Sarah Palin spent nearly the first half of her speech introducing her family, not the best use of the precious time the world media has given her.The second half was filled with precisely what one would have expected from a former runner-up in a beauty pageant: vague, non-speak, for example, "The people of America expect us to seek public office and to serve for the right reasons. And the right reason is to challenge the status quo and to serve the common good."
Palin pronounced Iraq "eye-RACK," Iran, "eye-RAN," and joined George Bush in pronouncing nuclear "nucular." Those convey an ignorance that will not inspire confidence among intelligent Americans, nor world leaders.
Sigh. Enough about Palin. She'll lose anyway.
12 comments:
Yes, it's a dog show, but there are other dog shows...
Katherine Jefferts-Schori -- This is a classic example of reverse discrimination. No man could ever go from ordination to Presiding Bishop in 12 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Jefferts_Schori
Micheline Calmy-Rey -- This woman has experience, but is such an embarrassment. And take a look at how quickly she climbed the political ladder!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micheline_Calmy-Rey
And these two women are real bitches.
No, not enough. That's the big problem. We don't know enough about her. We do need to know more. What you heard in yesterday's speech may not have made a good first impression on you, but we still need to know more before she is universally dismissed or embraced.
Thankfully the Democratic candidate for President was chosen only for his qualifications and experience.
I agree her speech was vague like speeches given by many politicians. Her pronunciation of Iran and Iraq is regional. You are showing your “Coastal elitism” by mocking her. Thankfully, not all of us sound as if we are from NY or CA. Dave, as an Episcopalian, why do you say that Katharine Jefferts Schori is a b*****?
Her pronunciation of Iraq and Iran are mispronunciations. If everyone in those countries pronounce them that way, then anyone in any part of the U.S. who pronounces them completely differently, are mispronouncing them. It's a sign of ignorance.
And, of course, "nucular" is an embarrassment. I can't believe that her handlers, during her rehearsing her speech, didn't correct her. And even more unbelievable, during Bush's 8 years, no one corrected him.
Hello,
Please allow a voice from the "heartland" to settle this debate. According to Dictionary. com, Iran is pronounced "ee-ran" or "ee-ron". Iraq is "ee-rak" or "ee-rock." By the way, Aunt is "ant" or "ahnt". My so-called liberal East Coast friends insist that I say "ahnt". (I refuse.)
Her speech was the kind you'd expect from a shrewd, seasoned politician: show your warm, family side, with a platform to do what's "right."
Schwarzenegger won with this vagueness. It allows the electorate to assume you agree with their positions, since you're warm, caring, (as, of course, they are) and you're for what's
"right."
Dr. Michael R. Edelstein
www.ThreeMinuteTherapy.com
Nucular grates on many of us. Bush isn't in need of correction. He's not pronouncing it that way because he wants to appeal to smart people.
His current favored pronunciation is part of his rebranding as a common man after having his hat handed to him in his first run for Congress.
It was after that that he began affecting a weak Texas accent and pronouncing words wrong. He was taught to do so by advertising professionals.
What did you think of the big speech on September 3? More of the same? Better or worse?
I notice that coverage of last night's speech and the RNC in general is definitely not getting the same media attention. For example, in one of my local papers, the DNC, especially Obama's closing speech, took up the entire front page. Palin's highly anticipated speech last night got just a fraction of the space this morning, although she got almost as many viewers as Obama.
Also, last week, Obama's speech was largely praised by the media, and anybody that spoke against it was shouted down. The immediate comment after Palin's speech: somebody wrote the speech for her.
They can do better than that, can't they?
If everyone in those countries pronounce them that way, then anyone in any part of the U.S. who pronounces them completely differently, are mispronouncing them. It's a sign of ignorance.
So how do you pronounce Mexico?
Good point, Marko.
But would you really contend that people who who say EYE-RACK, EYE-RAN, and NUCULAR are not perceived as less intelligent and knowledgeable as those who pronounce them EE-RAQ, EE-RAN, and certainly, nuclear.
Let us not be distracted by speeches from the central facts about Palin:
1. As mayor of a tiny town, she was so attacked for cronyism that a movement to recall her ensued.
2. Far from a fiscal conservative, she was a fan of earmarks and annually went to Washington to get them. She increased the town's budget 36% under her leadership, with the biggest spending item: a plush government-paid-for sports facility.
3. In fact, she supported the Bridge to Nowhere and changed opinion only as a Janie-come-lately.
4. The major Alaska papers have written disparagingly of her governing of the tiny Alaska (population 740,000).
5. She is a radical right-winger on abortion: opposing it even when the mother is raped.
I'm no liberal, but she's no appropriate choice for VP on anyone's ticket.
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