- Aug 20, 2000
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When I first heard of Governor Palin (and before I had seen her, heard her policy positions or listened to her talk), I was rather enthusiastic. A strong, intelligent, female voice with conservative leaning seems to be something that's always in short supply.
Then I heard Ms. Palin talk and all my initial optimism evaporated. She immediately struck me as not having any strong political opinions, no sharp wit to use to criticize her ideological opponents as needed, no real substance of any kind - just a power seeker for the sake of seeking power. Granted, that's most politicians - but at least most politicians seem to want to effect change of some kind while they're at it. The absence of even that ambition was startling.
I came across this editorial in The Week today and all of these partial thoughts and opinions in my head finally came together. I finally understand why she continues to respond to public criticism and insults of her in the manner that she does. She isn't responding because she takes umbrage at being belittled as she tries to effect policy or get ideas out there. She responds for the sheer attention it begets. How incredibly ridiculous is that?
The prime time of Sarah Palin
Note: I can predict some supporters of Ms. Palin replying with something along the lines of, "Why the rant? She lost, what are you so afraid of that you have to keep bashing her?" Bear in mind I don't think she'll ever come anywhere near a position of real power. This is just me thinking out loud about something that never made sense to me until now.
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Common Courtesy
Then I heard Ms. Palin talk and all my initial optimism evaporated. She immediately struck me as not having any strong political opinions, no sharp wit to use to criticize her ideological opponents as needed, no real substance of any kind - just a power seeker for the sake of seeking power. Granted, that's most politicians - but at least most politicians seem to want to effect change of some kind while they're at it. The absence of even that ambition was startling.
I came across this editorial in The Week today and all of these partial thoughts and opinions in my head finally came together. I finally understand why she continues to respond to public criticism and insults of her in the manner that she does. She isn't responding because she takes umbrage at being belittled as she tries to effect policy or get ideas out there. She responds for the sheer attention it begets. How incredibly ridiculous is that?
The prime time of Sarah Palin
David Letterman joined Tina Fey as a member of Sarah Palin's supporting cast last week. The Alaska governor, who is nothing if not resourceful, worked up an Oprah-esque feud with the television host over crude jokes Letterman told at Palin's expense. It was a good deal for both parties. Letterman got cheap laughs and attention; Palin got a fresh supply of umbrage?and attention.
Palin is both comfortable and adept at these tabloid squabbles?certainly more than she seems ever likely to be in a substantive environment. Parrying political opponents about policy, or responding to serious queries about the state of the world is just not what Palin does.
Even her attacks on President Obama have a canned quality, something along the lines of ... "socialism, yadda yadda yadda." She leaves the details to Romney or Huckabee or perhaps next week's guest star.
By contrast, Palin seems genuinely animated by her contests with late-night comedians and she is always well-versed in the subject matter, which is, in order:
1. Sarah Palin;
2. What the cultural elite thinks of Sarah Palin;
3. What her supporters properly understand about what the cultural elite thinks of Sarah Palin;
4. Why Sarah Palin, and people who identify with Sarah Palin, are correct to resent the cultural elite for what it thinks of Sarah Palin.
With other politicians, comedians occasionally connect personality to policy dots: Cheney to "enhanced interrogation," Bush to the War on Terror, Obama to bailouts. The late-night focus on Palin is overwhelmingly personal for a reason: What else is there?
True, Letterman's joke about Palin's "slutty flight attendant" appearance would have been better targeted at John Edwards (who is far easier to imagine peddling "coffee, tea, or me").
But for all his self-destructive philandering and meticulous hair mussing, Edwards is still more than the sum of his narcissism. He mastered a difficult profession?trial law?and made an effort to understand at least one complex issue in American society?poverty.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm shares a more Palinesque profile. But the way their paths diverged is telling. Granholm, like Palin, was once a local beauty queen. She tried her hand at Hollywood and even appeared on The Dating Game in search of celebrity.
But when her Hollywood dream went bust, Granholm attended UC Berkeley, applied herself, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She then went on to graduate with honors from Harvard Law School and build a career in law and politics.
Palin, on the other hand, still wants her celebrity straight, no chaser. After her beauty queen days, she tried television news. When that didn't pan out, there was never a period of buckling down. She just found a different route to the spotlight.
Palin knows she has pizazz, and she's sticking to it. As long as the conventions of television enable it, her skillful deployment of attitude?charm, hurt, outrage, flirtatiousness?can substitute for answers. It's hard to argue with the results: She has become a famous politician without actually mastering anything in particular.
Ronald Reagan said "politics is just like show business." But Reagan used his showbiz shtick and ease before the camera to sell ideas?some of them consequential. Palin's showbiz is an endless, self-referential loop.
Her media bashing?whether she's condemning Katie Couric for her rudimentary queries or extending the sell-by date on Letterman's put-downs?is simply a means to reflect attention back on herself. It's a cost-free way of holding the spotlight a little longer, a chance to say something attention-grabbing without actually saying anything that matters.
Note: I can predict some supporters of Ms. Palin replying with something along the lines of, "Why the rant? She lost, what are you so afraid of that you have to keep bashing her?" Bear in mind I don't think she'll ever come anywhere near a position of real power. This is just me thinking out loud about something that never made sense to me until now.
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See last post
Senior Anandtech Moderator
Common Courtesy