Palin Lies About Hearing Biden!
Andrew Sullivan is seeing mendacity in the most innocent places, such as Sarah Palin’s line yesterday that she was looking forward to finally meeting Joe Biden because, “I’ve been hearing about his Senate speeches since I was in, like, second grade.”
Two things: when Palin was in Second Grade, Biden hadn’t been elected to the Senate. And when she was in third grade, do you really believe she was hearing about speeches by Joe Biden? Who in the national press corps at the time were hearing about Biden’s speeches in 1972?
She just lies. She can’t help herself. She has a serious psychological problem: making stuff up, imagining things happened when they didn’t, saying one thing in one interview and then directly contradicting herself in the next. She makes Stephen Glass look like George Washington. It’s pathological.
The line was clearly a joke, not an anecdote. Lord knows she’d never heard of Biden at that point; she’d probably never heard of the Senate until recently.
Elsewhere, Andrew compiles a list of “The Lies And Lies And Lies Of Sarah Palin.” Most of them are either ridiculously trivial (the speediness of her acceptance of the VP offer), passing on of talking points which weren’t strictly true (polar bears, Alaska’s contribution to the energy supply), rather standard political puffery (the eBay and Bridge to Nowhere stories), or unverifiable (how many gay friends she has). They’re hardly “all documented, bald-faced factually irrefutable lies.”
One could cite a variety of plausible arguments for why Palin would be a worse vice president than Joe Biden. Comparative honestly, however, is not among them.
Catty.
I don’t know what gets Palin so far under the left’s skin, but she is obviously doing a good job of it. I think the instapundit post sums it up well.
That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day.
I agree with you on your point about Andrew’s catalog of “lies.” In my opinion, focus the trivial ones (most of them) make the big ones (Bridge, Troopergate) also seem trivial.
Not just the left’s skin–she has the highest unfavorables and the lowest favorables of all four candidates in the last two polls I saw.
Sarah was 8 years old when “Walter” I mean “Joe” Biden was elected. She turned 8 years old in second grade.
Believe me my children grew up hearing about politicians since birth. That’s why they all support themselves today and know they can’t depend on that old pervert Uncle Sam.
Alex, that may be true but does not necessarily follow from having higher “unfavorables.” But to the extent she does, see yetanotherjohn’s comment as a reasonable explanation of the phenomenon.
I agree with McGehee’s comment as well. It seems more like something Alex would say, which is, I suppose, why it was the funniest thing he had read all day. Didn’t James just post something about Palin out-Quayling Quayle and noting how unfair that is? You know, glass houses, stones, and all that.
Alex,
Go back and look at the instapundit link. Then contemplate is the polling a reflection on Palin, a reflection on the lies of the left (e.g. one of her children was really her daughter’s child) or a reflection on the press not investigating Obama with 1/10 the vigor they have gone after Palin. In short, does the poll reflect truth or the suppression/distortion of truth. Then think about what it means for the left to have to distort and suppress the truth to have a chance of winning.
Sarah was 8 years old when “Walter” I mean “Joe” Biden was elected. She turned 8 years old in second grade.
Believe me my children grew up hearing about politicians since birth. That’s why they all support themselves today and know they can’t depend on that old pervert Uncle Sam.
Talk about experience, Old Walter never held a real job in his life, and the only credential he had for his present job of 35 years was county councilman![lol] A real case for change huh?
I don’t read Sullivan, so I don’t know where he is going with his argument; but from what we’ve seen from Palin’s limited unscripted interactions with people, she is less a “liar” than a “serial bullshi**er.”
Her response to Couric’s question about what newspapers she reads is a good example. Her response was “all of them.”
Her incoherent answers about foreign policy and the bailout bill are all examples of just trying to wing it. What this suggests is that she is either not very bright, extremely unprepared, or lazy.
I would guess that it is some combination of the three.
I can understand why she gets under people’s skin: we’ve had 8 years of presidency by an incurious, religious nut–most reasonable people think it is time for serious people to get back in charge
If you want to see who Sarah Palin is, just go watch her at the debates prior to her gaining the governorship in Alaska. This waif from Wasilla was far more than those polished politicians could handle. I think she will do well agains old Joe Biden, or anyone else for that matter. She is not some delicate flower, but the governor of a State. She did has accomplished much more than B. Hussein Obama, or for than matter, Joseph Biden. She was elected Chief Executive of a State. A rather large State against a sitting Governor of her own party. Have not fear, Sarah Palin is here. Notice how she seems to draw very large crowds.
Charles,
I will admit that it was a cheap and unfair shot. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t funny.
yetanotherjohn,
Most likely–the polls began to drop after her interview with Gibson, and they’ve really begun to tank after the Couric interviews.
For this to be the case, you have to assume that most people HEARD them–very few of them were actually reported in mainstream outlets. What evidence do you have that these crazy internet attacks had widespread penetration into the majority population?
Please provide evidence of this “lack of vigor”, and it better be more impressive than Stanley Kurtz’s b.s. about Ayers. I don’t think that history backs this up. The Stephanopolous-Gibson moderated Clinton-Obama debate was full of the crazy internet attacks which were and are on par with the crazy internet attacks on Palin. Bill O’Reilly asked Obama point blank about Ayers, Rezko, and the whole nine yards. What exactly are you looking for? What evidence do you have that what you’re looking for is there?
And I read Instapundit fairly regularly. As best as I can tell, Glenn Reynolds’ primary complaint about the “MSM” (and god do I hate that term) doesn’t buy into the logical fallacy of guilt by association. Mostly because, well, it’s a logical fallacy.
Triumph hits it on the head. Do some of these people not realize what kind of damage, having someone so incurious and unintelligent in such a vital position, has already been done to this great country?
Guess what, we’d be similarly ticked off if John McCain had announced Carrot Top as his VP candidate. The possibility that someone who either doesn’t read about current events, can’t think on her feet enough to name something she’s read or is such a deer in the headlights that she’s worried about the political fallout of saying the funnies is a little more than unsettling. The chance that she’s a finalist for this position is just to crazy to ignore.
A “rather large” state? Its population is less than that of the metro area that I live in in the middle of Kansas!
Joyner “tanks” for Obama by belittling a female Governor’s achievements. Jimmah Cartuh and The Hill-Billy Clinton team ring a bell?
I have become somewhat dismayed lately by the rather cavalier way that the term “lies” has been thrown around by the left. Any exaggeration of any kind is viewed as a lie. Sarcasm is now a lie. Even perceived meanings are classified as lies (Palin said she “put” the plane on Ebay, which is true. She didn’t say she sold it on Ebay, which the left heard).
Why is it that with Biden it’s a humorous gaffe but with Palin it’s a lie?
The area of Alaska is almost as large as the lower 48 combined. So are you saying it isn’t a rather large state in that manner?
I t amazing that liberals are so quick to yell liar when a republican long ago recollection would be factually off by a year. This includes McCain’s recollection of a documented event that happened in 1983 instead of 1982 as he originally had claim. Everything but the year was accurate yet the left claim McCain lied. However when a Democrat’s long ago or short term recollection have a great deal of factual impossibilities, it is an innocent misstatement or faulty recollection.
Wayne,
Alaska isn’t nearly that big. Yes, it’s the largest state size-wise, but it’s one of the smallest population-wise. Rhode Island has more people living in it than Alaska.
And the McCain issue wasn’t just that he misremembered the year of the event–it’s that he claimed to have voted on a bill that he couldn’t have voted on because he wasn’t in Congress yet. Not sure that’s in “lie” territory, because I’m not sure there was much malice in it, but it’s more than just misstating a year…
I love the rightwing nuthouse’s obsession with the Executive. I mean, it’s almost a fetish how executive experience seems to trump all with these guys. Obama’s constituency is larger than Alaska’s entire population, but somehow that is meaningless in the face of Palin’s governorship. Obama was a law professor (or reader, or assistant prof–whatever. Bottom line: he *taught* at Chicago University and you didn’t), but that’s worthless because Palin is governor. Nope, Obama’s entire life (and yours, too) is all insignificant and trivial because Palin is an all-powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing GOVERNOR!! All hail executive experience!
Zelsdorf, for a buncha people who claim to hate kings and monarchy, you guys seem to slather all over the Executive like you want one.
Oh, are those the numbers the McCain PR people say show up, but that everyone else who was there remembers as 50 percent (or more) less?
Do some of these people not realize what kind of damage, having someone so incurious and unintelligent in such a vital position
Like Jr. Senator from IL.?
“”she is less a “liar” than a “serial bullshi**er.”
“”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Triumph:
So….. I take it that’s an endorsement??[lol]
My bad. Maybe I was thinking coastline. Regardless area wise it is by far the largest. Population wise it is ranks 47th with 683,000. Anchorage has population of over 350,000. Therefore Palin has managed a fairly densely populated area as well as a sparsely populated area. Also with Alaska having such a large land area, she has dealt with issues that are unique to that situation that a Governor from a small state like Arkansas wouldn’t have to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska
Yeah, it takes one to know one! Except her BS is a defense mechanism to try and hide her weakness–I’m just an asshole.
In that guise, I’m actually hoping Cheney just stays at the Naval Observatory once McCain becomes president.
It is clear from the posts above that few, if any,have actually been to Alaska. You cannot just get in your car and drive from Anchorage to the capital, Juneau. There are no roads and the mountains are huge. You have to fly. There are no telephone poles and that is why they use video and satellites so creatively up there. I used to go to Bethel Alaska and deal with the Lower Kuskokwim School District (22,000 square miles)and the Medical district which is larger still. Fairbanks gets to 40-50 degrees below zero.
Got any idea what it takes to schedule a medical conference, or a wildlife management conference with key players in Juneau, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Sitka, for example? Any idea how to distribute paychecks up there, given that government employees are scattered over half-a-million square miles?
I agree that the definition of lie has gotten to the point that now it is meaningless in politics.
I agree with you on your point about Andrew’s catalog of “lies.” In my opinion, focus the trivial ones (most of them) make the big ones (Bridge, Troopergate) also seem trivial.
Which is why I think this is true. I won’t necessarily say that we would agree on all the details, but when everything is turned into a lie, the real lies get lost in the fog.
I do think the media has held Palin to a much higher standard than Obam or even Biden. I think every gaffe-big or small-made by Palin is trotted out for all to see when gaffe’s by Obama and Biden are ignored or excused.
Alex what city do you live in? Wichita is the biggest city in Kansas and it comes in at 361,000 which is less than 683,000 population of Alaska.
Just me: I would agree with you except for the fact that if SP gets thru the debate tomorrow night without saying anything utterly idiotic, it will be considered a “victory”… Her interveiw with KC was a joke. JM could have picked any # of GOP women as his running mate… most of them would have been competent (I probably would not have agreed with them, but hey… they would have had an argument…)
SP has what?… An SNL skit?
Look guys, do not make excuses for her…
You don’t for Obama…
ps: Given the “bridge to nowhere” lies, I do not blame AS for looking for skeletons in every closet…
Why else shut the closet so hard on “troopergate”???
(Alberto Gonzalez and company F’ed up, is anybody surprised?)
Amazing what length some of you will go to to suspend all good judgment, rationale, and logic. I give you the political paradox that is – Sarah Palin. The ice princess of Alaska. What will she bring to the country if elected? The coldest winter ever.
To die and go to heaven and then discover that the “right” is right, would mean that I was absolutely wrong. About being in heaven that is.
When will we learn.
I think the funniest thing about all this is hearing from all these Obama voters who expect anyone to care what they claim to think about what would make a Republican ticket more electable.
Because of course there’s nothing the least bit “executive” about the presidency.
The only intelligence you’re insulting is your own.
Stay classy.
Palin is competitive and aggressive in an adversarial situation and she can toss out a zinger in a heartbeat. She will handle the debate just fine.
Sullivan is just jealous; he wanted to have Levi’s baby.
Obumble is a living lie
You can call Obama a lot of things but incurious and unintelligent? a Harvard graduate degree vs the powerhouse intellect of SP who holds a BS in journalism from the University of Idaho?
God and these people get to vote …
I don’t see a problem.
Quelle surprise.
So Ivy League degrees mean you are automatically intellectually curious? Like, say, George Bush? Oh, I forgot, he’s a Republican.
Never mind.
Impressive, using French. Elitist.
Interesting. Palin says we can leave Iraq when the Iraqis give us permission to go.