Palin Paranoia

Last night I had trouble falling asleep. This is not unusual as I probably have undiagnosed insomnia. What is unusual is that I was up thinking about how the incompetence of Sarah Palin is just a ruse. Granted it is far fetched but Joanna McKane has been all about drama and Palin could be following the narrative in order to spring a big gotcha on the public. What if on Thursday she not only makes a little bit of sense but she floors everyone with her quick wit and grasp of the issues?

The recent news that Palin may be planning a public wedding for her daughter, Bristol, just a few days before the election in order to whip some extra votes is pretty far out there as well but it’s apparently true. Though I am not exactly sure how that is going to work since, in my mind, all it does is amplify that abstinence education (if in fact Bristol is pregnant. That's a big if!) doesn’t work and getting married at a young age is a recipe for disaster.

So her idiocy might be part of a bigger plan. And if it is, could it work? A couple of years ago there was this guy who worked for me who just didn’t seem to get it. He was always struggling, always unable to understand just the basic fundamentals of the job. But just about a month before he was up for a review he miraculously turned everything around. He not only got what his job was, he excelled and put even the best employees to shame. I did not buy his little stunt of stupidity and made sure his review reflected his poor behavior for eleven months.

But the American people have short memories. Really, really short memories. And all it would take is one stellar jaw dropping performance from Palin to negate everything up to that point.

Of course this entire election season I have sold the American people short. It seems this cycle they are paying attention like never before. And perhaps they wouldn’t be fooled by an all-of-a-sudden coherent, intelligent Palin.

I know, I know. I am probably paranoid. But I really don’t think she could possibly be as stupid as she seems (could she?). In some sort of way I feel like we might be getting punked.

The Statesman or the Drama Queen

A man running for president decides to suspend his campaign in order to return to Washington to work on a crisis. This is how that candidate would behave if:

a) He was a statesman: Cease all campaign ads like he promised to do, eschew the limelight (and klieg lights) and work tirelessly through the wee hours of the night in order to get a resolution passed.

b) He was a drama queen: Claim that he was suspending his campaign, including campaign ads, but never really do it. Also he would send out each and every of his surrogates to attack his opponent. Then he would go on every news show he can possibly manipulate to tell the American people that he is apolitical and tell them that he is willing to pay the price if he slips in the polls. In fact, the drama queen will do very little negotiating on the deal for which he claims to have suspended his campaign and instead he will stand in the public arena pontificating about the virtues of that very suspension.

The drama queen is much like the hypocrite in Matthew, chapter 6 verses 5 and 6:

When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

The drama queen’s reward is the knowledge that everyone else knows how great the drama queen is.

John McCain, er, Joanna McKane is a drama queen. He puts Erica Kane to shame.