During the waning days of the McCain campaign we were introduced to various characters. There was, famously, “Joe the Plumber.” Later we got “Tito the Builder” and a whole slew of other “Someone the Somethings.”
You’d think that with the election over, we’d be done with that. But, no, there’s still at least one more: “Sarah the Stupid.” Post-election, it’s time for Republican hand-wringing and finger-pointing and not a few are now leaking stories about how Stupid Sarah cost Republicans the election. CNN’s Campbell Brown gives the best reason for understanding how that argument is bogus.
Whether the Republicans now ripping into her campaign ghost are correct or not, what Campbell Brown noted is true. Those self-same, self-assured, supercilious Republicans are the ones who picked her. They then vehemently defended themselves against charges that she had not been vetted.
Watching the feeding frenzy might lead some to think “Sarah the Sap” or “Sarah the Sucker” are the more appropriate monikers. Surely she must have known she was not qualified to be (Vice) President of the United States. She was on a roll in Alaska, and if she’d stayed there, she might have had time to mature before diving headfirst (headlong?) into the pool of national politics.
But just as Eva Peron once exhorted Argentinians not to cry for her, so, too, might Sarah justifiably tell Americans not to worry about her. “I’m gunna be fine,” she might say.
You betcha.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Pat // Nov 7, 2008 at 11:19 am
WE are to Blame
Don’t get me wrong – Palin was a disaster in waiting. And obviously Palin was used by the campaign.
All that Sarah Palin IS guilty of is that she allowed herself to be used. Clearly, she didn’t have the understanding that moving to the Big Leagues was going to be different than running for Mayor or even for Governor of an insulated, small population state.
There are a lot of people out there who get by with flash over substance – sizzle over steak. (Paris Hilton anyone?) Unfortunately, a run for President will examine and magnify and distort every possible flaw a person has and even those they don’t have … and Sarah either didn’t consider that or actually believed that she was qualified (I would bet on the latter). She had stars in her eyes. It’s sad to see what is now happening, but it is also so very predictable given how our society falls for the cult of “celebrity”.
So who is ultimately responsible? WE ARE. We are a society that encourages the mediocre to overreach. We egg them on to reach the top and then we gather with stones in our hands to knock them down when they get there.
2 Bob // Nov 8, 2008 at 9:41 am
Was Sarah over her head? Yup.
Will she use this to vault her into the national arena? Absolutely. She will come back a ‘new and improved’ candidate. The question is, what will she, and her party, stand for?
Bobs last blog post..Strength and Suicide
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