VP Debate Fallout...with a "wink" and a nod

I'm a little late with this post but I couldn't let things go any further without at least offering a few comments

As I expected Sarah Palin rose from the depths of her mediocrity to exceed the (knee high to a grasshopper's eye) expectations people had for her performance. That was a good (and basically necessary) thing. However I just have the following observations:
* Was it just me or did her insistence on NOT answering the questions drive you crazy. this was a DEBATE not a campaign commercial. For anyone who did Student Congress or Debate at my high school these answers simply would not have been tolerated by the Nuns...they would have exiled us from the room crying and told us not to come back until we were better prepared.
* I was PLEASANTLY surprised by Joe Biden...he was personable (bordering on charming), emotional, forceful, succinct and most importantly managed to keep his foot out of his mouth the whole time
* What was with the winking???....I almost felt slightly violated by her incessant flirting with the American Public and as a result me. For someone who is supposedly picking up the mantle of feminism through her campaign her shameless abuse of her "womanly wiles" has set women back at least 25 years. The winking and shameless flirting is cute when Tina Fey does her impersonation...but in an actual candidate it is just embarrassing
* The folksy phrases and stories (along with her nasally high pitched whine) have got to go...if I ever hear the words "hockey mom", "Joe six-pack" or "main street" one more time I thought I was gonna scream!!! I understand wanting to connect with the people but that cannot be your whole platform at some point you need to give some specific answers...after all you are running for the second highest office in the land...I expect you to demonstrate a wider range of knowledge and understanding on a variety of subjects...I'm not asking you to be a "Washington insider" or "east coast elite" but I do want you to demonstrate you can string coherent thoughts together and show some ability to think on your feet.

What I thought was interesting post debate was watching the GOP party faithful spin this draw at best into a win for Palin. They waxed poetic about her stunning performance, her "connection" to the American people, and how she exceeded their expectations all the while trying to avoid the VERY real truth that the American public didn't buy it. The polls (particularly among the undecided) were decidedly against her. The "wink" and nod Sarah Palin gave to the American people appears to have been poorly received by anyone not already firmly in her camp. but that's okay the tide is turning in this race and the GOP is starting to run scared (as evidenced by Palin bringing up Ayers and acts he did when Obama was 8 years old as a reason he is not fit to serve and trying to rehash the Rev Wright issues as if we didn't already discuss this ad nauseum) and I am proud of my America cause it looks like this time we won't be hoodwinked...there is still a ways to go and work to do but the winks and nods will not be answered this time.

Why Sarah Palin REALLY pisses me off

The blogs, mainstream media, and every single person I know seems to be talking about one thing.....Sarah Palin. On the eve of the VP debate it seems that people either can't get enough of her or have a new found hate for her.

Ever since her disastrous interview with Katie Couric, it has been interesting to listen to the myriad of opinions about her (I must admit I think Chris Rock on Larry King had my favorite comments about her) and to watch daily as she seems to prove that she may yet be an albatross around the neck of the GOP this election. They are sort of stuck...she is their girl...the handpicked (primarily for the most smarmy and cynical of political reasons) gun-toting, moose killing, lipstick wearing pit bull attack dog Annie Oakley from the west who was gonna come in and bring the win for the GOP on home. However she is turning into a bit of a one-trick pony. yes her speech at the RNC threw plenty of "red-meat" to the base, and she was able to effectively deliver a very personal (and unnecessarily snarky I might add) oration that was received well; but her interviews are quite frankly scary. The simple fact that she seems to have difficulty answering even basic questions (like what newspapers do you read) with a straight answer from a VERY gentle interviewer (Katie Couric is no Tim Russert...God I miss him!!) scares me. This woman wants to be a possible contended for the leader of the free world??? The fact that their campaign will cry foul and "sexism" when people are simply feeling out a candidate's position on the issues, and the fact that she had to be "chaperoned" by "daddy" McCain during an interview proves she is simply not ready for prime time. I think my thoughts were summed up quite well in the title of Fareed Zakaria's article in October 6 issue of Newsweek "Palin Is Ready? Please."

That is actually not my problem with Palin. ARROGANCE plain and simple is what makes me angry about this woman. What really pisses me off is that she thinks she IS READY. The level of arrogance and cluelessness you have to have to think that, despite objective facts to the contrary is simply mind blowing. She has decided she wants something that was offered to her and damn the facts, damn her lack of knowledge, damn her complete absence of curiosity about the world (she makes travel seem like it is a bad thing last time I checked if you want to potentially be the leader of the free world...maybe you should have begun to see it prior to last year...and no you do not need a trust fund or wealthy parents to find a way to travel. I too have consistently held at least one job and usually two or three since I was 15 and yet I was curious enough about the world to get a passport and find a way to go a few places without the monetary assistance of my parents) she is going to get it. she is arrogant because despite being put on the ticket SOLELY as a female "affirmative action" candidate (and here I thought the GOP was against affirmative action)...She acts as if the vice presidency is somehow owed to her. She is Arrogant because she chooses only to see her limited white, middle-class, anti-intellectual, small town, Alaskan worldview and not only declares it as being the only correct and valid one...but derides all other points of view or life experiences (this would be why she delivered such a disparaging speech at the RNC). She is arrogant because she has long history of basically eliminating people from her employ who don't share her ideas (she feels somehow above normal employment rules and common courtesy)...it is her way or the highway. This is particularly dangerous in times like these we need all heads at the table (even when they don't agree). We need to be able to say while I disagree with you on a,b and c...I think there might be some common ground on d, e and f. We need someone who is secure enough in their position and view to allow it to be challenged and if need be to have their view refined. But no, Sarah is the original "Mean Girl" (watch out Lindsay Lohan)...she must rule the roost, and have her flunkies follow her with complete submission and she is completely intent on destroying people in her way even if it takes some falsehood to do it. I would no more want this type of poison in the White house than I would want to continue the anti-intellectual, secretive, deceitful policies of the Bush Administration (but that is a post for another day)....my only solace is that as the old folks say "God don't like ugly" and one can only hope that the ugliness she has sown will come back to haunt her very soon.

Unlike a lot of people I actually think she will do well in the debate....after all she is the gregarious prom queen type and the bar is so ridiculously low for her right now as long as she breathes in and out and forms complete sentences her side will call it a win...and Joe Biden (the original "mr foot in mouth" disease) is much more likely to have a major gaffe which will be exploited ad nauseum. But no matter what she does later tonight...I truly think this woman is poison and she really gets me pissed off...so pissed off that I donated some more money to Obama's campaign so pissed off I will be working in IN getting out the vote for the Democrats this weekend! So pissed off that I am writing this blog

So never mind miss Sarah don't you worry your pretty (and mostly empty) head about it...keep being you...I will keep being pissed off...being pissed off is a very, very good thing!!