This is the best article I have seen on this subject. Yes, how can conservatives tolerate the likes of Palin on their ticket? Could it be that they are so shallow and bankrupt intellectually they don't even realize Palin's, Bush's, and Quayle's vacuous mouthiness for what it is, or are they so cynical, they'll do anything to elect a conservative no matter how crooked their stripes? Perhaps many conservatives are so brainwashed by the right wing machine, they have purposely shut down their own critical faculties in order to stay in the party! Or maybe many are actually dumb. That's another possibility.

"As difficult as this is to believe, Palin has more actual leadership experience than Obama, who never even held a meeting of the committee that he was put in charge of in Congress. Of course, Palin is nominated as VP. The Dems nominated someone with no leadership experience for President."

Yes, if you choose to willfully ignore everything Obama has done in his impressive life, he is such a loser! This is quite easy to do if you get your noise from Fox/Limbaugh and are anti-intellectual and don't let objective reality harsh your mellow.

Cheers,

i agree, and thanks for this article! where are all of the conservatives who rightly believe that intellegence is connected to doing effective work? baffling. i can think of two conservatives right away -- Alan Bloom and William Safire -- who i would have thought would be writing up a storm of protest beginning several years back. and i am sure there are many more. but no, utter silence.

There are times when I have NO clue what she's trying to say. Her words seem strung together, making no sense whatsoever.

Someone called it Squid Ink.

Maybe every squid out there is a genius, too.

I agree with you on who should be the next President. I don't agree that it is necessary to hate the opposition. Senator Biden likes her very much and so do I. What she has to say is a breathe of fresh air compared to your hate rant.

The so-called dumbing down is not particular to the GOP. I see it as a wider cultural trend with parallels in TV reality shows that make bratty nonentities into marketable stars, game shows that turn average joes into millionnaires just by answering a few questions or guessing at suitcases, and the growing celebrity cult that celebrates celebrities for being celebrities.

Add this to widespread disenchantment over politics and a GOP that has been telling America that government should do as little as possible and it's no wonder that so many Americans no longer associate skill, vision, and intelligence with running for President.

In other words, more Americans tend to think achievement is a matter of luck or PR, and that fame and a good job can be had by ... well, anyone.

A friend pointed out that our Presidential elections are really just like high school class elections. The Republicans always run a jock of some type (in this case, also a pretty, air-headed cheerleader), and the Democrats always run the intellectual class nerd. Since most Americans are rather intellectually lazy, it's no surprise that someone like Palin appeals to them; she reminds them of themselves, but for a very unfortunate reason. A woman who can't name a newspaper or magazine she reads regularly appeals to people who are too lazy to delve into complex issues. This is why a qualified woman like Hutchinson, Rice, or Snow wasn't chosen (besides the fact that McCain needed to rein in the religious right). Joe Six-Pack can relate to a hot babe who can shoot a moose, but not someone who went to Stanford, plays classical piano, and served as Secretary of State. (Not that I'm a big Rice fan, but face it, Palin's intellect isn't even in the same universe.)

One that professed this sort of psuedo professionalism, and the other which took it seriously

I don't think the Coen Bros could have said it any better. My message to all the re-thug-licans who soooooo love this lady: You're part of a league of morons! Do you seriously believe Palin has more leadership experience than Obama? What planet are you people from? Only an idiot would believe that! She hasn't been governor for not even two years, and please don't even mention her fucking experience as mayor of "mortville", or even the (pardon my laughing) PTA experience. Who gives a shit?! She's a disgrace, and she wouldn't even answer all the questions put to her! If this was a high school debate, nobody in their right mind would have said "she won". I'm sorry, but you must be in a league of morons to believe otherwise.

It is not just the GOP that is dumbing down although they are simply the most egregious example of it. America has a history of appealing to the lowest common denominator and as a people we are singularly proud of our anti-intellectualism; in fact we revel in it. Palin is simply a continuation of this long-standing political tradition and Mccain has become the classic example of one who exploits this common thread for political gain. Palin is in reality not the problem; the problem is McCain and his disdain for the citizenry who constitute his universe of "Country First". Never has been there been a more tragic example of poor judgement in American politics. McCain's appeal to the religious right (which he so famously dissed not 8 years ago) by selecting Palin (I assume through some divine inspiration ala George W.) is a rare example of extreme unpatriotic behavior. Irrespective of whether she performed to or above what was expected she is totally unqualified to be one heart beat away from the presidency - especially when that presidential wannabe is 72 years old and a 5 time cancer survivor. When you factor in this decision with his recent - and increasingly erratic behavior - one can truly be worried if we were to have the bad luck to actually see him attain his goal. No matter how it is spun Palin was not and is not a good example of rational, presidential judgement.

To quote Forrest Gump - "stupid is as stupid does" and that applies to Palin and McCain.