The 11 Dumbest Things Sarah Palin Has Said So
Far
By AlterNet Staff, AlterNet
Posted on
October 23, 2008, Printed on October 23,
2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/104034/
When Sarah Palin was first added to the Republican ticket, the McCain
campaign went to almost comical extremes to guard her from press scrutiny. The
Alaska governor was hustled through photo opportunities, kept from doing
interviews and hidden from reporters at several events. Palin did prove adept at
reading from a teleprompter in front of conservative supporters, though, so the
campaign mostly had her do that.
When Palin finally made her teleprompter-free debut in an interview with
Charlie Gibson, it became clear why McCain had effectively kept his running mate
in quarantine: Palin was uninformed and inarticulate; she said embarrassingly
stupid things; and she looked at Gibson as though he were pointing a loaded
crossbow at her.
Since then, the Alaska governor has done little to dispel concerns that she
can't articulate thoughts that aren't preprogrammed talking points. More than
once, Palin has slipped into George W. Bush territory with statements so
absurdly inane they seem closer to Dada art than standard political speech.
We've assembled the 11 strangest, dumbest, most alarming and most harmful
statements to come courtesy of Palin since she joined the McCain ticket. Here is
Gov. Sarah Palin, in her own words.
1. The News Makes Me Sad ... So I Don't Watch It
Sarah Palin at a North Carolina fundraiser:
At those times on the campaign trail when sometimes it's easy to
get a little bit discouraged, when, you know, when you happen to turn on the
news when your campaign staffers will let you turn on the news ... Usually
they're like "Oh my gosh, don't watch. You're going to, you know, you're going
to get depressed."
Maybe her handlers could put on a puppet show instead -- something fun that
allows Palin to maintain her cheery optimism in the face of overwhelming
evidence that the McCain campaign has imploded. There was once another
politician similarly unconcerned with current events and the news: George W.
Bush. That went well.
2. The People Don't Elect U.S. Presidents, God Does
Upon being asked by James Dobson if the McCain ticket's precipitous slide in
the polls gets
her down:
... [it] strengthens my faith, because I'm going to know, at the
end of the day, putting this in God's hands, that the right thing for America
will be done at the end of the day on Nov. 4. So I'm not discouraged at
all.
... and I can feel it too, Dr. Dobson. I can feel the power of
prayer, and that strength that is provided through our prayer warriors across
this nation.
Ah yes, the always helpful "prayer warriors," whose appeals to the Almighty
actually count for more than the average American citizen's vote. Apparently the
next president of the United States will be handpicked by God.
3. Palin Believes in "Divided" States of America
At a fundraiser:
We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that
we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real
America, being here with all of you hardworking, very patriotic, um, very, um,
pro-America areas of this great
nation.
Palin later apologized for the statement. But her backpedaling shouldn't get
her off the hook for putting forth a deeply divisive vision of America. How
would conservatives have reacted if, in an attempt to pander to uber-liberals,
Obama said "I love visiting the parts of the country where people aren't
close-minded assholes"? Probably not well.
4. The Vice President Is Supreme Boss of the Senate
Here's what Palin said when Brandon, an elementary school student, asked: "What
does the vice president do?"
That's something that Piper would ask me! ... They're in charge of
the U.S. Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the
senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for
Brandon and his family and his classroom.
To be fair, Palin had no idea what the VP does the last
time the issue came up, so this is almost an improvement. Except that saying
the vice president (who is only nominally head of the U.S. Senate) makes policy
changes through Senate legislation reveals an embarrassing ignorance of our
government's system of checks and balances. Also, it's a bit disconcerting to
hear someone running for VP endow that office with God-like powers over a
separate branch of government.
5. Delusional Response to Troopergate
"Well, I'm very, very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing ... any
hint of any kind of unethical activity there," said Sarah Palin last
Sunday, soon after she was found to have engaged in wrongdoing and unethical
activity in the "Troopergate" investigation. Again, a propensity for denial and
lies, a deep aversion to reality -- not the best ways to signal your commitment
to "change" from "politics as usual."
6. Vicious Attack on Obama
The following quote needs little introduction. It's famous now, not only for
its inaccuracy but also for how much this line of attack has fallen flat with
voters and backfired on the McCain campaign:
Our opponent though, is someone who sees America it seems as being
so imperfect that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their
own country.
Outright deception is probably not something the American voters are looking
to put in the White House; pretty sure they've had enough of that in the past
eight years.
7. The Lord is a Pollster
While speaking in North Carolina, Palin decided to take a moment
to thank God for a very small bump she and McCain experienced in their
otherwise sliding poll numbers.
We even saw today, thank the Lord, we saw some
movement.
People often thank God for things that appear to be outside the realm of
divine intervention. An incredibly small bump in the polls though? Seems
excessive. Not to mention, Obama now has the widest lead he has ever had in the
polls. Should God be given credit for that too?
8. America's Teachers' Rewards Are in Heaven (but Nowhere to Be Found on
Earth)
In the vice presidential debate, Palin had this to say about Sen. Joe Biden's
wife's career in education:
You mentioned education, and I'm glad that you did. I know
education you are passionate about with your wife being a teacher for 30
years, and God bless her. Her reward is in heaven, right?
Governor, America's teachers should not have to wait until heaven; they
should be praised and rewarded right here on Earth. Possibly with living-wage
salaries.
9. I Read ... All the Publications
When Katie Couric asked Palin the complex
trick question of where she gets her news, the two women had the following
exchange:
Couric: And when it comes to establishing your world view,
I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you
were tapped for this -- to stay informed and to understand the
world?
Palin: I've read most of them again with a great
appreciation for the press, for the media --
Couric: But what ones specifically? I'm curious.
Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front
of me over all these years.
Couric: Can you name any of them?
Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our
news.
With all of the intensive reading Palin has done over the years, it's a
wonder she's had time to do other important things, like govern Alaska and learn
to play the flute.
10. Some of my best friends are gay, but ...
From the same interview with Couric:
One of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years happens to
be gay and I love her dearly, and she is not my "gay" friend, she is one of my
best friends, who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I
have made, but ... I'm not gonna judge
people.
Stating in no uncertain terms that being gay is a choice is an odd thing to
do on mainstream, national television when medical and psychological
associations have contended for years that sexual orientation is biologically
determined. Then, she slimily criticizes that so-called "choice" by saying it is
not one she would make. But hey, some of her best friends are gay ...
11. A Little Wet Behind the Ears ...
During the vice presidential debate, when Palin was asked which policy plans
proposed by the McCain-Palin ticket would have to suffer due to the current
economic crisis, Palin gave a pretty dubious response: none. When pressed on the
issue, Palin decided that an easy out would be to fall back on her
inexperience:
And how long have I been at this, like five weeks?
Uh ... wow, that actually wasn't dumb at all. In that case, she was
absolutely right.
That's our list. Please make any additions you see fit in the comments
below.
AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political
endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.
Editor's note: It was decided to leave out the many quotes having to do
with foreign policy experience thanks to a proximity with Russia, as they are
quotes that everyone has heard by now ... over and over and over again.
© 2008 Independent Media Institute. All rights
reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/104034/