Conservatives and the Palin Distraction/Problem...
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Just when you thought Sarah Palin couldn't out do her prior ramblings she steps up, tees off, and has just about everyone wondering just what the hell her purpose was. If the GOP has any sense the leadership will figure out how to shut her up. Should Palin decide to mount a campaign one can imagine it will be very difficult for her to find serious donors that would be willing and foolish enough to throw good money after bad supporting a dim light candidate.
Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.
Via: Memeorandum
Purveyor of Truth
Just when you thought Sarah Palin couldn't out do her prior ramblings she steps up, tees off, and has just about everyone wondering just what the hell her purpose was. If the GOP has any sense the leadership will figure out how to shut her up. Should Palin decide to mount a campaign one can imagine it will be very difficult for her to find serious donors that would be willing and foolish enough to throw good money after bad supporting a dim light candidate.
DES MOINES — As a chance to evaluate possible 2016 Republican presidential candidates, the Freedom Summit here in Des Moines was a solid success. Several potential candidates — Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, and a few others — left the 10-hour political marathon with their prospects undeniably enhanced.
All that was good news for Republicans. But at the same time, more than a few GOP loyalists came away shaking their heads at the performance of a party star, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, whose long, rambling, and at times barely coherent speech left some wondering what role she should play in Republican politics as the 2016 race begins in earnest.
Palin made news when she arrived in Iowa saying she is seriously considering a run for president. In an interview with ABC the day before coming to Iowa, Palin answered "of course" when asked if she is interested in running in 2016. Then, when she arrived at a Des Moines hotel late Friday evening, she told the Washington Post, "Who wouldn't be interested?" Asked to clarify, Palin told the paper, "You can absolutely say that I am seriously interested."
The news, given big play on the Drudge Report, heightened the anticipation of Palin's speech to the Freedom Summit. After all, there were still memories in the crowd of her rousing speech at the 2008 Republican convention. But when Palin took the stage, it was clear this would be no inspiring effort.
First, Palin embarked on an extended stream-of-consciousness complaint about media coverage of her decision to run in a half-marathon race in Storm Lake, Iowa in 2011. She then moved on to grumbling about coverage of a recent photo of her with a supporter who had made a sign saying "Fuc_ you Michael Moore" in reaction to the left-wing moviemaker's criticism of the film "American Sniper." Then it was on to Palin's objections about the social media ruckus over a picture of her six-year-old son Trig standing on the family's Labrador Retriever.
It was all quite petty, and yet the complaining took half of Palin's allotted time. She then proceeded to blow through her time limit with a free-association ramble on Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, the energy industry, her daughter Bristol, Margaret Thatcher, middle-class economics — "the man can only ride ya when your back is bent" — women in politics, and much more. It would be hard to say that Palin's 35-minute talk had a theme, but she did hint that she is interested in running, although there are no indications she has taken any actual steps in that direction.
"Long and disjointed," said one social conservative activist when asked for reaction. "A weird speech," said another conservative activist. "Terrible. Didn't make any sense."
"There was a certain coarseness to her that wasn't there before," said yet another social conservative who noted that some in the crowd were uncomfortable with Palin declarations like, "Screw the left in Hollywood!" (It's not that they like the left in Hollywood — just the opposite — but the crudeness of Palin's expressions turned them off.)
Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.
Via: Memeorandum
She had an opportunity to grow and educate herself after the 2008 campaign and become an important conservative voice, but her major flaw is her love of celebrity more than anything else. She's an intellectually lazy woman, interested in enriching herself and basking in the fleeting celebrity she's been able to attract to herself and family. What is astounding is the fact that so many still think she's a viable political player.
ReplyDeleteI don't find myself often agreeing with Shaw Kenawe's assessments of Palin.... but this time, I can't find much to quibble with!
DeleteI agree Shaw. It isn't she is really dumb or incapable of learning but like you pointed out she chose lazy and took the road of least resistance (intellectually) after 2008.
ReplyDeleteUltimately she will be just a footnote to history.
Stunning is what this is... and what's worse is for years her conservative defenders were convinced that her demise was the media.
ReplyDeleteThey so wanted her to win, and Obama to lose, that they could not see she had no business being a heartbeat away from the presidency...
Wasn't there Tea Party survey a few years back when even a majority of them said that Palin was unqualified for President? I seem to recall one.
ReplyDeleteMs. Palin received relatively tepid applause, but a polite standing ovation. Could it be that the Iowa conservatives who just elected Joni Ernst Senator, relate more to hog castrating women than moose
ReplyDeleteshooters?
Could it be irrelevant experience is a becoming a requirement to be considered a good and viable conservative in today's GOP? Eisenhower and Goldwater would be spinning in their graves; were that possible.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I suppose Ernst's military service is relevant. As is Palin's experience as 1/2 term governor of Alaska. I guess experience certainly isn't everything after all.
"Wasn't there Tea Party survey a few years back when even a majority of them said that Palin was unqualified for President? I seem to recall one."
ReplyDeleteIt took them, what?, 3 or 4 years to realize what a majority of Democrats understood when she was off script? In the run-up to the 2008 elections, the Democrats were accused of trashing her, when in fact they saw her for what she is, and the people supporting her were looking at her through what they wanted her to be, not what she really was.
Now, in all fairness, the Dems then were trashing her, and would have trashed her, regardless of her qualities. Just because she was on the other team.
DeleteRead this article, Shaw, and for God's Sake learn to think with some nuance for a change ("saw her for what she was" - as opposed to Obama who was every bit as good as we thought) - http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/06/the-tragedy-of-sarah-palin/308492
ReplyDeleteWill, can you engage in conversation with anyone who isn't one of your droogs without impugning their ability to think? Or are you under the impression that only you have a lock on rational cogitation?
ReplyDeleteThis is about Sarah Palin, not Obama, and the HUGE blunder the GOP made in believing she was a viable politician, instead of what she really was and is: an incoherent attention grabber.
'..think with some nuance..' from Will? Hmm.
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