I managed to stay awake long enough to watch the entire U.S. VP debate last night. Listening to the comments made by journalists and viewers after the debate and then early this morning, though, I began wondering: “did I see the SAME debate that they did?” It didn’t seem possible. For how it is possible for anyone to assert that Gov. Sarah Palin did “well”? WELL??? Why, she didn’t even answer several of the questions posed to her but instead kept going off on irrelevant tangents, repeating the same things over and over and over again, sometimes even using the exact same words she had used moments earlier. I found that absolutely maddening. And that alone confirmed, to me anyway, that she is not very bright…to say the least.
She sounded like someone struggling with a poorly-memorized series of lessons. Inarticulate, at best. And quite frankly I got sick of hearing her repeat that Obama wants to raise taxes (simply not true). Etc.
I am sure that she must have appeared “cute” to some viewers, with her little winks and smiles and “you betchas” and “doggone its.” But the truth is, we don’t need “cute” in the White House. We need someone who can actually answer questions and deal with tough issues.
Do we really want someone like Gov. Sarah Palin in the second highest position in the U.S., just a sneeze away from the presidency? Darn and doggone it, we do not. Just my opinion, of course!
I agree with your observations about the debate. I think that because there were such low expectations for her, she got a “pass.” The fact that she didn’t leave the stage in tears means that she did well by their standards. It’s a shame. Is there something wrong with us for wanting smart people running the country?
Thanks for the great website. It is a wonder to me that Sarah Palin is ever taken seriously. I’m loving this election season. It’s nice to wake up in the morning and have your first thoughts to be about this election and not about your health 🙂
Hi Margaret,
My name is Justin Guild and I’m a graduate research assistant currently working
with Dr. Jeong-Nam Kim
(http://www.cla.purdue.edu/communication/people/jnkim.shtml) at Purdue
University on a health communication study.
Specifically, our research explores how information sharing behavior through
online communities influences coping strategies among people with chronic
conditions including cancer, diabetes, depression, etc.
I’m contacting you to seek permission to place a link to our online web survey
on your blog to invite readers and other visitors to participate. The survey is
purely academic in nature and takes no longer than 5-7 minutes to complete.
The web survey can be found by clicking on this link:
http://www.createsurvey.com/c/70237-Os3LDl/
In the survey, we use the term “blog” to refer to any online activity where you
might read or share information in communities such as personal web logs,
internet forums, and discussion boards.
The findings of this study could lead to better management capacities of
chronic diseases as well as an increase in funding for research related to
online communities.
If you have any questions, or would like additional information, please don’t
hesitate to contact me at jguild@purdue.edu.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Justin Guild