You're a semantic train wreck, but we loved the spice you added to the demagoguery. Give my regards to Fairbanks!

by Randje Mitchell (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 77 comments) on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 at 12:04:45 PM

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Ms Rosenberg, you have my heart-felt admiration for tackling Palin's speech patterns (I use that word loosely).   I'd hear or read something she said, and just shake my head in amazement, but you disected and suggested corrections - kudos to you.  btw, I was not only amazed at her poor speaking habits, I was amazed that so many people supported her.

I almost didn't post this, because I'm afraid you'll edit me too :)

by Diane Vandermast (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 18 comments) on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 at 2:03:57 PM

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Dear Martha,

With all due respect to your skillful writing, please refocus it. That bimbo has been receiving so much attention even after the election, even on "liberal" MSNBC's Keith Olberman & co. I've retreated to Jim Lehrer.

She needs to recede into oblivion, where she belongs.

Cenerentola, aka Marta Steele

by Marta Steele (44 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 48 comments) on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 at 3:19:26 PM

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Perhaps she needs to come in from the cold. Talking to moose or is that mooses or meece, doesn't help a persons syntax?

by Archie (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1750 comments [111 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 at 3:43:52 PM

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I call this nitpicking. Go Sarah!

by Scott (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 744 comments [30 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 at 9:16:46 PM

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There is heresy, maybe it's fact, that Palin was a journalist major! My high school teacher would never have tolerated a fraction of the violations involved in a couple of sentences coming out that stupid woman's mouth.

Ms. Rosenberg has far more patience than most of us, to tackle the Palin language probem. Palin seems to think it's cute to slay English. 

The height of ignorance is to be so stupid that one is oblivious to ones’ own stupidity!  Language is the first betrayal of such! Palin is such an embarrassment as a representative of the USA. (haven’t we put up with enough of that?!) He lack of command of the English language would seem to render her moot in negotiating skills - who could understand what the blazes she was attempting to say?

I never could listen to the diction and delivery of Palin’s screeching voice, let alone the idiotic content. Any of us that write or have done any editing thank Ms. Rosenberg for saying what has put many of us in "cringe-mode" these past few weeks (and it continues).

by MentalMagic (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 16 comments) on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 6:02:48 PM

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Let's just stop to contemplate for a moment how things would be different if Palin happened to have a "D" behind her name, and Obama picked her as VP. And of course we'd have to assume she would probably be pro-choice, she could have been supportive of the Iraq war, just like Joe Biden, and probably not for drilling in ANWR, but otherwise pretty much the same. Same speech patterns, same little lovable quirks and tendency to perhaps use too many words, not much difference in executive experience and foreign policy credentials than Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who many thought would be a great choice as VP. She's an independent fiery "woman of the people" who is an outsider to Washington. She's worked her way up from the PTA to be the Governor of a state in a remarkably short time. She's a NEW feminist, don't you see? She's taken on the Republican corruption in her state, and beaten it to a pulp. RED MEAT!! She's passed ethics reform against Republicans. MORE RED MEAT!! She's wildly popular in her state, more popular than any other Governor, she's given back rebates and raised taxes on the evil oil companies. LOVING IT! And .... she has a "D" after her name. What's not to like? She's gorgeous and gracious, just the opposite of the shrill unattractive aging Hillary who everyone now despises. (even Alec Baldwin said she was a lovely woman, very gracious, and "way hotter in person") The ticket has the best of both worlds. A woman on the ticket .... someone who will get at least most of the former Hillary voters and TONS of men voters, and someone who isn't Hillary. Best of all ..... she's got a "D" after her name. She's a lifetime NRA member. Yes, that's a positive, because the Democratic party has been in recent times trying desperately to back-track on the gun issue that's so important to the people they want to win over. She approves of her state having the ability to shoot wolves from the air, because you see, that demonstrates good wild-life management and therefore love for the environment. No, she doesn't personally shoot wolves from the air, as the right-wing smear mongers like to say. She chose to have her Down-Syndrome baby. And yes, she really is the mother contrary to what the wing-nuts like Limbaugh are saying. Not something to be looked down upon with pity, but a beautiful example of exercising her freedom of choice. Gosh, maybe she could even be pro-life, but of course not having any desire to push that on anyone. (just like the real Palin, BTW) Imagine what appeal there'd be to religious voters who otherwise might like to vote democrat, and even to Republicans looking for a bridge to the Obama side. "Yes, Senator Obama and I disagree on that, but I'm workin' on him! Not gonna push it though. You betcha!" Instead of a dower looking-down-the-nose Democrat Charlie Gibson trying to exploit a Governor's inherent weaknesses regarding national and foreign policy, we'd have gotten a smiling approving "friendly" Charlie asking "what's the hardest part about dealing with all the unfair attacks you've been getting from the opposition? Has it made you sad? I think America would really like to know more about how you took on corruption in your State. Could you detail that for us? How is it that you've been able to work so well with those in the other party to get so much done in so short of a time? To what do you most attribute your sky-high approval numbers? I think they're something like 80%, is that right?" Instead of a cold and inquisitional Democrat Katie Couric, we'd have had a smiling and once again perky Katie Couric, who would have simply edited out any awkward answers, or perhaps helped her out with suggestions of what she was trying to say. Or we'd have had analysts explaining what she really was trying to say, but simply got her words backwards. Instead of having volumes of follow-up explanation on the questions edited out to make her seem shallow, all would be included, and if we have to go an extra hour -- we just will! Tina Fey and SNL, also being Democrats, would have constructed their skits not to make her look stupid and shallow and lovable, but to portray her as a gorgeous and lovable corruption killer and oil-company enemy. The New York Times would have given the ticket and Palin especially a ringing, admiring endorsement, just like they did for Jimmy Carter even after having American hostages in captivity for 444 days and inflation and interest rates through the roof .... and like they did for Mondale and Ferraro, urging the nation to give a mere member of the house a chance to "grow in office". (Yes, that's what they said back then about Mondale's potential VP choices) So I guess the point I'm trying to make is that most of this Palin out and out visceral hatred, based on things like speech patterns, is not really rationally based, but simply a product of mostly the fact that she was against your guy, and because of the distorted caricature the Democrats in the media eagerly constructed for your eager consumption. Otherwise, Palin as a person -- her basic life story/determination/accomplishements/family values/intelligence/kindness/graciousness/even qualifications -- would be someone loved and admired by (most of) the left every bit as much as she is by (most of) the right. Oh how funny and interesting it would be if one could construct and observe such a counter- cosmic comparison.

by Alan Williams (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 858 comments) on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 1:13:34 AM

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"…her Down-Syndrome baby…"

The child suffers from Down's Syndrome, baby...

by bobzaguy (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 7 comments) on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 9:52:15 AM

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Please figure out something worth writing about, before writing.

by Alan Williams (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 858 comments) on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 9:19:51 PM

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Allen Williams seems to have a crush on the Governor..

Sarah has been given a pass on the appropriate use of English in her interviews. She is impossible to follow in her rambliings on almost any subject, suggesting to me that she is unread and illiterate. Before she enters on the National stage to speak without notes or prepared text, she would do well to hire a speech coach and read the rules of grammar..Her most notable ally would be the sitting President as they probably both graduated from schools attended at the very bottom of their class. 

Maybe I am being too critical on her ability to communicate as it seems that the crowds were crazy for her style of campaigning. Looks aside, I dislike her shrill voice when inciting the mobs especially the yelling to make points. I usually found it difficult to weave structure and coherence into her message, but then again , she had no message did she? I am praying that the Senate race in Alaska goes to the Democrats so that we will not have to hear from this airhead for another two years. Draft Palin, but send her to school not to the Senate.

by psycheboat (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 12 comments [1 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 7:23:41 AM

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I also shake my head every time I hear Gov. Palin speak. She seems at times a "Ya sure, you betcha" parody of Minnesotans on TV and in films. I wasn't even aware of the similarity of the two accents until now. Her delivery is certainly deeply steeped in the local vernacular and has its cute, humorous (and often cringe worthy) moments, but is not appropriate for the national/international platfrom any more than is Dubya's down home, cotton pickin', tobacco chewin' delivery. Unfortunately they both sound more appropriate for Prairie Home Companion or HeeHaw than DC.

I hope for a national leader more intellegent than the average Joe (insert occupation here), which is none too difficult, but I demand one who is, at the very least, able to muster up correct grammer and syntax when speaking on the world stage. Not only is the world watching; they are listening.

by Kathy Stuart (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 39 comments [9 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 9:31:50 AM

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Yesterday at a press conference Palin referred to "My experience that I have." This is separate and distinct from the experience that she doesn't have or someone else's experience that she does has. She also said "We're all about health care reform," kind of like being "all Advil." How about being "focused" on health care reform or it being a "high priority"? 

by Martha Rosenberg (180 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 3 comments) on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 9:41:07 AM

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"…a "Ya sure, you betcha" parody of Minnesotans…"

hmmm, I thought it was a parody of people from the UP in Michigan.  But then, I guess that's almost the same place.

by bobzaguy (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 7 comments) on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 9:55:38 AM

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Palin's accent is probably mainly attributable to the fact that there was a large Minnesota influx within her general "stomping grounds". Making fun of the way people talk has got to be one of the most childish and desperate forms of criticism. It's not just accent, but also word patterns and phrasing that are handed down or transferred during formative years. So it may be just natural for Palin to add certain words even though not needed, etc. It would appear she has put going to speech training class at Harvard* down low on her priority list, below raising a family, helping to run a business, improving her kids school and running her town, blowing the whistle on corrupt Republicans in State Government and doing apparently a good enough job as Governor to gain approval numbers the envy of politicians everywhere. And do we really want to apparently imply that Obama or Biden, or pretty much any politician or anybody, doesn't regularly speak in awkward fashion and get things wrong and add unneeded words when speaking off tele-prompter? Come on. This is all a partisan-based petty effort to discredit by any means possible, someone who is a perfectly fine, decent, accomplished and intelligent individual -- someone you and the media would be just fine with as long as there was a "D" behind her name. First thing out of the mouth of the Obama campaign was "look at this mayor of a small town thinking she can be vice president", ignoring the fact that she was a Governor of a State, and the first thing out of Opednews was to jump on the offensive rumor about her son not being hers. This, from the "intellectuals."

* "History fully vindicates the late William F. Buckley's view that he would rather be ruled by people represented by the first 100 names in the Boston phone book than by the faculty of Harvard."

by Alan Williams (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 858 comments) on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 2:31:28 PM

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