... almost break out into tears when she finished speaking at the RNC tonight? Not that that's a bad thing--I can imagine she was damn relieved to finish that ludicrous speech.She actually did very well at the beginning as she talked about family and made jokes like, "What's the difference between a soccer mom and a pitbull? Lipstick."
But when it came to other things, like policy, experience, plans for the country--well, she sounded a little like a teenager in a gymnasium running for student body treasurer. She dissed Obama left and right and came off as bitter, snarky, desperate and even a little bored in the second half when she had to talk about McCain...or maybe she was just overwhelmed by the whole thing.
Of course, playing the "I'm just a regular person and he's an elitist" has worked wonders in our anti-intellectual country for a long time, so why stop now?
Not for one second do I think the McCain-Palin team is unelectable. And even if they are, consider what novelist Jane Smiley wrote:
***********Update: I liked this analysis.
11 comments:
The only thing that this little blip is accurate about is that Palin really didn't get into any serious policy topics. She did not come off bitter (that was Hilary). She did not come off like a teenager. She came off as an intelligent, passionate, grass roots governor that isn't a career politician...
I'd suggest going back to watch the tape of the speech again and try to leave your own bias and prejudice at the door. I still haven't decided who I'm voting for tonight, but I thought Palin gave a great speech, full of enthusiasm that will help America.
The debates in the months to come will prove interesting, in my opinion.
What I heard her say tonight is that she will "help" big oil, risk ruining the environment with more Exxon Valdez-like events, put women back into the stone ages by taking away our autonomy over our bodies, ride on the Bush war machine and Orwellian fear-mongering...well, I could go on, but I won't.
I don't disagree that Hillary sounded bitter at times too.
Obama's been the only one to take the high road, and I'm hoping that doesn't bite him in the butt in a society that seems to revere war and fear.
Oh, I do want to add one more thing. She's going to HELP us spend all our tax money on the military industrial complex.
As I said before, she didn't really speak fully and completely to any large policy issues. So, I don't see the need to address the generalizations that you made about her speech. What you said was really just rhetoric about the positions of the Republican Party.
What you did in your post was to decry her for "almost breaking out into tears," and attempt to reduce her intelligence a little bit by saying she was "making jokes," (what speaker doesn't inject a witty comment or two in a speech?). You even went so far as to say that she was "like a teenager in a gymnasium, running for student body tresurer."
Since you didn't mention any political views in your original attack of her speech, what you did in your post was intellectually degrade someone of OUR gender. Is there no loyalty left in the feminist clique to at least speak about her as someone who is passionate, enthusiastic and intelligent instead of making veiled snarky comments about how "overwhelmed by the whole thing" she must have been? You seem to insinuate that she is not acting of her own volition.
Objectively speaking, I'd say she didn't look overwhelmed at all. She looked very comfortable speaking. I look forward to hearing (and will reserve my own judgment until then) her policies and specific opinions about platform issues.
"Is there no loyalty left in the feminist clique to at least speak about her as someone who is passionate, enthusiastic and intelligent instead of making veiled snarky comments about how "overwhelmed by the whole thing" she must have been?"
The problem with this statement is that one can not posture themselves on a "feminist" platform, as you've just done, while at the same time standing on the side of anyone attempting to take away a woman's right to choose. One CAN NOT be a feminist and at the same time support forced marriages.
Now, let's use our brains instead of placating to the Republican trickery that "elitism" is bad - when, in fact, what they mean is "don't you dare have a free thought because it's our job to do that for you".
Intellectually degrading someone of "our" gender means nothing- what exactly is YOUR point? Are you suggesting that women should not challenge each other because we share the same reproductive organs?
To label Palin as intellectual simply because she regurgitated a speech written for her is absurd. And to claim that "we" as women should rally around her for that is ignorant.
Stop using your gender, MY gender, as an excuse, because you're making the rest of us with half of a working brain look bad.
thankyouverymuch
Her speech fell back on snarky, cutting remarks about the Democrats written for her by the man who wrote all of Bush's "clever" speeches, which add up to lots of sarcastic one-liners and zero substance.
McCain's belief that just by adding Palin to the ticket would woo disaffected Hillary voters because she's a woman is patronizing, sexist and pathetic. I would hope all women would be able to realize that Palin does not have their interests or rights at heart, but is being used as a politcal pawn by a bunch of old Republican men shilling for the lady votes.
Palin and Obama's "experience" cancel each other out. Being a small town mayor (and she left the town in debt, by the way) and governor for a year and a half don't add up to much. Her assertion that she knows how to lead based on commanding the Alaskan National Guard is a lie. The ANG is under the command of the president, not the governor. She got a once a year briefing on what they were doing. If that's "leading" then I'm General Patton.
Far more interesting that her pregnant teenage daughter (and the teen father paraded for a photo op), is the ethics violations. I wonder if she's found negligent if she'll have the class to withdraw and apologize for wasting America's time.
She did use the word "Fear" a lot, especially in relationship to forgeigners. I heard the old Bush buzzwords, and I agree with Collin that she fell back on such snarkiness that she seemed, as my friend Cynn said, like one of the mean girls that threw blood on Carrie at the prom.
She talked a lot about the oil companies, claiming to have gone up against them at the same time proclaiming more drilling will solve many of our problems. People in the audience were holding up "Drill more now!" signs in support of her.
No, I have no allegiance to any woman just because she's a woman. Especially a woman who wants to wipe out so many of the strides made by the women's rights movements. And I don't just mean abortion. While I believe in a woman's right to choose, I do agree with Obama that the main focus should be avoiding unwanted preganancies. That means widely available birth control and sex education--not to mention teaching science, certainly NOT creationism in schools as Palin would like.
My point about her looking like she was crying at the end was just an observation--as subjective as the observation that she looked "comfortable." Neither is "objective."
I did have a bias coming into it, like we all do. The biggest comparison in my mind was thinking about Obama, who used words like "compassion", "our lesbian and gay brothers and sisters", etc. He did not use the word "fear." I seem him as ethically and morally head and shoulders above a woman who in her speech sneers and smiles as she makes jokes about Obama, whom she never named but called "our opponent." God forbid she name him. It might humanize him.
Any man or woman who supports writing discrimination into the state constitution, refuses education for sex and condom use despite the fact that figures for STDs in teens is off the charts in Alaska, shows her complete lack of judgement, and believes creationism should be taught in schools should not hold public office. It shows an incredible lack of judgement, care and compassion.
If McCain had chosen Kay Bailey Hutchison as his running mate, then the Dems might have something to worry about. Despite being a conservative, she is pro-choice, which would not have played the Christian right wing base. Despite Hutchison's long, distinguished service, she wasn't good enough because she believes a woman should have rights. The Limbaugh and Hannity crowd were never going to get behind that.
amen Collin and Kate. Now I must turn off CNN and stop reading blogs before I end up in the loony bin. =)
From an outsider, looking in, I have to say that Palin seemed way too plausible, and that scared the hell out of me. Especially given who I am, what I stand for, and hearing what Palin stands for.
From this side of the dotted line, if the Republicans get in, again, I'd have to say that the good ol' US of A will sink into the dark ages and the populous will be lucky to ever see daylight again.
Just my 2 cents worth. :)
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