General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAm I the only one who came away feeling sorry for Palin after watching Game Change?
I still detest her politics. I still believe she is unqualified to even be a Mayor of a one horse town, but after watching the show and seeing what she as subjected to I actually have a very different opinion of her.
"Way in over her head" just doesn't cut it.
Deep pity is closer to it.
Anyhow, great flick.
CBGLuthier
(12,723 posts)i haven't seen the movie but i cannot imagine feeling sorry for palin. she certainly never lost an iota of sleep feeling sorry for any of the many people whose lives she fucked with.
yesphan
(1,586 posts)you may just be.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)She actually seemed quite flattered with all the attention. Until it became apparent what a buffoon she was.
Once her ignorance and lack of qualifications became a topic of conversation and she began to realize it, the self pity kicked in.
A less delusional person would have realized they were in no way qualified to be VP.
sellitman
(11,596 posts)But how many of us could walk away from a chance of a lifetime? She obviously didn't think it through but she didn't have a lot of time for that.
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,483 posts)would've and failed while giving it her best. I might somewhat agree with you. But she clearly behaved like a megalomaniac who was just entitled to this position while "half assing" it all the way.
gkhouston
(21,642 posts)Yeah, she's not the brightest tool in the shed, but she also didn't care enough to try to educate herself.
csziggy
(34,120 posts)I don't think she has the intellectual capacity to truly understand what the office of Vice President or President entails. She wasn't competent as the mayor of a small town and her term as Governor of Alaska seemed to be managed by others. She may have thought in the dim recesses of her empty brain that she was a viable candidate.
And of course, when it became clear she was not even able to be a candidate much less hold the office, it couldn't possibly be HER fault! After all, John McCain and his political team had picked HER and they couldn't be wrong! It had to be that evil liberal press.
geckosfeet
(9,644 posts)Frankly, when someone this witless manages to secure a life of comfort for themselves without doing anything but grinning vapidly and jiggling, I find it very difficult to feel sorry for them.
There are many unfortunates in the world, whose life circumstances are infinitely more dire than this creatures.
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)She didn't think she was in over her head. I feel bad for her children and the country for being put through the rants of Sarah Palin. Thing is you can never show a little kindness to her because she will hit you over the head with it.
Puglover
(16,380 posts)Mccains ill considered move. And she continues to spew her vile lies daily. No, not even a tiny bit.
NRaleighLiberal
(59,940 posts)Ecumenist
(6,086 posts)She got what she deserved.
DLevine
(1,788 posts)She's laughing at us, all the way to the bank.
bowens43
(16,064 posts)uponit7771
(90,225 posts)...challenges it something bad.
trumad
(41,692 posts)Fuck Palin.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)I actually thought my earlier opinion of her as a grifter may have been wrong. But in the end she showed her true colors, and to this day she displays them proudly. Sarah Palin and Todd are grifters out to get what they can at every opportunity. You and I are just another opportunity for them to grab fame and fortune.
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)The author has admitted more than once, I understand, that he attempted to make her a sympathetic character. Truth is, many on both sides of the aisle tend to describe this as something that was done "to" her. Yes, she could have said no, and with any intelligence probably would have. But none the less, she was shoved into a spot light by people who SHOULD have known better.
HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)I seriously doubt they were able to capture the clarity of her stupidity, but apparently they did a good job.
RDANGELO
(3,430 posts)She is an empty headed narccisist. When it should have become apparent to her that she was totally unprepared for the position, she could have used that realization to work at making herself more competent. Instead she embraced who she was and just appealed to the tribalism of the far right.
no_hypocrisy
(45,774 posts)How she was treated is immaterial to me.
randr
(12,408 posts)and came close to feeling some empath, however, her blind ambition and lack of empathy herself combined with an almost amoral connection to the real world are character traits she has fostered on her own.
Score on my pity meter: still zero
Score on my fear of her ever holding national office meter: +100
edhopper
(33,208 posts)But I remember it was from Harvard or Yale.
Anyway, it said that the skills that make someone good at something are the same skills that allow for a realistic appraisal of your own abilities.
In other words, people who are clearly unqualified for a given job are not able to see their own inabilities.
A photo of Palin would nicely illustrate this article.
csziggy
(34,120 posts)That was the title of an article I read some years ago, not too long after the 2000 election. It was not from the Onion, at least I've never been able to find it on their site, and it may not have even been a satirical piece. It was written as a scholarly article, with references and full citations.
I've searched for it a number of times and never found it, but it is the perfect article for Sarah Palin. It could be the same one you remember and I have the title wrong!
edhopper
(33,208 posts)csziggy
(34,120 posts)edhopper
(33,208 posts)Called the Dunning-Kruger effect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
Should be called the Palin effect.
csziggy
(34,120 posts)This could have been cited in reference to Bush:
Abstract
People tend to hold overly favorable views of their abilities in many social and intellectual domains. The authors suggest that this overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it. Across 4 studies, the authors found that participants scoring in the bottom quartile on tests of humor, grammar, and logic grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. Although their test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they estimated themselves to be in the 62nd. Several analyses linked this miscalibration to deficits in metacognitive skill, or the capacity to distinguish accuracy from error. Paradoxically, improving the skills of participants, and thus increasing their metacognitive competence, helped them recognize the limitations of their abilities.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10626367
DeschutesRiver
(2,354 posts)Here are a couple of links, but if you google Dunning or Kruger, there is more.
And Palin is a perfect real world example illustrating the study results.
http://wxerfm.com/blogs/post/bolson/2012/feb/29/do-stupid-people-know-theyre-stupid/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
edhopper
(33,208 posts)But I already found this because I have great Google skills. I am an excellent Googler as far as I can tell. Of course I do not know what goes into being really good with Google, but I assume what I do is great.
DeschutesRiver
(2,354 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)And its paid off with enough cash to fill in the Grand Canyon...
The next three generations of her family won't have to do an honest day's work in their lives...No sympathy or pity...
lastlib
(22,981 posts)leftynyc
(26,060 posts)to the chagrin of my family and friends I have discussed this with. She was not only ingnorant in the way we've all been making fun of since she was thrust on the stage but was completely ignorant of what they were asking of her - they tried to explain that a national campaign was different than an election in Alaska and she just didn't get it. I blame all of those who not only didn't vet her in the first place but the same people for not finding some way to get her out of the way (realized her family needed her or whatever).
And I take a back seat to nobody in finding the woman the cause of the teabaggers and the extreme right turn the pubs have taken. She's a moron but was too ignorant to even know that.
Paladin
(28,204 posts)The movie just confirmed to me what a dangerous bullet this country dodged by avoiding Palin. What a wretched, self-absorbed thing she is.....
libtodeath
(2,888 posts)she is a disgusting piece of shit that would destroy this country and us if she was given the chance.
leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)maybe if when she lost she slinked her way back to wasilly and kept her bear trap shut, maybe, go back and rewatch clips of her lying and inciting with cross hairs on posters and her stupid rhetoric maybe that will clear away the pity. the only thing i'll ever feel for her is deep seething loathing.
Tom Ripley
(4,945 posts)mulsh
(2,959 posts)The scummy political operatives are allegedly "professionals" they didn't see anything wrong with forcing this person on an unsuspecting world. all involved are contemptuous, incompetent crooks and grifters. I hope they all devolve into well deserved obscurity.
Jennicut
(25,415 posts)She just wasn't smart enough for the job and McCain's people did not vet her well at all. But she was rude and did not cooperate with McCain's aides and policy people. She was simple minded and she seemed to blame others for her mistakes. She did seem to love her children. She did not seem like an evil, horrible person. But she simply was not cut out for the job at hand.
Beaverhausen
(24,467 posts)But really, she's just fine. In her little world she is perfect in every way and the big mean media just lies and lies about her.
Uncle Joe
(58,112 posts)"While Palin's acceptance speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention is well-received, the campaign becomes concerned that she is grossly unprepared. Schmidt handles controversies from her past, such as Troopergate, while other staff attempt to fill gaps in her understanding of domestic and foreign politics. At times she is preoccupied with her approval ratings in Alaska and becomes unresponsive to advisers, which leads some of them to question her mental state. Several prominent blunders in major interviews, such as those with Katie Couric, are a source of mockery in the media and frustration in the campaign. Schmidt opines that YouTube has altered the media landscape in that Palin's gaffes are seen online repeatedly rather than being forgotten in the news cycle."
Had their race been in 2000, I suspect Palin's gaffes would have been quickly "forgotten" in the corporate media's "news cycle."
Thanks for the thread, sellitman.
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)What they were asking of her was a LOT. I don't know how many of us -- especially being as wildly unprepared as she -- could have been thrust into such a situation and thrived, let alone survived.
With that said, she wanted it desperately. Her ambition was great, but her ignorance and unwillingness/inability to rectify it even greater. Ultimately she has gotten what she wanted most from the VP nomination -- celebrity, recognition, money, influence -- which is just like being VP without having to work as hard.
benld74
(9,889 posts)Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)rhetoric that I have ever witnessed on the far right, and that's saying a lot.
Most people would be humbled after losing, but no! Not Sarah Palin. Instead, she doubled-down on the hate rhetoric, which I still maintain led to threats and violence perpetuated against various Democratic Party lawmakers. She is the darling of the Tea Party and the hate continues.
If she had humbled herself after the election, apologizing for the disgusting hate-filled rhetoric, I would consider forgiving her.
However, I have trouble understanding why you would feel the slightest bit sorry for this woman. She's now a very wealthy woman who is famous for absolutely nothing of substance. She is doing just fine.
Solly Mack
(90,740 posts)She worked hard for it. Let her have it. Allow that woman her due.
Palin brings to mind the saying: I'd like to buy her for what I think she's worth and sell her for what she thinks she's worth.
I'd make a mint.
eissa
(4,238 posts)And yes, I realize "hate" is a really strong word. But good god, that woman is a vile creature. Of course I realized what an inept, intellectually-challenged, hate-monger she was, but I didn't fully appreciate how completely childish and entitled she truly is. Her almost willfull ignorance combined with her desperation for the spotlight lead her to make a completely selfish and reckless decision. If I were a republican I would hold her decision to accept that nomination against her the same way I hold such disdain for John Edwards when he ran in 2008. You can't put your own selfish ambition above the country.
bluedigger
(17,077 posts)I think any pity you feel for her speaks more to your power of empathy than it does to her culpability.
sellitman
(11,596 posts)I'm amazed at the folk here who think I am standing up for her. I hate her brand of politics and almost everything she stands for. I just felt as bad for her as if she was a child who did not really understand what she was responsible for.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)Amerigo Vespucci
(30,885 posts)She's an adult, you know?
When it got to the point where it was obvious to everyone (including Palin herself) that she really didn't know much about the world and how it functions, what did she think was going to happen?
Back in my "private sector" days, a manager once told me that they liked having me report to them because I "took the coaching."
Palin didn't "take the coaching." If even HALF of the attempts to help her in the movie reflected reality, she should be ashamed of herself.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)Source: The Hill
Sarah Palin challenges Obama to debate
By Alicia M. Cohn - 03/13/12 12:37 PM ET
Sarah Palin shot back at the Obama reelection campaign this week after it used footage of her in a fundraising video.
"Im not running for any office, but Im more than happy to accept the dubious honor of being Barack Obamas 'enemy of the week' if that includes the opportunity to debate him on the issues Americans are actually concerned about," Palin wrote in a note on her Facebook page, posted late Monday. Palin was responding to a Web video fundraising for Obama that uses recent footage of Palin criticizing the president.
Palin also offered a challenge to Obama.
"Im willing and free to discuss these issues with the President anywhere, anytime," Palin wrote.
Read more: http://thehill.com/video/campaign/215745-sarah-palin-challenges-obama-to-debate-anywhere-anytime
Cleita
(75,480 posts)well informed on a daily basis. I feel no pity for her mental laziness.
TrogL
(32,818 posts)lame54
(35,141 posts)think of her bank account
ecstatic
(32,567 posts)I knew she was extremely ignorant, but I didn't know she acted like a toddler when it came to preparing for interviews/debates.
Someone in the campaign wondered if Palin was mentally ill. If that's the case, sure, I guess I could feel sorry for her. She was and still is clearly out of her league. A normal person would have said, "Wow! I'm really flattered, but I can't accept this offer" (and make up a lame excuse. No need to go into the issue of being WAY under-qualified.).
eissa
(4,238 posts)aside from being intellectually unqualified. She could have said she had a newborn with special needs, plus a knocked-up teen, and combined with her responsibilities as governor she simply could not join the ticket. National politics obviously takes a heavy toll, I can't even fathom how she didn't take any of that into consideration. The book even outlined how difficult campaigning was for the Obama family, and that's with only two children who had their mother and grandmother looking after them.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)Ever. In the immortal words of Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce, some people invite abuse and it would be impolite not to oblige them.
A snowbilly halfwit who probably couldn't find Canada on a map given five tries has no business being nominated for any office of greater importance than tree counter. That Princess Dumbass of the Northwoods might have been one old man's heartbeat away from the nuke codes is so disturbing on so many levels it still scares me.
butterfly77
(17,609 posts)She knew what she was getting into.
Are you telling me that she was a Governor and she didn't know what being a VP candidate consisted of and why in the hell was she voted in as a Governor?
After she found out what she did and didn't know she continued to dig in with her lies. No sympathy here..
B Calm
(28,762 posts)off those ditto heads, LOL
karynnj
(59,475 posts)The authors made nearly all of them look petty or worse. That they were behind the scenes listening to people in the inner circles willing to speak to them and wanting as sensational a story as possible, everyone is probably seen in their worst moments. In his book on 2004, Harris praised Matt Drudge - and in explaining why, he used an anti Kerry story that was completely made up - other than that Kerry did get his hair cut (in reality very uneventfully - paying $75.). He called Drudge our Edward R Murrow (wo to best of my knowledge did not just make things up.)
I felt particularly bad for Elizabeth, who was completely trashed in the book - who was incredibly ill when the book came out. As to Palin, it was pretty clear immediately after the election that none of the McCain people had anything good to say about her. She was clearly set up then as why the campaign failed - though McCain really had his own problems.
jillan
(39,451 posts)making the campaign waste money on a poll in Alaska that didn't mean a thing to them -
NO - it made me lose even more respect for her.
She makes me sick.
RiffRandell
(5,909 posts)And yes, great flick.