Palin gives only ’silence’ when asked to name a SCOTUS decision besides Roe v. Wade.
Palin gives only ’silence’ when asked to name a SCOTUS decision besides Roe v. Wade.
An aide to Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) told Politico’s Jonathan Martin that a yet-to-be-released portion of Katie Couric’s interview with Palin contains yet another embarrassing gaffe, this time about the Supreme Court:
The Palin aide, after first noting how “infuriating” it was for CBS to purportedly leak word about the gaffe, revealed that it came in response to a question about Supreme Court decisions. After noting Roe vs. Wade, Palin was apparently unable to discuss any major court cases. There was no verbal fumbling with this particular question as there was with some others, the aide said, but rather silence.
Palin also offered little more than silence when asked to name specific examples of times Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) pushed for more Wall Street regulation.
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Maybe Palin could have Tina Fey stand in for her.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:09 amHow’s that white woman voting coming along for you Johnny?
September 30th, 2008 at 11:09 amHer silence could have been intentional. It probably wouldn’t go over too well with independent voters if she admitted she also wasn’t fond of the Brown v. Board of Education and Griswold v. Connecticut decisions.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:11 amYou’d think she would at least know Griswold v. Connecticut or Brown v. Board of Education. I suspect she is opposed to the effects of both those rulings as well as Roe v. Wade.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:12 amBush v. Gore was only 8 years ago, and was pro-Republican. She should have known that one.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:14 amI’m feeling sorry for Joe Biden. This so-called challenge is looking so easy as if to insult his intelligence.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:14 amYou know what case she should’ve been able to name?: Morse v. Frederick…
Yes, it does seem a bit obscure, but you might know it by it’s pseudonym — the BONG HITS FOR JESUS case.
Thats right, the free speech case that made it to the Supreme Court last year.
Why should Sarah Palin be aware of the case?
Because it started in Juneau Alaska, and got a lot of press coverage in Alaska — as well as nation wide.
I think I’ve seen this lack of intellectual curiosity somewhere before…
BTW, if this happens to generate a question or two in you for Governor Palin, feel free to post it over at http://www.OneQuestionForPalin.com
September 30th, 2008 at 11:14 amLet’s see, the energy expert Governor of Alaska can’t cite the recent Supreme Court decision on Exxon Valdez damages?
She was interviewed on CSPAN’s Washington Journal about the nearing decision earlier this year!
In that same interview she called the spill 10,000 gallons of fuel, when it was 10.8 million gallons of crude oil.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:17 amOld news, give her 5 minutes for Yet Another Gaffe…
September 30th, 2008 at 11:19 am;)
Ask her to quote a verse from the Bible, and I bet she would nail it…..
September 30th, 2008 at 11:19 amI’d give her a pass if she could name a case from the Alaska Supreme Court.
How likely?
September 30th, 2008 at 11:20 amJudging from her responses to most questions, she has found the “Absolute” response. One that can withstand any rebuttal and make her just as intelligent as any adversary: That tried and true cliche that makes up a good half of the vocabulary of anyone under 50: “You know!” Of course she can always follow with: “So, like, Hey Man, I didn’t do nothing, Okay?”
September 30th, 2008 at 11:21 amThe upcoming debate between the VP candidates will be a spectacle to watch.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:21 amThat worst part of Couric Part 2 was McCain running interference for Palin. How sexist of McCain not to let Palin speak for herself and explain her comments.
You watch, the McCain camp will insist that Johnny be allowed to stand next to Palin at the VP debate. Or, let’s keep our eyes open for bulges in Palin’s suit.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:22 amKinda OT, but does anyone know if Stephen Spoonamore has any credibility? Because if he does, he’s saying that the McCain/Palin ticket will win the popular vote by 51.2% and the electoral vote by 3. Link
September 30th, 2008 at 11:24 amMcKeating keeps stating that he will let her speak for herself–see where that gets him.
If someone isn’t sitting next to her with their hand up her arse making her puppet mouth move then she’s got nothing
September 30th, 2008 at 11:24 amwhere are the trolls
to defend this poor,
defenseless child?
*
thank you.
*
September 30th, 2008 at 11:26 amThey are talking about the debates on CNN right now–reminds me of a skit on MadTV called Lowered Expectations.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:26 amDid Sarah Palin actually graduate high school? Someone seriously needs to look at her transcripts. How do you graduate high school without being able to cite Marbury v. Madison, Dred Scott v. Sanford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, and Gibbons v. Ogden? These are among the landmark cases that established the basis for constitutional democratic governance not just in the United States, but in other democracies who have followed in our footsteps.
This woman is too stupid to successfully pick her own nose, let alone run a country.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:29 amraynman Says:
Ask her to quote a verse from the Bible, and I bet she would nail it…
September 30th, 2008 at 11:19 am
______
I bet she couldn’t. I find that people who are adept at thumping the Bible aren’t always so good at understanding it.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:30 amIt’s gonna be tricky for Joe.
You know the origin of the term “straw man”, don’t you? Originally, I think it came from jousting days, when pages or squires or whatever the underlings were called, when they wanted to humiliate an arrogant knight, would set him up against a suit of armor filled with straw, mounted on a horse. When the knight destroyed his opponent and wheeled triumphantly around to look upon his vanquished foe, and saw only straw spread out on the ground, he looked and felt foolish for having expended so much energy and skill on such a challenge.
Sarah Palin is looking less like a plucky, hockey-mom underdog and more like a classic straw man (or woman) every day. Joe better play this right, or he could look really foolish.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:31 amDebate Biden – I suggest not until we see how well she does on “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader”
September 30th, 2008 at 11:32 amThis wasn’t a ‘gaffe‘ by Palin–she didn’t “misspeak” or say anything inappropriate.
It is however a salient example of her ignorance of significant national political, legal and social issues; an indictment of the competence of the tutors assigned to her by the McCain campaign and a demonstration of her’s and McCain’s complete lack of qualifications for the positions which they are both pursuing.
But pay no attention to me, I’m just being sexist…
September 30th, 2008 at 11:34 amOne of Murkins’ predictable and manipulable civic faults is the desire of the Average Murkin to think he’she’s “smarter” than their leaders. With Scarah, it’s just so easy to believe…which is an app, not a glitch…
September 30th, 2008 at 11:35 am“I’d like to use my lifeline.”
September 30th, 2008 at 11:41 amralph the wonder llama Says:
Sarah Palin is looking less like a plucky, hockey-mom underdog and more like a classic straw man (or woman) every day. Joe better play this right, or he could look really foolish.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:31 am
______
I’d rather he look foolish by giving Palin a good, solid trouncing, rather than look foolish by holding back and letting her look like a worthwhile adversary.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:41 amPalin: “Supreme Court decisions? Ooh that’s tricky…let’s see…um… well, those big robes were a bad decision, it makes them all look fat….er..what else….I know! Moose vs Gun! Guess who lost! Ha ha, just a little hockey-mom humor there, but seriously, I think the Supreme Court, under the umbrella of decisions should, you know, should appreciate how health care and energy are important to make us proud and spread freedom, ya know? So…all that, ya…”
September 30th, 2008 at 11:45 amConservatives telling the truth about Palin when they think the Mic is off http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrG8w4bb3kg
Peggy Noonan’s view on Sarah Palin? ‘Political Bullsh*t’:
http://odeo.com/episodes/23247579-Peggy-Noonan-s-view-on-Sarah-Palin-Political-Bullsh-t
Peggy Noonan is the former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan
Kathleen Parker, conservastive commentator writing for the National Review Online:
“Palin’s recent interviews…have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.
No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted….”
September 30th, 2008 at 11:45 amIf Thursday’s debate were a prize fight, it would be called “The Disasta from Alaska”.
If you are going to miss the debate or if you just want to have some fun, go to –> http://interviewpalin.com
Here’s an example of questions and randomly-generated responses from Mrs. Palin:
Q: What is the role of the US in Iraq and Afghanistan?
A:Afghanistan will lead to further security of our economy. It is, somebody was saying this morning, a toxic waste there on Wall Street. That’s the reform that is part of the grade of problem that America has to exercise all options out there on Wall Street. That’s the reform that is needed to help shore up our economy and putting it back on the table. I think if you really think I can help this country, and victory in the sense of the status quo, the politics as usual, that embracing of the American people. And of course, that is part of the status quo, the politics as usual and somebody’s big, fat resume maybe that shows decades and decades in that cronyism it’s symptomatic of the United States, in my world, those are the good guys are in this terror.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:46 amI mean, seriously – not even one case?
What about FCC v. Pacifica – George Carlin’s “seven dirty words” case? That was in the news when he died this summer.
DC v. Heller’s been all over the news – a gun nut like Palin should know that one.
I’d even give her partial credit for the Miranda part of Miranda v. Arizona. You only need to watch an episode of Law and Order to learn that one.
This woman is an idiot. There’s no other word to describe it.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:47 amEven if she couldn’t give the specific name of a case, couldn’t she at least be able to articulate a decision?
And could she even define the issues in Roe vs. Wade? I’d bet not.
Seriously, as HTH points out, did this woman graduate from high school?
PEACE
September 30th, 2008 at 11:47 ambiden’s course in the debate is simple.
make your points, claim victory and
depart the field.
*
watch the moderators ask palin questions.
watch palin answer questions.
watch what happens when she can.
watch what happens when she can’t.
#
for biden
it’s all good.
#
thank you.
:)
September 30th, 2008 at 11:48 amPallid follows the same Mensa path as the Chymp…
September 30th, 2008 at 11:48 amPallid: “I’ll get back to ya on that one”
September 30th, 2008 at 11:50 amImagine Obama having to run interference for Biden. Hundreds and hundreds of people we see on television every day who can hang a few words together to make a meaningful sentence, including people interviewed on the street, and this inarticulate woman is running for the second most powerful job in the US. It’s crazy, unbelievable and downright sickening.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:50 amDred Scott? Marbury v Madison? Alaska v Arctic Maid?
September 30th, 2008 at 11:53 amThe main thing Biden needs to do is directly answer questions and keep his responses brief.
He doesn’t have to set any traps for Failin’ Palin. He just needs to be sure that he doesn’t soak up air time. If left to her own devices, she will eventually set and step in her own traps.
Above all else, however, he should be careful to have some snappy one-sentence rejoinders to the kinds of inflammatory jibes at Obama that Failin’ Palin’s debate trainers are filling her up with right now. For instance, if Failin’ Palin says “Obama will raise your taxes, blah, blah, blah”, Biden should simply say “That might be important if it were true.” Period.
In fact, I would like to see him use that very response over and over again during the debate. That would drive home the most important message that he can deliver.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:53 amBowers v Hardwick, anyone?
I love how they’re mad that it leaked, as if it would be different if they just played it back for us.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:54 amWell I guess her coaches forgot to fill her little pea brain with information on that, or maybe roe v wade is the only thing she can concentrate on.
Palin’s mind ; “Baby killers, baaaaby killllleeeers, they must die, those satanic baaaby killers, DIE, DIE, DIE, I’m gonna get my gun and shoot them from airplanes, that’s what I’ll do, DIE, DIE, DIE Babbby killleeers.”
Hence that is why she was silent.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:54 amHamdan v. Rumsfeld is a recent very important decision and who can forget about Bush v. Gore. Her complete unawareness makes one wonder what rock she has been hiding under for all of these years.
And when is she going to release her financial statement and tax returns. What is she hiding?
September 30th, 2008 at 11:55 amunbelievable,
Glad to see you back here, after you had given up on TP for a while. (I myself haven’t been here so much lately but for time-consuming personal/family reasons.)
Anyway, I agree with your point. However, there are some strange alignments in this election. I was at a party a few months ago for current and previous Fulbright Scholars in a certain city, where a young Afro-American woman from Hawaii approached me. Normally one would think “Black from Hawaii? Definitely an Obama-supporter.” But, no, she turned out to be part of the religious right/wrong with very strong feelings about abortion and gay marriage and, thus, would be voting for McCain.
unbelievable Says:
How’s that white woman voting coming along for you Johnny?
September 30th, 2008 at 11:56 amHere’s what’s odd. Just seven months ago, Governor Palin was on CSPAN’s Washington Journal. At the 3:30 mark, Steve displayed that morning’s lead article in the Washington Post, titled “Exxon Oil Spill Case May Get Closure.” The byline was “Almost 20 Years after Valdez Wreck, Justices to Weigh In.” Sarah’s reply included:
“Finally 19 years later, in front of the Supreme Court asking for justice. And the frustration that we have in Alaska after so many years of waiting for this damages to be paid by Exxon, of course at fault for the spill with a drunken captain that ran the Exxon Valdez ship into Bligh Reef and spilled 11,000 gallons of fuel…..I’m thankful that finally on Wednesday we’re in front of the Supreme Court to argue our side.”
So the energy expert, Governor of Alaska doesn’t remember her involvement in that key Supreme Court decision on punitive damages. Also, she missed the size of the spill by 10.79 million gallons of crude. Does anyone else see a pattern?
September 30th, 2008 at 11:58 amYou could hear the hamster running in the wheel but the gears weren’t engaged
September 30th, 2008 at 11:59 amIf this interview unfolds as claimed, this will truly be Governor Palin’s ‘moose in the headlights’ moment. The look will be priceless!
She is simply the gift that keeps on giving, and giving and giving…
September 30th, 2008 at 12:00 pmI do have to ask–what had they been prepping her on? How A Bill Becomes A Law?
September 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pmpbg Says:
I do have to ask–what had they been prepping her on? How A Bill Becomes A Law?
September 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
______
Probably. I wonder if the McCain campaign ordered some training videos recently.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:07 pmNEWSFLASH:
Developing ………..
September 30th, 2008 at 12:09 pmHOST: And now it’s time for another round of Know Your Palin!
APPLAUSE
HOST: “Contestant number one: Which ‘Palin’ rejected a farcical aquatic ceremony as a basis for a governmental system, and which ‘Palin’ proposed accidental proximity to a sparsely inhabited part of another country as constituting an unimpeachable foreign policy expertise? ”
CONTESTANT #1: “Is it….Michael, and….Sarah?
HOST: Correct! Well done! Now, for a bonus question worth an extra ten points; which of the two arguments is most valid? Take your time and don’t forget you can ‘phone-a-friend’…
September 30th, 2008 at 12:14 pm5th Estate Says:
CONTESTANT #1: “Is it….Michael, and….Sarah?
September 30th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
_____
And unlike Governor Palin, Michael Palin has actually BEEN to Little Diomede Island, in Alaska.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:19 pmpbg Says:
I do have to ask–what had they been prepping her on? How A Bill Becomes A Law?
*
that’s the advanced material.
not quite ready for that yet.
#
September 30th, 2008 at 12:20 pmIgnoranceIsNotBliss-
re: Stephen Spoonamore
September 30th, 2008 at 12:23 pmfrom wikipedia
“On July 17, 2008 Stephen Spoonamore, a longtime Republican operative,[19] made the claim that had “fresh evidence regarding election fraud on Diebold electronic voting machines during the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial and senatorial elections.” Spoonamore is “the founder and until recently the CEO of Cybrinth LLC, an information technology policy and security firm that serves Fortune 100 companies.” He claims that Diebold Election Systems Inc. COO Bob Urosevich personally installed a computer patch on voting machines in two counties in Georgia, and that the patch did not fix the problem it was supposed to fix.[20] Reports have indicated that then Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox did not know the patch was installed until after the election.”
ralph the wonder llama Says
September 30th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Sarah Palin is looking less like a plucky, hockey-mom underdog and more like a classic straw man (or woman) every day. Joe better play this right, or he could look really foolish.
_____________________________________________________________
Fortunately, because the McCain campaign insisted on dumbing the debate down for Sarah, there will be virtually no interaction between the candidates, as there was during the McCain/Obama debate. If that had been the case, Biden would have to have deliberately stayed in first gear to avoid looking like a bully.
But now that the event will resemble side-by-side interviews more than an actual debate, all Biden has to do is give intelligent responses to the questions he’s asked, while Palin regurgitates memorized responses to the one’s she’s asked (while she prays she’s not asked something she didn’t study for).
I don’t think anybody could criticize a good performance by Biden under these conditions. What would they say? “It wasn’t fair — he was smarter than she was!”?
September 30th, 2008 at 12:25 pmCan I see a show of hands — who here can name more Supreme Court decisions than one of our vice presidential candidates?
You don’t need to come up with a long list — it’s one to tie, two to win here…
September 30th, 2008 at 12:30 pmPalin may shock us all and do well in the Thursday debate.. that is if she wears an ear piece. A changed hair style and a sudden ability to answer 6th grade level and above questions will be a give away. And isn’t she trained in using an ear piece as she was a sports announcer?
I can imagine the electronic preparation going on for the debate.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:30 pmSarah Mascara originally thought Roe vs Wade was the decision Washington had to make when he crossed the Delaware River!
(…I really wish I could take credit for that line…props to “whomever”…)
Oh yeah, while I’m at it, who’s watching Trig Van Palen, and why aren’t Willow and Baby-Bump in school?
September 30th, 2008 at 12:35 pmC’mon we couldn’t hear her cause she was thinking in tongues. If she would have opened her mouth it would have sounded like the possessed girl in the exorcist.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:36 pmthomthum Says:
Oh yeah, while I’m at it, who’s watching Trig Van Palen, and why aren’t Willow and Baby-Bump in school?
Didn’t you hear? Willow and Baby-Bump are now being partially home-schooled in how to raise a kid while still having a ‘normal life’. You know, like:
- changing a diaper on the back of a moving snowmobile
- or in the stands at a hockey game
- or how to field dress a moose for the best nutritional infant meal
- or how to hold a baby while receiving your HS diploma.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:44 pmA Patriot Acting Says:
Well, if he’s right, we will be stuck with McCain/Palin. Truly scary thought.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:47 pm#7 SPiHC Says:
You know what case she should’ve been able to name?: Morse v. Frederick…
Yes, it does seem a bit obscure, but you might know it by it’s pseudonym — the BONG HITS FOR JESUS case.
Well, they should have cued her: “What about the ‘Bong Hits For Jesus’ case?”
She would have replied, “Yeah, I like that song, and don’t know why anyone would want to ban it….”
It’s quite clear that she’s ignorant about Epperson and Aguillard.
Cheers,
September 30th, 2008 at 12:58 pm#20 Hussein Toasterhead:
I find that people who are adept at thumping the Bible aren’t always so good at understanding it.
Indeed. Except for being able to recite John 3:16 endlessly, they tend to be ignerrent. Like that one Republican Congresscritter who supported posting the Ten Commandments, who was on Colbert and couldn’t name them when asked. At least I — as an atheist — know the 10 Cs. And stuff like Matthew 6:6.
Cheers,
September 30th, 2008 at 1:11 pmI just got this in an email, rather pithy:
The Post Turtle
While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old Texas rancher whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President.
The old rancher said, ‘ Well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle.’
Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.
The old rancher said, ‘ When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle.’
The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor’s face, so he continued to explain. ‘ You know she didn’t get up there by herself, she doesn’t belong up there, she doesn’t know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with.’
September 30th, 2008 at 1:15 pmShe may not have named any case for fear that someone might ask her what actually happened in the case….
Cheers,
September 30th, 2008 at 1:19 pmLucky for us, McCain (or any Republican Presidential candidate) would be forced to choose the religiously correct candidate instead of the most qualified. The only criteria important to the Republican Religious Right is: are they anti-abortion? against reproductive rights of women? for intelligent design?
Palin passes on those issues. But that necessarily means she is too ignorant to be a legitimate candidate of VPOTUS.
I wonder if Olympia Snowe will be watching this debate?
September 30th, 2008 at 1:32 pmI can’t wait for Thursday’s debate. It should the comedy event of the night!
Hey Sarah, don’t fear ‘ol Vladimir Putin. He buzzes your state because he likes you!
September 30th, 2008 at 1:43 pm> I can imagine the electronic preparation
> going on for the debate.
I really really hope someone in the obama camp is bringing a signal jammer..
September 30th, 2008 at 1:51 pmzuch Says
September 30th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
It’s quite clear that she’s ignorant about Epperson and Aguillard.
____________________________________________________
Not to mention Bush v. Gore. But then, these were domestic matters. Palin’s state borders Russia and Canada, but doesn’t border the rest of the United States. Therefore, you can hardly expect her to keep track of what goes on in the rest of the country. But at least she’s got foreign policy covered…
September 30th, 2008 at 2:08 pmI can’t wait for Thursday’s debate. It should the comedy event of the night!
It will simply be a question and answer show, although that may be enough of a laugh – unless she knows all the questions before hand like Bush’s town hall meetings.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:05 pmGL2814 Says
September 30th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I can’t wait for Thursday’s debate. It should the comedy event of the night!
__________________________________________________________
I’m getting out the popcorn…
September 30th, 2008 at 3:53 pmlivelongandprosper Says
September 30th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
It will simply be a question and answer show, although that may be enough of a laugh – unless she knows all the questions before hand like Bush’s town hall meetings.
_____________________________________________________________
Even if she knows all the questions beforehand and studies accordingly, she can be counted on to get confused and respond to a question about immigration with an answer intended for a question about stem-cell research. And if she gets really rattled, expect a massive brain dump where she rattles off every political catchphrase floating around in her head.
Biden’s biggest challenge is going to be maintaining his composure and not laughing. Gwen Ifill is probably going to try to avoid falling into Katie Couric expressions of total bafflement, but she may fail.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:00 pmIsn’t it odd that when Obama or one of his cohorts makes a misstep like this, you and they claim that knowledge and experience aren’t important, only judgment.
Does that argument only work for the male gender?
Carolyn Kay
October 1st, 2008 at 8:52 amMakeThemAccountable.com