In the aftermath of the election season, I am reminded of the saying about sometimes it is better to keep your mouth shut. Lucky for us (and not for our rightist brethren), Sarah Palin is the gift that just keeps on giving.
As the battle lines start to get a bit clearer within the republican party, as well as the more "vocal" supporters of each faction, one would think that if there is a movement towards Palin, the darling of the dimwits, taking on a higher profile over the next few years, that someone would gently tell her that she should probably fade away for a while and actually accomplish something as opposed to just running her mouth off and looking the damn fool each time she "rears her head".
If the overwhelming number of people that either didn’t like her or didn’t think she was qualified for President, Vice President or felt that she was divisive, petty, a "diva", clueless, disinterested in, you know, actual facts and information wasn’t enough to make her take stock of her reputation and glaring flaws, then we are in for a spectacular implosion of someone that a dwindling number of people are hanging the hopes of the republican party on.
Over the past few weeks, she has alienated many in the inner workings of the RNC, the McCain campaign and has developed a reputation not as a maverick, but a self-important yahoo with entitlement issues. She has contradicted herself on her own positions, she will be heading back to Alaska where the socialized oil revenues will be decreased and known as someone who has no problem bilking her own state’s taxpayers out of money to use as her family’s personal slush fund.
She abruptly cut short a press conference yesterday at the republican governor’s conference Update [2008-11-14 9:48:8 by clammyc]: (my bad - she wasn't the one who cut it short, but she did look the damn fool in the presser) and was obviously agitated by some very basic questions. Earlier this week, she invoked eerie memories of Bush when she said that she was waiting for a sign from God as to whether she should run in 2012. She continues to bring up Ayers in interviews, and even Wolf Blitzer had to call her on not answering a basic question on bailing out the auto industry.
Her reputation is certainly well deserved – this is her doing, whether it is the abuse of power, the tax issues, the complete lack of understanding of the basic issues facing this country, the ties to extremist witch doctors and ideology, the arrogant ignorance that was constantly on display or the focus on bringing out the worst in her ticket’s supporters with hate speech and lies that put (and could still put) lives in danger. After the recent campaign season (as in the past), the losing ticket or party should do some soul searching, some reassessment of where they were and where they want to be. Al Gore faded from the political picture and focused on his passion. John Kerry returned to the Senate and focused on his strengths. Both have a better reputation today (of course, we can’t say the same for their running mates but Edwards did until....well, let’s not go there). McCain will return to the Senate with his reputation permanently damaged from the mud and slime that came to define his campaign. But if he is an effective legislator for the next few years, he could close out his career on a higher note.
If Palin has any hopes of being anything more than a laughingstock or a punchline, then she should probably shut her mouth, go back to Alaska and do something to reverse the gawd-awful reputation she has with a substantial portion of the electorate. If she doesn’t – and she stays in the spotlight – her shtick will get old quicker than you can say "you betcha!!" as she repeatedly sticks her foot in her mouth and rubs people the wrong way.
Which is just fine and dandy by me.