Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
I say yes.
The Other Other Conor, in my opinion, makes his case in his piece Sarah Palin and the Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations.
Over the last few days I have attempted to coax admissions of error on the part of Sarah Palin from many of her ardent supporters here (I use this conversation only for example, there have been a few others and the same patterns reemerge consistently).
Initially the results were paltry, many refused to admit her Paul Revere comments lacked coherence. Some were quick to use words like gaffe and bollixed, others came around when pressed. Some hold out still.
What seems to emerge from the defenses offered are variations on two themes.
The first is an argument rooted in her homespun, folksy, just-like-us demeanor. This is of course the heart of her charisma and appeal. One argument offered (by a member who admited she bollixed her syntax) is that 95% of people would do the same in discussing a movie plot. I agree. And I understand why, given her genuine just-folks demeanor, this point seems relevant. Unfortunately for Sarah Palin, many voters like me expect more from a candidate than we do from a friend describing to us a movie plot.
This is the crux of the matter: Do we lower our expections of her because she is so much like many of us?
For many here the answer is clearly yes. For others the answer is absolutely not. The line is drawn.
This expectation is often buttressed by a reminder of how high the stakes are or how craven and dangerous the opposition is. These are seductive appeals to our sense of self and to our anxieties about the future.
I do not begrudge Sarah Palin using her just-folks appeal in her run for the White House. The question before us all is this:
Will we grant her what she is asking and lower our expectations of her to those of a friendly conversation? Her supporters gladly grant her this and seemed baffled by folks like me who do not.
This brings us to the second critical concession she expects of the conservative electorate.
She is villified by the left. In profane, low-bottom, brutish, asinine, sexually perverted, hateful and vituperative terms she is savaged by those who seem to genuinely and senselessly hate her. Such rhetoric is wicked and indefensible.
That being said, let's make no mistake about it:
Sarah Palin's strategy is to leverage the sympathy this vulgar hatred provokes in us toward our extending her the benefit of the doubt for every mistep she will make between now and inauguration day. Her supporters enthusiastically embrace this bargain, some revel in it. This is why her movie, The Undefeated, opens with a withering barrage of such speech. This is her ace in hole.
When this sense of shared aggrievement wanes and the criticism of her gains traction rest assured her camp will remind us of this vile, hateful speech. This is her pattern, and her supporters here follow it.
What concerns me most is that this tactic is not uncommon among demagouges. I do not ascribe the same intent to her, but she does behave this way.
The logic some offer is that because Christopher Titus vows to tool up on the grassy knoll I should stop believing my lying eyes and praise the wisdom of her latest utterance, otherwise I might as well be out there with Titus.
Now no one is going to come right out and say that, and I am using hyperbole to make this point. Nevertheless these are the battle lines the Palin camp has drawn within the base.
They leave us with this choice: either get with the program or join the hateful chorus. Her most ardent suppporters do not to allow for any middle ground and the fault for this is Sarah Palin's alone.
I refuse to be manipulated into conceeding either point to her or to my friends here who so faithfully support her.
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Comments :
Aug '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Feb '11
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
SBR- Friedersdorf is actually the Conor to which I am the Other Conor. He had posted on Ricochet a few times before I signed up and I figured since he was here first I would be the "Other Conor". But I do appreciate you making him my Other.
Great post. I think it cannot be stressed enough that the concern has to do with her as a candidate for President of the United States, arguably the most important job in the world. Sarah Palin the private citizen? More power to her, she'd probably be a great neighbor. Sarah Palin the TV political personality- tune in if you want to see her, flip past if you don't. President Sarah Palin? Now I have some questions and concerns, just like I do with every other candidate and I feel no shame about this.
Mar '11
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Squishy,
Very valid points from you and Conor. I think there is something that goes largely unremarked upon in both your analyses, though. The dynamic of low-expectations which (I agree) has played out with Palin and with some recent neophyte candidates was not created, and does not operate today in isolation.
The Left for decades derided, rebuked, parodied and dismissed Conservatives as backwards, ignorant, unsophisticated, fundamentalist. They did it with Buckley. They did it with Goldwater. They did it with Ike! They did it with Reagan.
In so doing, the Left engendered a feeling of defiance in conservatives. A defense mechanism, if you will. Limbaugh has employed this trope since the beginning: "Of course they say this about us, they said it about Reagan. The've been saying it since the beginning! Pay no attention!"
The media unleashed the same weapon against Palin. So early, so brutal, and so personal was the attack against her that our defense mechanism hardened into resolve, and was supported by feelings of sympathy for her against the unjust, vituperative attacks of the elites.
You can only cry wolf so many times. Sometimes a wolf comes as a wolf, and then your helpless.
May '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
SBR, she didn't give a "Paul Revere speech"; she gave off the cuff comments. They weren't particularly clear or coherent. But neither were they proof of her ignorance and idiocy.
And for every supporter who thinks she can do no wrong, there are examples critics who think she can do no right.
Speaking for myself, I like Palin a lot. I regret that she's not more articulate. I don't think she's perfect. I don't know if she's presidential material. But she seems to me to have more moral courage, political imagination, and instinctive conservativism than anyone else currently running.
So, I'm glad she's out there doing what she's doing, and I'm looking forward to what comes next.
Sep '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
I have posted similar thoughts here. You guys are free to comment on my take too. Please do so.
SBR is right. It took me a while to understand the dynamics involved here and this post and comments are very good assessments. This Paul Revere flap is a perfect case to illustrate most if not all the dynamics. Palin says something incoherent (not the first time for that) with something embedded that can be construed as an outright factual error. It's like she is throwing red meat to her enemies. But is it a trap -could it have been a trap? Well, yes if her answer had made any kind of sense.
Besides that, why doesn't Palin know that 90% or more of the country - if they know anything about Paul Revere at all, know the common folk-tale and the poem, not a historical footnote, and therefore make sure she is not misunderstood. It's incumbent upon a politician to be clear and aware of things she says may be misinterpreted.
continued
Edited on Jun 8, 2011 at 6:26amSep '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Palin either doesn't know or care. Possibly a combination of both.
But here is what really got me annoyed: Palin referred to the question she was asked in giving her account to Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, as a "gotcha question". The interview ends. The next day Jon Stewart and others find the question the Fox viewers didn't get to hear, “What have you seen so far today, and what are you going to take away from your visit?”
But Palin has a history of hiding behind this. And I will be so bold as to say - any male politician who whined so much about "gotcha" questions would be laughed away into Nowheresville pretty fast.
But perhaps this is just more evidence of Palin's poor ability to assign the right meaning to the appropriate words. This is common with Palin. She characterized her answer as "candid". Again, poor word choice. Sentances and paragraphs she utters lack internal consistency and it is sometimes impossible to understand quite what she is even attempting to communicate.
She seems to lack respect for the English language and and is indifferent tocommonly understood word-meanings.
Sep '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
It is also remarkable that I, as someone who reviles Frum and his acolytes and his ridiculous "No labels" sham of a movement, as someone who almost was in tears the day it became clear that McCain would be the GOP nominee, am accused by some Palin acolytes as being misguided in the same way and have bought the media spin on Palin. I am a big fan of Rush and Levin, and this is the one thing I think they are wrong about.
Rush yesterday made the case quite eloquently, but he is wrong. I would defend Palin if she didn't make my job so very difficult - indeed impossible. I know the media is out to destroy any popular GOP candidate, but does she have to make it so very easy for them? I can't defend Palin's characterization of that as a "gotcha" question. She is giving the other side so much ammunition and undermining our very real arguments. Now the media is using Palin as an example of the right-wing being deluded, or at least over-sensitive to media bias.
Many on our side are unaware how utterly unsalvageable Palin has made herself.
Dec '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Some people think it's important for Palin to apologize for this statement:
"He who warned uh, the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, uh by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed."
I instead wonder how it is that she's one of the few current or potential GOP Presidential contenders with the guts to make this statement:
WALLACE: All right. Let me move you along to another subject. Do you support Congressman Paul Ryan's plan to overhaul Medicare?
PALIN: I do. And I have from day one. This will save Medicare. It will save the safety net of health care coverage that our elders in this country need. I am very frustrated with Democrats and with the media trying to spin Paul Ryan's efforts here in trying to save and shore up Medicare, because what's being spun, Chris, this misperception, this misconception that he's trying to do away with Medicare.
Dec '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Squishy Blue RINO:
Now no one is going to come right out and say that, and I am using hyperbole to make a point. Nevertheless these are the battle lines the Palin camp has drawn within the base.
They leave us with this choice: either get with the program or join the hateful chorus. Her most ardent suppporters do not to allow for any middle ground and the fault for this is Sarah Palin's alone.
Think about that. I mean, really roll that over in your mind.
Squish dislikes the behavior of Sarah Palin's supporters. And he blames Sarah Palin alone for it.
This is a fatal assignment error. In fact, it might be likened to the liberal failing of excusing criminals for their behavior because the fault is not theirs but Society's alone.
Or, to use a more charged, hyperbolic example: the excesses of the Spanish Inquisition should not be blamed on the Inquisitors, the Spanish Catholic Church, or the Catholic Church as a whole, but on Jesus Christ for inspiring such devotion in His followers and not making His displeasure known.
Jun '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
When "W" was President, I and I would hazard to guess many other Republicans, cringed every time he mangled the English language or spoke inarticulately. It gave the impression that he wasn't an intelligent person which we know is untrue. And there was a substantial effort on the part of the conservative punditocracy to defend him by saying that he was a much better speaker in a small group away from the cameras.
Ms. Palin loves the limelight and being the center of attention. She is by any measure a media phenomenon. And even though she comes up with some occasional phrases or terms that seem to resonate with conservatives (death panels), she may in fact be less articulate than George Bush.
I found the Jon Stewart video and critique to be spot on. If by some miracle Palin becomes the Republican Presidential candidate how much time will be consumed not just defending her but deciphering what it is she really meant to say? Better to have a candidate who is articulate, blunt and persuasive. If Palin by some miracle becomes President, I am prepared to do a lot of cringing.
Dec '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
The strange and foolish error of Friedersdorf's piece is the implication in the title and the oversight in the text that suggests that all Conservatives have coddled and protected Palin since the 2008 campaign.
Tell that to David Brooks, David Frum, Peggy Noonan, George Will, William Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, or even Bill O'Reilly.
Palin has been exposed to abundant critiques of her every word and deed since McCain picked her as his running mate. One cannot accuse her of being too defensive and prickly toward those critiques while simultaneously maintaining that she's been insulated from them in her bubble.
(Well, one CAN, but it requires an act of cognitive dissonance -- or perhaps hypocrisy -- on one's part.)
Jun '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Stuart Creque: I instead wonder how it is that she's one of the few current or potential GOP Presidential contenders with the guts to make this statement:
WALLACE: All right. Let me move you along to another subject. Do you support Congressman Paul Ryan's plan to overhaul Medicare?
PALIN: I do. And I have from day one. This will save Medicare. It will save the safety net of health care coverage that our elders in this country need. I am very frustrated with Democrats and with the media trying to spin Paul Ryan's efforts here in trying to save and shore up Medicare, because what's being spun, Chris, this misperception, this misconception that he's trying to do away with Medicare.
· Jun 8 at 7:41am
Yes, that is commendable. Unfortunately with Palin it's like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. Sometimes she expresses herself well and other times she comes across as ditzy and flummoxed. And characterizing the question prior to her Paul Revere history lesson as a "gotcha" is bordering on overly-defensive and paranoiac.
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Stuart Creque: The strange and foolish error of Friedersdorf's piece is the implication in the title and the oversight in the text that suggests that all Conservatives have coddled and protected Palin since the 2008 campaign.
Tell that to David Brooks, David Frum, Peggy Noonan, George Will, William Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, or even Bill O'Reilly.
But those are high falutin' elites! They don't count as conservatives to Sarah Palin or her ardent supporters, which is one of the points SBR makes in his concluding sentences.
One comment that really struck me in the Paul Revere youtube clip thread was when Member Jaydee said that there are two types of Republicans. The first loves Sarah Palin and wants to save the Republic and the second dislikes Sarah Palin and could care less if the country goes to hell in a handbasket. It seemed as though many Members agreed with this dichotomy, which I found very surprising and more than a little dismaying.
Jun '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Diane Ellis, Ed.
One comment that really struck me in the Paul Revere youtube clip thread was when Member Jaydee said that there are two types of Republicans. The first loves Sarah Palin and wants to save the Republic and the second dislikes Sarah Palin and could care less if the country goes to hell in a handbasket. It seemed as though many Members agreed with this dichotomy, which I found very surprising and more than a little dismaying. · Jun 8 at 8:29am
I admire Sarah Palin in many ways and think she has been good for the Party in general. But I would vote for many other candidates for the nomination before I voted for her. I think having a healthy skepticism about Palin's qualifications to become leader of the free world should not be construed as dislike or hate but merely concern. I frankly don't think she is the best person to save the Republic. I am always wary (and weary) when people boil down Republicans or conservatives in just two camps - "You're either for Palin or you want America to go over the cliff." A pretty weak argument tinged with a messianic hope.
Sep '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
There are actually three types of Republicans re Palin.
*The acolytes who love her for her fighting both the media and the Republican establishment and agree with her positions, are tired of the leftist media torpedoing our candidates and are willing to draw the line on Palin
*The Republican establishment who disagree with Palin's social and populist brand of conservatism and find fault with her as a candidate, they think she can't win because of her positions on the issues and they think she has been destroyed anyway.
*Those of us who agree with Palin on her positions and would love a candidate like her if they were more credible and less self-indulgent as a candidate. Those of us who have determined that, unfortunately, Palin was damaged by the MSM - but fails to act in such a way as to effectively counteract the charges and has not shorn up her weaknesses.
She brazenly goes into battle with our enemies unprepared leading with her chin, and runs off to Greta crying about "gotcha" questions. Not someone I want representing my ideas, because she is going to lose, not gain ground.
Dec '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Brian Watt
Yes, that is commendable. Unfortunately with Palin it's like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. Sometimes she expresses herself well and other times she comes across as ditzy and flummoxed. And characterizing the question prior to her Paul Revere history lesson as a "gotcha" is bordering on overly-defensive and paranoiac. · Jun 8 at 8:07am
Ah, if only she were as sure in her command of the English language and of her rhetoric as, say, Newt Gingrich. She'd be able to take the Sunday morning talk shows by storm.
Dec '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Diane Ellis, Ed.
But those are high falutin' elites! They don't count as conservatives to Sarah Palin or her ardent supporters, which is one of the points SBR makes in his concluding sentences.
Where does Squish make that point? He speaks of the lunatic Left who literally want to kill Palin.
He and Friedersdorf conveniently elide over the very point that some Conservatives that can't be dismissed as RINO squishes -- Krauthammer, for example, or Ed Rollins -- are not shy or stingy with their criticism of Palin, and by no means treat her with the soft bigotry of low expectations. Indeed, their low expectations form a diamond-hard shell of bigotry that lead them to dismiss anything she says or does; after all, it would take a really hard swallow for Peggy Noonan to admit that her dismissal of Palin as a "nincompoop" was simply wrong, so it's a strong bet that Noonan and others of Palin's critics will construct justifications for their criticism rather than look at evidence to the contrary.
Dec '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Diane Ellis, Ed.
One comment that really struck me in the Paul Revere youtube clip thread was when Member Jaydee said that there are two types of Republicans. The first loves Sarah Palin and wants to save the Republic and the second dislikes Sarah Palin and could care less if the country goes to hell in a handbasket. It seemed as though many Members agreed with this dichotomy, which I found very surprising and more than a little dismaying.
Diane, what do you make of THIS dichotomy?
Squishy Blue RINO:
This is the crux of the matter: Do we lower our expections of her because she is so much like many us?
For many here the answer is clearly yes. For others the answer is absolutely not. The line is drawn.
Is this really, REALLY the battle line of our times? That we must ostracize Palin for not apologizing each and every time she misspeaks? Is that the greatest challenge we face?
I detect subtext: "We must stop Palin at all costs from becoming the GOP nominee, lest I be forced to endure the ridicule of my friends, family and co-workers for supporting Caribou Barbie over Barack Obama."
Jun '10
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Stuart Creque
Brian Watt
...Unfortunately with Palin it's like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. Sometimes she expresses herself well and other times she comes across as ditzy and flummoxed. And characterizing the question prior to her Paul Revere history lesson as a "gotcha" is bordering on overly-defensive and paranoiac. · Jun 8 at 8:07am
Ah, if only she were as sure in her command of the English language and of her rhetoric as, say, Newt Gingrich. She'd be able to take the Sunday morning talk shows by storm. · Jun 8 at 9:34am
I don't think anyone is saying that being articulate is the overriding qualifier to being POTUS but it sure would be nice if they did have a command of the English language out the gate. If Palin becomes the nominee then we are bound to spend a good deal of time and effort trying to figure what Palin is saying especially when she speaks extemporaneously. And even brilliant and articulate people can put their foot in their mouths from time to time. Gingrich is no doubt a smart and articulate guy but has other liabilities.
Feb '11
Re: Have Conservatives Ruined Sarah Palin With Their Low Expectations?
Stuart Creque
Brian Watt
Yes, that is commendable. Unfortunately with Palin it's like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. Sometimes she expresses herself well and other times she comes across as ditzy and flummoxed. And characterizing the question prior to her Paul Revere history lesson as a "gotcha" is bordering on overly-defensive and paranoiac. · Jun 8 at 8:07am
Ah, if only she were as sure in her command of the English language and of her rhetoric as, say, Newt Gingrich. She'd be able to take the Sunday morning talk shows by storm. · Jun 8 at 9:34am
And Newt gets torched over his missteps. Remember the wonderfully verbose response from the guy in Newt's campaign? We had threads about it. Isn't this an example of low expectations? "She isn't any worse than Newt!"