Politics

I’m expanding on a earlier tweet mentioning a new Sarah Palin interview, this time with radio talkshow host Hugh Hewitt. I’ve not heard of Hewitt before, but from the tenor of the interview, the ads, and the bio on his site, it could easily be because I don’t pay as much attention to the conservative side of things. Be that as it may, he managed to get a short interview with Palin, and has posted the segment as an .mp3 along with a transcript.

I was curious as to whether Palin might be any more coherent when she was a little more in her element and “among friends,” so to speak, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at all — at least, not from where I stand. A few bits stood out to me…

HH: Governor, your candidacy has ignited extreme hostility, even some hatred on the left and in some parts of the media. Are you surprised? And what do you attribute this reaction to?

SP: Oh, I think they’re just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying you know what? It’s time that normal Joe six-pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that’s kind of taken some people off guard, and they’re out of sorts, and they’re ticked off about it…

First off: someone needs to clue Palin in that “Joe Sixpack” is a pejorative. It’s the lowest common denominator of the lowest common denominator. And while you could say that I’m “taken aback” by the prospect of someone who describes themselves that way gaining the VP slot, “ticked off” isn’t quite right. More like “frightened.” “Offended.” “Aghast.”

The thing is, I don’t want “Joe Sixpack” in office. I don’t want someone “just like me” as the Vice President–or President, for that matter. I want someone better than me. I want someone more experienced, more intelligent, more educated, and more able to deal with the situations to be found in and around the Oval Office. I can barely manage my own finances, let alone those of the entire country, why in the world would I want someone “just like me” in office? What a frightening thought.

…it’s motivation for John McCain and I to work that much harder to make sure that our ticket is victorious, and we put government back on the side of the people of Joe six-pack like me, and we start doing those things that are expected of our government, and we get rid of corruption, and we commit to the reform that is not only desired, but is deserved by Americans.

It’s really scary how accurate the Saturday Night Life spoof of the Palin/Couric interviews was. Palin appears constitutionally incapable of specifics, only able to spout out the broadest generalizations possible. They will do “those things that are expected” — not just vague, but vague in the passive voice. They’ll “get rid of corruption.” How? “Commit to the reform.” What kind of reform? She doesn’t actually say anything!

HH: Now Governor, the Gibson and the Couric interview struck many as sort of pop quizzes designed to embarrass you as opposed to interviews. Do you share that opinion?

SP: Well, I have a degree in journalism also, so it surprises me that so much has changed since I received my education in journalistic ethics all those years ago.

A Bachelor of Science in Communications-Journalism, according to Wikipedia, completed over five stints at four colleges. Admittedly, more than I have with my AA, so perhaps I’m not qualified to ask questions. Still–you’d think someone with any sort of journalism degree would expect professional journalists conducting interviews to actually ask questions with some amount of substance. She’s (not very subtly) accusing her interviewers of being unethical in their questioning, which I’m sure will go over quite well with any other journalist who gets a chance to interview her at some later date.

HH: Governor, you mentioned the people who are struggling right now. Have you and your husband, Todd, ever faced tough economic times where you had to sit around a kitchen table and make tough choices?

SP: Oh my goodness, yes, Hugh. I know what Americans are going through. Todd and I, heck, we’re going through that right now even as we speak, which may put me again kind of on the outs of those Washington elite who don’t like the idea of just an everyday working class American running for such an office.

“Even as we speak.” At that very moment, the Governor of Alaska (a position which in 2001 offered a salary of roughly $81,648) and her husband Todd Palin (who works at BP, owns his own fishing business, and earned roughly $92,790 in 2007) were struggling through rough financial times.

And you know, even today, Todd and I are looking at what’s going on in the stock market, the relatively low number of investments that we have, looking at the hit that we’re taking, probably $20,000 dollars last week in his 401K plan that was hit. I’m thinking geez, the rest of America, they’re facing the exact same thing that we are.

Because the rest of America — all those “Joe Sixpacks” that are just like Sarah Palin — are watching their investments and taking $20,000 hits in their retirement plans. Um, Sarah? Got news for you. Joe Sixpack doesn’t have investments. Joe Sixpack’s retirement plan is to hold onto his job for as many years as he can, because he has no other way to live. Joe Sixpack doesn’t have $20,000 in investments, the bank, or anywhere else to lose. If he has $20,000, then losing it isn’t “taking a hit,” its ending up on the streets. That’s not the “exact same thing.”

This line of thought continues…

HH: Governor, when you say things are tight right now, is that simply because of Todd being off not working? Or is it because of extraordinary demands on the fiscal resources of the Palin family? What’s the situation there?

SP: No, it’s just the great financial crisis that America is in as our savings accounts also, and a 401K, they’re being hit.

HH: Sure.

SP: Our stocks, you know, they took a hit yesterday. And then of course, just the same thing that other Americans are asking themselves today. We’ve got three teenagers. How are we going to pay for their college education? How are we going to make sure that we’re investing wisely today. …[McCain] wants to increase [the FDIC] deposit insurance cap of all of our money, our savings, from $100,000 dollars up to $250,000 dollars, so that families like mine, so that we don’t have to worry about our money being safe or not under FDIC.

Once again: this is not how “Joe Sixpack” thinks. It’s not even how much of middle America thinks. The Republicans accuse Obama of elitism, and yet they’re elitists of a far nastier bent. Obama’s elitism is the Jed Bartlet style of elitism: he’s one of the elite, more educated, better prepared to lead the country than most other people. The Republican’s style of elitism is mean, cruel, and condescending. McCain pegging “rich” as making $500,000 (or whatever ludicrous number it was, I’m trying to wrap this up and don’t have the time to search for the quote), not knowing how many homes he has or how many cars he owns–and they accuse Obama of elitism? It’s disgusting.

There’s more in the interview, but I need to break away for dinner.

I know Joe Sixpack. I’ve been friends with Joe Sixpack. And Ms. Palin, you are no Joe Sixpack.

Y’know, I think one of the things that really bugs me about Sarah Palin is simply that all too often, when I’m reading transcriptions of statements she’s made, I have no idea what she’s saying. Well, okay, not no idea — generally it is possible to figure out what she’s trying to say — but her spoken grammar goes beyond the usual sloppiness one can expect in off-the-cuff spoken English into sheer gobbledygook.

Her feelings upon being asked to accept the VP slot, for example (which have been hilariously expanded on in the New Yorker):

I answered him ‘Yes’ because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can’t blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we’re on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can’t blink. So I didn’t blink then even when asked to run as his running mate.

And then today I read this statement on the Freddie Mac bailout (quoted in the midst of a Washington Post editorial pointing out that 24 days into her VP nomination, Palin has yet to really take on the press):

Well, you know, first, Fannie and Freddie, different because quasi-government agencies there where government had to step in because the adverse impacts all across our nation, especially with homeowners, is just too impacting. We had to step in there. I do not like the idea, though, of taxpayers being used to bail out these corporations. Today, with AIG, important call there, though, because of the construction bonds and the insurance carrier duties of AIG. But, first and foremost, taxpayers cannot be looked to as the bailout, as the solution to the problems on Wall Street.

Many people remark upon just how good Palin is at giving speeches, and that may well be true. But when she’s not reading off a teleprompter, she’s barely coherent, possibly even giving our current president a run for the money (though, admittedly, with fewer mispronunciations).I’ve read better constructed sentences written by ESL students when I was tutoring at NSCC’s Writing Center. Is this really the kind of person people find to be a reasonable candidate?