McCain Campaign Treated Palin As If She Were Stupid---If Only She Was
Posted 11/6/2008 12:25 PM CST
One thing I never call people is stupid. I don't think people are stupid or dumb. They might be ignorant, but they are not stupid. In a democracy we assume that the average person has the ability to understand what is taking place.
If ignorant, the chance always exists that uninformed people can be brought up to speed. Hope remains. Think of all the people who voted for George Bush in 2004 and then voted for Barack Obama in 2008. These are people who caught on.
The other thing is that when you insult somebody you had better be sure they will not get the last laugh.
A lot of people seem to think Sarah Palin is dumb or stupid. The people who seemed most sure of that fact were in the John McCain campaign. She did a few bad interviews at the beginning of the campaign, and they put a muzzle on her the rest of the way. They did so even after she did well in her debate with Joe Biden.
The McCain campaign should have taken her off the trail for a few days and treated her with respect. I'm glad they did not, but that is what would've been best for the McCain effort. She could have been coached on issues. Her talents as a communicator would have taken care of the rest.
Instead, they just wanted her to be a woman who did the heavy lifting of motivating the base while the man-in-charge went around looking for the main prize. She was a trophy candidate.
I wish Sarah Palin was dumb. Then I would not worry about her anymore. She may be ignorant and mean-spirited, but she is not dumb. People often said that Ronald Reagan was clueless, but most times Mr. Reagan got the best his foes.
Sarah Palin is a disciplined quick-learner. She calculates her next move every step of the way and knows just what she needs to know to advance on the next level. It might flatter liberals to think that folks who believe that people and dinosaurs lived at the same time are stupid. Sure--They are so stupid they kicked our behinds at the polls for years.
Sarah Palin is smart and dangerous. Her abilities merit nothing but our respect and close watching.
You might win a fight by being better informed than your foe. Or by laying better plans or by working harder. But if you think that you are simply smarter than the other man or woman, you are likely in for a surprise.