Friday, October 07, 2011

Richard Adams: "Sarah Palin: The End of an Error" @ The Guardian, U.K.


Sarah Palin: not running, just waving, 10/05/11. (photo:         Gerald Herbert/AP)
Richard Adams, Guardian UK
Adams writes: "Over on her supporters' websites, there is much gnashing of teeth and a good deal of denial. No wonder, because only a week ago her supporters were being solicited for donations to help convince Sarah to run."
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Commentary by The Flyer's "Uncle Academic"

Well, there's a scam artist supreme -- almost up there with Bernie Madoff, though in a different medium. Couldn't have happened to a better crowd of marks.

But it would have been nice to have her carry away the nomination -- and with it, the GOP, into the abyss.

Still, I couldn't help endorsing the comment (at RSN, the link above) by KayJay: "Now, she and Todd can get back to work on what's really important to them, admiring their bank account, helping Alaska secede from the lower 49 and gazing upon the shores of Russia" -- though KittatinyHawk remarks in response "And Kill more Creatures, well, Grizzlies are comin' Eagles are goin to tell them where you are!" (adding later, "She'll need a translator.")

A different take is by StephenMorrill, at the Guardian UK site where the article originally appeared:

The most striking thing to me about Palin was how, whenever she opened her mouth, she driveled. She seemed incapable of delivering a coherent sentence or having a coherent thought. She appealed to a few people who had not actually talked to her, or who were so desperate for someone sufficiently ignorant and provincial as to satisfy their own petty needs. They leaned on a broken reed but it was the only crutch they were going to get because people of normal intelligence were never going to support a looney like Palin.

That the Republican party gave her oxygen and paired her with a decent and honorable John McCain is indicative of American politics, where the "veep" slot on the ticket is only seen as there to balance the demographics. Old, tired, old-school conservative male John McCain and young, perky, religiously/radically-right wingnut female Palin. Not a thought was given to the strong possibility that McCain could die in office leaving the most powerful nation on earth being run by a Wasilla, Alaska trailer-trash soccer-mom, a woman who thought Africa was a country and that sharing a state border with Russia and Canada constituted expertise in foreign affairs. Given the physical rigors of the Oval Office, had McCain been elected there is a good chance that Palin would now be handling the economy, two wars and the Israeli-Palestinian issue. You betcha.

It's not just that she was never remotely qualified to be on the national ticket, it's that the Republican party was carelessly contemptuous of its responsibility in even looking at her.

At least she got something out of her moment in the limelight. They let her keep the clothes.

-Uncle Academic-

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