A Distraction

September 2, 2008 in Politics, Speeches by Mardé | 3 comments

I think Bob Herbert of the NYT is right on this morning when he says the whole Sarah Palin thing is meant to be a distraction to draw attention from the success of the Democrat’s convention and Barack Obama’s great speech. Here’s a key paragraph from Herbert’s op-ed:

Here’s the deal: Palin is the latest G.O.P. distraction. She’s meant to shift attention away from the real issue of this campaign — the awful state of the nation after eight years of Republican rule. The Republicans are brilliant at distractions. Willie Horton was a distraction. The chatter about gays, guns and God has been a long-running distraction. And we all remember the Swift-boat campaign.

He goes on to say:

Respectful criticism of Sarah Palin is fine. But the great issues of this campaign loom like giant redwoods over the pathetic weeds of politics as usual and the myriad distractions that have turned one presidential election after another into a national embarrassment.

Herbert also uses pertinent quotes from Bill Clinton’s great speech at the Democratic National Convention, and even Roosevelt’s great depression oratory. Keeping our eyes and hearts on the real problems facing this country without being dragged away into constant discussion of distractions. like Sarah Palin, is the challenge!

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  1. SleepyLaKate’s avatar

    SleepyLaKate on September 2, 2008 at 9:34 am

    I’m not distracted by her.
    I don’t think as many people are distracted by her as you think.
    Only those idiots babbling on CNN et al are distracted by her and her pregnant daughter and all that. Until the next distraction comes along. They need to babble about something.

  2. Border Explorer’s avatar

    Border Explorer on September 2, 2008 at 5:24 pm

    I don’t want to let frustration and anger push me into hateful speech. You’re right; we need to keep our eyes on the prize and not take the path of least resistance.

  3. Mardé’s avatar

    Mardé on September 2, 2008 at 9:09 pm

    Yes, the time the media spends talking about Palin could be better spent talking about the Obama/Biden programs and speeches. But it does look like the Republicans are having to spend time defending her, and the media laps that up. Thanks for your comments, Kate and BE.