Random Palin snark

By Kathy G.

-- Palin's flabbergastingly moronic answers to interview questions -- even the softball ones like "what newspapers and magazines do you read?" -- wouldn't even past muster at a beauty pageant. No wonder why she didn't get to be Miss Alaska!

-- I never had any particular feelings towards Katie Couric before, because I rarely watch network news. But now she is my new hero. Among the things that made her interviews with Palin so awesome were the truly priceless looks she gave in response to Palin's answers. There were times when the expression on her face could only be described as "Bitch, please!"

-- From the beginning, I thought it was interesting that Palin wears glasses all the time. I would have thought she'd go for contact lenses instead -- I imagine most women with the normal amount of vanity would (I do). At first I thought it she wore glasses to downplay her looks, because of the sexist assumption that a woman can't be both extremely attractive and a smart, serious professional. But now I simply think she wears 'em only because she knows she's dumb but wants to look smart.

-- Although Palin is definitely evil and politically corrupt, there's also something about her that is bizarrely, radically innocent, and totally American. She's like some character out of a screwball comedy by Preston Sturges or the Coen Brothers -- poor schmucks who come out of nowhere, and through some entirely random some stroke of luck bumble their way into becoming a national phenomenon. And who are deeply comic figures because they're such unworldly naifs that they don't have a clue about the incommensurately different manners and mores that govern the new world they've suddenly been plunked into. They may or may not end up getting what they think they want,  but eventually they win some sort of triumph, because they never lose their outsized and entirely unjustified faith in themselves. Think Sturges' Hail the Conquering Hero, or The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Or maybe even better yet, the Melvin  Dummar character in the wonderful 70s Jonathan Demme movie Melvin and Howard.

Only, Palin's even stupider than the protagonists in those three films, and definitely a lot less lovable and personally engaging. But she's hella entertaining -- I'll give her that. If only she were running to be the star of some reality TV thingie, and not vice president of the United States.

Comments

[Thomas Serena]

But Golly Gee She is one of us plain folk. Isn't a maverick a cow?

[dcase]

Wow, you are tough on her but I agree that her performances merit strong criticism. I don't, however, think she is stupid. Instead, I think that unlike some other Republican politicians, she is true believer of the right wing ideology (of course, I do recognize that this trait, in and of itself,may qualify her as stupid in some circles). Because she has been thoroughly immersed in right wing Christian culture in Alaska for the greater part of her life, she believes in the inherent superiority of right-wing beliefs and has never been forced to think critically about her sociopolitical stances. Now that she is on the national stage, she is constantly forced to defend herself against people who do not share her general worldview. The McCain camp has tried to help her with these cramming sessions. But because she hasn't thought critically about the subjects, she gives rambling, incoherent answers that are only superficially related to the question--like many of the undergraduate papers I have graded, you can tell who knows the material. She doesn't. Of course, this exacerbates the problem because as she realizes she is screwing up, her brain freezes up on the basic stuff.

[Batocchio]

One of my favorite films is Sullivan's Travels, but that doesn't fit quite as well for Palin as the other Sturges films you mentioned.

Reagan, Bush the younger, and Palin really represent the GOP central casting approach to candidates. Governing, ehh, leave that to the Democrats.