The Decline and Fall of Sarah Palin
| Fri Sep. 19, 2008 10:44 AM PDT
THE DECLINE AND FALL OF SARAH PALIN....The Sarah Palin chickens are coming home to roost, and I'm here to crow about it:
Me, on August 29: "Conservatives on the tube are really, really struggling to defend this choice. I almost feel sorry for them. I'm sticking to my guns that before long this will be seen for the debacle it is."
My colleague Jonathan Stein, today: "Palin is simply not the giant-killer we thought she was. Take a look at this chart....she now has the lowest approval rating of any member of either ticket."
The clear lesson from all this: more people should listen to me! Spread the word.
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Continued From Above
Comments
Ann Coulter is like Alex Rodriguez; she swings a mean bat all season long, but when the Summer ends and things really start to count, she's all but AWOL. Aside from some comments she made to fringe media and on her website, she's been all but absent this election season. Let's not forget this when we have to endure a new eruption of her pollution 4 months from now in the mainstream media. Let's please remember to ask her why she decided to lay low silently in her cave, when, in theory, her "wisdom" was needed most.
It's not easy to find comments by Coulter regarding the appointment of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate. Think about it: a female conservative candidate, theoretically attractive, vitriolic, sharing all of Coulter's views, possibly soon a heartbeat from the presidency, and Coulter has nothing to say about Palin? surely her soul-sister? to the mainstream media? To me this is either a sign that Coulter herself realizes just how malignant she is, and is acting to censor herself to prevent damage to the Republican ticket, or she is being controlled and told to stay quiet. Either way, hardly the picture of an indispensable voice of a social movement.
This is what she had to say about Palin to Newsmax.com on September 7, 2008: "The feminists just figured out that Sarah Palin has debunked everything they've believed for the past 40 years. Plus, they're bitter dried-up hags and she's a major hottie."
Coulter is now calling herself a "Polemicist". Apparently she's trying to cloak herself in some sort of quaint, intellectual garbage--- the type of stuff she has made her career out of mocking in others? in order to convince people she has actually been carrying out some sort of noble intellectual tradition all this time. And you thought she was just a castrating she-devil. I'm delighted in this term Polemicist because I'm quite sure a large number of her adherents will take this to mean she supports having multiple spouses. Polemic Journalism has its roots in feudal Europe, by the way, (an era which is surely a great source or Republican thinking). It was pretty much done away with the advent of libel laws. So when someone tells you the Republicans are trying to take us back to the Dark Ages, well, you just say, "you ain't kidding."
Ann Coulter is like Alex Rodriguez; she swings a mean bat all season long, but when the Summer ends and things really start to count, she's all but AWOL. Aside from some comments she made to fringe media and on her website, she's been all but absent this election season. Let's not forget this when we have to endure a new eruption of her pollution 4 months from now in the mainstream media. Let's please remember to ask her why she decided to lay low silently in her cave, when, in theory, her "wisdom" was needed most.
It's not easy to find comments by Coulter regarding the appointment of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate. Think about it: a female conservative candidate, theoretically attractive, vitriolic, sharing all of Coulter's views, possibly soon a heartbeat from the presidency, and Coulter has nothing to say about Palin? surely her soul-sister? to the mainstream media? To me this is either a sign that Coulter herself realizes just how malignant she is, and is acting to censor herself to prevent damage to the Republican ticket, or she is being controlled and told to stay quiet. Either way, hardly the picture of an indispensable voice of a social movement.
This is what she had to say about Palin to Newsmax.com on September 7, 2008: "The feminists just figured out that Sarah Palin has debunked everything they've believed for the past 40 years. Plus, they're bitter dried-up hags and she's a major hottie."
Coulter is now calling herself a "Polemicist". Apparently she's trying to cloak herself in some sort of quaint, intellectual garbage--- the type of stuff she has made her career out of mocking in others? in order to convince people she has actually been carrying out some sort of noble intellectual tradition all this time. And you thought she was just a castrating she-devil. I'm delighted in this term Polemicist because I'm quite sure a large number of her adherents will take this to mean she supports having multiple spouses. Polemic Journalism has its roots in feudal Europe, by the way, (an era which is surely a great source or Republican thinking). It was pretty much done away with the advent of libel laws. So when someone tells you the Republicans are trying to take us back to the Dark Ages, well, you just say, "you ain't kidding."
sarah palin insists that the earth is only 5000 years old........ despite the fossil record of dinosaurs that are 65 million years old ................ who will she appoint to her cabinet .............. rev.rod parsley as sec. of defense ........ rev.john hagee as sec. for rapture affairs .
Submitted by Dilan Esper (not verified) on Fri Sep. 19, 2008 11:13 AM PDT.
The GOP is stuck because it can't bring itself to tell its base to screw off.
McCain was actually a perfectly plausible candidate-- not one that I would vote for, certainly, but one who could cross over and get Democratic and Independent votes based on his long record of working with the opposing party and taking on the GOP establishment.
Instead, however, he has totally repudiated that record and apparently was afraid to even pick a running mate who might offend the base.
Once he couldn't pick Lieberman or Ridge, he picked the only person acceptable to the religious right who could shake things up, and of course, she was unqualified and in over her head.
I personally couldn't stand it when Bill Clinton said "FU" to the Democratic base in 1992. But despite what Karl Rove thinks, you can't consistently win elections just by bringing out your base. You have to win swing voters. And McCain has totally blown his chance to do that because he's afraid to taken on the religious right.
Actually, Kevin, you do deserve to toot your own horn here (assuming the trend continues, and I think it will). I specifically remember you writing those exact words because I was feeling the same way as you that day. Although I have to admit that I wasn't feeling quite as brave as you sounded in that post - i.e., I was pretty much there, but also a bit nervous. I read your post and it really solidified in me the same feeling - she is fundamentally unqualified and the American people will figure this out with time. As cynical as I can be at times, I sticking with that opinion to the end.
Kevin, I beat you to it, by about one hour
http://www.openleft.com/showComment.do?commentId=99462
I take back the part though where I said "she has many admirable qualities".
These data would be more clear and meaningful if the actual approval ratings were graphed instead of the change in approval ratings. What is the base approval rating from what date? I ran this back through about four links and not one showed the real numbers.
Is there a legal principle that addresses the notion that some people are immune to prosecution when they break the law?
I'm thinking here of Sonny Boy Palin's refusal to cooperate in the trooper scandal and by extension all Republicans who think they are beyond the law.
I guess what I'm asking is this: Outside of the novel 1984, are some people less liable than others?
Of course, anyone with common sense knows that such a notion is a perversion of the criminal justice system.
But what does this mean in terms of precedent? If a prosecutor declines to prosecute Citizen A for, say, murder, what are the grounds for prosecuting ANY citizen for murder--or in fact any other crime?
I'm being perfectly serious.
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I thought McCain did a poor job of using Palin.
It was silly of him hiding her for so long. He should of let her speak to the softball interviewers right away. Of course the you guys (the left) would of protested, but at least there would of been some positive information out there instead of the media lull that was filled up with the all sorts of smear stories.
I am coming to terms with Obama winning, and there is an argument to be made (as a Palin supporter), that he is the right choice considering the current financial situation.
The enormous expanse of national debt from the bailouts (which I completely disagree with), are going to require some hard decisions, and almost certainly going to result in higher taxes and a slow period of economic stagnation. There will also be inevitable budget trimming as well. While it needs to be done, it will be unpopular.
Add to that the always present potential for the whole War on Terror thing to go south, and I can easily see the next President being a one-termer.
The one Obama policy I agree with, universal healthcare, might be difficult to impliment, but if he is selected, I hope he has a Democratic congress to put it in to action.
As an Alaskan, I still think that the media (and the left) completely has Palin wrong, but hey... we get to keep her. And if I am right... then a Populist Palin will be set to sweep in in four years.
a number of us were right there with kevin in believing that this was an immensely stupid gamble by mccain that, all by itself, proved his unfitness for the presidency.
my specific comment was that the two most talented politicans of the past 40 years, ronald reagan and bill clinton, couldn't, in comparable moments (1964 for reagan, if he'd run with goldwater, and 1988 for clinton, if he'd run with dukakis, not that two governors would have run) would have been ready for prime time, and they were both far better grounded at those moments than she is.
i, in fact, speculated that mccain not only had committed a stupid gamble, but he had potentially destroyed palin's future in national politics, and i believe that as well, despite rory's pleasure in welcoming her home.
the tell was the road to nowhere lie from the start: i think she compromised her credibility on day one without any reservoir of good will to fall back on.
i noted today, in an earlier comment, that republican enthusiasm for mccain is up about 20 points or so since he picked palin. That suggests (based on republicans being 30% of the electorate) that palin's "base" is 6% of the voters.
PS. i'm pretty sure the table we're looking at is day-to-day change in net favorability (i.e., favorable minus unfavorable).
Agree with the Walnuts!/Stewart's Mom ticket on all counts, except health-care. Odd. Then, I see you're from Alaska, so, yes, it all makes sense. The rugged individualist making his money off a state-check (seriously, why is the klepto-petroarchy of Alaska the Libertarians's wet-dream?) wants more state subsidies. It all makes sense.
Actually I am in the Air Force and don't qualify for the PFD money.
I like national healthcare because I think our businesses are at an international disadvantage competing against other western countries, and because it's the right thing to do. I also saw how well it could work in Europe (as long as we stay away from a British implimentation.)
Additionally, I didn't state that I agreed with Palin on all accounts. I stated I agree with Obama on one account. (OK, I would probably agree with him on several other issues as well).
Do you always get so upset when you hear a differing opinion? Would you prefer if only people who agree with you post on this website?
Not to bore you with the facts, but it is incorrect to state that Palin has the lowest approval rating.
The chart that you reproduced deals with net approval, not approval ratings. If you click through to the Gallup data, you will see that both Palin and Biden have a 40% approval rating but Biden's disapproval rating is lower.
The big issue remains how she's doing among independents and undecideds.
she now has the lowest approval rating of any member of either ticket
Wasn't this true of Dan Quayle? Or Spiro Agnew? Or Dick Cheney, for crying out loud? Am I alone in thinking that it basically doesn't care what people in general think of a VP nominee? And in fact, one can imagine a scenario where a VP nominee was pretty generally unpopular, but helped a popular Presidential candidate pick up a few votes they mightn't otherwise have gotten, while in no way hurting the ticket, because so many center/undecided voters simply don't care. And this may be one example ...
tim morris, your theoretical scenario is certainly true, its applicability to 2008 less so.
palin nails down the base, but every obama victory scenario i've ever imagined conceded the base.
i can't find any polling data to support the idea that she's helping anywhere else....
"Do you always get so upset when you hear a differing opinion? Would you prefer if only people who agree with you post on this website?"
Rory, posts were created so that we can all argue with ridiculous statements like this one: "As an Alaskan, I still think that the media (and the left) completely has Palin wrong, but hey... we get to keep her. And if I am right... then a Populist Palin will be set to sweep in in four years."
You're right, Rory -- far right.
Of course the you guys (the left) would of protested, but at least there would of been some positive information out there instead of the media lull that was filled up with the all sorts of smear stories.
Um, I remember two full weeks of fawning media coverage. The only smears, as far as I know, were a kos poster, National Enquirer, and an unsubstantiated LA Progressive aritcle, and that was IT. The rest of the MSM was on its knees until it could no longer ignore the McCain/Palin ticket's audacious lies and Palin's excruciating performance during the Gibson interview.
Oh dear, the "media (and the left)" will never know the real Sarah Palin. But we were never meant to, of course. Palin was picked as a sop to the fundies and groomed to be a puppet of the same criminals and zealots who've run this country into the ground. Damn them all.
And sure, more people should listen to Kevin!
Guess we're not in a "full-throated panic" anymore? It was all a load of crap to begin with. She may have "electrified" the base but I think that's more than offset by the loss of independents who were leaning McCain and are now asking "what the ..." about Palin.
At the end of the day, she's a slight net negative to McCain. Nothing more.
PALIN DISHONORS HER CONSTITUTION
Palin, after vindictively instigating the firing of Trooper Wooten, has been seen talking to the Judeofascist Land Robber's Lobby. Obviously, these notorious Crypto-Neo-Marxist parasites see her potential as another political prostitute working for Israel.
The Palin tap is apparently not going to do it for McCain, but it was still the right call. This really was the McCain camp's only chance. The other choices were either non-starters from the base's perspective, or guys who had already worn their welcome out with the rest of the public (or both, in the case of Joe Lieberman).
I think Kevin is correct, because most women I talk to are as offended by the transparent tactics used in choosing Palin as I am. Did the republicans really think they were going to get Hillary voters with her? They couldn't be more opposite personalities.
women also see the irony in choosing the first VP woman, who would actually set women's rights back about 60 years, overturning Roe V Wade even in rape and incest cases, teaching abstinence in schools (because it obviously worked so well in her family) , teaching creationism,and banning books (or, at least, attempting to).
Not to mention her anti semite views of religon. Ouch.
The one rebelious aspect of her is that she refuses to reply to a subpeona for an investigation in which she abused her powers in office.
She even wears a costume. Come on, is anyone really falling for that libraian babe look, besides drunk republicans wearing "I'm for the Hottie" pins?
The whole Palin incident is just shameful. Especially when there are so many more qualified republicans McCain could have picked.
Furthermore, Palin will never be elected President after this. She's going to be stuck busting those Meth labs in Alaska for the rest of her life with that grating "church lady" voice.
Oh, I am sure Palin will never be president. But assuming Johnny Walnuts loses, I can only think Palin will at least throw her hat in the GOP ring for '12. (Think Quayle in '96.) It won't go anywhere, though. I hope.
(But you know who else ran a failed '96 primary? Former WY congressman & secdef Dick Cheney. & he ended up pretty well powerful, no?)
No disrespect to Governor Palin, but how hard can it be to govern a state with an $8 BILLION dollar surplus?
That's roughly $10,000 per resident.
America's other governors are dealing with budget shortfalls, deficits, loss of maufacturing jobs, huge numbers of foreclosures, etc...
Given her record in Alaska, which people from her high school would Governor Palin appoint as Secretary of State, Attorney General, or Secretary of Defense?
Well her state has this surplus; while all the other states are on the margin, so to speak. Having governed less that two years that makes her a towering genius, especially when she is up in that airplane hunting the beasts of the field, Do you know any other governor who can do that?
Well it seems our Sarah is a journalism major after bouncing from college to college; she was indecisive then, no doubt finatic in other ways. Why not address the media straight on..hmm...wonder if she tap danced in the "Miss Alaska" pageant,like she's doing now, she learned how to speak, but did she learn anymore, sorry, I'm not impressed with her pretty face and her "patty perfect" image; oh, Hilary, do miss you as the first woman in a high position. Obama thinks and problem solves like most of us learned in school. Do the math. Wendy from Virgina.
She did manage to run the town of Wasilla into a huge deficit while it's mayor.
To learn what Alaska thinks about her and her husband visit the blog Mudflats - written by an alaskan and visited by people from all over the world.
Not a lot of rants, just the facts and a lot of opinions.
Ann Coulter is like Alex Rodriguez; she swings a mean bat all season long, but when the Summer ends and things really start to count, she's all but AWOL. Aside from some comments she made to fringe media and on her website, she's been all but absent this election season. Let's not forget this when we have to endure a new eruption of her pollution 4 months from now in the mainstream media. Let's please remember to ask her why she decided to lay low silently in her cave, when, in theory, her "wisdom" was needed most.
It's not easy to find comments by Coulter regarding the appointment of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate. Think about it: a female conservative candidate, theoretically attractive, vitriolic, sharing all of Coulter's views, possibly soon a heartbeat from the presidency, and Coulter has nothing to say about Palin surely her soul-sister to the mainstream media? To me this is either a sign that Coulter herself realizes just how malignant she is, and is acting to censor herself to prevent damage to the Republican ticket, or she is being controlled and told to stay quiet. Either way, hardly the picture of an indispensable voice of a social movement.
This is what she had to say about Palin to Newsmax.com on September 7, 2008: "The feminists just figured out that Sarah Palin has debunked everything they've believed for the past 40 years. Plus, they're bitter dried-up hags and she's a major hottie."
Coulter is now calling herself a "Polemicist". Apparently she's trying to cloak herself in some sort of quaint, intellectual garbage--- the type of stuff she has made her career out of mocking in others in order to convince people she has actually been carrying out some sort of noble intellectual tradition all this time. And you thought she was just a castrating she-devil. I'm delighted in this term Polemicist because I'm quite sure a large number of her adherents will take this to mean she supports having multiple spouses. Polemic Journalism has its roots in feudal Europe, by the way, (an era which is surely a great source or Republican thinking). It was pretty much done away with the advent of libel laws. So when someone tells you the Republicans are trying to take us back to the Dark Ages, well, you just say, "you ain't kidding."
Nothing has been more bewildering to me in this campaign as to watch the Dems lose it ( it referring to their own civility and sanity, we'll see if it costs them the election ) about Sarah Palin. Come on people. Do you have any class?
I haven't been so upset with the main bloggers and newscasters who for the most part have kept their cool, but mostly with the commenters. I can't believe how unhinged the comments have been.
So, I have a question. What do people on this site think of Charlie Rangel calling her "disabled". There is no mistake, this time. He confirmed that he aimed this at her. Do people here think this was ok? I can't understand the juvenile mindset that would think this was anything but over the line.
Comments any one? Are you happy about this, said, non-factor. What.
