going to be such a train-wreck.
But fun to watch!
Her crowds at GOP gatherings were probably one hundred times any crowd she was in front of before. And they were all cheering loudly for her.
Of course she thinks she's the hottest thing in the country.
I wonder if she'll ever gain some insight as to how wrong she is about that.
Palin is so detached she really has no clue. And I don't mean that in a general wingnut way like ignoring and denying obvious truth.
She really is that detached.
If you want my honest opinion, the GOP took a woman who was probably doing fine all the way around and knowingly (to them, not to her) turned her into a global laughing stock.
I seriously feel sorry for her because one day she probably will figure it out and be ashamed to the point of contemplating suicide.
On the other hand, she stooped to some really shitty depths in the campaign and any human should have more integrity than she had.
forget I said anything. Fuck her.
At least the shower curtain.
Bada-bing.
Ysbaddabingden?
her home state. how much money did she spent on bullshit. look at the town she was mayor in. what left them 20 million bills. she was just another bush. dumber than a box of rocks. the only thing she has going is her looks, and in a few years thoes will sag. hell, she had glasses and she does not where glases. wtf?
There is probably 20-30% of the Republican base that love her. She can probably use that for a while and take it to through some kind of primary run, but that is probably all she can get. She probably has no where near enough actual real support to get either the Republican nomination and definately not to win a national election. She probably also has far less support in raising money, even with the 20-30% populist support. She would have to raise like half a billion dollars. There is no way she could ever match Obama on the money front. The serious money in the Republican party probably thinks she is a joke.
However, she may try and take that 20-30% as far as possible, for purely ego reasons, which probably will not help the Republican party.
By the way we still have not heard any substantial policy discussion or analysis out of her month. Still just bumper sticker slogans and talking points. If she wants to build some credibilty she should sit down for a interview that is a real substantive discussion on policy. Even Schwarzenegger can do that, and he ain't no rocket scientist.
Even now, out of virtually any meaningful official power whatsoever, they are useful.
Forget about rallying their incredibly shrinking "base." Sarah Palin (and Joe the Plumber, and Ann Coulter, and every other right wing freak show) now serve as willing "bogeyman" for will happen if we don't follow the centrists.
Remember Lefties! If we don't follow "The Center," the right wingers will get us!
It's a useful meme, and it's not just being used by the MSM. More than a few slightly left leaning bloggers have jumped into this fear mongering with both feet.
Forget that the main opponents of the policies you believe in are self-proclaimed centrist Democrats, Michelle Malkin said something I know you won't like! Better move to The Center or the Freepers will get you!
Some have taken it even further and with more authoritarian overtones: Support law enforcement and the Establishment or the Right-wingers might kill you!
No, Sarah Palin won't go away. For both the Right and the slightly leaning Left, she is far to useful.
After Carter we got Reagan, then Bush, after Clinton, Bush . .
I dread what we might get next
Oh wait, he was with Bush.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRNNPDnuIxU
Sarah Palin seems just like a Muppet character to me...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH1AmyMSGuk
How much respect can anyone have for a politician that dresses up to look like that SNL comedian Tina Fey. That was just plain ridiculous.
That was funny. I spit my cocktail up on my keyboard, so you owe me a new keyboard.
That's almost a requirement for winning the GOP nomination. Don't count her out. She's young. Even if she doesn't win the nom in 2012, she has plenty of time to rehab her reputation. I know the political landscape has changed a lot in the last 40-50 years, but don't forget Nixon.
I'm sorry but Palin could not carry Nixon's jock. I mean really, as fucked up as Nixon was at least he was smart. Compare what Palin did whit Katie Curic and what Nixon would have done.
God damn, why am I defending Nixon?? That is really sick.
Take some deep breaths and just keep saying "I am not a crook. I am not a crook."
but the average voter is much dumber, and media savviness and handling is much more important. Nixon wouldn't be able to withstand the scrutiny and the beauty contest aspects of today's campaigns.
The sad thing is, Nixon would be considered too liberal to be in any major position in the Republican Party today.
at some commenters tongue-draggin' description that he thought she was hot! The recent caricatures on national teevee bear me out! Woohoo!
Whatever her political future, the emergence of Sarah Palin raises questions that will not soon go away. What does it say about the nature of modern American politics that a public official who often seems proud of what she does not know is not only accepted but applauded? What does her prominence say about the importance of having (or lacking) a record of achievement in public life?
That they're all tools? And some are really tools, like Palin?
Thats what it tells this kid. I certainly hope Americans wake up in large numbers someday to people like Palin and other charlatans that use "faith" to win their votes while knowing next to nothing about how the world works. Perhaps Alaska voters asked her far fewer tough questions than Katie Couric ever got to, I dont know
This is Murcia
But I think you can count Sarah Palin out. She's only got two feet and she's shot herself so many times in both feet now, that the the conservatives will find someone else. Some one who is not in the limelight right now. Someone who is flying under the radar so to speak.
Someone like Charlie Crist. He'll be the next GOPer to go for it.
And so far, I haven't seen alot about him to dislike him or like him.
He's the threat.
He also has common sense.
That kind of rules him out.
I've heard that argument; he hung out with mostly men, and Christ comes from the Greek Christos meaning The Anointed One, so some have suggested semen.
More likely with the Greeks it was Olive Oil (not Olive Oyl), and anointed anyone into the Mysteries, supposedly started at Epheseus by Triptolemus on the urging of Demeter after he helped her hunt for her daughter Persephone in some manner. Of course modern occultists equate Persephone with Kore, and see it as a possible beginning point for Witchcraft, although I'm more likely to see it as being derived from the Greek Thelemia. It certainly seemed to aid in creating the TOC, except perhaps as only acceptable forms of sacrifices to the gods.
Some have suggested Jesus was a high-priest of the Essenes, and may've found that movement roughly 300 BCE by our reckoning. By the time of his supposed life, the Essenic communities were leaving their cloistered enclaves after an earthquake convinced them that they had a message to spread to the world. That would make the Gnostics closer to the original message although, this is speculative, and of course the Paulists were to end up controlling the movement. However, they had to compete with the Thelemics as well as the Dianics, as well as the Magna Mater and Mithraism.
"...the Paulists were to end up controlling the movement."
The Ron Paulists??????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnpil_pRUiw&fe...
He could always run with Lindsey Graham......
Country first.
Right?
What is very scary here that Nicolle Wallace will not concede that Palin is not really qualified to be VP or Pres. She seems to be saying that she is only a couple votes short of being elected when she is actually a few bricks short of a load.
I don't think Sarah has a "career" left in the GOP. It's telling how shunned she is by the mainstream organizations. Heck, even the republican governors picked a godnad-ily challenged horn dog over her. Did anybody REALLY care if she wasn't going to make it to that shindig a couple of weeks ago, or was anybody concerned that she didn't give a speech.
Her appeal is to the over 40, male, meathead crowd. Granted, that's not a crowd to be ignored but there's just not enough of them to make her viable again.
Happily she strikes me more as a Dan Quayle rather than a Tricky Dick. She's hx.
Can i just say that Palin wants to mix religion with politics - that's at the center. I hear Iran has just "threatened" France over the ban on full body cloaking. I'm not sure what "threatened" means but it doesn't matter - look how mixing church and state is working for the Iranians right about now..!!
Irans' theocratic neo-cons are trying to run other countries' affairs just like the Neo-cons here are trying to. They really should get together - they would like each other and get along well.
Sarah Paliban - American MILF!
"What does her prominence say about the importance of having (or lacking) a record of achievement in public life"
She MORE experince that BO, everyone seems to forget that. Atleast she was a Gov, some excutive experince!
I'm sicks of MSM distortion..
In a town the size of Wasilla, that's like claiming being class president as executive experience.
Hockey mom and PTA experience. Gov. of Alaska which has a state budget a fraction of that for any major city. Pays each AK citizen $$ annually from taxes on the oil companies but calls Obama a socialist.
Spare us your (manufactured) outrage.
It's cool how almost every word in that post is misspelled. A real Palin fan, no doubt about it.
What an elitist! Expecting a Palin fan to, like, spell? You betcha! (wink)
Your comparison is ridiculous.
Basically, Palin is a malignant narcissist. Illusions of grandiosity combined with a chilling lack of empathy.
I would never count Sarah Palin out of the running. If the modern GOP has taught me anything, it is that they are constantly striving to get dumber with each passing election cycle.
A little more cleavage, or perhaps a partially exposed nipple, and Rich Lowry and every other bible thumping, 50+ Mark Sanford hypocrite will be drooling at the bit to vote for her.
Of course their official position will be to complain, but in secret, they would all have her on their screen-saver.
This is the party that gave us W. twice!
No no no; definitely do not count Sarah out. She is every pasty, fat, balding, GOP baby-boomer rednecks political pin-up girl. And the redneck women, would all love to be her.
Frankly, I hope she does get the nomination in 2012. It would be entertaining as hell, and it could be the final nail in the conservative coffin for years to come.
People do gravitate toward her. She is the spokesperson for the weird fringes in this country. Let her keep running. In fact, I LOVE to see her in some good debates. That would be GREAT comedy material.
The Lipstick-pig is the best thing that could happen to this country in shooting the repukes in the foot. Go sarah....nation of morons, led by sarah.
The woman's a joke, but she scares me too.
If George W. Bush could become president, so could Sarah Palin. Any number of unlucky circumstances could arise that might put her into the White House. The recession becomes a prolonged depression; a timely war or 9/11 event occurs that makes voters turn right; China stops buying US Treasury bonds and the US$ collapses; something happens to Obama and Biden blows it as president . . .
She's only 45. She may have another 3 or 4 presidential elections to go before she's too old. She's ambitious as hell, and who knows what the future holds? Meanwhile she can run for Senator and polish her resume.
... any screwup will become news and she is still showing a propensity for doing nutcase things. If she had gotten the post-nomination press coverage, such as it was, prior to her selection she would never have been nominated.
I would still worry that some rich, reactionary conservative might provide her with the funds and staff that she would need to be able to pull the wool over the GOPers eyes—that's not all that difficult—but I think that any such malevolent rich intriguer would be smart enough to put his money into a better vessel. Now maybe a rich sheik or Mandarin who hates America... Say, maybe Kim Jong Il would be whacky enough to do it.
We won't have Sarah Millhouse Palin to kick around any more.
Politicians, especially Republicans, are members of the undead. The only way to finish them off is cut their heads off, burn the remains, and nuke the ashes...and they'll still come back.
I have no idea what Palin's future will be, but if I went into a coma today and awoke on election day in 2012 and Palin was heading the GOP ticket, I'd be a lot of things, but surprised wouldn't be one of them.
Public Service Disclaimer: Nothing in this post should be construed as advocating or calling for violence of any kind against any person living or dead (or living or undead).
Watch this new "Go" Sarah video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbotuuMVgbo&eu...
if link doesn't work, try this:
http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2009/0...
The video is as incoherent as Sarah Palin is -- a perfect match.
Gee, before now I wasn't aware 1) that Alaska has an aircraft carrier; 2) that King Kong is still alive; and 3) that Air Force One was almost brought down by a big gorilla.
We need her. Yeah, right.
Unfortunately, the Britney Spears of the GOP can still bring in money from the RW losers so they'll still drag her out for fundraisers and to whip up the racist base.
Not that it'll help them much.
Palin was just too stupid to even teach her how to wipe her smelly ass.
that the Repug Powers that Be 'selected' Miss Sarah to be McGoo's running mate for him. He hardly knew her, only met her briefly before the announcement and never seemed to be all that thrilled once he had the chance to be around her and see her perform. I can recall times when he seemed to be cringing in the background when she was speaking at a podium.
In fact, I think the RNC just allowed Johnny boy to be the candidate this time around because they knew they had no chance in hell of winning after the 8-year reign of King George the Lesser, and didn't want to 'waste' one of their up-and-comers like Sanford, or Crist, or the Mittster, or Fuckabee or fill in with any BLANK.
The "salient points" that were pointed out are the very same ones that we were all trying to point out during the Election! The fact that it's taken the Republicans this long to catch on is just amazing to me. To have had prominent politicians backing her 100 percent in saying (or lying) that she was ready and able to be VP was more than delusional; it was truly an alternate universe! Were they really THAT stupid or did they all just not care what would become of our country?
Regrettably, there are still a lot of GOPers who adore her anyway, so I'm afraid we're going to have her - and the three-ring circus that follows her wherever she goes - around for a good long time.
How scary is THAT??
Are you Mrs. Peel or Mr. Speel?
Everything about the GOP is scary. It's hard to decide what/who out scares what/whom. They don't care much about facts, just if someone can get votes. Doesn't matter if she looks like s slutty stewardess (all the better) and has no brain, values, integirty, or worth. Her tits will get neanderthal votes (and viewers).
I failed to be amazed by republican stupidity a long time ago.
I'm not worried to much about Palin one way or the other. What I am worried about is the out of control spending, & the increased size of government. While at the same time, the private sector is shrinking. Seems like we face a dilemma of to many chief's, & not enough indians to pay the bills? We have 150,000,000 workers, of which 15,000,000 are unemployed, & 50,000,000 work for the government? So we have 85,000,000 workers making perhaps 30k-60k a year, paying for 50,000,000 making 50k-100k a year? You do the math!
Maybe if we taxed the rich and multinational corporations and took back all of the money they stole from the rest of us, we would have plenty of cash to create both private and public sector jobs.
You do the math! I already have. Republicans transferred 25% of all the wealth in this country from workers to the mega rich. The bastards! That is the cause of all of our probelms! We are well on our way to becomming a fascist banana republic.
I particularly like the phrase "utter shortage of qualification". The word "utter" functions like "complete" or "total" and denotes an absolute state. This makes about as much sense as referring to Bristol Palin's "utter shortage of virginity"... sorry, couldn't resist that one.
The phrase must have been originally put down as "utter lack of qualification" and then de-fanged by the authors - edit fail!
Very well stated. However, it is truly astonishing how right wingers continue to tout her qualifications. Sarah Palin is so utterly full of herself that she has no clue how ridiculous she looks. But then, George Bush managed to get himself elected, and he was clearly unfit for the job from the outset. It became crystal clear when McCain picked Palin that he wasn't his own man, AND lacked the judgement or spine to be president.
He also lacked hair and brains.
n/t
..she makes her kids part of her schtick and then attacks any one who does likewise. She is, for now, the Governor of a pretty large state (a Socialist one at that, giving all that oil money to her constituents) but she is also the mother of a Special Needs Child, where does she find the time? Family values issue alert!! Why, with all the blather about the kids, isn't she raising awareness about Special Needs kids or the responsibilities of the parents of one?
Am I wrong or has she said actually said something of substance about it that hasn't yet filtered out into the mainstream dialogue? We know she was in New York recently celebrating William H. Seward. Whoopee!
She is another example of a political hack who will do anything to remain in that special glow that surrounds the life of a politician. Only in her case, the bulb has burned out. We need her in politics like we need another plague of locusts.
I'm anxiously awaiting the attack on Vanity Fair!
Hypocrisy, thy name is Sarah Palin!
... very hard to get rid of once introduced to an environment where it doesn't belong.
The sad thing is that Palin is probably going to find someway to capitalize on her "fame"; to she's opportunistic is an gross understatement. She'll probably end up as a loud, shrill AM talk show host for a while until she really steps in it (which will be saying something since Limpo, et al., are still on the air).
Unless things go really south for Obama (and us) the 2012 GOP nominee will be a sacrificial lamb. A smart politician would probably enter the GOP primary, make a splash, then bow out so as to remain untainted for 2016. The biggest danger is if something like the Iran hostage crisis happens after the sacrifice is well established; then we could end up with a real boob as a serious contender (worse even than McCain).
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