1/27/11

On Milbank's Palin Embargo

I'm not completely sold on Dana Milbanks's embargo on Sarah Palin news for the month of February. Personally, I'd like the unpopular Palin and the equally brainless demagogue Michele Bachmann to become the two vacant faces of the Republican Party. The only downside to this that I can see is that people will start equating a midwestern accent with idiocy.

In any case, it's not February yet, so deciding to join in or to violate the ban is a moot point. Which is good, because it turns out someone told Sarah to say something clever and she's extremely proud of herself.


[Politico:]

Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday night that President Barack Obama's call for "winning the future" during his State of the Union address is best framed by the acronym it shares with a much different phrase -- "wtf."

"That was a tough speech to sit through and try to stomach," Palin said during an interview with Fox News’s Greta Van Susteren.

"His theme last night was wtf, winning the future," she continued. "I thought, okay, that acronym -- spot on. There were a lot of wtf moments throughout that speech."



"Palin, seemingly pleased with her joke, repeated the line later in the interview while poking Obama for referencing Sputnik in another section of his address," the report goes on. It's not hard to imagine her clapping like a delighted toddler when she was told everyone would think she thought of it.

This is one reason why I'm not sold on a Palin embargo -- she's completely outside the mainstream and, the more people realize this, the more they realize they don't agree with other Republicans either. It pays to remember that an address Palin called "a tough speech to sit through and try to stomach" enjoyed 91% approval among respondents to a Knowledge Networks insta-poll. Only 9% disapproved. You want an example of someone way outside the mainstream? I think holding an opinion only 9% agree with qualifies.

Here's how you could sum up the entire political belief system of Sarah Palin and her followers: if Barack Obama does it, it's wrong. It doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the idea of a President Palin -- the Oval Office is not an office of reaction, but of pro-action. She'd have to come up with a couple two-three ideas of her own. So far, there's been no evidence that she's capable of that. Palin is a reflection of her followers, who might as well march around in circles with misspelled signs announcing, "WE'RE AGAINST THINGS!" Being capable of only negative opinions and no original thought can only take you so far -- a one season run on The Learning Channel seems to be the ceiling for that kind of "talent."

So, while Milbank has a point -- Palin is a spotlight-grabbing, lens-and-microphone-seeking egotist -- it's also true enabling Sarah Palin's fixation on Sarah Palin doesn't help her at all. And it doesn't help the GOP or the Tea Party. Unpopular, witless, devoid of anything resembling original thought, Palin can only help Democrats.

Give her enough rope and she'll not only hang herself, but everyone associated with her.

-Wisco


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