Losing "market share"
It's probably important to point out that today's accolades can sometimes have a way of morphing into tomorrow's eulogies and the GOP's Palin boosters perhaps should realize that statements such as those made above may wind up someday in that category. That some do not find this fairly obvious simply boggles the mind, particularly upon witnessing Palin's trademark crude, unpolished public displays. One would presume that her repeated inarticulate performances would instantly provoke a demand for an answer to the question of where she received her education.
"Nuclear weaponry, of course," Palin stammered during the vice-presidential debate, "would be the be-all, end all of just too many people in too many parts of our planet, so those dangerous regimes, again, cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, period."
"This mission of keeping our eyes on Russia," she clumsily expounded to Charles Gibson during an interview prior to the debate, "and Putin and some of his desires to control much more than smaller democratic countries. His mission, if it is to control energy supplies, also, coming from and through Russia, that's a dangerous position for our world to be in, if we were to allow that to happen."
Now, doggone it, you're left thinking, "Does this woman have a GED?" Eventually, however, you come to understand that even if so, she's clearly been educated beyond her intelligence.
Now, am I overstating just a bit here? You betcha! Palin did in fact, acquire a journalism degree from the University of Idaho in 1987 and subsequently demonstrated the ability to maneuver her way from the legislatively entry-level position of City Councilor to the mid-management level of Mayor, before landing in the Alaska Governor's office.
It is also true that residents of Alaska, home of the secessionist Alaskan Independence Party (with which the Palins are affiliated) and nicknamed "The Last Frontier," like those of "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire and the "Lone Star" state of Texas, share a similar fondness of autonomy. In addition, they also share a propensity for either breeding or attracting slightly off-kilter personality types. Thus to Palin's credit, it takes a certain kind of political savvy to get yourself elected Mayor or Governor, even if it happens to occur in basket-case locales with comparatively wacky electorates.
Nevertheless, her supporters need to get a grip. Truth be told, in Palin, potential GOP converts outside of Alaska are being wooed by an authentic affirmative action horror story written by none other than McCain, who unleashed upon his party, a hideously overvalued token that frankly, provides scant political value in what is now a shrewdly price-conscious electoral marketplace. If Palin, in some manner, symbolizes the “walking around” money the GOP needs to regain its electoral footing, it seems that yet another financial bailout for a bankrupt institution is in the making.
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