Great quotes about Palin

[_dartagnan]

SARAH ROCKS!
By Michelle Malkin • October 2, 2008 10:50 PM

First, I would like to see all the Sarah doubters and detractors in the Beltway/Manhattan corridor eat their words.

Eat them.

Sarah Palin is the real deal. Five weeks on the campaign trail, thrust onto the national stage, she rocked tonight’s debate.

She was warm, fresh, funny, confident, energetic, personable, relentless, and on message. She roasted Obama’s flip-flops on the surge and tea-with-dictators declarations, dinged Biden’s bash-Bush rhetoric, challenged the blame-America defeatism of the Left, and exuded the sunny optimism that energized the base in the first place.

McCain has not done many things right. But Sarah Palin proved tonight that the VP risk he took was worth it.

Her performance also underscored the underhandedness of the hatchet job editors at ABC News and CBS News, which failed to capture her solid competence on the whole array of foreign and domestic policy issues on the debate table tonight. (I didn’t care for all the “greed” rhetoric, but I understand they are trying to appeal to independents and Democrats. They’re trying to win the election.)

Pause to reflect on this: She matched — and trumped several times — a man who has spent his entire adult life on the political stage, run for president twice, and as he mentioned several times, chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sarah Palin looked presidential.

Joe Biden looked tired.

Sarah made history.

Biden is history.

***

Prediction: Watch for a whole new, severe strain of Palin Derangement Syndrome to begin tonight.

They hated her before tonight. They are going to pour on more unfathomable hate at a level we have never seen before.

Sarah, we’re praying for you.

***

Frank Luntz’s focus group agrees: Sarah rocks.

Reader Brett had a sharp observation: “Palin amazingly avoided falling into a trap when Gwen Ifill asked whether she agreed with Biden on a particulalr issue — instead Palin repeated the question and stated her answer — rather than say “I agree” — like Obama said so many times at an earlier debate.”

Yes, that was excellent.

[_Trevor]

Sarah Palin put on a fine recovery performance at the debates... with a big emphasis on the word performance.

She avoided falling flat on her ass by retreating to the things she knew when she could not answer the question she was asked. It was obvious to me that she was very thin on knowledge and material. Still, I was impressed by her recovery from the interviews. In the end, however, I think it is apparent that she is not a very knowledgeable, experienced, or well-rounded candidate.

Carl Bernstein agreed with me in her suitability to fill the post of Secretary of the Interior in a McCain administration. Seems like I was not too far off on that assessment.

Biden managed not to look dead or put his audience completely asleep, which is about as much as one could have hoped for from him.

[_SUAS]

I like Trevor..but I going call him Lion..Roar

He is roaring like the king of the jungle

ROAR TREVOR ROAR

[_Trevor]

I like Trevor..but I going call him Lion..Roar

He is roaring like the king of the jungle

ROAR TREVOR ROAR

OK. Knock yourself out!

;-)

[_Some Schmo]

There's no doubt she exceeded people's expectations, as I predicted she would (it would've been hard for her not to). She certainly didn't completely mess up like she's been doing in her interviews.

But to claim that she "rocked" is wishful thinking at best, and could only be thought by someone dying for her not to utterly fail. It seemed to me that at least 60% or so of what she said was memorized talking points with little to no understanding of what she was talking about. She looked very nervous, often avoided questions she couldn't answer by switching the subject to energy, and appeared insincere when she tried to portray herself as an average "sitting around the table" American who could relate to the middle class. I think that's pretty funny considering she does strike me as an average American.

It also appears she doesn't have a clue what is meant by "Achilles Heel."

LOL

But yeah, she did alright. As far as the debate goes, Biden outperformed her.

[_dartagnan]

Sarah Palin put on a fine recovery performance at the debates... with a big emphasis on the word performance.

ROFL! Of course. Performance only. Obama's great speeches = statesmanlike. Palin on the other hand? The woman hasn't an ounce of genuiness in her. It is all a set up to fool people not as smart as Trevor. In fact, we only thought she was looking sincerely into the camera. She was probably reading from a teleprompter! And amazing how this Hockey-Mom know nothing, who was supposed to be dumb as a stump on all issues, managed to hold her own with perhaps the most experienced relic in Washington.

She avoided falling flat on her ass by retreating to the things she knew when she could not answer the question she was asked.

Such as? I watched the debate too and saw very little evidence for this. The moderator accused both Palin and Biden of ignoring one question in particular. On several occassions the mod cut her off. I didn't see her cut off Biden once. When she started to defend McCain on deregulation, for example, she was immediately cut off and they jumped to the next question. When Biden was slamming McCain's record, Palin didn't always have the opportunity to respond because they went to another topic.

It was obvious to me that she was very thin on knowledge and material.

That's because you have been reaming her for weeks on this baseless premise. It would be too much of an ego wreck, for you to admit you were wrong.

Still, I was impressed by her recovery from the interviews.

Because she was reading a teleprompter and she also had an earpiece while the McCain cronies were telling her what to say. I mean there is no other way to explain how this fmaily woman who majored in Journalism from a fourth tier college could hold her own against an Ivy league veteran. Something has to be rotten in Denmark.

It also appears she doesn't have a clue what is meant by "Achilles Heel."

Then neither does Biden. I don't know how you expect two candidates to sit there and be told what their weakness is as if it were a fact, and then not offer a defense, while at the same time offer up what they think their weakness really is. Neither of them did that, and for good reason. Candidates don't go on stage to talk about their faults.
The moderator said, "The conventional wisdom, Gov. Palin with you, is that your Achilles heel is that you lack experience."
You have to be an idgit to think Palin thought the achilles heel referred to a strength.

But yeah, she did all right. As far as the debate goes, Biden outperformed her.

Emphasis on the word "performed"? LOL. Too bad much of his performance got a boost from his lies and misstatements. But such is the modus operandi of Washington politics. Biden is a Sith Lord in that realm. Just look at the way in which he responded to his own "achilles heel" that was said to be his lack of discipline. He went off on an irrelevant rant on the usual talking points about "change." So don't give me this crap that Palin was the one guilty of doing this. Every candidate wants to take advantage of the spotlight and make their message known and pound home the strong points of their positions.
And while he was ranting about change, he started sniffling and got misty and broke off into this dramatic discourse on how:

the notion that somehow, because I'm a man, I don't know what it's like to raise two kids alone, I don't know what it's like to have a child you're not sure is going to -- is going to make it -- I understand.

Where the frock did that come from? Talk about blind side drama from left field. Who the hell ever said there was a "notion" about him being unable to raise his kids without a wife? Someone was looking for victim status and sympathy. Pretty cheesy if you ask me.

[_Trevor]

ROFL! Of course. Performance only.

What is a debate? We hope the performance is good, but in the end the VP debate doesn't seem to make a huge difference. It was important for Palin this time because she was looking so shaky in fielding questions before this. She managed to hold up well in the debates. She held her own. Of course, she was put through a debate boot camp in order to prevent her from imploding, so one would hope for some positive results. If you only noticed one occasion in which she clumsily diverted in order to stave off a crash, then you weren't paying close attention. Admittedly, my wife first pointed it out to me, so I can hardly brag. But, I noticed a couple of obvious examples after that.

I recall that she essentially apologized for her inadequacies by referring to her 5 weeks as McCain's running mate. I also recall her saying something to the effect of, "if I don't answer the way you want me to but say X instead..." In other words, thinly-veiled apologia for an inability to answer a question. There were a couple of other noticeable occasions in which she essentially did not answer the question she was asked without providing any explanation for why she would do that. It reminded me of Millet's advice to missionaries to answer the question the person should have asked, except in this case I am pretty sure a lack of knowledge and experience debating was the problem.

Obama's great speeches = statesmanlike.

Who are you arguing with? Did I say this? If so, would you refresh my memory? Maybe I did, but I don't recall.

The woman hasn't an ounce of genuiness in her.

Once again, Kevin is off to the races. Reading all kinds of interesting things into my comments. I am sure there are mounds of genuineness in her. I simply don't believe it compensates for a lack of experience.

It is all a set up to fool people not as smart as Trevor.

Or, as I actually think, it is designed to please people who prize a myth of good character plus pluck equaling success and salvation. We see it all of the time in the movies.

managed to hold her own with perhaps the most experienced relic in Washington.

I was genuinely impressed that she pulled it together. Obviously the boot camp paid off.

When Biden was slamming McCain's record, Palin didn't always have the opportunity to respond because they went to another topic.

Funny, I noticed this happening the other way too, not that I failed to notice it when it happened to Palin. I did not see, however, a grievous inequity in the way the moderation was handled. I thought it was slanted a little in Biden's favor. At the same time, I was surprised at some of the stuff Ifill said to Biden.

That's because you have been reaming her for weeks on this baseless premise. It would be too much of an ego wreck, for you to admit you were wrong.

She was very strong and a natural on the one issue I would expect her to be very strong on: energy. She was very passionate if less strong on others. I think she was well prepped in the debate boot camp to make it appear like she was more experienced in her newly-acquired knowledge than she truly is. Not so well that she came off as natural. This is what I mean by a show.

Ego wreck? Ha! Does that even deserve a rebuttal? Talk about BS. Precious.

Because she was reading a teleprompter and she also had an earpiece while the McCain cronies were telling her what to say. I mean there is no other way to explain how this fmaily woman who majored in Journalism from a fourth tier college could hold her own against an Ivy league veteran. Something has to be rotten in Denmark.

Interesting, I don't recall saying anything like this. I don't even recall thinking anything like this. Teleprompter? Earpiece? Did I ever suggest that her being a "family woman" was a problem? Could you refer to the place I said that? I may have I suppose, and that would be both unfortunate and wrong. I would hate to think that you are falsely attributing things to me to make me look bad.

I think there is a way to explain how she held her own in the debate. First, she was put through debate boot camp. Second, the McCain campaign negotiated to alter the format so she would have less time to put her foot in her mouth. Third, there was no way that Biden was going to attack her directly, since it would have backfired and she would have obtained a windfall of sympathy. Finally, and here is where I concede something very important--Palin is possessed of sufficient native intelligence and guts to pull it off.

Oh, and I thought the Biden choke up moment was odd.

[_dartagnan]

No im not responding to only you Trev, but the entire anti-Palin establishment.

Now who is humor impaired?

[_Trevor]

No im not responding to only you Trev, but the entire anti-Palin establishment.

Now who is humor impaired?

Now that was funny.

[_Some Schmo]

It also appears she doesn't have a clue what is meant by "Achilles Heel."

Then neither does Biden. I don't know how you expect two candidates to sit there and be told what their weakness is as if it were a fact, and then not offer a defense, while at the same time offer up what they think their weakness really is. Neither of them did that, and for good reason. Candidates don't go on stage to talk about their faults.
The moderator said, "The conventional wisdom, Gov. Palin with you, is that your Achilles heel is that you lack experience."
You have to be an idgit to think Palin thought the achilles heel referred to a strength.

No, she'd have to be an idgit... and it appeared from the debate she is.

For a question like that, I would expect for the candidate to confess to something that some would consider a strength, like they were answering a job interview question. "My problem is that I tend to take work home with me..." Palin didn't even try to do that (like Biden did). She completely ignored the question, as though she either didn't hear it or didn't understand it.

Your massive denial (or, Palin colored glasses) about her cracks me up, man. And you probably wonder why people think you're intellectually dishonest. I bet you really tell yourself she's smarter than Obama.

LOL