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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Politics The Palin

Posted by Charles Mudede on Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 9:54 AM

(Marc Ambinder) In an essay posted last night to her Facebook page, ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin and her research staff responded last night to criticism from — well, she says President Obama, but it's actually criticism from sensible circles on the right and the left — that she misstated the facts when she wrote last Friday about "death panels" being given the power to decide whether her son Trig's life was valuable. The essay doesn't seem to be in Palin's voice; it is more dispassionate and analytical than anything she has previously written, much less said, in recent memory. It includes 11 footnotes, linking to bill texts, government reports, articles and supportive commentary.

Turns out that Palin's argument IS about the advance directive provision of HR 1233. "With all due respect, it's misleading for the President to describe this section as an entirely voluntary provision that simply increases the information offered to Medicare recipients. The issue is the context in which that information is provided and the coercive effect these consultations will have in that context."

Palin should not try to sound smart (or hire people to make her sound smart). This approach will backfire. Not because it sounds phony but because it sends confusing codes to those in the base. The reason why the whole "death panel" thing was a huge success was precisely because Obama is an intellectual, and if you are an intellectual these are your codes: rational, godless, cold. Obama represents state power as a domain of reason rather than feeling. This is why the death panel thing will only work if Palin plays dumb, which has these codes: innocent, commonsensical, god-fearing. Do not confuse the codes. Keep them clear and distinct.

Comments (18) RSS

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Physician, heal thyself.

Posted by Baconcat on August 13, 2009 at 10:16 AM

What the hell is up with her decor? Is that her living room? There is nothing more comforting than a room full of dead things you can sit on and rest your feet. I bet her carpet is made out of dead baby seals.

Posted by Simply Me on August 13, 2009 at 10:17 AM

Cynical, but true. In this culture, if you're an intellectual you're cold and disagreeably rational. If you're not an intellectual, you're "just folk".

Posted by givesgoodemail

on August 13, 2009 at 10:19 AM

Holy shit.

I agree with Charles. That almost never happens.

Posted by -J on August 13, 2009 at 10:26 AM

I'm sorry, I must have missed the memo...but why is it we give a shit about Palin's Facebook/Twitter/MySpace ravings?

Posted by Toe Tag on August 13, 2009 at 10:28 AM

@2 it's her former office: the office of the Governor of Alaska, which she redecorated at some expense just after she was elected.

Posted by Schweighsr on August 13, 2009 at 10:31 AM

That giant crab blows my mind.

Posted by keshmeshi on August 13, 2009 at 10:56 AM

@5 for the post-Palin win.

Seriously, who cares about these Birther Tin Foil Brigade loons? They all live off the public dime on socialized medicine and whine about other people who actually work and pay taxes.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on August 13, 2009 at 11:04 AM

Probably shouldn't say this but....

...Hey Sarah! You have no waist, your ass is flat and you have cankles. Your policies suck too.

Posted by blank12357 on August 13, 2009 at 11:09 AM

So when Palin says that there will be Nazi-esque "death panels" coming to kill little Trigonometry, she really means that there's some possibility of old people feeling confused and scared when confronted with new-fangled information from the gubmint?

Dunno why I never got that before...

Posted by iflurry

on August 13, 2009 at 11:15 AM

Yeah, Sarah, because Medicare has been sending old people to the gas ovens for decades.

Posted by Mahtli69 on August 13, 2009 at 11:45 AM

You are right. You can't explain crazy. And she is fucking crazy. Let her keep it up. Once again, Americans will be given the choice between rational government and irrational government. As in G.W.B. was irrational government.

Posted by Vince on August 13, 2009 at 12:28 PM

I'm with those irritated that anyone is paying attention to Palin. She is not a current candidate for anything, and unemployed. I say lets move on - ignore Palin.

Posted by Jaymz on August 13, 2009 at 2:19 PM

i thought her codes were female fecund and forty.

Posted by Max Solomon on August 13, 2009 at 3:02 PM

@13 I would love to see you not look at a smoldering car wreck that has been holding you up in traffic for hours....just TRY IT.....that is what most of us feel like

Posted by Andy_Squirrel on August 13, 2009 at 3:16 PM

so when a lady has a houseful of alive and dead animals - kittens in the freezer, homemade taxidermy, etc - we call them crazy and lock them up. when the same person is governor, we call it interior design? is the line that separates the two just how artfully the carcasses are arranged?

Posted by diggum on August 13, 2009 at 3:35 PM