Monday, July 6, 2009

Opinion

Robert Schlesinger

Sarah Palin: Out of Control Talking Point Machine or Political Magnetic Poetry?

September 25, 2008 05:47 PM ET | Robert Schlesinger | Permanent Link | Print

Sarah Palin's first interview, with Charles Gibson, was painful. Her latest rounds with Katie Couric build on that discomfort and add mystery. As in: What's she saying?

Here's Couric asking Palin about the bailout:

If you can't see it, Couric asks Palin whether it mightn't be a good idea to spend the $700 billion on things like helping people get healthcare, gas, and groceries rather than on a Wall Street bailout.

Palin: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, we're ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Helping the—it's got to be all about job creation too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans and trade—we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as competitive, scary thing, but one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today—we've got to look at that as more opportunity.

It's like a talking points machine gone out of control. Or magnetic poetry that you have on your fridge—in fact, you can try it at home. String together key words and phrases like "shore up the economy," "reduce tax rates," "healthcare reform," and "trade" and see what kind of Palinisms you can create.

Post your answers below.

Tags: presidential election 2008 | video | Sarah Palin

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Reader Comments

No body hit a tree that not have fruits.

Why you are soo afrait to Sarah Pailing?

It's because a woman do better the politic than the man?

It's because the woman are more fierce than the man?

It's because you are homosexual and you are afrait that one woman will be president before an homosexual gai?

It's because She have an history of fight again every thing wron done?

It' because It's abeautifull woman happily married an annormal person in this crap sociaty?

I never see soo fierce oposition agains any other candidate...

It loock that the candidate for president was Sarah and not MCCain.

I understand you but you have to recovery your forces because you have to use in 2012.

I am sorry for you but you will have a very bad time at 2012

Embarrassment

My two most pressing questions regarding Palin have to do with what John McCain was seeing in her that almost everyone else could not and ditto the Alaskans who voted for her. Must have been her looks or perhaps many of them just knew nothing about her.

sarah palin

she is governor of a state? what does that say for the intelligence of the american gene pool?

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Robert Schlesinger is a deputy editor at U.S. News and World Report and oversees all opinion editorial content. He is the author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters.

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