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Hillarysworld -> Sarah Palin -> "The Quayled Lady: Why You Should Forget Sarah Palin" (American Thinker 1/17/10)
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TOPIC: "The Quayled Lady: Why You Should Forget Sarah Palin" (American Thinker 1/17/10)
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"The Quayled Lady: Why You Should Forget Sarah Palin" (American Thinker 1/17/10)
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"

The Quayled Lady: Why You Should Forget Sarah Palin

By Selwyn Duke

Really, there's precious little fairness in the world. People tend to be slaves to emotion, and prejudices often reign supreme, even (in fact, especially) in those who rail against prejudice. This is why we'll see millions of Americans reflexively dismiss a politician simply because of the letter following his name. It is why people will often oppose a position they would otherwise support simply because it's being advocated by someone they dislike. Ah, that troublesome human nature.

This brings us to Sarah Palin, the Wasilla woman often billed as the best hope of the GOP. She certainly isn't one of those plain vanilla characters who inspire blasé reactions, that's for sure. It's just so often the case that people either love her or hate her, believe she is the cat's meow or the pig with lipstick, a political sensation or a puerile simpleton. I'm in neither camp.

Scrape away the emotionalism, and one realizes that Palin isn't at either extreme. Underestimated by the left and overestimated by the right, the truth about her lies somewhere in between. Where, exactly? That is secondary, because there is a more important point here relating to Palin's political future.

She doesn't have one.

I know this will raise the hackles of many, but you can forget Sarah Palin. I say this not because of her defects in ideology or lack of competency, but for a very simple reason: She has been Quayled.

Many of you know that I'm referring to what ensued after former Vice President Dan Quayle gave a public appearance at a school spelling bee in Trenton, New Jersey in 1992. His problems started because he'd been given a cue card with "potatoe" written on it, and, doubting the spelling but trusting the school materials, corrected a student who had spelled the word properly. The media seized upon this, pounding home the narrative that the vice president was a mental vegetable who couldn't even spell his own kind. And it was easy to make the image stick, too. Quayle was blonde, attractive, and relatively young, so he fit the Ken-doll stereotype. It wasn't fair, of course, but the public generally sees only the picture the media paints of you.

So being Quayled is a version of being "Borked"; the difference is that the media doesn't paint you as a menace, but a moron. And while Quayle is an intelligent man -- he shredded Al Gore in their 1992 debate -- he never could live down the label.

Sarah Palin has suffered the same fate. Like Quayle, she is attractive and relatively young, so she can easily be and has been painted as a Barbie doll. Because of this, unlike Hillary Clinton, Palin actually had to be the smartest woman in the world (or at least in contemporary politics), but she did nothing to help her cause in this regard. By her own admission, the now infamous Katie Couric interview was a crash-and-burn affair. Moreover, if even ten percent of what has been alleged about her wanting knowledge base is true, we have to wonder if she was busy going rogue when she should have been paying attention in the classroom. And what of her shocking resignation from the Alaska governorship, one of the oddest political happenings in memory? Oh, that was just Sarah Barracuda being a maverick? Good luck selling that one.

Many may protest here, but this is where quelling that emotionalism is imperative. You can disagree with my estimation of the ex-governor, but again, the facts of her saga are secondary. Simply wanting something badly won't make it a reality. Fair or not, like it or not, Palin has been Quayled, and all the GOP's horses and all the GOP's men couldn't put Sarah's image together again.

If that seems a bold statement, understand that being Quayled is one of the worst things that could happen to a politician. Lamentably, Americans will elect a corrupt person president, as Bill Clinton proved. They will elect an individual who belonged to a socialist party and waxes socialistic, as Barack Obama proved, even if it's partially because they don't really understand what socialism is. But people know what stupidity is, even if it's only because some have very close acquaintance with the condition. And Americans will not elect a politician who they believe is stupid any more than they would buy a toothless guard dog or bet on a legless horse. Emptiness between the ears, real or perceived, is simply a deal-breaker.

Here some will say that Palin inspires passion and attracts crowds like no one else on today's political scene -- and she is the rage du jour. But national elections aren't won by attracting zealous masses. They are won by capturing the middle. A shallow ocean of support beats the deep well of admiration that Palin enjoys. That's not to say that her supporters aren't legion, and it is to say that many of them would follow her to the ends of the Earth. But she'll never capture liberals, of course, and elections are swung by that twenty-odd percent of "undecideds," those non-ideological voters who make up their minds -- or, to be more precise, their feelings -- late in campaigns. They are generally quite susceptible to media manipulation and emotional appeals, which is why they can vote right in one election and hard left in another. For the most part, all they see is image. And that image is...?

Accepting this truth is hard for many, as they've hitched their hopes to Palin's star. They will complain about the unfairness of it all, saying that to yield to media manipulation is to relinquish this generation's Ronald Reagan. But is that really what we'd be giving up? Let's look at the image within the image -- the picture of Palin as political savior.

Why did we even start talking about Palin in the first place? Here's a hint: It's related to why people started talking about another erstwhile unknown, Barack Obama, in the first place. That is, she fits a profile. But also as with Obama, many behave as if they're unaware of this factor. The truth is, however, that most would be just as unaware of Palin if not for it. And the "it," Dear Watson, is that she's a woman.

Sorry if this bursts some bubbles, but it's true: Like Obama, Palin is a cultural-affirmative-action selection. This isn't to say she is no better than Obama, mind you, so try not to ask for my skin. But just as the media glommed onto Obama largely because of his skin color, John McCain chose Palin mainly because of her chromosome configuration. He needed to not only invigorate his campaign, but also match the Democrats' quota quality. And just as millions rallied around Obama because they wanted to make history and elect the first black* president, millions of others just love the idea of supporting a woman because, well, it's oh-so-fashionable. It's dictated by the New Chivalry.

This, of course, doesn't mean Palin possesses no secondary qualifications. Sure, she doesn't look like Janet Reno, she doesn't require a bigamous relationship with a teleprompter to string two sentences together, she is somewhat magnetic, and she is fairly sound ideologically. But ask yourself this: Would she have been selected had her name been Scott Palin? Would she get the Elvis treatment? Come on, now. Be honest. We all know the answer.    

More . . .

"

=============================================

I am not a fan of this author..  but he does make some very valid points in this.  I do not like his implying quite directly that Hillary is not smart.. well, where does he get that idea.

Please discuss.



-- Edited by Sanders on Sunday 17th of January 2010 02:36:35 PM

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I read it a little differently. I don't think the author meant that Hillary isn't smart, I took that line to mean that Hillary didn't have to be the smartest person in the room whereas Sarah did.

Hillary has been called a lot of things over the years, but stupid isn't one of them. Even her detractors are well aware that she would have no problem qualifying for Mensa even on a bad day.

Sarah, OTOH, does have a Dan Quayle problem. I have come across far too many people from different walks of life who perceive Sarah as being not particularly bright. This will hurt her if she runs in 2012. The only way she can overcome it is to study the issues until she can talk about all of them in wonkish detail the way Hillary does. Sarah is already well-versed in energy policy, but she needs to develop this kind of in-depth knowledge on every major issue.

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Jen the Michigander wrote:

I read it a little differently. I don't think the author meant that Hillary isn't smart, I took that line to mean that Hillary didn't have to be the smartest person in the room whereas Sarah did.

Hillary has been called a lot of things over the years, but stupid isn't one of them. Even her detractors are well aware that she would have no problem qualifying for Mensa even on a bad day.

Sarah, OTOH, does have a Dan Quayle problem. I have come across far too many people from different walks of life who perceive Sarah as being not particularly bright. This will hurt her if she runs in 2012. The only way she can overcome it is to study the issues until she can talk about all of them in wonkish detail the way Hillary does. Sarah is already well-versed in energy policy, but she needs to develop this kind of in-depth knowledge on every major issue.


LOL, yes, Jen, I see what you are saying. It is my language-conversion problem here. LOL.. Yes, I got it.   [Sometimes, I get the simple expressions wrong because I have never heard it expressed like that before. LOL. ]

And, I agree, Sarah does have a Quayle problem, and then some.   Unfortunately for her, some of us who actually gave her benefit of the doubt repeatedly are withdrawing a bit after her trifecta performance on FOX News lately.  She failed to impress me. I actually revisited the tapes.

Unfortunately for Sarah, she has not demonstrated her ability to learn policy details fast and be able to utilize that knowledge rapidly.


Two days ago, I heard Cheryl Mills talking in front of press - she was fluent beyond belief. I had just finished watching re-run of Sarah on Beck and the contrast was incredible.  

One has to wonder why Sarah was unable to talk in an inspiring way about Liberty  - the statue should have prompted her to talk very fluently. Even that did not happen. 

Her communication does not come across as conversational nor endearing.  This will be a problem for her with centrists who will look squarely at her record of performance in the absence of that communication ease.

-- Edited by Sanders on Monday 18th of January 2010 12:30:43 AM

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Jen the Michigander wrote:

I read it a little differently. I don't think the author meant that Hillary isn't smart, I took that line to mean that Hillary didn't have to be the smartest person in the room whereas Sarah did.

Hillary has been called a lot of things over the years, but stupid isn't one of them. Even her detractors are well aware that she would have no problem qualifying for Mensa even on a bad day.

Sarah, OTOH, does have a Dan Quayle problem. I have come across far too many people from different walks of life who perceive Sarah as being not particularly bright. This will hurt her if she runs in 2012. The only way she can overcome it is to study the issues until she can talk about all of them in wonkish detail the way Hillary does. Sarah is already well-versed in energy policy, but she needs to develop this kind of in-depth knowledge on every major issue.



I agree.  It wasn't so much an insult to Hillary as the truth that Sarah had to be that much smarter in the face of the liberal media.  Just look at what they did to the SMARTEST candidate, Hillary Clinton.

I think Sarah did not make the smart move by joining Fox News.  If she does harbor serious future political ambition, she is going to have to educated herself....do the homework like Hillary does...rather than relying on talking points.

By the same token though, I think Sarah is another victim of the "old boy" news media just as Hillary was.

And now we are all paying for it.  "yes we can....oooooooooooooor, maybe not."
Shame on the 4th Estate for aiding and abetting the lie of a candidate that was Barack Obama...and the DNC should be held to the fire for it as well.

 



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VotedHillary wrote:
Jen the Michigander wrote:

I read it a little differently. I don't think the author meant that Hillary isn't smart, I took that line to mean that Hillary didn't have to be the smartest person in the room whereas Sarah did.

Hillary has been called a lot of things over the years, but stupid isn't one of them. Even her detractors are well aware that she would have no problem qualifying for Mensa even on a bad day.

Sarah, OTOH, does have a Dan Quayle problem. I have come across far too many people from different walks of life who perceive Sarah as being not particularly bright. This will hurt her if she runs in 2012. The only way she can overcome it is to study the issues until she can talk about all of them in wonkish detail the way Hillary does. Sarah is already well-versed in energy policy, but she needs to develop this kind of in-depth knowledge on every major issue.

I agree.  It wasn't so much an insult to Hillary as the truth that Sarah had to be that much smarter in the face of the liberal media.  Just look at what they did to the SMARTEST candidate, Hillary Clinton.

I think Sarah did not make the smart move by joining Fox News.  If she does harbor serious future political ambition, she is going to have to educated herself....do the homework like Hillary does...rather than relying on talking points.

By the same token though, I think Sarah is another victim of the "old boy" news media just as Hillary was.

And now we are all paying for it.  "yes we can....oooooooooooooor, maybe not."

Shame on the 4th Estate for aiding and abetting the lie of a candidate that was Barack Obama...and the DNC should be held to the fire for it as well.
In the beginning I thought perhaps she made a good move in joining FOX news... but the camera is highlighting how limited her offering is.. in every respect.. Her vocabulary, her expressions and her command of policy positions.. all seem very limited.  So, it was not a good move for her to expose that.  It would be better if she came far more prepared.. but then it would look rehearsed, because it would be so different from her style. That is indeed the Quayle problem.

Yes, we have DNC and the MSM to thank for the "no we can't" we are dealing with.



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I only saw part of Sarah's Hannity appearance. She was obviously nervous, which isn't a good sign. Above all, a POTUS should be someone with a take-charge, nothing-freaks-me-out attitude. They may be scared as hell, but they cannot let it show. Ever.

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" It would be better if she came far more prepared.. but then it would look rehearsed, because it would be so different from her style. That is indeed the Quayle problem."

i agree completely, Sanders. I felt all along that she should pull back, stay out of the spotlight, study and deepen her understanding of - well - everything. The, re-emerge as a more competent, serious, viable political force.


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Truthfully, she will be a great VP nominee always.  This is going to so give away my age, but ever since the Ford years...where he suffered not one, but two assasination attempts, it seems like the VP slot for both parties has always been filled by someone designed to strike terror in the heart of any would-be assassin.



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VotedHillary wrote:

Truthfully, she will be a great VP nominee always.  This is going to so give away my age, but ever since the Ford years...where he suffered not one, but two assassination attempts, it seems like the VP slot for both parties has always been filled by someone designed to strike terror in the heart of any would-be assassin.

ROFL,  I'm laughing so much, I have to press down on my tummy here!  LOL  Well, I'm not too far from you in age! LOL

Yes, she would be a good VP candidate, but will anyone pick her for a VP run with them after what happened with McCain and how it has all unraveled?  I have my doubts. Yes, she has some following.. but Michele Bachmann has the same following from the same group and may be able to handle the media a LOT better, and she has a lot less negatives in her debit account!!



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freespirit wrote:

" It would be better if she came far more prepared.. but then it would look rehearsed, because it would be so different from her style. That is indeed the Quayle problem."

i agree completely, Sanders. I felt all along that she should pull back, stay out of the spotlight, study and deepen her understanding of - well - everything. The, re-emerge as a more competent, serious, viable political force.

Absolutely.  And, she needed to hunker down and focus on the work.. and gain experience.  That is the one place from which she could draw more examples of accomplishments that beat having to talk about Wasilla.

Credibility problem comes from lack of observable accomplishments. People can see it very quickly.  She cannot hide that. To make it up would be sham and that would give her integrity problem, and further weaken her confidence.  It is not a good situation.

In her latest interview with Hannity, asked what kind of talk show she might host on FOX News if she were to be given a chance, she said she would interview ordinary heros of America. I think she would do well in such a show.  It may even become a good daytime show some place.. but I cannot see it expanding into a huge political career.. Do you?

 



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Sanders,

I am serious....look at who Bush chose..Cheney....and Kerry chose Edwards.  And this past election...Obama chose Biden!  McCain chose Palin after the media sexists exploded on Hillary.

I stand by my theory....sort of. confuse

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biggrin It's too late in the day to think!  Or may be too early? biggrin

confuse Let's see...  None of those was a good choice!  LOL!

If a Moderate GOP chooses Palin for VP, that would be a SCOTT BROWN!! Geez!!

Brown-Palin ????  That just might work.


Hmmmm  may be this thinking at 2am is not so bad!  biggrin

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what a BS article.

I like Sarah, I would vote for her and campaign for her.


These are the same chauvanist pigs on both sides that have a problem with women, first it was hillary, then it was sarah.



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