So, Sarah Palin's book is about to be released, and since I haven't read it this seems like a good time to start discussing it.

My first question is, does she realize the title of this book is the negative term the McCain campaign used to describe her insubordination? I guess she is now proud that she blew the campaign for him?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33895112/ns/today-today_books/

Palin also writes harshly of CBS anchor Katie Couric, whom she describes as "badgering" and biased. Palin's series of interviews with Couric were widely regarded as disastrous, leaving the impression of an ill-informed candidate who was unsuited for the job.

Yeah, it was Couric's fault she came off like a buffoon.

Palin takes another dig at Couric while asserting her expertise on energy matters. She writes that she was shocked Couric had asked her which newspapers and magazines she read; given what she called Couric's lack of knowledge about energy issues, Palin wondered whether she should have asked the news anchor what she read.

This is just spectacular. "I'm not stupid, you're stupid!".

does she realize

no. she doesn't. about anything really.

Well, that's not going to be good for business.

The revival of the know-nothing party? They were way better than those silly Whigs.

Well, that's not going to be good for business.

coooosTAnza...

Elitist, East Coast, Big City, Liberal

There I said it.

Real Americans know all they need to know.

Amazing how someone who is supposedly such an ignorant lightweight, garners so much interest and almost daily critcism from media, bloggers, and the polical intelligencia.

If she is such a meaninglesss lightweight, why the constant haranging.?

The fact is , the looney left and the elitist right are terrified of her ability to connect with the majority of mainstream voters.

Her ability to connect with mainstream voters? I'd argue that her and perhaps your view of what the majority of mainstream voters is, is off base. During the last election a big part of her shtick was pointing out "real americans" but to her those mostly seemed to consist of white, christain rural folks.

about 80% of the USA is White

about 76% of the USA is Christian

About 51 million live in "rural" area

Pretty large potential voting block

McCain/Palin got 58 of 124 million votes

Her ability to connect with mainstream voters? I'd argue that her and perhaps your view of what the majority of mainstream voters is, is off base. During the last election a big part of her shtick was pointing out "real americans" but to her those mostly seemed to consist of white, christain rural folks.

I'm not saying that she is an ignorant lightweight but my god dumb useless people have been all over the daily news, blogs, media etc. (see Paris Hilton et el) Getting attention doesn't mean people are terrified of her ability or in awe of her political prowess.

I don't have a problem with her or people in her situation trying to get the most value out of their fifteen minutes. I do however laugh at how hypocritical it is to blast the "media" for all the unwanted attention but then to turn around at every chance to try and stay in the spotlight.

It's right up there with retarded celebrities who piss and moan about the constant attention but then spend every other night hitting the Hollywood clubs.

If she was just a paris hilton or lindsay lohan trainwreck, she wouldnt be the feature topic on almost all of msnbc primetime shows.

She has sold more books than every msnbc host combined, and it aint even out yet.

Finally, I am not a huge Palin fan, but Im also not going to bash her because late night comics consistenly make fun of her either.

I doubt any of the posters who knock her here has any first hand knowledge of what she is really like.Seeing edited soundbites is alame basis for opinion.

Amazing how someone who is supposedly such an ignorant lightweight, garners so much interest and almost daily critcism from media, bloggers, and the polical intelligencia.

I doubt any of the posters who knock her here has any first hand knowledge of what she is really like.Seeing edited soundbites is alame basis for opinion.

Well, that's not going to be good for business.

coooosTAnza...

But we've "seen edited soundbytes" from hundreds of people, and hers are uncommonly dumb. I bet sound bytes from almost any poster in this forum are going to sound better than Palin's.

But we've "seen edited soundbytes" from hundreds of people, and hers are uncommonly dumb. I bet sound bytes from almost any poster in this forum are going to sound better than Palin's.

You haven't seen the edited soundbites from Obama that make him look dumb? There's a reason he's called the teleprompter president. The fact is, every tiny slip of Palin is turned into an indictment of the Republican party, while Biden's and Obama's slips are mostly ignored.

I'm not a supporter of Palin's, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know the media can create whatever image they want. If they repeatedly showed her 10 finest moments, she'd look like a genius, if they showed her 10 worst moments (as they do), she'd look like an idiot. But the same could be said of Obama and Biden.
I think they like to villanize Palin because of her calculated girl-next-door schtick. In that way, it's partly her own fault -- don't try to play a role that you can't play perfectly.

"It was also interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of -- I don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing." --confusing German for "Austrian," a language which does not exist, Strasbourg, France, April 6, 2009

"The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system." --in remarks after a health care roundtable with physicians, nurses and health care providers, Washington, D.C., July 20, 2009

"No, no. I have been practicing...I bowled a 129. It's like -- it was like Special Olympics, or something." --making an off-hand joke during an appearance on "The Tonight Show", March 19, 2009 (Obama later called the head of the Special Olympics to apologize)

"What I was suggesting -- you're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith..." --in an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, who jumped in to correct Obama by saying "your Christian faith," which Obama quickly clarified

"Let me introduce to you the next President -- the next Vice President of the United States of America, Joe Biden."--slipping up while introducing Joe Biden at their first joint campaign rally, Springfield, Illinois, Aug. 23, 2008

"Just this past week, we passed out of the out of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee -- which is my committee -- a bill to call for divestment from Iran as way of ratcheting up the pressure to ensure that they don't obtain a nuclear weapon." --referring to a committee he is not on, Sderot, Israel, July 23, 2008

"Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under a McCain...administration. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under an Obama administration. So that policy is not going to change." --Amman, Jordan, July 22, 2008

On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today -- our sense of patriotism is particularly strong.

"I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go." --at a campaign event in Beaverton, Oregon

"In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died -- an entire town destroyed." --on a Kansas tornado that killed 12 people

Imagine if Sarah Palin had said the following things:

You haven't seen the edited soundbites from Obama that make him look dumb? There's a reason he's called the teleprompter president. The fact is, every tiny slip of Palin is turned into an indictment of the Republican party, while Biden's and Obama's slips are mostly ignored.

I'm not a supporter of Palin's, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know the media can create whatever image they want. If they repeatedly showed her 10 finest moments, she'd look like a genius, if they showed her 10 worst moments (as they do), she'd look like an idiot. But the same could be said of Obama and Biden.
I think they like to villanize Palin because of her calculated girl-next-door schtick. In that way, it's partly her own fault -- don't try to play a role that you can't play perfectly.

Everybody says dumb things sometimes¹. She says intelligent things.... well, basically never. Essentially, I disagree with the bolded.

What you guys are forgetting is that while the media can influence people's images, some people are actually smarter than others. I disagree with the idea that one can have no information about a public figure's intelligence.

You're right that her "girl-next-door" shtick is part of it.

¹Except me.

Amazing how someone who is supposedly such an ignorant lightweight, garners so much interest and almost daily critcism from media, bloggers, and the polical intelligencia.

If she is such a meaninglesss lightweight, why the constant haranging.?

The fact is , the looney left and the elitist right are terrified of her ability to connect with the majority of mainstream voters.

She's good TV because it requires so little effort to have an opinion about her. When given the choice of thinking or reciting preformed opinions, most people choose the latter.

But you do believe that a person who has functioned in the role of governor of a state, and headed up the oil commission committee before that, was stumped intellectually by a question regarding what newspaper she reads?

You are comfortable buying into the perception that the media created for Palin on the night of her speech at the convention when they 'dropped' the idea that she was banning books in her libraries ( later proven false ) and was under severe ethics violations in her state ( she was never charged with anything even after the left spent a solid two years now trying to find something )

But to you, that' s all truth and there has been no manipulation because...she's hot and pretty much is the girl next door?

She's good TV because it requires so little effort to have an opinion about her. When given the choice of thinking or reciting preformed opinions, most people choose the latter.

When a potential grad student comes into my office, I don't need to read their CV to find out if they are sharp: a simple conversation will do it. My read on Palin is that she is not particularly intelligent. I find it amazing that one is not allowed to have this impression of her simply because the media don't like her.

So then all the people who like her have thought about it and formed their own opinions, but all those who don't like her are just "reciting performed opinions"?

palin was just doing her job as the choice for VP.

Yeah, I hear TMZ is doing a big story on Noam Chomsky tomorrow.

They would be if he was a conservative

maybe we should give this guy another look..he may be on to something

If you've never seen Manufacturing Consent: Noam_Chomsky and the Media you should find a copy, I think you will enjoy it.

That's interesting, because the media loves to portray Obama as some benevolent genius, but when I watch him speak, I feel like they should have big neon letters behind him flashing "EMPTY SUIT". So using your grad student test, he is massive fail. He's got a bunch of rehearsed buzz phrases, but I have seen no evidence of him being able to navigate intellectually when faced with a tough question -- he just falls back on soundbites. And if you take his worst moments -- easily searchable on YouTube -- he looks like a total idiot. Watching him speak off-script is painful, at best.

Frankly, I think most national politicians fall into this same category. I think I could count on one hand the national politicians with which it would be possible to carry on an intelligent conversation.

National politicians are a self-selected group -- selected for the ability to say meaningless, warm, and fuzzy soundbites. Thinking is dangerous in politics, because people who think sometimes speak uncomfortable truths, and telling the truth is no way to get elected. So basically, we're voting for the people who, out of everyone in the country, are least able to form original, coherent thoughts.

so you are saying the real problem is the voting populace at large? Because I could not agree more.

When a potential grad student comes into my office, I don't need to read their CV to find out if they are sharp: a simple conversation will do it. My read on Palin is that she is not particularly intelligent. I find it amazing that one is not allowed to have this impression of her simply because the media don't like her.

My wife is a life long Democrat and has never in her life voted for a Republican presidential candidate until last year. Why? Because her first and lasting impression of Obama is of a slimy snake who only cares about his own power.

She also has a great impresion of Palin.

I consider her to be one of the best readers of people I have ever met.

My wife is a life long Democrat and has never in her life voted for a Republican presidential candidate until last year. Why? Because her first and lasting impression of Obama is of a slimy snake who only cares about his own power.

She also has a great impresion of Palin.

I consider her to be one of the best readers of people I have ever met.

how is he a slimy snake and only care about his own power?

See: every news report since inauguration for details.

Except for the ones that sound like this

"By bending over to show greater respect to Islam, the US president belittled the power and independence of the United States," the paper said in an editorial. "Such an act is a traditional obeisance befitting a king's subjects, not his peer."

Apparently, he's a power hungry snake, and a totally deferent wimp.

This might be the weirdest defense you have ever made.

Obamas most recent bendover to the emperor of japan humiliated not only the US, BUT THE JAPANESE newspapers commented on how weak of a prez he must be to subjugate himself to japanese royalty.