Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Seriously, Fuck Sarah Palin

Over the last week or so, CBS has released (or leaked) several pieces of what is probably the single worst televised interview with a national candidate of all time.

It's actually quite sad, and more than a little scary. When Palin isn't spouting hilarious gibberish, the startling political incompetence and genuine ignorance she displayed was truly unprecedented, even to hardened ears.

But the following clip represents something a little different:




Though her stress on the personal experience of global warming is a little misguided, most of Palin's answer is pretty fantastic when you consider who it's coming from. By rights, the admission of the reality of climate change and call to action should be really reassuring.

And then we get to the last sentences of her answer:
"Kinda doesn't matter at this point, as we debate, what caused it. The point is, it's real, we need to do something about it."


Now, unlike some of her other answers, this is not nonsense on a logical level. Nope, this answer betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the issue, and of the role of science in government, and of, let's be honest, reality. Cause here's the thing: if we don't know how global warming was caused, how do we know what to do about it? How can we possibly do anything about it at all?

If it wasn't man-made, there's almost certainly nothing that we can do. Pragmatically speaking, saying that the causes of climate change don't matter is precisely the same as denying that it exists. Her casual dismissal of the work of scientists who have been struggling for years to answer precisely these questions – with some success, I might add – is astounding. And what does this say about the "something" we need to do about the crisis? Insofar as it will be anything at all, Sarah Palin's "something" will be a token solution at best, with no scientific consultation.

Seriously, fuck Sarah Palin for even pretending to know about climate change.


EDIT:

Someone put out a compilation video! Hooray!



.../we are not safe anymore.

11 comments:

  1. gets more unbelievable everytime i watch her. hey what's the difference between george w. bush and sarah palin?...lipstick.

    on a side note. maybe sarah palin should watch this http://www.eco-tube.com/v/GAIA/Climate_Wars_pt_2.aspx
    or this
    http://wakeupfreakout.org/film/tipping.html

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  2. this is ridiculous. Thanks for posting the video, i've been out of the tv loop for a while....

    I'll try to dig up where I found this, but the highest rated debate, i think, was between HW and Ferraro in 84(??) VP battle...what do you think this one will bring in..

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  3. hockey moms

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  4. You win the award for best post title, hands down.

    @rb: I think there might actually be high ratings for this one, just cause of all of the Palin insanity. People like to see a train wreak... which is also what worries me because if she strings 2 sentences together over the course of the debate, it will be seen as a win.

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  5. Good post man. This debate is a trap for Senator Joe though. He actually has a tougher challenge, I think, because if he goes out too strong and makes Sarah look bad, then he will be perceived as a bully. If he goes out and just spits out all of his knowledge, he will be "out of touch" with the US Americans. If he goes too soft, well, he will be too soft. Its Joe Biden against the GOP Spin Machine, that's a tough challenge.

    However, if he just sticks to his points, and let's Sarah talk, I think she will beat herself. I just hope that the moderator, I forget her name, tries to actually make sure that each candidate answers the questions that they are asked. If she's half as tough as Couric, this will end up being a highly televised joke.

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  6. Agreed about the debate: I'm also worried. Particularly since they've limited the response times to 90 seconds, which might be just short enough to let her nonsense answers seem like they're real. On the other hand, 90 seconds is a MASSIVE amount of television time if she badly fucks up even one of the questions, and it might only take one to ruin the night for her.

    Anyway, the good/bad news is, the VP debate hasn't ever affected the outcome of an election, so this has more to do with her future political career than with the current election. And really, despite everyone's low expectations, Palin's approval rating is still pretty close to 50% considering just how poorly qualified she is. In the long run, she's got little to gain and a LOT to lose in this debate, while I think we're fairly safe (though, of course, this might be the first time that so much attention has been paid to a VP). So grab the popcorn!

    In case you haven't seen it, by the way, here's CBS's Palin/Biden side-by-side, which showcases a thoughtful and competent answer by Biden and a non-answer followed by flustered gibberish and a materially inconsistent stance by Palin (as Joe Klein points out on CNN, being a "federalist" is incompatible with a belief in the right to privacy, since it isn't explicitly in the constitution.)

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  7. thanks, 6.54. after watching that i think biden is gonna be ok in tonight's debate. this ain't saddleback.

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  8. However, I think this election is different. The possibility of both presidential candidates not finishing out their term as president is very real, and I hope Americans realize that.

    Now while I don't generally believe in Polls, the recent WaPo/ABC News Polls came out recently and said that Obama has widened his lead over McCain in Virginia. We all know this is a big swing state, and Obama has been pouring money and volunteers into it. I myself have gone to the Arlington office and have gone door-to-door for not only Obama, but also for Mark Warner for Senate and Jim Moran for Congress. I encourage everyone in the DC/MD/VA area to try to get to either Virginia and/or Pennsylvania and volunteer with the elections. Its hard work, but can be fun, and very helpful for the campaign.

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  9. I encourage everyone in the DC/MD/VA area to try to get to either Virginia and/or Pennsylvania and volunteer with the elections.

    Agreed! I'm in Connecticut for the next few months, but if things start to get closer in PA I'm going down there to volunteer.

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  10. @jsabalbaro: As unpleasant as it is, that's a very good point about the importance of the vice presidents in this cycle, and it adds importance to the debate.

    I'll be working for my labor union employer in Virginia (either northern or south western, haven't been told yet) to get out the vote for the dems in last 2 weeks leading into the election. I've done this stuff before in Maryland for Donna Edwards, so I'm hoping for southwestern VA for a change of scenery.

    @6.54: That whole 90 second thing worries me, but like you said, one fuck up can change everything. Unlike the queasy feeling with the presidential debates, I'm actually pumped for this one. With what these debates usually lack in substance, this one should at least have some fireworks.

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  11. Another discouraging point: the rules don't allow for follow-up questions, which is where Palin screwed up the most. Ah, well.

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