I don’t want to turn this into the Sarah Palin blog, but there are two good op-eds about the debate from Bob Herbert and Gail Collins today. They are both spot on, and it’s great to see the media finally questioning the wisdom of electing somehow who dodges questions on national TV. I especially liked Gail Collins talk about the feminism movement and how Palin is an heir to the movement but falls short when she covers up her lack of knowledge by dodging questions. I can’t stand it when politicians dodge important questions and then get points for being folksy. We need smart people in charge.
Steven Pinker also has a piece in the Times today, where he talks about how ridiculous her dodging would be in a two person conversation rather than a debate. He also correctly says that her speech and mispronunciations shouldn’t be cause not to vote for her, but in my opinion her habits of speech only amplify her lack of knowledge.
Incidentally, I sent the following yesterday to the NY Times for their blog:
(Comment #155)
I’m surprised the press hasn’t been more critical of Palin’s bobbing and weaving from the questions yesterday. They’d ask her about taxes, and she’d talk about energy. They’d ask her about McCain, and she’d talk about Obama. The American public wanted answers as to how she and McCain are going to bring in the “maverick” change that they keep claiming they will, and all she could say was that the problems were brought on by “corporate greed.”
Of course she can say she’s disappointed by McCain’s decision; it’s clear that she scores brownie points with the Repubs and certain pundits by being as inconsistent and flighty as she can. NBC last night sought to get an unbiased assessment of the debate by interviewing Geraldine Ferraro (who’s obviously still angry that Hillary lost), Peggy Noonan (who’s a former Reagan speechwriter), and former Republican governor of Massachusetts Jane Swift. Of course, they all applauded Palin.
People should be angered by this. Why aren’t we insisting that she answer questions? Our country depends on having smart people in charge, and we need to know what they’re going to do, or else we need to vote Obama/Biden. As one celebrity pointed out, we’re voting for a vice presidential candidate, not an American Idol winner.
The Times has some really smart readers. I liked this one too (#183 by Keith):
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But here is an...
I agree with everything you said. About #1…I think...
McCain is pulling out of Michigan because it is the most economically distressed state in the union, with the highest unemployment, highest foreclosure rates, highest decline in real income. This is not a tacit concession that he can’t win Michigan, this is a tacit concession that he CAN’T HANDLE THE ECONOMY.
Michigan is the canary in the coal mine for McCain. No matter what other issues he wants to use to wedge off a few “Reagan Democrats”, it’s becoming clear that fewer working class people are going to be willing to vote against their economic self interest for a third time in a row. What’s happening in Michigan is spreading to the rest of the US, with over three quarter of a million jobs lost this year now. He might as well pull out of Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania while he’s at it. He needs to focus on states where the economy is booming, such as the gulf states (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE…)
— Keith