Comedy | July 19, 2009 | 25 comments

Sarah Palin, The Anti-Poet

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wayseeker
By John Lundberg

Watching Sarah Palin resign the other week, I remembered how frustrating it is to listen to her speak. She uses simple words, but combines them into a fog that's hard to penetrate, out of which a few political clichés like "freedom" and "reform" appear. Most politicians, of course, obfuscate to some degree, but Palin is a master, and she does it constantly. Look at how she turns a simple statement into a mind-numbing puzzle (this is from Hart Seely's terrific collection of found poems taken from actual Sarah Palin quotes):

You know,
Small mayors,
Mayors of small towns--
Quote, unquote--
They're on the front lines.

A quick analysis reveals why understanding Palin can be such a challenge. She follows a folksy "you know" with a clear misstatement--"small mayors"--which she follows with a clarification, which she then amends with the inexplicable "quote, unquote." By the time she gets to her point--that small town mayors are on the front lines (which she could have simply said)--one is too bogged down in misstatements, repetitions, poor syntax and folksiness to know what to think. This is, no doubt, why her interviewers often look a bit stunned, jaw slightly agape, when Palin finishes answering a question: they don't have a clear idea of what she said.

When you extend Palin's speaking style (if it's even a style) to a more complex issue like the bailout, it becomes a sort of verbal Armageddon. Here's another found poem by Seely called "On the Bailout":

Ultimately,
What the bailout does
Is help those who are concerned
About the health care reform
That is needed
To help shore up our economy,
Helping the--
It's got to be all about job creation, too.

Shoring up our economy
And putting it back on the right track.
So health care reform
And reducing taxes
And reining in spending
Has got to accompany tax reductions
And tax relief for Americans.
And trade.

We've got to see trade
As opportunity
Not as a competitive, scary thing.
But one in five jobs
Being created in the trade sector today,
We've got to look at that
As more opportunity.
All those things.

Your head should be spinning at this point.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-lundberg/sarah-palin-the-anti-poet_b_237935.h...
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25 comments // Sarah Palin, The Anti-Poet

  • wayseeker
    • 0
      wayseeker  
    • Thanks for the comments. Your right, it's pointless to try to communicate with someone so full of hate that they can't make rational statements.

    • 2 years ago
  • cztheday
    • 0
      cztheday  
    • Wayseeker,

      I admire your patience and your sincerity in attempting to engage ihatethemall in a discussion. But you should know that in his case you are wasting your time. He is obsessed with his bizarre hatred for Obama and can literally think of almost nothing else. I am persuaded that he thinks Obama is responsible for every action taken by the Federal government...and that every one of those actions is directed at making his life miserable.

      By all means continue if you wish, but most of us have danced this tiresome little dance with him before, and I thought I might save you a little shoe leather. He has nothing of any substance to say and is incapable of expressing an original thought. I was so grateful to Current for posting that little tutorial on the noncare and nonfeeding of trolls...I had heard that term but was uncertain as to its precise meaning. Now I understand that it is a synonym for ihatethemall.

    • 2 years ago
  • wayseeker
    • 0
      wayseeker  
    • "He will talk himself into a corner and he won't be able to get out".? What is being said here? Is anything being said? Maybe he is saying I hate Obama and hope he eats a worm and dies. That's all I can get out of it.

    • 2 years ago
  • alivein85
    • 0
      alivein85  
    • Hm. Reminds me of "Bushisms".

      "He will do himself in." could not be truer for a 'tard like dubya.

      Mr.-i-know-everything-and-own-all-the-world's-experience, enter w/ your reBUTTal.

      no one else here is from Illinois, so you must have the best knowledge, right? everyone else is an idiot and you know everything the whole world has to offer, right? right.

    • 2 years ago
  • nanac
    • 0
      nanac  
    • A wise man once said. "love their neighbor as thy self".....A true patriot want to see their Country succeed , regardless who the President is.

    • 2 years ago
  • wayseeker
    • 0
      wayseeker  
    • nanac:

      Yes and that wise quote is being lost on a number of people these days. I am holding my breath for Obama because I want him to succeed and I want him to be alright during these trying times.

    • 2 years ago
  • wayseeker
    • 0
      wayseeker  
    • I apologize for my sarcasm. That solves nothing. I just don't think until I know for a fact differently that Obama is a dishonorable person anymore than JFK or LBJ were dishonorable. They all have to play the often dirty political game in order to stay in power and get anything good done. I've watched these guys for 56 yrs. so I don't consider myself naive. I think they usually do the best they can considering their situation. Maybe you know more about this than I do but I hope you are exaggerating.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
  • wayseeker
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  
    • I know thats what you meant and thats exactly what I meant. He will talk himself into a cornor one day and he won't be able to get out. His lies and bullshit that he spews will be his downfall.

    • 2 years ago
  • wayseeker
  • Ihatethemall
  • wayseeker
  • Ihatethemall
  • wayseeker
  • nanac
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  
    • nanac:

      Why are people who dislike obama and his socialist programs called haters?
      The same reason why people are called anti-semites when speaking out against israel. A sad and pathetic attempt to try and shame someone into shutting up for speaking out. Well it isn't going to work on me.

    • 2 years ago
  • wayseeker
    • 0
      wayseeker  
    • He is a professor of constitutional law and a book author. He is extremely fluent in the English language. He may be making mistakes but he is a man of honor. That's why I get angry when people are just looking for some way to put him down.

    • 2 years ago
  • nanac
    • 0
      nanac  
    • Not only can Obama read, he can also write........Obama writes many of his own speeches..Unlike Bush and Palin, he can speak fluent English..................President Obama is an extremely intelligent, hard working man that morals seem to be unchallenged by most Politicians.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
  • wayseeker
    • 0
      wayseeker  
    • Yes and unfortunately Hitler happened to be highly intelligent. I'm not speaking morality here. I'm saying good public speaking, even from a monitor is an art most people can't master to the extent Obama has. That includes me and maybe you.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  
    • So you figure that being able to read the English language from a teleprompter indicates high intelligence?
      Hitler was a great speaker too.

    • 2 years ago
  • Viciouspike
  • wayseeker
    • 0
      wayseeker  
    • Obama is a master at public speaking which is a good quality that indicates high intelligence. This is totally different than expelling useless drivel as Palin does.

    • 2 years ago
  • uberdeft
    • 0
      uberdeft  
    • Ossum post!! This dribble of folksy buzz words encapsulates the majority of our citizens' mental capacity. But Obama is the master of his role, the syntax is whole for the critics and broke is the new black!

    • 2 years ago
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