Why the difference - Biden/Palin
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Why the difference - Biden/Palin
| Thu, 10-02-2008 - 11:53am |
Ok so Biden has said some stupid things over the course of time as has Palin. Why is Palin considered "stupid"? Does anyone else see a double standard or is it just me?

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I don't think Palin is stupid at all. She obviously knows how to run people and situations, which takes brains. I think that it's interesting that people seem to feel very strongly about her one way or the other. If you look at her record, she comes across as much more polarizing than any of the other candidates. She's enormously popular in Alaska, and yet there is a cohort of angry and bitter Alaskans who seem to have some legitimate gripes. She seems to be able to concentrate power and disenfranchise people who don't agree with her; she's very good at pursuing her own agenda. For whatever reason, she lacks interest in the actual details of government, and this is a crucial flaw in a person running for high office. How do I know she lacks interest? I'm trying to account for her abysmal ignorance, without having to fall back on "she's just stupid".
Biden isn't stupid by any means. He's not very guarded or polished as a public speaker, and sometimes seems to have his foot in his mouth more often than it's out. This public persona is somewhat misleading. I've watched (on TV) senate hearings at which he presided; he is nothing if not intelligent and perceptive. He listens carefully and asks probing questions. Ms. Couric could never have roasted him over the coals.
thanks for the link. i'm wondering if the key word in the questionaire was "funding." the questionaire didnt ask if she supported contraceptives, but if she supported funding education involving contraceptives.
i also wonder if
ITA with all the other posters who say that Biden's gaffes are MUCH less worrisome than Palin's in terms of qualification for the job of VP. C'mon - my former high school students could have named at least 3-4 Supreme Court cases! Also, see my cut-and-pasted reply from another thread below that explains why I think Biden's gaffes aren't as heavily weighted as Palin's.
copied text:
Has Biden made some embarassing gaffes? Sure! He's put his foot in his mouth a time or two during this election. Does that instill confidence in me - not really, but he also has had plenty of interviews where he's done a fine/good job. Right or wrong, because he's not afraid to speak to interviewers and the public, his gaffes become less impactful. For instance - if you are taking a course in, let's say, economics, and you have three graded assignments and you fail two - your ship is sunk! However, if you have twenty assignments and you fail two - you've still got at least a 90%. That's a bit of an oversimplification, but hopefully you see my point. When you have fewer chances to perform - each one counts more.
~Ashley~
~Ashley~
Sarah Palin is not stupid. She says stupid things. Unfortunately, the dems have been so giddy at the stupid things she has been saying that they (we?) are failing to see the difference.
Palin says dumb things about subjects on which she has no education. I'm sure she is relatively smart. It's hard to become governor if you're not. The problem is that she has no interest in national/international politics, and therefore knows little about them. She can be a perfectly adequate governor not being well traveled, and not being knowledgeable about issues that dont affect her own state. But, it's pretty hard to be vice-president and not have that knowledge. That lack of knowledge has been very evident in her interviews with Katie Couric.
Sarah Palin is not stupid - she's unqualified. I wish more dems would realize the difference.
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I honestly think the Republicans have made a real tactical error here.
I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure
Hi...
Been lurking here and had a comment:
**I honestly think the Republicans have made a real tactical error here. Had they maybe let her be the keynote Speaker at the convention this year, and put some effort into getting her into a place where she could get introduced to national and international issues(you know developed her talents)she would be a real force in 4 or 8 years. I think she is just not ready for prime time and that's not ok for a VP candidate.**
In light of the disturbing display in Washington the last couple weeks, I welcome an "outsider." Why ruin her? I have so little confidence in ANY of the players on the national stage right now - namely because of the pork that has been slipped into this bailout bill. It is an absolute outrage! Are we in a national crisis or not? If the WA players will slip pork in at a time like this - grrrr - I am disgusted.
Didn't mean to change the topic but I think it relates. I'll take good judgment and success in the things that have been required of her so far as Mayor and Governor. There's a reason she has such a high approval rating in AK. I'm so fed up, I'd vote her Pres today over all the other 3.
Kim
She's not stupid.
>>I'll take good judgment and success in the things that have been required of her so far as Mayor and Governor.
I would agree in theory. In my opinion, she has shown poor judgement over the last month she's been on the national stage. Since I was one of the many who didn't know her at all before the RNC, I don't have much else to go on. Besides, her record in AK is mixed. She's accepted pork, has mislead the public on her support of the Bridge to Nowhere, supports hunting wolfs from the air (which I believe is against the law in AK), and is involved in an investigation. None of those are automatic deal-breakers for me, but all together, there is certainly enough to have me concerned.
And her interviews with Couric really didn't help matters. I look forward to seeing the debate tonight.
Laura
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