The interviews with Sarah Palin are becoming more and more painful to watch, and her most recent chat with Katie Couric hit a new low in election coverage. I liken my Palin experiences to watching the over-imbibed frat boy at the bar proceed to nearly drink himself to death. At first it catches you off guard, and you hang around for a bit just to see what the guy will do. As you continue to watch you start to feel embarrassed for the guy, because you know later on he is going to end up making a fool of himself before the night is through. As he progresses further and further into alcoholic oblivion, it continues to be very amusing, funny for all of the wrong reasons, and this is especially true when his ego starts feeding off of the ethanol. You know it is all over when he starts making things up, challenging much bigger (and less drunk) guys to fight him, and acting as though he authored the book on life’s truths. Finally, you find yourself unable to turn your head away as he empties the contents of his stomach on the linoleum.
At this point I have really given up on them having any actual value, and treat them as a way to get my dose of bad TV. I have been able to narrow Palin’s vocabulary down to her five key terms: reform, track records, qualified, lobbyists, and John McCain. These five terms are often interspersed with a few ‘big words’ like recused and pragmatism to create the illusion of intelligence.
One thing I have been unable to figure out, is whether or not her answers are scripted by her handlers to intentionally be misleading, or if she just really has no clue what she is regurgitating. If you can actually make it through some of her interviews, you will find that she never actually answers a single question. A typical answer goes like this – brief pause, worried smile, usage of a selection of key terms, throw in a ‘big word’ for good measure, and end with a wide-eyed smile (batting eyelashes optional). Maybe this is a strategic move on the part of the Republicans to simply confuse a vast majority of their supporters; perhaps they think if they use the right combination of verbiage Palin will seem more intelligent than she actually is.
Sarah Palin Interview with Katie Couric – Part 1
Sarah Palin Interview with Katie Couric – Part 2