Comments on: Sarah Palin: “It doesn’t matter…”

By: So long and thanks for (not killing) all the fish « The Way Things Break

So long and thanks for (not killing) all the fish « The Way Things Break — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:56:36 +0000

[...] anthropogenic climate change before coming to some sort of garbled “middle ground” that makes no sense whatsoever policy-wise. What a contrast in [...]

By: BrianR

BrianR — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:11:24 +0000

Lab Lemming … exactly! If that is in fact her position, why can’t she state that clearly? Read the rest from the link ChrisM provides and there’s nothing very coherent.

By: Lab Lemming

Lab Lemming — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:08:22 +0000

Her answers, although very dodgy, make sense if her idea of a response is more adaptive than mitigative.

By: Chris M

Chris M — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:19:06 +0000

Andrew Revkin has posted about the same section in the interview. He also has a little more of the exchange where Couric asks how we stop global warming if we aren't the cause. Couric: Because, if it’s not man-made, then one might wonder, well, how can human beings contribute to a solution? Palin: Well, human beings certainly are contributing to pollution today. And to some adverse effects on the environment. And it’s all of our jobs to do to clean things up. And that’s what we’re committed to doing.

By: quantum_flux

quantum_flux — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:50:51 +0000

Well, she’s a politician type. In politician logic, anytime there is a controversy, it pays off to be as vague as possible so as to not offend anybody. In saying “it doesn’t matter what the cause is”, she is avoiding saying something specific (such as “the cause is this or that”), and thereby she is not isolating her voters by saying something that they may potentially disagree with.

i.e… If she came out and said, “it is all natural” then she’d be isolating the people who think it is manmade, if she said “it is all manmade” then she’d be isolating the people who know about methane plumes and volcanoes, or if she said “it is both” then she’d be isolating the people who think it’s only one or the other. She therefore goes for the “it doesn’t matter what the cause is, but it’s real” response since most people agree that it’s real.

In the context of the question, the cause doesn’t matter since she’s trying to be vague. However, in the context of what she truly believes about the cause, she thinks it’s manmade or maybe she knows it’s both or maybe she doesn’t know and is playing it safe.

By: BrianR

BrianR — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:43:35 +0000

quantum_flux says: “Anyhow, what is so dumb about the “Cap and Trade System”?”

I didn’t say anything about the cap-and-trade system, don’t make this about me … you’re either missing my point or dodging it … one more time: Why would Palin support a CO2 cap-and-trade system if the cause doesn’t matter? Explain that logic.

By: quantum_flux

quantum_flux — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:34:58 +0000

hahaha! I think she probably blew McCain to get that position. Anyhow, what is so dumb about the “Cap and Trade System”?

By: BrianR

BrianR — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:34:02 +0000

Eric … it’ll all depend on the format of the debate. Palin is very effective at giving speeches and horrific at fielding questions … but, debates are a bit in between. Typically the questions are broad enough that she (and Biden for that matter) can insert the talking points answer in there. But, if the format is similar to the first Obama/McCain debate, where there is chance for follow-up, clarification, and specificity she’ll have to try and fit her script into her answer.

I predict that she’ll end up repeating the same lines over and over again because of that. If she draws a blank and robotically repeats talking-point answers it won’t be pretty (for her).

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:31:08 +0000

Besides, she’s a raving apocolyptic-lovin’fundie! Anything and everything under the sun is leading us gloriously to the Rapture, so we don’t have to worry about it!

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:26:13 +0000

Actually, Brian, I think you hit it on the head when you said that she lacked a coherent policy statement. She literally doesn’t know anything about anything, so when a question gets asked, her brain switches over to “spew words you’ve heard before” mode. That’s why any follow up questions send her into a nose dive: she doesn’t know what she said, and doesn’t know anything.

Take, for example, the most recent Couric interview excerpts (at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/30/eveningnews/main4490618.shtml?source=mostpop_story). When Couric asks her what magazines she’s read to help inform her world view, Palin answers “Um, all of them…”

ALL OF THEM!?! And when Couric presses her, she can’t name a one.

That’s why the debate on Thurs is going to be sweet oh it will be so very sweet…