The Polarizing Sarah Palin

Is the term 'scribbling class' meant to denote the barely functional literacy of the average conservative? I ask only because I really hate blogs which only reference other blogs with cutesy little descriptions. It's true that many posts in favor of conservative causes have spelling, grammar and syntax that would make a fourth grade teacher blanch. But it's inaccurate to lump ALL of Palin's supporters into the category of the functionally illiterate by calling them the 'scribbling class'.

Of course, your take (after reading the excerpt) is that the 'scribbling class' are simply other pundits, endlessly writing about their points of view of the candidates. As a writer, it behooves you to be clearer in who you're referencing when you write curiously misleading descriptions of others. People might jump to the wrong conclusions.

As for the article, all one needs to read is this:

"Either she's the second coming of George Wallace, stewing from the slights she once suffered at the hands of "the more urbane members" of the Wasilla community and determined to have her revenge on uppity elites once and for all, or else she's a true-to-herself conservative heroine who's been unjustly victimized by the class anxieties of undecided voters and (especially) the conservative punditocracy. No more nuanced interpretation is possible."

Skipping the last six words, that's a single 63 word sentence. I like long sentences, but even that one is beyond the pale for me. I'm not sure to which audience Mr. Douthat was writing, but I expect it's to those people whose primary form of entertainment is to read Scientific American. If he's writing it to the average reader, he has to dummy it down a lot more. Observe the immense pomposity of sesquipedalian verbiage...

And as for YOUR "story", two sentences do not a story make. Perhaps if you put a little more effort into it, you'd actually become a decent pundit yourself. Just try to avoid the paragraph-long, overly verbose sentences. They're fun to write, but a bitch to read.

Fatesrider of CA 3:43PM October 20, 2008

John McCain needs to forcibly wrestle the keys away from a drunk Mrs. Joe Six Pack before our whole country is crippled by a car wreck (a possible Palin presidency).

Jeri of MA 3:16PM October 20, 2008

The last debate brought up the question of America falling behind other nations in math and science. I am a teacher and I find this to be a serious problem. John McCain mentioned he would reform schools and improve our nation’s academic performance by, “finding bad teachers another line of work.” I have a better suggestion, the first step for ensuring an intellectual and educated America is for John McCain to find an uninformed VP candidate another line of work! John McCain insists that Governor Palin is a role model. Is this the role model we want for our youngsters? A scientific skeptic? A person that can’t seem to ever back up her own statements with concrete evidence? A person that obviously doesn’t read much? A person that shows little knowledge of Supreme Court decisions or of the the role of VP? A person that lacks an appreciation for the diversity of people that make up the great United States? I agree with Colin Powell, John McCain’s choice of VP shows serious lack of judgment. The VP choice of Sarah Palin sets a dangerous precedent of dumbing down American politics to get the popular vote. The whole world is watching and a vote for Palin is joke. I just did an internet search on Palinisms and was shocked to see the long list pop up. I have read most of these quotes prior but it is quite powerful to see the list compiled all in one place. This is all we have on Governor Palin because she has not had one successful interaction with the media. Imagine a Palin presidency, afterall she is a heart beat away and John McCain is 72 years old.

Patricia O. of NC 3:09PM October 20, 2008