Innnnnnteresting ....

[veronica_rich]

Supposedly, according to McCain campaign staffers, Sarah Palin didn't know Africa was a continent, not a country, and she was guilty of other asorted dumbnesses. Let's break this down:

In defense of the woman - and I cannot believe the text is coming from my fingertips - I know more than one smart person who has made this initial mistake. Including me. Not in the lasting, insistent sense - "Uh huh! Yes it is! South Africa's part of one country!" - but in the initial, unthinking sense when the topic first comes up. Because I've known since I was in at least the fourth grade that there are various and assorted countries in Africa. All I'm saying is, if you've ever heard anyone toss off "the country of Africa" before thinking, or someone reminding them "it's not a country, dummy" and then they go "what'd I say? oh shit, I wasn't thinking" - yeah. So, is this what the staffers are exaggerating? Or is it a case of her insisting it IS a country even after someone says "um ... it's not one country?"

Because I have to say - George Bush went to Yale and Harvard, and frankly, I think he's about as dumb as an actual president can get. (Not knowing the philosophical differences between Sunnis and Shi'ites before going to war is WAY worse than a slip of the tongue on Africa, IMO.) And while his lack of intelligence has been lampooned, spread out over eight years, the fact is that it took a lot longer than three months for people to start pointing and laughing at it. So why with Palin?

Is it - again, I have to wonder at this coming from ME - because she's a woman? Because it very well could be. (Bit of a lesson to the casual fandom pheminists out there: THIS is the sort of shit feminism was REALLY invented to combat. Not your crocodile tears over a fictional character not getting the right man.) Make no mistake about Palin - I don't want her anywhere NEAR my White House, now or in the future - but there are plenty of things to legitimately criticize about her besides lack of geographical knowledge IF it's just being exaggerated as I reference above. (And I suspect this may well be the case. I don't think the woman's the sharpest tack in the corkboard, but I really question if she's THAT ignorant.)

And if she is that ignorant? Well, it's not the fact she's being criticized for it, because certainly basic geographical knowledge is important. It's HOW she's being criticized. (See previous paragraph.) Certainly the electorate has the right to know, just as they should be cautious when listening to her tell a third-grader about the duties of a vice president and getting it out of whack. All I'm saying is, let's watch how we do it, and maintain a healthy skepticism about the extremity of her reported "ignorance." (If she were truly that dumb, wouldn't we be hearing about something far more egregious than the Africa thing? That's what makes me suspicious.)

Comments

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I think you may be missing my point. To this day, criticism of Clinton was about Monica, NOT about his handling of the Balkans or his signing of NAFTA after he promised to work against it - and those were the actual important criticisms that should be remembered about his term. Palin has more going against her than he did, for the sheer fact she wasn't qualified for the job she was seeking - but there's more to criticize than penny-ante splitting of words. She doesn't know what a VP does. She doesn't read to keep up with the world. She doesn't know a LOT of things she should - and Africa's geographical status is the least of it, but I'm afraid THAT is what people will remember most and in four years, there WILL be those who go "well, that's not so bad, I do THAT ..."

You think I'm exaggerating. I don't have that much faith in people's basic intelligence. I know the only reason Obama won is because we're in such deep shit that we can look UP into somebody's asshole - not because he seems smarter or more qualified than anyone we've had in a really long time, even those who got in during good times.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Or they'll take it over and force the moderates to create their own party instead. I worry this is what will happen and nobody will get the memo out to the voting Republicans fast enough so they understand they're NOT voting any longer "the way Dad did."

[porridgebird.livejournal.com]

McCain lost a ton of endorsements over Palin. I lost count of how many articles started out describing how the writer supported McCain until he brought Palin on board. Some were put off by Palin herself, some were scared by the horrendously bad judgment demonstrated in the selection of Palin, some both. If he'd picked someone else, he might have actually had a shot at winning this (imo).

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

"Conservative" hasn't become near the pejorative that "liberal" has, for the sheer reason it hasn't been used as long nor in the same fashion. "Liberal" has been a dirty word for at least decades - what's more, it's equated with anti-American traits, whereas "conservative" is not. "Conservative," at worst, means "religious wacko nutjob."

The problem with allowing the radical religious element to take over the Republican party is that they've opened the lamp and I have a hard time seeing the genie go back inside. Because I know even moderately religious people who are secretly happy to see what is preached to them being pushed on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures.

[porridgebird.livejournal.com]

She's all about appearances and self-promotion.

THIS. She seriously thought she could make up for her lack of education by looking purty, batting her eyes, winking and being cute. Beauty Queen mentality, she never got past that. Who needs brains when you've got boobs?

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I wonder how in the hell Karl Rove wakes up in the morning and looks at himself in the mirror.

Karl was paid to do a job. It wasn't his responsibility to make sure the tone of Bush's campaigns and presidency stayed lofty - that was Bush's job. Just as this campaign, it was McCain's job to make sure things didn't get out of control. If you choose the wrong people for a job, you're the one who shouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Take this from someone who once had a job she quit because she couldn't look in the mirror after a while.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

That's something else I mean but didn't say well - why the fuck did they pick her if she isn't what they wanted? Did she do a flipflop and change who she was AFTER she was selected? Was she a bookworm during the DNC and then ignorant after?

I love the people who are all "she should've known her own limitations and not accepted the request to join the campaign." Are they seriously telling me they would turn down being the second most powerful person in this country if they're an uber-ambitious politician, with the excuse of "oh, I'd love it, but honestly, it's just not time yet?" Hell, even I might have thought Hmm, if they're asking me, maybe I AM ready after all ... if they can see it, why shouldn't I?

(Keep in mind I had the same criticism I just cited above, at one time, and I've since thought about it and concluded that it was John's job to pick somebody more qualified. But I will say I'm glad it was NOT Lieberman, either.)

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

The Africa continent/country thing doesn't bother me as much as the story that she didn't know where the countries of the Middle East were located and when they showed her on a map, she was surprised they were so close to Africa and Europe. She also had no idea what countries made up the Middle East. *rolls eyes*

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

The spending spree, I get - it shows a lack of restraint or budgeting ability. It also flies in the face of her whole "aw, gosh, shucks, Jane-the-plumber" Gomer Pyle put-on.

But I agree about the towel thing - um, they came to her hotel room. It's not something I would've done, but it's not like she was nude or even scantily dressed. Why is that being brought up? I bet if she'd been Jack Palin and she'd met them at the door in a towel around her waist, nothing would've ever been said.

As for the rest, YES. They chose her. She was in a relatively safe position as governor of a state without too many people, where if she screwed up it was easy enough for those constituents to kick her out of office. There were other actual intelligent Republican women they could've chosen if they wanted to try to capture the Hillary demographic. They did not. They got exactly what they advised, they underestimated the masses BADLY, and they should pay for it. Karma works sometimes.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

*nod* All this, plus it shows a flagrant inability for proper use even of improper use - if that makes sense (suits for her? No, but maybe. Clothes for her family? NO, definitely). And, it indicates she can't live within the means set down for her ... like in a federal budget.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Actually, it turns out it was more than $150,000. No average mom spends that much on clothes in a lifetime, for herself.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

You know, Palin isn't much different than Reagan in terms of being qualified or basic intelligence, IMO - he was just a better actor. And look how he's canonized in spite of all the ways he ended up fucking this country over. *headshake*

I figured our international brethren had figured out Bush well before we did. (I use "we" as a collective - believe that there were those of us smart enough not to vote for him the first time.)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Just so long as it wasn't Lieberman, either. *shudder*

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

I think she was want they wanted. They just failed to anticipate that she wasn't at all what the county wanted, so now they're backtracking accordingly.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Furthermore, the Republican Party can now use this in the future when someone suggests another female candidate for VP or President.

This does bother me. Selection of an incurious man won't stop 20 from being selected later, but one ignorant woman may be all it takes. Which is why I want her hammered for important ignorances that either gender could be accused of. If that makes sense.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I figure that's the case. They've been this small and mean for many years now, it's just the first time they've LOST and had chance to display those colors so very magnificently.

[porridgebird.livejournal.com]

I think the Africa thing will fade from memory pretty quickly, but the "I can see Russia" and the Middle East ignorance will live on forever.

Also that idiotic "fruit fly research" comment. That's the one that changed her from "cute but harmless" to "cute and dangerous" (imo).

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know they're not on the same scale at all. But I genuinely believe a society developed to the point that ours is cannot permanently regress. A few decades, sure - but eventually we're going to catch up to the continuuum (Scandinavian countries have set a pretty good bar, I think). That's why I find certain aspects of this election so encouraging - not Prop 8 and its sister discrimination, obviously, but the upholding of reproductive rights, the embrace of Obama by a majority of white as well as minority voters, the negative reaction of moderates to Palin/McCain who jumped the conservative ship. I believe we will swing back to center on social issues, in part because we must adopt more moderate fiscal policies.

Or maybe that's just what I tell myself so I can sleep at night.

[justawench.livejournal.com]

Well, that's probably true, but a male candidate wouldn't be winking at the audience either.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Acknowledging it only encourages it. ;-)

[justawench.livejournal.com]

Yes to this. I cringed everytime she opened her dumb mouth, think she was setting women back 100 years. Hopefully someone intelligent like Olympia Snowe can rise up and remind everyone Palin's not indicative of women as a whole.

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

Ah, but for the first time in eight years, they lost.* This is what I wanted most from this election: that the religious right would fail to show up, or that they would show up and get soundly beaten. Their power as a voting block is splintering. Congressional neocons are going to have to sink or swim, and everyday fundie-leaning Americans are gonna have to stop thinking of themselves as a majority.

*except for Prop 8. I think the reasoning that it passed because African American voters who tend toward social conservatism turned out in huge numbers is sound (note: I'm not trying to blame any group for the outcome; another important factor was an insufficient campaign against Prop 8, or at least that's my impression). Gay rights advocates are going to have to pick up a lot of ground reaching out to minority groups, and that's been thrown into sharp relief by this election.

[justawench.livejournal.com]

But I agree about the towel thing

Yeah, I was suprised such a big deal has been made about that. I thought campaigns got pretty intimate, what with all the traveling and spending every waking hour together? I guess they got boners and it embarrassed them.

[justawench.livejournal.com]

Someone mentioned (I think on Rachel Maddow last night) that they kept the Palin pick under wraps better than lots of other things that leaked out later. I'm not sure I agree with that. I think the reason the Palin choice wasn't leaked was that she was a last-minute grab. It would also explain why she wasn't vetted. They got hit upside the head right away with Troopergate and her daughter's pregnancy and they seemed completely unprepared.

[justawench.livejournal.com]

Yes, I desperately wanted the Republicans not only to lose, but to be thrown down and kicked so they know they are not what the people want and they're forced to reevaluate. If they actually represented fiscal conservatism and small gov't (as in, staying out of people's bedrooms and such), I might consider voting Republican. They need a major change right now and I hope they get it because I think we need an opposition party.