Soccer Moms // Current

Dumbing down of the GOP

Sarah Palin's debate performance should signal the beginning of the end of her fad. But for the moment it is worth looking at the meaning of her nomination, without the protective varnish of what conservatives usually dismiss as political correctness.

Why should we pretend not to notice when Gov. Palin's ideas make no sense? Having said last week that "it doesn't matter" whether human activity is the cause of climate change, she said in debate that she "doesn't want to argue" about the causes. It doesn't occur to her that we have to know the causes in order to address the problem. (She was very fortunate that moderator Gwen Ifill didn't ask her whether she truly believes that human beings and dinosaurs inhabited this planet simultaneously only 6,000 years ago.)

Why should we ignore her inability to string together a series of coherent thoughts? As a foe of Wall Street greed and a late convert to the gospel of government regulation, along with John McCain, Palin promised to clean up and reform business. But when her programmed talking points about "getting government out of the way" and protecting "freedom" conflicted with that promise, she didn't notice.

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Why should we give her a pass on the most important issues of the day? Supposedly sharing the fears and concerns of the average families who face the burdens of mortgages, healthcare and economic insecurity, Palin simply refused to discuss changes in bankruptcy law and proved that she didn't know the provisions of McCain's healthcare plan.

All the glaring defects so blatantly on display in her debate with Joe Biden -- and that make her candidacy so darkly comical -- would be the same if she were a hockey dad instead of a "hockey mom." In fact, the cynical attempt to foist Palin on the nation as a symbol of feminist progress is an insult to all women regardless of their political orientation.

There was a time when conservatives lamented the dumbing down of American culture. Preservation of basic standards in schools and workplaces compelled them -- or so they said -- to resist affirmative action for women and minorities. Qualifications mattered; merit mattered; and demagogic appeals for leveling were to be left to the Democrats.

Not anymore.

Actually, the Palin phenomenon is the culmination of a trend that can be traced back to Dan Quayle, the undistinguished Indiana senator whose elevation onto the Republican ticket in 1988 had nothing to do with intellect or experience and everything to do with the youthful appeal of a handsome blond frat boy. (That was how Republican strategists thought they would attract female voters back then, which must be why they believe Palin represents progress.) Quayle too was unable to articulate, let alone defend, the policy positions for which he was supposed to be campaigning. He too had to undergo the surgical stuffing of stock phrases into his head as a minimal substitute for knowledge and thought. And in the same sad way, he too benefited from the drastically reduced expectations applied to anyone whose inadequacy is so obvious.

Quayle deserved more pity than scorn, however, because he seemed to know that he was fighting far above his weight class. Palin evokes no such sympathy, with her jut-jawed, moose-gutting confidence in her own overrated "common sense" and her bullying insistence that only "elitists" would question her expertise.

As Biden showed quite convincingly when he spoke about his modest background and his continuing connection with Main Street, perceptive, intelligent discourse is in no way identical with elitism. Palin's phony populism is as insulting to working- and middle-class Americans as it is to American women. Why are basic diction and intellectual coherence presumed to be out of reach for "real people"? Sarah Palin's debate performance should signal the beginning of the end of her fad.... more

MeganMcKenzie
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28 comments

Palin cheated during debate.

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muckraker
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1 year ago
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12 comments

Debate This, Straight Up.

Well you aren't invited to the wedding anyways so....She smiles when she lies.

TeamBoo
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1 year ago
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3 comments

Lost in translation? LA Times article 'The politics of spunk'

Slight nuance in the use of the word between us and our US cousins by the look of... more

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Palin's Attack On Obama's Patriotism Raise Questions About Palins' Association With Secessionist

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Palin, Biden face off in VP debate

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Palin Runs For Senate Dictator - TV Republicas Ride The "Straight Talking Points" Express

It was creepy to watch Sarah Palin ignore Gwen Ifill's questions and repeat the same... more

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What would you ask Sarah Palin?

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Palin disagrees with McCain’s Michigan decision - says her and her husband can win

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Palin's Tax Return Missing Travel Reimbursements

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Palin gets back on track, but Biden wins debate CNN Reports

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Record refutes Palin's Sudan claim

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Factcheck.org: loose with the truth in St. Louis

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Flirting her way to victory

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Sarah Palin Swimsuit

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goingforawalk
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So Palin can speak in complete sentences. She still knows nothing

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Palin's Tax Records for '06 / '07

Watchdog groups have called on Palin to release details of her income and taxes since... more

Apocalipstick
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'Palin really didn't answer the questions'

Link to this video Michael Tomasky reviews the performances of Sarah Palin and Joe... more

bansheewail
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53 comments

Even Alaskans Have Issues With the "Maverick" Governor

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tagged w/ Soccer Moms

Dumbing down of the GOP

Palin cheated during debate.

Debate This, Straight Up.

Lost in translation? LA Times article 'The politics of spunk'

Palin's Attack On Obama's Patriotism Raise Questions About Palins' Association With Secessionist

Palin, Biden face off in VP debate

Palin Runs For Senate Dictator - TV Republicas Ride The "Straight Talking Points" Express

What would you ask Sarah Palin?

Palin disagrees with McCain’s Michigan decision - says her and her husband can win

Palin's Tax Return Missing Travel Reimbursements

Palin gets back on track, but Biden wins debate CNN Reports

Record refutes Palin's Sudan claim

Factcheck.org: loose with the truth in St. Louis

Flirting her way to victory

Sarah Palin Swimsuit

Palin's Apocolypse

So Palin can speak in complete sentences. She still knows nothing

Palin's Tax Records for '06 / '07

'Palin really didn't answer the questions'

Even Alaskans Have Issues With the "Maverick" Governor

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