Sep 30, 2008 5:47pm

Set Sarah free…

There’s a new movement sweeping the land that worries me, not because of it’s party politics but because of it’s gender politics.

As Governor Palin tumbles in polls, fumbles in interviews and hides in Sedona, her supporters are mounting an aggressive counter charge to "Free Sarah." Their argument is that she’s underperforming because the campaign is stuffing her head with numbers and policies rather than letting her be herself. What the people want is every woman, not every wonk, they argue. And undoubtedly Ms Palin is at her most politically powerful when she is the unaffected, unbowed hockey mom who resonates so forcefully in small town and rural America.

But is that the woman who’s right for these times? In those painful interviews with Katie Couric Governor Palin may have been trying to master too many new facts but she also revealed herself as someone who is not conversant on a range of very serious issues. That too is the real Sarah Palin – it is as much a part of her as her winning personality.

Isn’t this another facet of that insidious sexism argument. It used to be that anyone who criticised Governor Palin was sexist. And now the idea that her appealing personality would be enough to make up for lack of experience is also sexist.

Free Sarah misses the point. Even a free Sarah still needs experience.

User Comments

Yeh, really. She’s dumb, and we don’t need any more of that right now.

Posted by: hang | September 30, 2008, 5:55 pm 5:55 pm

Cut Sarah loose – send her back to Alaska.

Posted by: Ed from MA | September 30, 2008, 5:58 pm 5:58 pm

Free Sarah misses the point. Even a free Sarah still needs experience.
Could not have said it better!!!

Posted by: becky | September 30, 2008, 5:58 pm 5:58 pm

I think some women are feeling that Palin is embarrassing them. Even many who want her to lose don’t want her to embarrass herself or their gender.
She’s not dumb, she just doesnt have the experience or knowledge base to come across well. As a former McCain supporter, I certainly don’t want her in the WH. The idea terrifies me.

Posted by: memyself | September 30, 2008, 5:58 pm 5:58 pm

No really, she can stay! McCain needs her….. what a couple of Empty suites. But you never know, she might just be playing dumb waiting for the debates… then POW… Never know….

Posted by: becky | September 30, 2008, 6:01 pm 6:01 pm

Free Sarah! Yea, she needs to go back to Alaska before she has no political career at all. Too bad the McCain camp doesn’t value human life. Would rather kill her than free her.

Posted by: William | September 30, 2008, 6:07 pm 6:07 pm

What I find amazing was that SNL didn’t have to write a funny sketch, they used her own words straight from the Curic interview to ridicule her. Her own words.

Posted by: JR | September 30, 2008, 6:07 pm 6:07 pm

common sense always says to vote for the conservative in the race. she has common sense and i will vote for her. dont let the media fool you.

Posted by: tim | September 30, 2008, 6:08 pm 6:08 pm

If anybody is telling that Sarah Palin is dumb, then it is John McCain Campaign. They are hiding her and not allowing to talk with anybody.

Posted by: Sri | September 30, 2008, 6:08 pm 6:08 pm

What is so depressing about Sarah Palin is not only is she incompetent, she is overconfident too. She doesn’t know what the hell she is doing, but she brazenly believes that she does.

Posted by: sylvie2566 | September 30, 2008, 6:08 pm 6:08 pm

You tell em ladies, everyone knows that to qualify as a vp you must and foremost be; 1: A washington insider, 2: Be a Doctor, Lawyer or Indian Chief, 3: Have close friends with many roman numerals after the name. 4: Graduate from a nice North Eastern College. 5: Have no scrupples and be the biggest BS’er that has ever walked.

Posted by: david | September 30, 2008, 6:11 pm 6:11 pm

Sarah is dumb and MCain is an idiot, Sarah does not know a lot because her IQ is low and that is reflected in her college life. So what to do is the question. Women should understand that not every woman is a Hillary Clinton, or a Laura Bush, a Nancy Polosi, etc. They should not feel sorry for Sarah, she has yes to a job which is above her qualifications and learning capability.

Posted by: BKMC | September 30, 2008, 6:12 pm 6:12 pm

i still dont understand how anyone sits and talks about palins lack of experience and then turns to barack obama like he has any more?! just ridiculous.

Posted by: tim | September 30, 2008, 6:13 pm 6:13 pm

apparently now you have to go to college to be smart… lol

Posted by: tim | September 30, 2008, 6:14 pm 6:14 pm

It’s not just supporters who want to free Sarah. I want this unqualified person to keep opening her mouth and emitting gibberish. She’s a gift to the Obama campaign.

Posted by: Leah | September 30, 2008, 6:23 pm 6:23 pm

At this point, she is the one I trust. You don’t hear her name taking money from Fannie and Freddie, like Chris Dodd and Barack etc. etc. I think she will surround herself when in office with very smart, honest people. Go Sarah….Get off her back.

Posted by: Judy | September 30, 2008, 6:27 pm 6:27 pm

Can’t the press get anything right? Senator McCain’s home is in Cornville, AZ., not Sedona, AZ.

Posted by: ridus | September 30, 2008, 6:28 pm 6:28 pm

Isn’t this another facet of that insidious rac-ism argument. It used to be that anyone who criticised Senator Obama was race-ist. And now the idea that his appealing personality would be enough to make up for lack of experience is also race-ist.
…… McCain-Palin ’08

Posted by: Cassandra Washington | September 30, 2008, 6:30 pm 6:30 pm

Sarah Palin:
1. 6 colleges in 5 years.
2. Used the word “rhetorical” when she meant “hypothetical.”
3. Used the word “verbiage” when she meant “diction.”
4. Tried to use the word “caricature” when talking to Couric, but clearly didn’t know if it was the right word – Couric supplied the word “mock” and Sarah the vocab whiz agreed.
5. Believes that dinosaurs and humans existed at the same time.
6. Believes that global warming is not man-made -AND THAT’S DANGEROUS.
7. Believes that the Iraq war is a mission sent by God.
8. Apparently has rather open views on book-banning.

Posted by: jon in maryland | September 30, 2008, 6:33 pm 6:33 pm

I fell sorry for her McCain used her and she will pay for it.He is the one who made the mistake and she was dumb enought to think she could pull this off.

Posted by: indp voter | September 30, 2008, 6:33 pm 6:33 pm

I want this unqualified person Biden to keep opening his mouth and emitting gibberish. He’s a gift to the McCain campaign.

Posted by: Francisco Cardenas | September 30, 2008, 6:34 pm 6:34 pm

Ok, Claire and Katie. You believe you have better judgement, are smarter, have better chops.
Run for office.
Or quit harping from your perches.
Palin is the most popular Governor in America. What have YOU got other than that disease of modern women that drives them to belittle the accomplishments of other women more successful than they are.

Posted by: len | September 30, 2008, 6:35 pm 6:35 pm

Tim,
This WHOLE blog is covered with Paid Obama Ops. I see no point of “expressing” your opinion to the “DUMB/DEAF/BLIND” people follow their mesiah!
The FACTS of the matter is if he is in the TOWN HALL environment, he will be stumbled, stuttered, and cracked…without the pre-fab messages that show up on the teleprompters.
The messages he delivered were NOT his own or ORIGINAL ideas.

Posted by: Voter In America | September 30, 2008, 6:38 pm 6:38 pm

She’s dumb like a fox. Most country people are.

Posted by: chicagopearl | September 30, 2008, 6:39 pm 6:39 pm

if sarah is really that bad for mccain then you obama supporters should be delighted as it will negatively affect mccain. so stop with the fake concern. what i sense is fear. fear that a conservative woman is not the chained at the kitchen sink barefoot and pregnant powerless woman that you so like to be believe characterizes your limited understanding of a conservative woman.

Posted by: colorado | September 30, 2008, 6:46 pm 6:46 pm

The more Sarah speaks, the more our arizonian senilator’s bad judgment resurfaces.

Posted by: fred | September 30, 2008, 6:46 pm 6:46 pm

All the people we have sent to Washington have done such a great job for us why not given someone a break who might really ask for advice instead of being a know it all? Maybe the government does not need all of those people which are paid for by you to write the words our learned leaders speak, cut deals, do research, push bills through congress,etc. Just remember that for every issue we are critical of there are problem 10 advisers and lets forget the other two groups who are suppose to jointly run the Washington.

Posted by: William | September 30, 2008, 6:46 pm 6:46 pm

ridus, which home are you talking about? I always heard about his Sedona home, but it may be time to take another inventory.
The two women writing this blog are dead on. In fact, the media focuses on Palin’s interviews but gives her a pass on her scripted speeches. In different venues, she repeats the same lines in the same affected manner, which conveys a lack of intelligence.
The press apparently has stopped reporting on the Troopergate scandal, Palin’s ruthless governing style, lobbying for and taking earmarks, including keeping the money for the bridge to nowhere, her countless lies that keep driveling from her mouth, and her extremist views on abortion and religion.
Women should be concerned that her candidacy may actually set them back in terms of making progress climbing the political ladder.

Posted by: Andrew | September 30, 2008, 6:49 pm 6:49 pm

Here are some quotes for Obama supporters to THINK about.
“I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”
“My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you’ll join me as we try to change it.”
“I ceased to advertise my mother’s race at the age of twelve or thirteen, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.”
“I found solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother’s race.”
“To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists.”
“I learned to slip back and forth between my black and white worlds. One of those tricks I had learned: People were satisfied so long as you were courteous and smiled and made no sudden moves. They were more than satisfied; they were relieved — such a pleasant surprise to find a well-mannered young black man who didn’t seem angry all the time.”
“I had learned not to care. I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years. Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though. …”
“…I’ve got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”
“I can no more disown (Jeremiah Wright) than I can disown the black community.” –UPDATE: Barack Obama decides to “disown” him on Tuesday, April 29th after he realized his campaign was in severe turmoil due to his association with Mr. Wright.
“The point I was making was not that Grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn’t. But she is a typical white person…”
“That’s just how white folks will do you.”
“You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
“We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it’s like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old – and that’s the criterion by which I’ll be selecting my judges.”
Call to Islamic prayer is “one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.”
Go for the Saul Alinsky’s disciple.
That’s what I called FRIGHTENING words!

Posted by: Voter In America | September 30, 2008, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm

in closing thank you for all the negative vile attacks on sarah. the vp debate will be the most watched debate in history. why should she come out daily and give interviews you idiots have given her the largest world stage upon which will prove you all wrong in one punch.
keep lowering the bar good job. keep building up to the moment. the mccain campaign should pay you guys a commission for building so much excitment around this debate.

Posted by: colorado | September 30, 2008, 7:02 pm 7:02 pm

If anyone is guilty of dissing the female gender, it’s Sen. McCain. He was in dire need of a political boost; his campaign’s financing had gone broke for the second time, which means contributions weren’t pouring in. He sought to capitalize on Hillary’s popularity with women, especially white women, so he latched on to Palin, whom he failed to properly vet, so now her guilty political chickens are coming
home to roost. In her debute to the voting public, they were charmed by her stark contrast with McCain. However, now, every time she opens her mouth, she sticks her foot in it. The thought of her being a heartbeat away from a 72 year old president with an iffy medical history is terrifying. Pretty and “wholesome” doesn’t make a president; smart and a demonstrated ability to keep cool in a crisis, and the ability to learn from mistakes, his own, and those of his predecessors, is what we need in a president. The McCain/Palin ticket doesn’t cut it.

Posted by: ANidel | September 30, 2008, 7:05 pm 7:05 pm

i still dont understand how anyone sits and talks about palins lack of experience and then turns to barack obama like he has any more?! just ridiculous.
First of all Tim, A sentence must begin with a capital letter. Secondly, there is a difference between lack of expirence and knowledge. Palin lacks expirence and knowledge. Obama may lack expirence, but he has knowledge about how things works which would make a much esier transition then someone who does not have the knowledge nor expirence.

Posted by: Robert Boyd | September 30, 2008, 7:05 pm 7:05 pm

To Robert Boyd,
I love it, man. You tried so hard to correct Tim and look at yourself.
You are very “expirence!”
Totally EXPIRED!

Posted by: Voter In America | September 30, 2008, 7:09 pm 7:09 pm

The news media and Wall Street, all of
you are corrupt. Wake up America, is that so hard to figure out?
I guess alot of you idiots don’t get
it……….

Posted by: Joey | September 30, 2008, 7:12 pm 7:12 pm

Voter In America,
Get a clue. There is no black or white world to switch back and forth with. There is one thing I hate the most and that is a white person that is a racist that makes stupid claims. White people decedent from black people, but there is no race based on color. There is only one race that is the human race. If all racist was to do there homework maybe they would believe the way they do. Then again that probabaley the reason why they are racist because of the truth.

Posted by: Robert Boyd | September 30, 2008, 7:15 pm 7:15 pm

A vote for Obama is vote for change alright…..
A CHANGE IN THE U.S. CONSTITUTION,AND
AND GOODBY TO THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE!

Posted by: moe | September 30, 2008, 7:24 pm 7:24 pm

I am an independent and have nothing against Sarah Palin. However, given the wide range of complex problems and multi-dimensional issues the next administration will face, I do believe the VP should meet certain basic levels of intellectual capability. I’m sorry Sarah, unfortunately you’re jut not smart enough to be VP.

Posted by: Gary | September 30, 2008, 7:25 pm 7:25 pm

To Robert Boyd,
I won’t correct your writing this time for fear of being labeled as a racist.
Well, since you mentioned it, let me refresh you about some words that the Obamas and the Rev. Wright used to describe White American.
Obama’s words:
“I ceased to advertise my mother’s race at the age of twelve or thirteen, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.”
“That’s just how white folks will do you.”
“We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it’s like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old – and that’s the criterion by which I’ll be selecting my judges.”
Michelle’s words:
“My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my ‘blackness’ than ever before.”
Rev. Wright (Obama’s MENTOR) words:
“Racism is how this country (America) was founded and how this country is still run!”
“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.” — (commenting on the 9/11 attacks)
“In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01. White America and the western world came to realize that people of color had not gone away, faded into the woodwork or just ‘disappeared’ as the Great White West kept on its merry way of ignoring black concerns.”
“Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run. No black man will ever be considered for president, no matter how hard you run Jesse [Jackson] and no black woman can ever be considered for anything outside what she can give with her body.”
Now, think about those words before you opened your mouth and call someone a RACIST.
I thought you are an intelligent individual with a brain to figure out who is the racist one.
This is HOW America will be if you let these people have the power.
Stop your stupidity and wake up and smell the roses.
Now, do you think I am a racist?

Posted by: Voter In America | September 30, 2008, 7:46 pm 7:46 pm

Sarah Palin is being used by McCain and I believe she is not able to be herself so that McCain looks better. I have seenher own campaign when she was running for Governor of Alaska and she is very informed.
I believe she has a lot to offer this country; but is being used a a puppet by her own party.
Sarah should dump McCain.

Posted by: Gail-independent | October 1, 2008, 2:14 pm 2:14 pm

Sarah Palin is the best things that’s happened to the US since the British Invasion. If you do not like her, probability is high that you are dowdy, boring, powerless and/or frumpy.
Palin rocks!

Posted by: Lydia Fry | October 6, 2008, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm

As a governer and mayor, Palin is an expert at state and local issues. She has only had 5 weeks to become an expert on national issues. Obama said a lot of stupid things when he first entereted the national scene. Give her a break. She has the demonstrated intelligence to do the job (not withstanding the horrible attacks on her intelligence by SNL).

Posted by: Gary | October 8, 2008, 10:29 am 10:29 am

Why didn’t the major news stations cover or talk about the anti palin rally in anchorage alaska? it was the largest rally ever held in alaska.

Posted by: mcatmor | October 10, 2008, 6:39 pm 6:39 pm

Sarah Palin’s future:
1. Overwhelming loss of the presidential election.
2. Return to Alaska to face impeachment for violation of Alaska’s ethic laws.
3. Return to raising her family including disabled infant son.
4. Obscurity for Sarah, thank goodness.

Posted by: Ernie | October 11, 2008, 12:50 pm 12:50 pm

I’m sorry, but I have a hard time believing any of this when grammatically neither of you appears to be able to write a proper grammatical sentence. Learn to write and I might start believing what your trying to say.

Posted by: no one special | October 28, 2008, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm

I’m sorry, but I have a hard time believing any of this when grammatically neither of you appears to be able to write a proper grammatical sentence. Learn to write and I might start believing what your trying to say.

Posted by: no one special | October 28, 2008, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm

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