Greg Cochran's Take on Sarah Palin
In a comment on my last post discussing the candidates' views on NATO membership for Georgia, the curmudgeonly genius remarks:
As for me I'm still hoping that she'll surprise us all and show herself to be a formidable and smart candidate. Any day now...
Palin? Like it matters, but of course she's clueless. She's never shown the slightest interest in national or international affairs, nor has she bothered to learn jack about them. If it were up to me, she wouldn't even be allowed to vote.Okay, sounds like he's not in the Palin column. For a very entertaining thread where Cochran and other smart folk discuss the election, see here.
As for me I'm still hoping that she'll surprise us all and show herself to be a formidable and smart candidate. Any day now...
posted by ziel | 9/17/2008 09:03:00 PM
9 Comments:
Ziel, I do love you, but you are in love with Sarah Palin. You remind me of the people who thought Kerry was soooo much smarter than Bush.
I'd say around 95% of Americans know little or nothing of national or international policy/affairs. Does that mean we limit the vote to 5% of the population?
Sarah Palin may very well fit into the (very much self-estimated and unofficial) 95% but does that mean she can't learn about these things?
I fully understand Ziel's perspective on Sarah; she's the most refreshing thing to hit politics in decades. And her story is a fascinating one, no one can dispute that.
Now, will she make a good president? Who knows.
At the risk of having Greg tear into me, too, I'd say that Palin's problem is that she was pulled up too far, too fast. Given another ten years in office, dealing with real problems, she might have made a formidable national candidate. As it is, McCain has ruined a good GOP candidate. It's his one last parting shot to the conservatives, I guess.
Derek, I like the way in which you quietly assume general adoption of intelligence boosting technology - smart pills, direct brain-computer connections, etc - over the next decade without making a big deal out of it. Reminds of Heinlein. But think it through. Sure, Palin will be smarter, but so will everyone else. We'll be facing problems that would have puzzled Talleyrand: she still won't be up to it.
Apparently, in Cochran's view, people don't learn from experience, they only learn through technology.
Greg,
Alright, that one made me laugh. If you're going to be bodyslammed, that's the way to go.
You're probably right. Palin wouldn't be up to facing the problems that are coming our way. Will anyone be? Or, rather, will anyone on the national political scene be?
Several years experience on Palin's part would have definitively dealt her in or out. I would think that a couple of successful terms as AK governor would have at least made her a good candidate to run the Interior Department, adding some depth to an already too thin GOP bench.
So, Dr. cochran, you are saying that learning and experience don't matter, only intelligence? Or are you simply saying that Palin not only lacks experience, but intellignce as well?
As I said, Palin has never been interested in national or international affairs and knows nothing about them. This is not all bad, since her uninformed guesses appear to be less crazy than the avowed policies of her running mate.
In addition, I doubt if she's very smart. I'd put her on a par with Biden - barely college material.
Considering she has a kid going to Iraq, she's going to get more interested soon enough, win or lose the election.
Post a Comment
<< Home