Palin has no clue how entitlements work.

[ProSense]

Palin has no clue how entitlements work.

Tonight in an ABC interview, host Charlie Gibson asked Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) if she would cut entitlements — such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Palin, however, began talking about spending by government agencies, demonstrating a fundamental ignorance on economics:

GIBSON: Do you talk about entitlement reform? Is there money you can save in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid?

PALIN: I am sure that there are efficiencies that are going to be found in all of these agencies. I’m confident in that.

GIBSON: The agencies are not involved in entitlements. Basically, discretionary spending is 18 percent of the budget.

Watch it:

(http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/12/palin-entitlement">Sarah Palin on entitlements)

Last weekend, Palin also tried to explain the recent federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by saying that they had “gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers.” The companies, however, aren’t taxpayer funded but rather operate as private companies.

<...>

Update Palin used the word "efficiencies" four different times during the interview to refer to money that can be saved in government agencies. She presumably meant "inefficiencies."

McCain should have gone all the way and selected a doorknob for his running mate.

[Muttocracy]

1. "I'm confident in that." Unblinky just digs herself deeper. nt

[eshfemme]

2. Someone pleeeeease splice this interview together with beauty pagent vids!

It's just DYING for it.

[Sodan]

9. here

haven't watched it yet

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=yd2008

[DefenseLawyer]

3. Later in the interview she counted to 3 by stomping her foot.

Wow. As Ron White once said, you can't fix stupid.

[Eric J in MN]

4. The word "efficiencies" is fine in that sentence, gramatically.

More efficient ways to do things.

The word "inefficiencies" would also have been fine.

[ProSense]

7. It's not fine in the context of her response to the question or

the other three times.

[speedoo]

5. A heartbeat away. How scary is that?

I hope she scared a lot of people. We can't afford to lose this election.

[ProSense]

16. Expose Palin as an unqualified corrupt fraud

and McCain goes down.

[Terran]

6. That really says something about her as a governor

because states have entitlement spending too, they distribute those funds from the feds. Lots and LOTS of federal programs involve the concept of entitlement (HUD housing grant programs, for instance), and as a governor it's appalling that she doesn't seem to know what this concept means.

[yardwork]

8. Alaska is the #1 consumer of federal handouts. Why would she want to cut that?

Sarah Palin is the Pork Queen of Alaska.

[JimWis]

10. It amazes me how little she knows about government -

how did she ever get where she is? I think McCain would probably do better with a doorknob.

[johnaries]

11. I hate the term "entitlements"! It's a RW term.

Just like "death tax".

[judasdisney]

14. Exactly -- for Fuck's Sake, STOP using the term "entitlements"!

Jesus fucking Christ. What does it take?

Can I start using "Anti-Life" instead of "Pro-Choice"? No.

Language fucking matters. Stop helping the fascists.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. Technically, Fannie Mae is going to cost the taxpayers

its awful to think that in some perverse way this nutcase might be half a degree correct.

Fannie Mae is going to be very very expensive to the taxpayers. Palin just got it wrong, the expense is when govt makes us bail out FM.

But of course the CEOs will still get their big fat bonuses in the millions.

[Cleita]

13. Gee and here she is the biggest recipient of entitlements with her

per diems and other perks she gets as a government employee.

[beac]

15. Ya gotta give it to her-- the gal is a wiz at memorizing vocabulary words.

Their definitions, not so much.

[grantcart]

17. she is not qualified to be governor of Alaska, but the mayor thing is probably ok

[northernlights]

19. your joking right?

the "mayor thing" took a town of roughly 5500 with no debt and left it with 22m $$ of debt. Oh, plus a million dollar sports stadium that operates at a loss and is situated on land that has been in title dispute for, er, 7 years!!!!!!!

Oh, also the "mayor thing" is where she perfected the art of abuse of power to the point of nearly being recalled, as I recall. Isn't that where she tried to fire the town librarian for refusing to censor books?

[grantcart]

20. well she said the pledge of allegiance well

and I think creating some debt for an indoor sports arena is a good thing but I didn't know about the title dispute.


So to answer the question about her being the right person for mayor it could go either way but would depend on who else was available. Maybe the other candidate wanted to close the library.

See I am neither sexist nor close minded - Vote Palin for Mayor, maybe.

[ProSense]

21. As Mayor, she

was a wingnut.

[grantcart]

22. yes but she was a wingnut with a flagpin

[AlCzervik]

18. She has no clue and what i thought was really astounding was when Charlie asked

her about what parts of the Bush economic policies she would change she could not answer one, not a one, she did not give any kind of an answer.