Drum on Palin on Oprah
It’s been a while since I linked to a Kevin Drum item, and I see today that he’s having the same can’t-look-away mixture of abhorrence and fascination with Sarah Palin that I (and plenty of others, I’m sure) have been having:
So why is Sarah Palin so endlessly fascinating? The sex appeal that practically oozes out of every pore? Her perpetual family soap opera? A sense of besiegement and resentment so powerful it practically knocks you over every time she speaks? The fact that she actually seems to take pride in her complete lack of policy expertise? Her seemingly total lack of real self-awareness? The fact that she lies so casually it seems like she actually believes everything she makes up?
Yeah, I think that about covers it. She honestly doesn’t do much for me in the sex-appeal department, but the brazen lies make up for it. I’ve had a bit of a void in that area of my life lately.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:35 am
It’s the sense of besiegement and resentment. Is any trait more attractive to the masses than a sense of besiegement and resentment? I don’t think I’ve met more than two people in my entire life, of any political stripe, whose politics were not dependent upon their sense of besiegement and resentment.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Present company excluded, of course…
November 17th, 2009 at 6:42 am
I don’t think she’s very attractive either. But then again, attraction for me is 50 percent looks and 50 percent intellect.
I think most people just watch her to hear what kind of crazy shit she’s gonna say and are just in awe that she actually has presidential ambitions.
November 17th, 2009 at 11:37 am
They said the same thing about Reagan, remember in Back To The Future, who’s president in 198?, Ronald Reagan, the actor? I remember hearing that when he was just governor, then when he started running for president they said he’s just an actor, ho was only governor because they love actors out there in California. She seems to taking a similar path.
November 17th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Perhaps. My knowledge of US history is lacking in some areas, did Reagan stumble that hard out of the gate like she has? It would definitely be an incredible comeback and I admit I’ll be watching her as she tries.
And those Back to Future movies were awesome!
November 17th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Did Saint Ronnie also quit his job as governor half way through?
Bet you read that on Conservapedia.
I hear Liz Cheney is floating her dear ol Dad as the GOP candidate to beat for the 2012 election. Maybe it’ll be Palin/Cheney and we’ll have the evil mastermind fronted by the stumble tongued pea brain moran regime again. But this time the front will have better legs.
I look forward to all the winking.
November 17th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
She is who she is. The reaction by Democrats to her is funny to me. She is like their political bogie-man. They sit up late at night with the bedcovers over their heads and shine a flashlight on their faces as they tell their favorite Sarah stories to each other. It’s fun, but with a hint of scariness to it, which makes it like catnip for them.
Those who can look at her with clear-eyes can see she is simply a populist role-player in the Republican party, who has captivated a small, but significant, piece of the social conservatives. Sort of a Huckabee, but he is more of a Sarah Lite.
The point is, she can be politically important due to the people she can deliver to the candidate that wins her support. But as a serious Republican candidate (or independant for that matter) she has ZERO chance of being a sustained front-runner, let alone a final candidate.
Seriously, people. Get a grip.
November 17th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Hey Craig, long time no see! Welcome back.
Yes Super Sarah sure delivered the goods up in NY23. Why without her support, the Ds would never have won a seat that hasn’t voted D since the Civil War.
Heck of a job! (wink!)
November 17th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Her impact was muted significantly by the cluster**** that the Republicans did, regarding the candidate shell game they stumbled through.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Not to mention that New York is not exactly the sweet spot for her greatest influence.
November 17th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
NL, my recollection of Reagan is a combination of Palin and Obama, he delivered a mesmerizing speech the election before and then went on a several year long speaking tour that garnered him support in the years between. I’m in agreement with Craig that she isn’t a serious threat, unless there is no one else.
On a personal note, I lost my election to the HOA board tonight, to a fellow that wasn’t even there:) I guess I’m even too radical for the flatland Republicans:) Although the fellow that counted the votes came up to me after the meeting and said I won the election of the people present and lost the proxy vote. Same thing happened to him a couple years ago. A good friend has a habit of getting 20 or 30 proxy votes to vote the way she wants, I made the mistake of telling her my ideas a few days ago, enough time to do her magic. Oh well, no one has had a phone conversation with this guy and no one knows who he is so I may still get the job by default. Politics is so much fun.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Actually after watching various show last night I’ve come to the conclusion that Palin is a pathological liar, an outright airhead on some topics and completely full of shit on everything else. Her book was not a policy prescription for America or the world; it was basically a 400 page attack ad against those that actually made her famous.
This woman isn’t even qualified to be president of a social club.
November 18th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Intelligent comments, good reading, NL really nailed it on the last one, what the hell is happening here? Is there a new smart pill out now?
Pre-morning coffee thought: if Governor R. Reagan was good enough for Republican POTUS status, then so is Governor Arnie Shwartzkoffanator.
Born in Austria you say? No problem, most of the Republicans who would vote for him think Obama was born in Kenya. That kind of tit-for-tat payback is a priceless motivator to vote for the Arnold.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:18 am
When pressed to cite specific policies that they favored or thought qualified her for the presidency, most of her fans struggled to come up with anything other than generic lines about cutting taxes and spending and the Palin staple: “drill, baby, drill.”
On the other hand, they were all worried that President Obama has been doing enormous damage to the country. However, again, specifics eluded them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKKKgua7wQk&feature=player_embedded
WOW.
Is this what the “Conservative base” is in America?
November 25th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Unfortunately, this is the case with way too many voters in general. There are a segment of people who are fairly well-versed on some policies and issues and generally understand what different political figures actually do support, but the majority simply are utterly clueless or parrot rhetoric, or completely misunderstand them. There may be no greater current examples of American politicians who generate”cult of personality” support than Obama and Palin. I’ve seen clips, both before and after the election, of supporters who can’t articulate anything beyond empty rhetoric or political slogans to explain what they like or don’t like about a politican.
Much of the public today simply likes who they like, and don’t want to be bothered with details.