How About A Straight Talker Who Can Actually Straight-Up Talk?

I don't know who of you watch SNL, but election year spoofs are certainly the show's bread and butter. And you can't deny that SNL has hit the jackpot with the Sarah Palin/Tina Fey look-alikes. Although obviously exaggerated, Fey certainly has a very spot-on portrayal of the governor, glasses, accent, mannerisms, and all.

The thing that I take note of, is that many times the exaggerations on SNL's part are not as great as one might think. For instance the Katie Couric interview spoof vs. the actual interview are not as dramatically different as one would think and expect. They expose Palin's cutesie talk, which reminds me often of a high school cheerleader discussing politics in their government class, as well as her reiteration of the question as an answer and her reliance on key words like Freedom, Democracy, and Terrorists to give an answer that says very little, even having word-for-word excepts of the actual interview in the sketch. Now this said, once again, SNL adds much to the report that is conjured from nowhere.

Then there was the recent VP Debate and the subsequent spoof. Certainly again, this was a mixture of pulling very true aspects from the debate, and fabricating comedy from nowhere. The winking, user of the word "maverick," denying to address questions asked for those she decided to talk about, her "zingers," and her reliance on appealing through "straight talk" were all very true in the essence of what her side of the debate incorporated. Not so fair or true were their depictions of overly overt religiosity, Israel, and homosexual marriage. Biden's constant declaration of respect for McCain followed by his criticizing of him had some truth but was over exaggerated a bit too much. Making fun of his stance on homosexual unions and his pointing to Scranton as his hometown were very correct in what they exposed. Taking a step back to look at these portrayals, the sketch is much harsher on Palin than Biden; however, at the same time Palin lends herself to mockery more than Biden.

The media's depiction of Palin lines up greatly with their depiction of George W. Bush. Bush has been labeled as unintelligent by media spoofs and clip choice. You cannot help but blame this partially on Bush's ability (or lack of) to speak publicly in a way to conveys intelligence. I do not doubt that Bush is a smart man, and able to do his job, but his pronunciation, word choice, and stumbling over himself during speeches promote a market for "poking fun," which in turns eventually makes people believe the joke is true.

Palin does the same thing, but in a slightly different way. She is folksie in a way that conveys naivete, unprofessionalism, and a sub-par education in foreign policy, economics, and government structure. Perhaps McCain, who is well experienced is smart to pick a candidate who is relatible to the general population in the way she speaks and how she interprets current happenings in the country and world. But from her interviews you can see that her rhetoric doesn't effectively cover he lack of knowledge, and if anything, often exposes it.

I fear Palin does not have a tight enough grasp on vast and varied segments that make up political and governmental current events, as well as historical events. Without being able to put all the pieces together and understand how one action will impose upon all the others in a domino effect, you cannot effectively make intelligent decisions. And also with history, we can see the past is cyclical, and thus without understanding it, we are doomed to repeat it. Palin brings a lot to the table, and would quite possibly make an excellent Vice President. My fear is her ability to make a capable President if the need arises.

Many of the questions I raise about Palin can definitely be asked of Obama. And it is more serious with him, since he is running for President and not Vice President. Strangely enough, the media is not painting Obama with the same brush as Palin. I would attribute this to how Obama carries himself, and not what he is actually made of, in the abilities and knowledge he possesses or does not possess.

You have to feel for Palin. If McCain is elected, I'm sure Bush's mantel will be handed down to Palin, labeling her "idiot," no matter what she does in her carreer to prove or disprove such a title... but at least Tina Fey will have job security.