Althouse: Wow! Sarah Palin is really unpopular!

October 7, 2010

Wow! Sarah Palin is really unpopular!

66 comments:

Scott M said...: Consider the source, but this is one of the main reasons why I say her time is not 2012. While I doubt we're going to have a GOP candidate that can excite the Democratic base (lol), we might be able to find someone that the right can stomach along with a majority of moderates. Not sure who that would be currently.; 10/7/10, 8:31 AM
KCFleming said...: Strangely, the same poll says Palin and the tea Party are equally favorable/unfavorable.

"Americans are split when it comes to the Tea Party movement itself. Twenty-two percent hold a favorable view of the movement, while 21 percent hold an unfavorable view."

Someday CBS will poll more than just CBS employees.; 10/7/10, 8:35 AM
Fred4Pres said...: I have a feeling Sarah Palin is not running. Sarah Palin would be far better as a king maker than a king. But boy or boy does she bring out the worst in the opposition.; 10/7/10, 8:36 AM
Anonymous said...: So far as I know she hasn't cheated on her spouse, she hasn't sexually used an intern, she hasn't driven off a bridge with a boy in the car, she hasn't been married and divorced a bunch of times, she hasn't tried to hide her yacht in a lower tax jurisdiction, she hasn't taken sweethearts deal on mortgages, she hasn't evaded taxes, she hasn't run a gay brothel in her townhouse, she hasn't privately profited from investments in green companies while pushing the government to mandate green technologies, she hasn't used her public office to give government grants and sweetheart deals to her buddies.

Wow, she sounds like a truly despicable and evil person.

No wonder few view her favorably.; 10/7/10, 8:37 AM
MadisonMan said...: It's the accent.; 10/7/10, 8:45 AM
Scott M said...: Someday CBS will poll more than just CBS employees.

Has anyone else been inundated with survey phone calls lately? Usually around dinner time and usually right when the kids are reaching an apex.

I've gotten so many of them (about half from the national agencies like Rasmussen) that I've become a single, black woman, registered Democrat, making less than $30k a year, and definitely, strongly voting Republican.

I just think it's cool to be one of 1200 other Americans that I don't know.; 10/7/10, 8:46 AM
Minzo said...: I dont think Palin is evil at all- she is just a typical politician. However it strikes me that many on the right are embracing her so fervently yet she represents what Obama was being criticized for: an empty vessel of rhetoric. It seems to me she speaks solely in platitudes and talking points- 'real America' 'mama Grizzly' 'fight the liberal media/socialism' 'God is on our side' etc. She rarely seems to have substantive views on most issues and she never allows no-holds barred interviews with the media. She represents something, just as Obama did. However she doesn't seem to have any coherent and intelligent solutions to issues.; 10/7/10, 8:47 AM
Salamandyr said...: Not really surprising, even if true. Consider what most people know about her is what they hear on television, which is almost universally bad. Add to it, she has a somewhat regionally folksy personality that is ripe for parody among people who think of themselves as "cosmopolitan". The thing is, the people who like her, like her a lot.

I'd say I view her favorably; I think she's a benefit to our social discourse. But I don't want her to run for President. She's not qualified, and her experiences of the last couple years haven't made her so. I think she was a great pick for VP though, but now she has become too big for the understudy role, so I'm not really sure there is a place in politics left for her, other than the one she's carved out.; 10/7/10, 8:49 AM
Anonymous said...: Minzo, I believe I just clearly demonstrated that Palin isn't a typical politician.

As for your other point, should Althouse now have a new tag, 'Obama is Palin.'

Or maybe you'd prefer 'Palin is Obama.'; 10/7/10, 8:50 AM
Anonymous said...: I agree with Minzo - and also, she is POISON among middle- to upper-middle-class Northeastern/Midatlantic women for some reason -- a big, fairly influential demo.

In other words, my friends all hate her. A lot. Irrationally. I don't care about her either way, she seems fine, just like a normal politician to me. I don't get the hate, but it's real and it's not going anywhere. I know a LOT of Indy/Dem women of my peer group who DIDN'T vote for McCain purely because of her, and their opinion of her has NOT gone up.

It makes no sense, but there it is. Maybe it will change but I doubt it. It's visceral.

"antipp" was my WV - and I am NOT anti that at all!; 10/7/10, 8:52 AM
Roux said...: I'm throwing the BS flag on this one.; 10/7/10, 8:54 AM
ndspinelli said...: Nixon was attacked by elites as much as Palin and that only helped him. It's painfully obvious that's what is occurring w/ Palin. The more polls, reports, columns, etc. villifying Palin, the more likely she will run.

Nixon was an incredibly intelligent, crook. What is Palin? Hell..the fact that she is attacked by people I loathe doesn't mitigate her lack of substance. I know the template is Dems are smart and Rep are stupid. And, we can all make a strong case against that lame, horseshit, screed. But we shouldn't waste our energy doing that for Palin. I'm an independent..we elect people, and independents will not elect Palin.

I do, however, wish she would do a Playboy spread.; 10/7/10, 8:58 AM
Tank said...: What does it mean to view someone favorably or unfavorably? What a strange question.

I generally like what she's done since the election. I generally would not like to see her as the candidate for president or as president. In her personal life and ethics, she seems fine.

Do I view her favorably or unfavorably?; 10/7/10, 9:02 AM
KCFleming said...: "I know a LOT of Indy/Dem women of my peer group who DIDN'T vote for McCain purely because of her"

Wimmen is the cwaziest peoples!
(start at 6:27!); 10/7/10, 9:04 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: I have a favorable opinion of Palin. She would have to do more to convince me that she is qualified to be president.

However, the question is not 'Is she qualified.' It is 'Is she more qualified than the other people running for the office. In this past election, the answer would be 'Hell Yes.'; 10/7/10, 9:07 AM
Triangle Man said...: @Quayle

You couldn't have made it any clearer why she isn't qualified for the job if you had included former coke snorting alcoholic. She just doesn't fit the job description.; 10/7/10, 9:09 AM
Irene said...: The popular kids always think they are in charge. Look around a classroom. The cool "mean girls" in the back of the room roll their eyes and snicker when the smart girl in the first row answers questions brightly.

What the mean girls don't realize is that "dumb is forever." In twenty years, they will look like hags from a housewife-reality show, and the sharp cookie from the front of the class will be prescribing their anti-depressants.

One thinks this would be obvious to adults, or at least to CBS.; 10/7/10, 9:09 AM
Anonymous said...: At this point, I really do think we'd be better off with an honest C student from Idaho State than a dishonest A student from Harvard.

Even better would be an honest A student from Harvard, like Romney, but strangely everyone has some issue with him too.; 10/7/10, 9:11 AM
John henry said...: Scott M has the right idea.

We are under no legal or moral compulsion to tell the truth to pollsters.

I would argue that we have the opposite duty. Polls are used to find out what people want to hear so that pols can say that, instead of what they believe.

When polled, lie. If enough people do this polls become unreliable and politicians stop relying on them.

Maybe then they will tell us what they actually believe instead of what they think we want to hear.

When they go to DC, they will do what they believe, not what they said anyway. This way at least we can have an idea what to expect from them in advance.

John Henry; 10/7/10, 9:12 AM
Tank said...: Romney thought Romneycare was a good idea.

What else do you need to know?

Could he be the best of a bad group? Maybe. Be tough for me to vote for him, probably impossible; 10/7/10, 9:13 AM
Anonymous said...: You couldn't have made it any clearer why she isn't qualified for the job if you had included former coke snorting alcoholic. She just doesn't fit the job description.

lol - sadly true - so very true.; 10/7/10, 9:15 AM
traditionalguy said...: Actually Palin has offered substance in all areas of policy positions, but that remains censored information to continue a constructive narrative that she is a silly woman that has nothing but an empty head and a sexy body. That myth too will be seen for what it is as soon as she gets past the hurdle of the Bush/Rove slander-o-matic boys and their polls upon polls rejecting her because, "she is not popular." Come on guys...Palin defines popularity.; 10/7/10, 9:16 AM
DADvocate said...: I hate these polls where the text of the actual question(s) aren't given. As a spokesperson who rattles the cages of lefties, I like Palin OK. As a candidate for president, I don't.

As Quayle points out, Palin doesn't have the qualifications to pull in the liberal vote.; 10/7/10, 9:19 AM
Moose said...: I like Palin for her disruption factor. I might like to see her elected if only to see Sully's head explode.
I myself would not vote for her for the same reason that I did not vote for Obama: she's a self serving demagogue that has gotten to where she is due not as much to her abilities but rather due to what she is and how she speaks.; 10/7/10, 9:20 AM
Joe said...: (The Crypto Jew)
On Even better would be an honest A student from Harvard, like Romney, but strangely everyone has some issue with him too.

Yeah, we do.
1) He either is either:
a. a flip-flopper, sail trimmer, say anything to get elected, pro-choice/pro-life, pro-Gay rights/anti-Gay rights politician, a la Charlie Crist; or
b. He’s simply to the Left of the median, Republican primary voter. Your choice
2) And then there’s RomneyCare…it was attacked from the Right from the moment it was conceived until now. How Romney is going to repeal ObamaCare when, as Governor, he passed a bill eerily similar is beyond must of our comprehensions.
And then there’s the “perfect hair” and the appearance of weighing every utterance upon the scale of, “How will this affect my polling TODAY?” and his uncanny ability to pick and support winning candidates, AFTER they’ve succeeded!

Would I prefer Romney to Obama, yes…as long as there is a strongly Conservative Congress to push him along. But I’d prefer Palin, to either Romney OR Obama.; 10/7/10, 9:22 AM
Hagar said...: Maybe it is that she seems to be such a happy woman that gets to them. And she has no right to be that old with 5 kids and still look like that!; 10/7/10, 9:22 AM
Anonymous said...: "Could [Romney] be the best of a bad group? Maybe. Be tough for me to vote for him, probably impossible."

See, I understand very well the hesitation over Romney.

But when we're finally tired of being lied to and spun by our leaders, we'll seek him or someone like him, Romneycare and other flaws notwithstanding.; 10/7/10, 9:23 AM
Joe said...: (The Crypto Jew)
As Quayle points out, Palin doesn't have the qualifications to pull in the liberal vote.

This was humour, right?; 10/7/10, 9:28 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Wow! Sarah Palin is really unpopular!

Uh oh. I'd better go de-friend her on Facebook. Don't want to get caught hanging with the out crowd.; 10/7/10, 9:45 AM
Sixty Bricks said...: ...Nixon was an incredibly intelligent, crook.
I would rephrase that to incredible crook.
As for Palin, she is a talented grifter.; 10/7/10, 9:46 AM
Minzo said...: "However, the question is not 'Is she qualified.' It is 'Is she more qualified than the other people running for the office. In this past election, the answer would be 'Hell Yes."

Putting aside the comparison to other candidates, the question remains: why don't we know more about her thoughts on national policy? She is clearly a powerful figure in the political landscape. Why doesn't she submit to more media interviews or release detailed information on what she really stands for? Aside from the whole 'folksy, Christian, anti-communist, mama grizzly' talk, she is still a bit too much of an empty shell. Infact, she represents a sort of Republican version of 'hope and change.' That can't be a good thing surely?; 10/7/10, 9:47 AM
GMay said...: "Why doesn't she submit to more media interviews...?"

Because the media is rabidly hostile toward her? Just a guess.; 10/7/10, 10:02 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: All the popular kids hate her, so you'd better not let yourself be seen with her.

Now that's funny.

I know I'm not supposed to be seen with her - I'm an atheist who "hates women", right?

I sometimes think many of my fellow citizens miss the point of this whole enterprise. Life, I mean. I knew it during the demonization of W. (pronounced dubya) when I saw a man and I liked him; a place many are just getting to in hindsight. That Bush Era hate, or those who indulged in it, have never been subjected to even so much as a personal accounting. The damage that blind rage caused has never been apologized for, it's lies never unraveled, it's price tag never been tallied. FRONTLINE will not be doing any PBS special report on how the fuck stupid we can be to ourselves - especially in wartime.

My point is, it wasn't about Bush - or Reagan or Palin (Reagan in a dress) - it's about the idiot children and whether anybody else is going to step up and be the adults in the face of them.

Politics may be a lot of things but one thing it is NOT is a popularity contest.

Look at the Tea Party.

She can win.; 10/7/10, 10:06 AM
Minzo said...: "Because the media is rabidly hostile toward her? Just a guess."

That's such an easy way to opt-out. For starters, the 'media' is not a homogenous entity. Secondly, even assuming that much of the 'liberal media' dislikes her, that's not an excuse not to engage with people through those outlets. Even Obama has appeared on Fox.; 10/7/10, 10:08 AM
traditionalguy said...: Minzo...Other than Paul Ryan and Palin, which of the other 7 dwarfs GOP candidates have released a detailed policy position? If you look at websites such as Conservatives 4 Palin, you can read Palin's policy positions in detail. Mitch Daniels is at least an idea man, but it is not likely that as non-empathetic small white man he can win a National vote against the always smiling Black man that Obama portrays when campaigning. Palin can win that vote going away, and that is partly because she is not willing to lay down and submit herself to any more Media image destruction hit pieces where tabairichey give out Emmies for ridiculing Palin the best; 10/7/10, 10:11 AM
Joe said...: (The Crypto Jew)
That's such an easy way to opt-out. For starters, the 'media' is not a homogenous entity. Secondly, even assuming that much of the 'liberal media' dislikes her, that's not an excuse not to engage with people through those outlets. Even Obama has appeared on Fox.

Minzo, she IS getting her message out….See politicians go on Fox or went on Fox to spread their message. It was a symbiotic relationship…now Plain uses Twitter and Facebook, and get her message(s) out without having to deal with Katie Couric…it works, look at Death Panels….She doesn’t HVE to go to CBS/NBS/ABC/CNN/Fox to speak to people…so why should she?; 10/7/10, 10:13 AM
traditionalguy said...: The comment ended ...They give out Emmies for ridiculing her the best. Blogger is sabotaging words today.; 10/7/10, 10:14 AM
Bartender Cabbie said...: I must agree with Minzo on this one.; 10/7/10, 10:16 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: "Because the media is rabidly hostile toward her? Just a guess."

That's such an easy way to opt-out.

And so is that.; 10/7/10, 10:23 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: Stated otherwise, according to CBS -- what's that? -- she has a favorability of 27% Democrats, 66% independents 88% Republicans.; 10/7/10, 10:23 AM
Rumpletweezer said...: I remember the things said about Reagan. Criticism of Palin just makes me laugh.; 10/7/10, 10:35 AM
Unknown said...: Agree with Fred4 and Scott M. As I've said before, her best skills seem to be as reformer and opinion-maker. And she's smart enough to realize she will need some time in grade before running for the top spot - after all, the country is going to be leery of anyone without lots of executive experience for a long time.

But Ann's point, that this is about being one of the cool people, is what a lot of the polls from the Left will be about: trying to build some kind of bandwagon to save a few Demo seats.

Well, I'm sure HD is having daisy chain orgasms reading it.

Irene said...

The popular kids always think they are in charge. Look around a classroom. The cool "mean girls" in the back of the room roll their eyes and snicker when the smart girl in the first row answers questions brightly.

What the mean girls don't realize is that "dumb is forever." In twenty years, they will look like hags from a housewife-reality show, and the sharp cookie from the front of the class will be prescribing their anti-depressants.

Why do I think that story is biographical?

WV "demen" What comes out of evil beings during sex.; 10/7/10, 10:40 AM
Phil 314 said...: Sarah Palin would be far better as a king maker than a king.

I think she'd rather be a queen maker; 10/7/10, 10:48 AM
Phil 314 said...: I listened to her last night on Hannity (yes, my wife likes to watch him)

She was cool, clear and not "down-homey"...

but then she brought up the "mama grizzly" bit. My negatives immediately went skyward.; 10/7/10, 10:50 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: I think that Chip hit it there. The article said: "Forty-eight percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Palin. That includes 73 percent of Democrats, 44 percent of independents and 22 percent of Republican".

I had several thoughts when I read that. First, I wondered if, just maybe, Democrats were being oversampled. Were the 25% of the Democrats above the 48% able to bring the 44% of independents up to the 48%, compensating for the 26% of Republicans that were below that? The only way you get to 48% is to include a lot of Democrats - a lot more than Republicans.

That brings up my second thought, that much of this may be able to be explained by who these different demographics listen to. The MSM still has a lot of power, but will it be enough to silence and vilify her in a national election?

Thirdly, there is the enthusiasm factor. I think that if the election were this November, she could win the popular vote walking away. The question is whether Obama can excite his base and the independents as much next time around. If so, then he can win. But I think the coolness factor has worn off with him, and a lot of his voters are not coming back. And a lot of them know that his campaign was a lie - he was the usual politician, just as dishonest, and much more divisive than he portrayed himself.

We shall see.; 10/7/10, 10:53 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: That's such an easy way to opt-out. For starters, the 'media' is not a homogenous entity. Secondly, even assuming that much of the 'liberal media' dislikes her, that's not an excuse not to engage with people through those outlets. Even Obama has appeared on Fox.

And, I am sure that she will, likely to the extent that Obama goes back on Fox, esp. with antagonistic hosts.

But more than ever, you can get your message out without going through the MSM. They are no longer the gate keepers that they used to be. Some, still, of course.; 10/7/10, 10:59 AM
GMay said...: Minzo said: "That's such an easy way to opt-out. For starters, the 'media' is not a homogenous entity. Secondly, even assuming that much of the 'liberal media' dislikes her, that's not an excuse not to engage with people through those outlets. Even Obama has appeared on Fox."

Well, the MSM is effectively homogenous and that's what she seems to be avoiding. As others have already pointed out, she's getting her message out without them.

Assuming much of the 'liberal media' dislikes her? Heh, good one.

Re: Obama and FOX (I won't go into his own little personal war with that single cable news outlet), He can deflect from a far more powerful platform in his MSM allies and the nature of his position. Would you care to name all of Palin's allies in the MSM that aren't FOX? Should be an easy post.

Look, I'm not even a Palin fan and think that it would be a mistake for her to run, but I can also recognize the reality that the MSM has been utterly irrational and caustic in its Palin coverage, therefore I can easily see her avoiding them in her own self interest...for now.

What seems to get lost in this discussion is that she's neither holding nor seeking elected office. But look at all that coverage would ya?; 10/7/10, 11:06 AM
Jenner said...: Polls don't tell what people are thinking, they tell people what to think.; 10/7/10, 11:07 AM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/7/10, 11:26 AM
Anonymous said...: Yes Prime Minister nails the scam of opinion polls.; 10/7/10, 11:28 AM
dick said...: Minzo,

Why don't you ask the MSM why they don't report what she really stands for instead of the snarky reporting they do on her now. Then you would know what she stands for and what her platform would look like. Actually if you put together what she has said on Facebook you will also know what she stands for in following what she has to say about the programs of the current administration.; 10/7/10, 11:58 AM
William said...: I always had the vague sense that Edwards was a smarmbot. But all the stories one read prior to the Enquirer revelation were about his idealistic advocacy for the poor, the bravery of his wife, and the durability of their marriage. It is common to hear people, even liberals, say that they always knew there was something off with that guy, but the truth is Edwards received rather less criticism than the other candidates. I think everyone was surprised at the extent and depth of the creepiness of the Edwards' family.....A similar, if concave, phenomenon seems to be going on with Palin. There's something about Palin that is likeable and trustworthy. But there is such competition in the media, from the early morning Today show to the Late Night Show, to paint Palin in the most unflattering light possible that one begins to doubt their lying eyes. I have my reservations about Palin as a President, but I sometimes wonder if those reservations are more a function of her press coverage than her character. I have more reservations about my reservations than I do about her character.; 10/7/10, 12:03 PM
William said...: Further comment on the nature of perception vs reality: Who do you think would be more likely to taunt a gay classmate in high school: O'Donnell or Maher?; 10/7/10, 12:13 PM
KCFleming said...: @William:
Pluperfect.; 10/7/10, 12:30 PM
Joe said...: (The Crypto Jew)
Who do you think would be more likely to taunt a gay classmate in high school: O'Donnell or Maher?

O’Donnell, Maher would be trying to ask him out, not that there’s anything wrong with that.; 10/7/10, 12:35 PM
Revenant said...: Strangely, the same poll says Palin and the tea Party are equally favorable/unfavorable.

No, Pogo.

Palin is 22/48, the Tea Party is 22/21. That gives the Tea Party a net favorability of +1 (with 57% undecided), while Palin has a net favorability of -26 (with 29% undecided).

Put differently: of those people who actually have an opinion on the subject, 68% dislike Sarah Palin and 51% like the Tea Party.; 10/7/10, 1:05 PM
Revenant said...: Quayle,

she hasn't cheated on her spouse [...] sexually used an intern [...] driven off a bridge with a boy in the car [...] married and divorced a bunch of times [etc]

I have one observation to make about your list of offenses Palin is innocent of:

Swap "he" for "she" and you just described Jimmy Carter.

Ever heard the expression "damning with faint praise"? When the best reason you can offer for viewing a person favorably is that she's more morally upstanding than Ted Kennedy and Barney Frank, maybe its best just not to say anything at all. :); 10/7/10, 1:11 PM
Joe said...: (The Crypto Jew)
Ever heard the expression "damning with faint praise"? When the best reason you can offer for viewing a person favorably is that she's more morally upstanding than Ted Kennedy and Barney Frank, maybe its best just not to say anything at all. :)

So you freely admit then that these individuals are despicable people?

And two, what it says, is a variant of the Limbaugh monologue, about Republicans being “embarrassed” by the likes of Palin or O’Donnell. Why should they be embarrassed, because they have NEVER behaved as badly as the “paragons” of the Democratic Party like Kennedy, Dodd, or Frank. They’re embarrassed because they are told to be embarrassed by such as you, even though when compared to Democratic icons, they are pretty much as pure as snow.; 10/7/10, 1:15 PM
roesch-voltaire said...: I think Berlinski, Thatcher's biographer summed it up when he said this: "obviously a talented politician ... [but that] there's something so ridiculous, however, about Sarah Palin as a serious candidate for the presidency. It's really a case, almost, of mass psychosis -- that anyone could ever have been seriously considering this."; 10/7/10, 1:39 PM
Anonymous said...: So, all of us are standing in our voting booth 2 years from now and one lever reads Palin and the other reads Obama...

That choice is clear as a bell.; 10/7/10, 1:40 PM
Scott M said...: "obviously a talented politician ... [but that] there's something so ridiculous, however, about Sarah Palin as a serious candidate for the presidency. It's really a case, almost, of mass psychosis -- that anyone could ever have been seriously considering this."

Given that, RV, did he have the same thing to say about the near-messianic treatment that greeted the Obama campaign? I have to assume so as I assume the guy is, at least, intellectually honest. Seriously...what stable of job skills/experience did the President then have that would have given him more gravitas than a VP-candidate Palin?; 10/7/10, 1:45 PM
bgates said...: Why doesn't she submit to more media interviews or release detailed information on what she really stands for?

She'd be absolutely mauled for plagiarism if she released detailed information on what she really stands for (net spending cut, if you like your plan you can keep your plan, no tax increase for anyone making less than $250k....)

["No fair!" comes the reply. "That's not detailed information, that's empty sloganeering!"]

wn: 'enemi'. If this were a post about Obama, Google would have given me 'deiti'.; 10/7/10, 1:49 PM
Roger J. said...: The idiots that elected Mr Obama based on his completely empty shell are criticizing Ms Palin for being an empty shell?

Really? You people are butt f**king nuts. and your vote for Mr Obama proves you are idiots.

All of that said, I am not a Palin supporter--Governor Christie (closely followed by Gov Barbour) would be my choices.; 10/7/10, 1:59 PM
Synova said...: "why don't we know more about her thoughts on national policy?"

Minzo, I'm sure someone answered this but just in case they didn't... it's because her policy thoughts pale beside the burning need to report that maybe she got booed on Dancing with the Stars.

Remember those professionals dedicated to the truth called "journalists" and those organizations dedicated to the "news?"

They decide what you hear about and how you hear it.

I think she ought to run for president, just because the campaign itself is a sort of bully-pulpit. Her participation would increase interest and energy for the other candidates as well, and she'd be asked policy questions during debates.

The most likely reason to avoid interviews "no holds barred" at the moment is... in what reality are the journalists going to be asking her policy questions?; 10/7/10, 3:39 PM
garage mahal said...: Palin will never run for President. She's way too lazy. Would require a real effort, and of course facing real questions every other candidate has to answer.; 10/7/10, 4:58 PM
Revenant said...: They’re embarrassed because they are told to be embarrassed by such as you, even though when compared to Democratic icons, they are pretty much as pure as snow.

The public hates her, and the best her supporters can offer in praise of her is a list of sins she hasn't committed.

I don't care if the President buggers goats on alternate Tuesdays. I want someone electable and competent on the ticket in 2012. Palin isn't electable and the evidence she's a competent executive took a big hit when she flaked on the governorship the instant the going got rough. That's what Barack Obama would have done.; 10/7/10, 6:21 PM