Do you think Sarah Palin's handlers are warning her not to be her usual smartass self in the debate?

[EffieBlack]

What's doing her in is not just her lack of depth or knowledge, but her condescending, needling, smartass attitude and tone since McCain picked her - she has obviously been told that she's smarter than she really is and the adulation of the handpicked, neophyte audiences has only encouraged that self-perception. In the last week, she seems to be finally starting to realize not only that maybe she's not as clever as she thought she was, but that she's been tossed into the deep end of the political pool and has no idea how to swim her way out - and that the snappy affect she that has enabled her to coast ahead in politics is not going to keep her afloat.

So I'm wondering if her handlers are warning her not to be such as smartass in the debate - that that schtick is so played out it won't carry her another foot and is, in fact, making her a complete laughing stock among anyone with half a brain - or if they are encouraging her to continue on being her normal obnoxious self because the rapidly dwindling base still thinks it's cute.

Thoughts?

[BlooInBloo]

1. Doesn't much matter what they warn her to do or not do. You can't hide stupid....

EDIT: My students who skipped class all term and didn't do any of the homework or reading always seemed shocked that they did so poorly on my final at the end of the term. Similarly here - the final exam is coming up, and she hasn't been to class for her entire life.

[EffieBlack]

6. True. But people tolerate a lot of stupid - but the smartass attitude can be too much

Just look at Reagan and Bush. They got away with stupid (even though they weren't) because people thought it was endearing. Only when Bush began revealing his nasty side did they start to turn against him. I think people would cut Palin a lot of slack for being clueless if her cluelessness weren't accompanied by such outright obnoxiousness.

[gateley]

2. Whether they're advising her that way or not, she won't be able to help herself. nt

[americanstranger]

7. Agreed.

It's how she's acted since she was mayor of Moose-ville.

You can't un-learn that. If biden corners her, she'll get pissy, guaranteed.

- as

[opiate69]

3. I doubt it...

you go with what got you there, and let's face it, her classless, condescending, snarly acceptance speech was the only thing that energized the nutcases.

[Buck Rabbit]

4. Nope, good or bad it is all she has.

[mth44sc]

5. Given McCain's childish behavior

I can't imagine they'd be advising her to act like an adult.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. The VP Debate Will Be Anticlimactic

Palin just wants to not come off awful; Biden just wants to not look like he's beating up Palin.

I predict it will be a non-event.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

14. LOL! Biden is going to DECIMATE HER! And I cannot wait!

[Catch22Dem]

9. Won't matter. She can't help it.

She'll do it, and Biden will eat her alive for it.

[Ian David]

10. In what way do you mean, Churlie? n/t

[jenmito]

11. The Repub. talking point seems to be, "If they just let Sarah be Sarah, she'll do fine."

So the answer is probably NO.

[Marsala]

16. More like, the desperate delusion of Republicans

The McCain campaign certainly isn't pushing that point, and they know her much better than anyone.

[ourbluenation]

12. she's not a smart ass, she's a dumb ass, and she can't fix that between now and Thursday. n/t

:rofl:

[Johonny]

13. No she will be told to be smirk like

Her job is to dot all the fundie I's and have smirks smartass attitude. Her job is to pull in the people that are drawn to that type of thing. She will do well in the debate by Bush standards.

[Clio the Leo]

15. I just saw footage of her at the cheesteak place....

.... and her answer to the question of was she looking forward to her debate was very telling. (I have to read body language for my job and like to think I'm fairly good at it.)

But her eyes lit up, body opened up and she moved her head forward as she talked about being excited for the debate. Whether or not she SHOULD be, I am clear she is NOT afraid of this debate, SHE thinks she can handle it. We shall see. By that I mean yes, they're gonna let her use her smart mouth as her main verbal assautl weapon. For as cordial as Friday's debate was, if Palin tries to rip into Biden, there may be a lot of bloodshed by the time it's over (that's a metaphor of course.)

When asked about McCain's performance on the other hand, she squiched her face up and kinda physically backed away from the questioner. She said "yes" she thought McCain had done well, but her body language said otherwise.

[Greg K]

17. smartass is her only weapon.

She'll try to land as many punches as possible to distract from her own lack of knowledge.

[trashcanistanista]

18. No. They are telling her how great she is and

she will continue to display her ignorance and air headedness. They have given up.

[CK_John]

19. IMO, she believes she is higher up the food chain than McAnchor. n/t

[juno jones]

20. Actually, I will be interested to see

how much she preens for the male audience. She reminds me so much of my best friend thru high school- their birthday is only a few days different, LOL- who was similarly gifted in the looks dept. She used get everything she wanted by pouting at men and flirting. Men loved her, women distrusted her. I think Sarah was thrown off her speed by having Couric interviewing especially since Katie wasn't impressed with the performance. I think having a woman moderator might be a damper on some of her 'charm' as well.


Fortunately for the world my former friend (who wound up stabbing me in the back eventually, like she did so many other 'friends') wound up marrying a bar owner and only rules a bite-size corner of a small midwestern town.

[mitchum]

21. But she has nothing else to fall back on

[eshfemme]

22. This is why the ignorant are foolhardy and the wise are fearful

It's all the difference in the world to be aware of the consequences of a situation before going in but confronting that fear versus charging straight in without any conception of what danger you are going into. There is too little distinction made between those actions and obviously, Sarah Palin is eagerly charging in against Joey the Shark, which is unlike Barack's measured and calm march against the decrepit but crusty old McCain.

So yeah, I'm thinking that Joe's doing a slow burn on her and she doesn't even know it. I see him as laying some groundwork for a fun debate.

[vanderBeth]

23. Smartass? I think you mean dumbass.

I know you mean condescending, but "smart" and "Sarah Palin" don't belong in the same sentence.