Exactly how damaged is Palin?

[DrToast]

Two-thirds of voters saw the “Saturday Night Live” election parodies during the campaign season and 10 percent said the program had an influence on their vote. Asked whether they would prefer Alaska Gov. Saran Palin (R) or actress Tina Fey — who portrayed Palin on the show, to hilarious effect — as vice president, 51 percent said Fey.

:rofl:

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_55/politics/30001-1.html

[President Decider]

1. At a national level .... she's very damaged.

Granted the radical RW base may like her, that's really about all she appeals to. She definately screwed the pooch with regard to many women and also centrist moderates.

America has spoken .... nobody wants an "extreme" view coupled with divicive politics anymore .....weather its right or left.

[Blue_In_AK]

2. She may be damaged

but she doesn't see it that way, which makes her particularly dangerous and delusional in my mind. The interview with her published in this morning's Anchorage Daily News reveals how astonishingly narcissistic she is and how unwilling she is to accept any responsibility for her ticket's loss -- or for ANYTHING negative or unethical, for that matter. The way she sees it, she has done nothing wrong EVER -- Monegan? Nothing to see here, move along. Per diem while she stayed in her own home? I reported it, so it's okay. The state picking up the travel expenses to events that they weren't invited to for her children and husband? No big deal.

Her standard response seems to be "Get over it." Her arrogance and lack of self-awareness is monumental.

http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/584193.html

[CakeGrrl]

9. That's the big red flag - she's more sociopathic than Bush when it comes to taking responsibility

People need to remember how she flat-out acted as if the first Troopergate finding said the exact opposite of what it did. She didn't want it to be negative, so that's how she saw it.

She didn't think her hate speech against Obama was hateful, so she denied that it was so because that suited her reality.

She'll keep on going and wrecking shit along the way until someone else puts the brakes on the whole thing.

[DrToast]

18. She is worse than Bush in every possible way imaginable. n/t

[Essene]

20. she TRULY has fascist overtones.

Speaking for God? Claiming her policies are God's Will?

Claiming criticism of her is not only unfair but a threat to the 1st amendment?

Suggesting only white rural america is real america, pro-American?

Suggesting her opponent is dangerous, pallin with domestic terrorists?

Taking absolutely no responsibility for the nativist hate and fear mongering she engaged in?


This lady hasn't hesitated to say that Blue is Green when it suits her. At least with the Bush admin we know they were calling it Green out of raw cynicism and propaganda. She calls it Green because she's truly delusional.

[Lucy Goosey]

10. "Her arrogance and lack of self-awareness is monumental." EXACTLY.

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." Bertrand Russell

[rvablue]

15. Blue in AK I'm so glad that you are here to remind us firsthand not to underestimate

this woman.

I think there are so many DUers that are totally up for her being the nominee in 2012 because they think it will be easy to defeat her.

But I don't feel that way and I don't think you do....I don't want to see her anywhere near any seat or position of power after she leaves the Governor's office.

And I think it is naive, because of her self-adoration, to not take her very, very seriously.

Thanks for your posts and I hope you continue to keep an eye on her!

[Blue_In_AK]

19. Thanks, rvablue

I do worry that people on the left merely want to laugh at her and dismiss her as an anomaly. But we've seen how she can work a crowd, and I know firsthand how she was able to pull the wool over so many Alaskans' eyes for the past two years. My daughter, a bright girl, voted for her in 2006 for governor (a vote she regrets now, of course), and most of us thought she was doing a good job as our executive. Of course, we hadn't seen the divisive hateful side that she presented as a VP candidate, but she is politically quite savvy, and I'm worried that she will somehow convince Alaskans (and most particularly the legislature) that everything she said as VP candidate was just part of campaigning, not really who she is as a person, that we can still trust her.

I myself will never trust her again, but a lot of people are easily fooled, and some people here are blindly loyal to her, so that's a problem.

[merh]

25. Don't you think that the former governor's daughter may well

want to be sure that Palin's abuses and wrongs are not buried and forgotten?

Think about how you would feel, if it had been your father that Palin went after, called names, smeared his name (even if all said about him was true), wouldn't you be incensed by Palin's "truths" that were unburied while she was under the spotlight?

I don't think all of the controversy is over for Palin and I think she may well be getting a bill or two from the IRS.

[CakeGrrl]

30. +1. I don't want her to be a threat on a national ticket ever again. n/t

[calimary]

3. Not nearly enough.

Hopefully, sufficiently damaged that she can't stage a comeback in 2012. She'd be trouble. A HUGE headache. Remember this, please: if there's anything republi-CONS do well, it's learning from their mistakes. They learn how to get around things, sneak underneath things, go stealth much more effectively, and many more of the dark arts. They learned from Watergate (get rid of the evidence!!!). They learned from other people's mistakes (Clinton's: NEVER go under oath!!!!). They learn. Granted, they learn all the wrong things as far as the betterment of ALL of America. And it's ALWAYS to our detriment.

She must NOT be allowed to rise again. The bad guys got REALLY close, over this last eight years. They almost nailed it. All they would have needed, Supreme Court-wise, was one more republi-CON term. Just ONE. They were ONE term away from butt-fucking America for generations by permanently warping the Supreme Court. They were THAT close. Every time they're allowed to come back, they get closer.

WE HAVE TO BE ON OUR GUARD!!!

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!! PERPETUAL VIGILANCE!!!!

We must NEVER let down our guard in our battle with these people. They certainly won't. They'll always be trying to get back in. And we have to do everything we can to keep them down and out of power for as long as possible.

[Blue_In_AK]

5. You're right, Calimary.

Sarah may be down, but she's certainly not out. She has just enough crazy supporters here to keep her in the forefront, and sadly a lot of Alaskans just dig their heels in deeper when they think that "Outsiders" are attacking them or their politicians. The continuing (though decreasing) support for Ted Stevens is a perfect example.

It's going to be up to the vigilant people in my great state to take her down. I hope we have the strength and the numbers to do it.

[BlueMTexpat]

31. I believe that you and Calimary are right on the money.

We were extremely lucky that we had an exceptional ticket in Obama-Biden, who ran an excellent campaign. We also had an exceptional man like Howard Dean at the DNC helm. Dean led the way and built the infrastructure that Obama-Biden and other Dem candidates could use, and the campaign used it well. For once, Dems also showed real unity. We didn't have the crazy traitors like Zell Miller and the like this time around. OK, there was Lieberman, but he showed his true colors in 2006 and so his betrayal was not a game-changer. Besides, no matter what he quietly re-registered as after the election, he is so clearly NOT a Dem.
I don't underestimate for one minute this woman, who is a sociopath exactly like Bush 2, or those who see in her their avenue to controlling the highest office in the land. She may be ignorant but she has supreme self-confidence, in part because she is so blinded by her narcissism. She knows how to work a crowd and she can parrot speeches very well. And the RW base absolutely adores her.
Thank God that Obama-Biden won this election. But this is just the beginning. Dems must also learn from their past mistakes, and among them is the huge mistake that once a Dem President was elected, we could all sit back and rest on our laurels until the next Presidential election rolled around. The Republicans don't do that. They begin working on the next election right away. They are in some disarray right now because their "base" has actually shown its frightening hand and scared those who are more moderate. But that disarray won't last for long, I'm afraid. At bottom, Republicans value an authoritarian hand and they are just waiting for someone to tell them what to do. Think Gingrich in 1994. And remember what that led to. :nuke:
In the meantime, I really am enjoying these Obama moments. :woohoo:

[BOSSHOG]

4. I don't think to much

relative to the gop base. She's ignorant, hateful, superficial and artifical (at the same time), she's a religious zealot. she's a fucking queen bee of the right wing with those values.

[uponit7771]

6. To fundie nuts? Not much, Please vote for her in 2012 primaries!!!

Thx

[Bobbie Jo]

7. Brain function...or in what respect, Charlie?

She's done IMO.

[Motown_Johnny]

8. She was always a light weight and now she is a damaged light weight. Romney and/or Huckabee

will destroy her.

She will end up on FOX

[Blue_In_AK]

11. I guess I have a more parochial interest in all this

being a proud Alaskan. Sure, Romney or Huckabee may destroy her on the national level, but we here in Alaska are stuck with her for the next two years (unless a recall or impeachment is successful). She has done such a phenomenal job of wrecking our already tarnished reputation in two months -- I hate to think how much damage she can do in two more years.

[crazylikafox]

13. Any realistic chances for a recall in your opinion?

[Blue_In_AK]

17. I don't know.

I'm afraid that the legislature might be willing to give her another chance, but I certainly hope that they stay vigilant. She got away with a lot in her first two years as governor that we didn't become aware of until the national spotlight was turned on her. She's just delusional enough to think that none of that matters, which in a way is probably a good thing, because she will probably continue to bend the ethics to her advantage, and with more people watching now she won't be able to get away with it.

It's tricky because she does have strong support among a certain segment, and they'll be screaming the loudest if they think the legislature is being "obstructionist." We won't really have a clear picture until January when the legislature reconvenes.

[Motown_Johnny]

21. I don't have a bad opinion of all Alaskans because of Sarah Palin

there are plenty of Republicans who are embarrassing all over our nation. I don't have a lower opinion of the people they happen to represent because of it.

Do you think less of people in Idaho because some guy got caught in a bathroom stall?


I know that is not the same thing and I won't pretend it is. I do think that the wound is fresh right now and that it should heal in the next few months. Sarah Palin is not Alaska and we all know it.


Honestly I don't even know why you think your reputation is already tarnished. I don't think any less of Alaska than I do any other red state.

[Blue_In_AK]

34. Thank you, Motown.

If I didn't love Alaska and its people as much as I do, I wouldn't care at all, but Sarah has given us such a black eye -- and the fact that she can't even conceive of that possibility is just infuriating to me and many others. The comments on the Anchorage Daily News site are pretty revealing, I think. There are some fruitcakes out there, but by and large we are appalled at her behavior. I've just got my fingers crossed that the legislature will stand up to her and not let her get away with this stuff. She's just as corrupt as all the "Corrupt Bastards" that the FBI and the Justice Department have been putting away here over the past two years. I certainly hope they turn their eyes towards her now.

[Essene]

27. yes, Romney and Huckabee would obliterate her in a 2012 primary

I start uncontrollably laughing when i imagine her having to deal with Romney on her "fiscal record."

And she's explicitly said she knows God's Will, has suggested "God will do the right thing" in electing her, and even talked openly about prophecy and revelation. Imagine what a former Pastor like Huckabee would do with that...

Unless she works hard to distance herself from the pentecostals in the coming 4 years, she's going to be marked as a fringe, heretical wacko.

[pirate_satellite]

12. Maybe the more important question is:

how much damage can she do to America?

I'm not too worried about her ever being elected President, and if they run her in 2012 there's a big upside in that we might get a 'free' second Obama term. But as we saw in this election, having this ignorant, crypto-white-supremacist running around the country spreading the hate really does make America a very ugly place. With her at the top of the ticket, without whatever moderating influence the McCain people had on her, I think she'd really create something unbelievably ugly across the heartland. And after the election is over some people have to live with the aftereffects of that in their daily life in a really unpleasant way.

[zulchzulu]

14. My RNC-connected friend says she will be thrown under the bus like Kathleen Harris

She took too many Republican votes to Obama... he said there are a LOT of pissed GOP operatives that thought McCain made the wrong choice and that Palin is trash. She can get the "base", who many top level GOP people find to be the reason why they are losing too many women, blacks, hispanics, independents and Goldwater-type moderates.

If Palin is the new "leader", they are fucked. She's a backwater gaffe machine.

[DrToast]

16. I can believe it. Anyone with a brain (although this is the RNC) knows she's unelectable. n/t

[grantcart]

22. This thread is worthless without a CAT scan

[rucky]

23. Time to send Tina Fey a fruit basket.

She may have single-handedly saved the country. and relegated her career to a type-cast in the process.

[DeschutesRiver]

24. She is now the "Unsinkable Titanic" - politically wounded fatally

but you can't see it yet - she still appears to be seaworthy sitting atop the waves, and the band is playing on.

While she is in reality sinking.

Look, she is stupid and she only appeals to the base - the most ignorant people we have here in the USA. Not to the smarter or more compassionate real people even tho I don't agree with them Repubs - those people are done with her.

Just before Election day, in our rural area, if you told people that you'd never vote for Palin because she is simply too dumb to be qualified for Veep, the FIRST thing they'd counter with is "Well, but she is so cute." Or "but she is VERY attractive." Honestly, and repeatedly. They didn't watch the VP debate, they'd never even heard the dumb comments she made, they not only don't watch KO or Rachel, they don't even watch news shows much. Maybe they saw her photo, or they heard a snippet of one of her rallies when she did string two sentences together because she was reading a prompter and said "yeah, she'll do - looks good, sounds good, is a governor, that's okay." And they went back to their lives and forgot about it.

I'll tell you right now - she will keep saying dumb things, and the repubs who want the party to quit being so stupid and menacing will drop her like a hot rock, in fact the Romneys and such will lead the way. As for the freaky fundie hard core fanatical christian types who are almost 100% in favor of her (and who want America to look/act like it did when the founding fathers were here, just like fanatical islamists who want the 15th century back and no diversity tolerated either, or name your favorite fanatical religious group here)? By the time 2012 rolls around, these stupid and highly superficial fundies will take one look at how ugly the normal aging process has made Sarah as she moves from 44 to 48 years old, and wonder what they ever found to like about her in the first place. Will wake up and say, hey, didn't this bitch already lose once? All she will get by plastic surgery or botox is a Joan Rivers/Burt Reynolds look, if not by 2012, then definitely by 2016. Live by your slutty good lucks, get thrown under the bus when you lose 'em.

And that is only if she manages to fight her way back into the political good graces of the Alaskans, given what could come down the pike to greet her in the next months. We'll see, but that is my bet - age is gonna take the looks that made the dummies vote for her, her own fat mouth is gonna make even more dumb statement that will flabbergast the independents/moderate repubs, and of course, the party big wigs are already in process of executing her demise. Watch for the MF'r of all big scandals to descend upon Sarah and eliminate her from the competition.

She won't be a serious candidate for 2012, any more than she was when they picked her for this slot - ie, not at all, merely there for eye candy reasons. Buh bye Sarah.

[Essene]

26. Here's the real danger of Sarah Palin: she's only 44 years old

Folks are way too focused on her immediate future.

1. She could vanish for 20 years and come back at age 64 which is fairly mild for Presidential candidates. See my point?

2. Her primary limitations were her naivete and provincialism. She had absolutely no awareness of her own limits. If she gains such awareness and builds up a real resume, she becomes a major asset for the GOP.

3. She's ignorant but not entirely stupid. Go re-watch the GOP Convention speech... and realize just how naturally charismatic and slick she really is. Regardless of who wrote that all, she's a true natural and 99.999% of the population couldn't perform as well as she can. There is a form of intelligence behind her charisma and it's not merely being flirty.

4. We're going to see a long-term hardening among the white, alienated pastoral americans who identify with her. She's the ultimate spokeswoman for that disaffected group... which includes the nativists, the theocrats and the raw far-right culture warriors.

5. There's a small but significant group of theocrats who truly see her as part of God's plan. I think she undeniably has become the champion of the Third Wave types and this has rippled beyond the pentecostal and charismatic networks. The entire "Esther" thing is not going away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixGzMhfQtV0

[Ganja Ninja]

28. She will always have appeal to that loyal 40%.

She's the candidate of the poor, ignorant, white, gun clinging, evangelical Republicans. That's where her appeal ends too. The big money corporate elites will not allow her to take control of the party and if she should be the candidate in 2012 they won't support her. Something will happen between now and 2012 to ruin her chances. Mark my words.

[Essene]

29. more like 15-20%

The GOP itself is just under 30% of the country and only 65% of those support her right now.

I think that's going to dissipate quickly.

She won't hold as much sway when there are other republican evangelicals and religious-right folks in the contest.

[Ganja Ninja]

33. I meant 40% of Republican's only.

[leftist.]

32. We REALLY kicked the legs out from under that party with this election.

And they were already in horrible shape. We took out three "rising stars" - Palin, Adam Putnam, and Roy Blunt - and Cantor made a gigantic mistake with his "No" vote reasoning on the bailout - that Pelosi hurt his feelings. He's obviously one to watch but my personal opinion is that he goes nowhere, and fast! There's just nothing about him that (were I a republican) makes me say "I want to be on his team". In fact, if I were a republican looking for a team I'd probably go with Palin and that train has already left the station. They are in really bad shape on that side of the aisle. We knocked them off balance in 2006 (George Allen was a big win for us, as was Talent) and with what we did in 2008 I agree with Carville that we've crippled them for at least a generation.

I'd also like to add :woohoo: