I can't stay away from the subject of Sarah Palin. I've been looking at the trashiest stories, too. Nothing to do with her stands on important issues (or if Alaska's proximity to Russia means she's got experience with foreign issues).
Some of my conclusions from the wading into useless dreck:
She's far better looking than she was when she did sportscasting. Say what you like about her, I think she's pretty.
She's probably got the sort of charisma that gives me the willies. A lot of people who are considered inspiring make me want to escape their presence. A form of jealousy? A sense of inferiority? Maybe. Anyway, from the reports I've read, she's supposed to be the sort of person who makes you feel as if she's listening to you and cares about your opinion. She's got a room-filling presence. Eeearrrgh. All of that sounds just like what they said about Bill Clinton.
I never particularly paid attention to the fact that Hillary is female--sure, sure, but she was a pol first and foremost. But this Palin person is entirely Female. Maybe because of the hyper-mom factor.
WTF about the flying with amniotic fluid leaking? Premature rupture of the membranes? That's beyond stupid. Whoa. (beyond my understanding because water breaking is when I immediately launched into real contractions for all three of my guys. TMI for Sarah and for Kate)
As a mom I can't imagine making that choice, especially with a high risk pregnancy. It's probably the only documented story that made me wonder about the other undocumented one....
....The baby as her daughter's baby issue. ** The lowest of the low junk out here in google-y land. It's freaky wild, too weird by far. I think anyone who cares about getting Obama elected is an idiot if they go anywhere near the topic. But they should be thanking their stars for the National Enquirer.
It's made-for-tv movie even if it's fiction. Especially then. I can see Lifetime prodding their script writers to come up with a version ASAP.
Baby mama topic is fascinating and intriguing until you remember that there's a kid involved. The teenager, I mean. No matter what the truth is about the situation, it's a major pause and shudder to consider that Bristol might Google the story. (And there are so many thousands of versions out there already--one more at an obscure blog is nada)
The moral of my useless interweb cruising? anyone running for office, or closely related to someone running, should avoid the interwebs if they want to stay sane.
If you find yourself in that high-profile political world, where by definition of the job you'll have enemies, even before you make the announcement, you must hire a person to hunt down all the stories about you and your family just because you have to know what's out there. And then make sure that interwebbian person put blocks on the scuzziest stuff so the kids don't have to see it.
And now, from now on, when I think about politics, I will avoid any story about pol's families and acquaintances and rumors. I will concentrate on what the politician wrote or said or did. That's what matters. Now I have to go wash my hands with bleach and put on that hair shirt to atone for this.
______
** update: According to this story, Palin planned to take the baby to work and breast-feed him, which seems to be proof the story is utter hog-wash. But after reading that, part of me wants the reality to be more bizarre--and she'd have to have stored formula on her person. I want it to be true only because that would be so amazingly elaborate. I'm talking jaw-drop tabloid factor of the story and nothing to do with the actual people involved or how it reflects on them.
Some of my conclusions from the wading into useless dreck:
She's far better looking than she was when she did sportscasting. Say what you like about her, I think she's pretty.
She's probably got the sort of charisma that gives me the willies. A lot of people who are considered inspiring make me want to escape their presence. A form of jealousy? A sense of inferiority? Maybe. Anyway, from the reports I've read, she's supposed to be the sort of person who makes you feel as if she's listening to you and cares about your opinion. She's got a room-filling presence. Eeearrrgh. All of that sounds just like what they said about Bill Clinton.
I never particularly paid attention to the fact that Hillary is female--sure, sure, but she was a pol first and foremost. But this Palin person is entirely Female. Maybe because of the hyper-mom factor.
WTF about the flying with amniotic fluid leaking? Premature rupture of the membranes? That's beyond stupid. Whoa. (beyond my understanding because water breaking is when I immediately launched into real contractions for all three of my guys. TMI for Sarah and for Kate)
As a mom I can't imagine making that choice, especially with a high risk pregnancy. It's probably the only documented story that made me wonder about the other undocumented one....
....The baby as her daughter's baby issue. ** The lowest of the low junk out here in google-y land. It's freaky wild, too weird by far. I think anyone who cares about getting Obama elected is an idiot if they go anywhere near the topic. But they should be thanking their stars for the National Enquirer.
It's made-for-tv movie even if it's fiction. Especially then. I can see Lifetime prodding their script writers to come up with a version ASAP.
Baby mama topic is fascinating and intriguing until you remember that there's a kid involved. The teenager, I mean. No matter what the truth is about the situation, it's a major pause and shudder to consider that Bristol might Google the story. (And there are so many thousands of versions out there already--one more at an obscure blog is nada)
The moral of my useless interweb cruising? anyone running for office, or closely related to someone running, should avoid the interwebs if they want to stay sane.
If you find yourself in that high-profile political world, where by definition of the job you'll have enemies, even before you make the announcement, you must hire a person to hunt down all the stories about you and your family just because you have to know what's out there. And then make sure that interwebbian person put blocks on the scuzziest stuff so the kids don't have to see it.
And now, from now on, when I think about politics, I will avoid any story about pol's families and acquaintances and rumors. I will concentrate on what the politician wrote or said or did. That's what matters. Now I have to go wash my hands with bleach and put on that hair shirt to atone for this.
______
** update: According to this story, Palin planned to take the baby to work and breast-feed him, which seems to be proof the story is utter hog-wash. But after reading that, part of me wants the reality to be more bizarre--and she'd have to have stored formula on her person. I want it to be true only because that would be so amazingly elaborate. I'm talking jaw-drop tabloid factor of the story and nothing to do with the actual people involved or how it reflects on them.
I hadn't read the last link. I shouldn't click, because I've been spending far too much time online reading articles as it is, but I know I'll be reading it next.
ReplyDeleteAll of it makes me alternately shake my head and say WTF? From the seeming lack of a background check to how absolutely inexperienced she is. And as much as "inexperienced" is thrown at BO, at least there is the real sense that he knows what the offices of VP and Pres actually do and what will be expected of him. Palin? Not at all. It's mind-boggling to me.
And I'm watching a McCain/Palin rally on C-SPAN now. It's very weird -- I feel like I'm watching a speech at a wedding. Maybe she'll smooth out as it goes along?
ReplyDeleteI kind of feel bad for her. It just feels like a disaster in the making.
McCain's the one who said they wer soulmates, so blame him for the wedding gestalt.
ReplyDeleteI feel horrible for her (and especially for her family) too but if it isn't a Harriet Meyers moment after all and she comes out squeaky clean and victorious, I'll feel bad for us.
Now I know how people who spend hours reading or writing "Obama Birth Certificate ScandaL" stories feel.
ReplyDeleteI can practically feel the need for cheetos (to stain my fingers and dribble on my keyboard) and I don't even much like cheetos.
Until I read these comments I never connected that Barrack Obama's initials are B.O. (Insert adolescent giggle here.)
ReplyDeleteNo, no, anon, to be a real cheetos cruncher you must point out that Obama's middle name is Hussein. Sheesh. Do I have to do everything around here?
ReplyDeleteand speaking of tabloid http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/us/international-usa-politics-palin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Well, as you well know, I was a politician and a public figure. I think I still am a public figure in my own little town, although I don't hold office any more.
ReplyDeletePrivate stories going public isn't really that bad, and it's sort of expected, really. But what' bad is when your private stories who up your public opinions to be stoooopid.
Like the fact that Palin actively supports abstinence-only ejumacation. AND she has a pregnant teenage daughter. Duh.
That story hurts.
Personally, I think the stupidest thing about McCain's pick is that Palin said yes. I would have turned it down. Reasonable mothers of five with that little experience would have turned it down while expressing extreme gratitude at having been considered. That she said yes tell me that she's too stupid and ambitious for her own good.
*show up your public opinions, not "who up your opinions"
ReplyDeleteCarry on