It's Not The Hand, Or The Notes

While I agree the Left's freak out over Palin's hand note is getting silly, people should at least be honest in addressing the issue at hand, if you will. Quote below from Founding Bloggers. The notes had nothing to do with her speech. They were for the Q & A, which is when she actually referred to them. She read the damned speech, doh!

 What it means is that she knew the questions in advance and had prepared for them. Not a big deal, really. But we're she a Democrat, we'd be hollering plant!Let's try to keep a little integrity and consistency in politics. Geesh!

Obviously she's managing her image fairly carefully, or she'd be willing to take spontaneous questions in a friendly environment. I find it somewhat disappointing that she apparently isn't. But, again, it isn't like it's that big a deal.

…the outrage on the left is being completely misunderstood by the right. Democrats don’t mind that she needed a few notes for her speech. They’re upset that Sarah used her hand, proving once again that she is an unsophisticated hick. Everybody knows that whether you taking to sixth grade classroom, or talking dirty to the First Lady, using anything other than a presidential level teleprompter is simply pedestrian.

Comments

[nicky]

Truely your statement is exactly what you want to infer concerning Palin. What you just posted is called "beating around the bush". With all respect, you made no sense, Sir.

[AJsDaddie]

Do you have any proof that's what happened? That she actually knew the questions ahead of time? Or could she just have had a list of topics that she wanted to make sure she hit during the Q&A? For example, did "Lift American Spirits" actually tie to a specific question? Sure didn't seem that way to me.

[Huey]

And, why are we only talking about the Q&A? Did she take the time between the speech and the Q&A to write these bullet notes on her hand, or were they on her hand throughout? The one picture I saw had the podium's mike in view (she used a hand-held mike during the Q&A.)

These just appear to be bullet points that she wanted to make sure she hit on. General themes. Nothing to see here...

[Dan Riehl]

lol You folks are amazing. The obvious could bite you in the azz and you still wouldn't know what bit ya. ha ha ha

[bishop]

Dan, you are really turning out to be an Eeyore on this point. Seriously, did you think she forgot,that energy development, tax cuts, and a renewal of the American spirit aren't goals
to strive for

[Dan Riehl]

I don't know, Bishop. But whatever the reason, clearly she had them ready to answer the Q in the Q & A. If you want to play games and pretend she didn't know the question was coming, go for it. But you look kind of silly for doing it.

Whatever. I'm moving on, you folks are obsessed with defending her even when you don't have to. It's boring.

[Jim B]

Here's the real deal: the reason the Left is hitting on Sarah Palin for the notes on her hand have nothing to do with whether or not the questions were pre-scripted. They have to do with desperation.

I mean, really, we're talking about the same people who defend Obama stacking Townhalls with members of his political campaign, taking only pre-scripted questions, using a TelePrompter at every turn, and whose campaign took pride in their ability to manipulate the media during the 2008 campaign. They know that Obama's vulnerable because of all of these things, so they immediately go out to look for any possible parallel they can draw to claim that what Obama's doing "isn't that bad."

This is a tempest generated in a Leftist teapot. Quite frankly, the best way to handle it is exactly the way Palin did during her appearance with Gov. Perry yesterday - by writing "Hi Mom" on her hand to mock those who are making a big deal out of what she wrote on her hand.

"You want to make a big deal out of what was on my hand? Suck on this..."

[Al Meyering]

I'd rather have an "unsophisticated hick" (infinitely more honest in communicating with the American people) than an unctuous prick as my President.

[rrpjr]

One more fail. She's going to cheerfully admit to jotting notes on her hand, and in the process put to rout the ugly Left as well as the querulous Palin-snipers in these here parts.

Grow up.

[Milton Quaffalot]

Look at the bright side,

Instead of being called teabaggers you'll now have a new nickname, hand-jobbers.

[Huey]

I took the time to view the Q&A session again.

Even though Palin had the bullet points on her hand throughout the speech, that clearly wasn't what they were for. They were clearly for the Q&A session and specifically for a particular question.

She was asked what three things conservatives should do once they had captured Congress. She looked at her hand. She then expounded on the three general themes written on her palm.

This, for me, is conclusive evidence that she was told of the question in advance and that she wrote the answers, in bullet point form, on her hand. (It also indicates, to me, that she had scant notice of the questions -- probably just before her speech and she quickly jotted down the notes on her hand, rather than being given a lot of time to think about it. Note the slashed through "budget" as well.)

I don't have a problem with any of this, though. It's not unusual for a friendly "moderator" to feed the questions to his paid guest so that the questions aren't surprises and, therefore, the answers are somewhat articulate. It's not an "interview," it's a "presentation."

I also don't have any problem with Palin jotting notes onto her palm to jog her memory as to the three things she wanted to hit on. Clearly (as even her palm indicates -- again, note the crossed out "budget cuts" replaced with "tax cuts") there are many more than three things which she could have chosen, but she wanted to talk about THOSE three since she was asked for only three.

The only problem I have with these "presentations" is that, for reasons I'll never understand, the presenters continually attempt to pass them off as "interviews" as if the questions are not known to the guest. The guests always play along with the illusion. Hiding things that have no need to be hidden is always a bit distasteful to me.

I mean, what the heck is wrong with: "When you told me this was one of the selected questions, I jotted some notes on my hand..."

[bishop]

She tells what she's going to do then does it, there is no mystery to her. Now the whole brouhaha about
the TPC was overblown, if it wasn't this thing it would be something else. We are slashing our defense,
penalizing our intelligence operatives, burdening our businesses with taxes and regulations as well as
massive debt and this is what you want to talk about

[Kentucky Colonel]

The only controversy here would have been if the pre-screened questions were not really from actual people asking them. No one ever implied that Palin hadn't already seen the questions. The point of the whole Q & A was for Palin to specifically address some of the questions that "the folks" had. Did she do that? Seems to me that she did.

Riehl, I understand your point, but for someone who makes a living (or is it a hobby), you can't seem to express yourself about Palin without digging the hole deeper.

If, in your opinion, it makes little difference whether she was fed the questions, what's the point of your post, other than to generate traffic? (not that there's anything wrong with that) It seems that lately you're using the Allahpundit model for generating traffic. A pro-Palin piece gets nice traffic, but a negative or not quite positive Palin piece brings beau coup traffic.

[jane]

I can't wait for Jon Stewart's take on this. It will be hilarious.

[rrpjr]

No person in modern political history has been as slandered in such short order as Sarah Palin. People who support her are sick of it. It is not so much a blind idolatrous urge to defend her over something truly indefensible but a recognition of the type and degree of attacks she has endured and an alertness and determination to respond. Especially when the issue is stupid. This issue is stupid, and people on the right need to recognize it and respond accordingly.

[unseen]

Huey | Monday, February 08, 2010 at 10:34 AM

agreed on all points.

dan,
give it a rest. We get you don't like Palin in any type of leadership position. We get that you want her to stay in the kitchen and help prepare the meal and let someone else serve it to the guests. We get that you would rather use Palin for her fundraising potential and GOTV potential for SOMEONE else. We get it. You are completely wrong on this btw. If you and others in the GOP continue on this track and get what you want, that Palin is just some type of pretty cheerleader for the GOP to fire up the base the GOP will lose in 2012.

It is time for those at the table to either get up and allow others to partake or to at least move over and share the feast. If Palin brings the money, brings the base, brings her supportters back to the GOP, she deserves respect and power within the party in direct relation to those gifts. And that means a major leadership position not a cheerleading position.

[xerocky]

Look, let's just be honest, is she really representative of us? Why flog this? Conservatives should just back away from Palin and let the left gnaw on her.

I know that conservatives are smarter than liberals in general, and she's...just not. Ok? Is it that hard to just say? She's great, we love her, I'm proud of her for not aborting Trig, and yes she's been treated unfairly by the MSM, and the fact that they ignored her church being torched is a crime in of itself.

But let's focus. Is she ever going to be without the baggage that she's already got? She went into this with the 'stupid hick' tag, and her response was to write "Energy...BUDGET tax cut, lift America's spirit" on her hand? She couldn't remember that?

Conservatives own small businesses, we're engineers, doctors, writers, scientists, we've served in the Armed Forces, were patriotic because the United States is the greatest thing that's ever ever happened. We were boy scouts when we were young, were adventurous, self contained, self reliant, decent, respectful people. Sarah has many of these qualities, but she's not truly representative of us. She's not the second coming of Ronald Regan and she never will be. It's time to move on.

[rrpjr]

It's time to move on.
Posted by: xerocky | Monday, February 08, 2010 at 01:13 PM

No one's stopping you. But as a conservative, I'll decide for myself who's "truly representative."

[HumboldtBlue]

Ummm, guys? There is no outrage, just mockery. No one is angry that Palin, probably the stupidest person since Bush to claim the hearts and minds of a dumber-than-dirt Republican base, is an idiot. It's called hilarity, that sound you hear is the communal laughter of a sane, sentient people guffawing at the antics of a grifter gone mad.

She's stupid and for that reason you truly believe she's an intellectual giant. She just wants her speaking fees from dupes like you, that's all.

More of Palin please, and for extra spice toss in some Bachmann and maybe some of the ever-odious Rep. Foxx.

[Jimbo]

Dan is right, for once. Even he can see that palin is a fraud and a exploiter of you uninformed tea baggers.

So it seems the tea baggers want an uneducated, god exploiting, quitter grifter to be the POTUS? It's not enough that Bush ruined the country. You want to bring out someone even dumber than Bush? It seems to me that the men here who support Palin probably wish their wives would 'wink' at them more often so they could feel the starbursts (the wedding night was a long time ago, huh?). The women here seem to believe that Palin speaks for them (soccer mom's). Palin is a whore. A political whore. If you listen to Palin, America is done for. Remember: She can see Russia from her house, and she reads EVERYTHING. Please folks, you can do better than this, can't you? Guess not...

[rrpjr]

..."Palin is a whore."

Keep it up, boys. Whatever it is you're doing, it's working.

[Rich Fader]

Okay, I'm really trying to feel the "WTF O NOES", and it's just not happening for me.

[xerocky]

"Remember: She can see Russia from her house, and she reads EVERYTHING."

My god, you're such a tool.

[mark l.]

"In her Sept. 11 interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson, Sarah Palin had this to say about Russia: "They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska." Is that true?
Yes."

"You can also see Russia from other points in Alaska. According to a New York Times article written in the waning years of the Cold War (when the Alaska-Siberia border was known as the "Ice Curtain"), if you stand on high ground on the tip of St. Lawrence Island—a larger Alaskan island in the Bering Sea, southwest of the Diomedes—you can see the Russian mainland, about 37 miles away."

http://www.slate.com/id/2200155/

only libs could create a world which denies reality, to support their esoterism.

[xerocky]

"only libs could create a world which denies reality, to support their esoterism."

Only libs would watch Saturday Night Live and confuse it with reality, completely and forever.

But, truth be told, Al Gore never said "I invented the internet" either. Even today when I drive home there's an ad for Ben Franklin plumbing that repeats the lie that he said that he invented the internet. I guess that it's that kind of thing. We live in a world where a politician, any politician, is completely unable to speak lest what he/she says come back to not only bite him/her in the ass, but define WHO THEY ARE... FOREVER. Even if they never really said it.

[AJsDaddie]

I just reviewed the tape again and Huey is right, I missed it in my previous perusal: Palin looks directly at her hand when responding to the question on three things to do. However, I also paid attention to what was said as setup to the Q&A. It was CLEARLY stated that this Q&A had been worked out weeks in advance, with questions solicited from Tea Party Nation folks.

Dan (and Huey) seem to be saying that this is some sort of charade and that we were lied to, that Palin was supposed to be hearing these questions for the first time. But was it intended to look extemporaneous, that she didn't know the questions ahead of time? I don't think so. I didn't really think about it at the time, because I don't really care; I care about her answers, not when she got the questions. Would it have been 100% accurate to say that the Governor knew the questions ahead of time? I guess so.

Does it matter?

Only to Palinophobes and the Left.

[Rich Fader]

What Gore said was that he took the initiative in creating the Internet. Which as far as I'm concerned is still (I'm going to be kind here) overstating his role.

If Palin goes and gets the nomination, really, I invite the Democrats to run on what bright boys and girls they are and what an airhead she is. Really, I do. Can't urge it strongly enough. For one thing, I don't think she's as stupid as you think she is. For another...you're not as smart as you think you are. That's not what I think. That's simple observable fact.

[nohype]

Clearly the teleprompter meme is deeply embarrassing for the Obamaphiles. There is no other way to explain why this bit of trivia has generated the news and commentary that it has.

[FeFe]

I saw the photo of her scribbling the notes on her hand backstage just prior to her speech so it's not disappointing for me she saw the questions and agreed to the Q and A before going on stage to give a speech knowing it would be broadcast live on 4 networks, and felt the need to prepare a little.