Sarah Palin, Speaking American, and Donald Trump

Authors note: Since every other blog and news site on the planet has commented on this, I felt that the Mudflats should share in at least some of those clicks. Because let’s be honest here, the only reason any of us are covering her at this point is for the traffic; she doesn’t have the influence to really  justify it. So with that statement out of the way, enjoy the slow moving train wreck. You’re reading this because, like me… you quietly hate yourself. But look at it this way; you didn’t have to transcribe 15 minutes of Palin-Speak. 

There seems to be two out of context pieces from this CNN interview that have been making their rounds. First, Palin says that immigrants should “speak American,” and second that she’d end the Department of Energy.

So without further ado, here’s my running commentary on this latest grouping of words committed to video that Palin calls an interview. Time codes are included for anyone who wants to actually hear what the half-term Governor from the 49th state said in her own tortured sentences.

Full video at the end of the article

Denali

:56

“I think that a lot of the criticism is that Obama would spend the political capital on such a thing when the Middle East is a tinderbox…”

First, when is the Middle East not a tinderbox? If we were to accept this point as valid, Obama would literally not do a single thing other than deal with the Middle East, and neither would a single President since Reagan. Second, why should this cost Obama ANY political capital? No one caused that much of a stir when President Bill Clinton went along with the Republicans plan to drop the founding father’s name from D.C.’s airport changing it from Washington National to the still alive former President Ronald Reagan.

Now if you really want to talk about federal overreach – there’s a fantastic example, since Washington DC doesn’t even have a say in who is in congress, and doesn’t even get to decide its own laws. But, y’know God forbid D.C. ever becomes a state… it might mess up our flag. If you’re going to blame some state for messing up a flag, how about Alaska? It gave us 49 stars for like 10 minutes, until Hawaii came along and messed it up yet again. But DC definitely has nothing to do with how it might change the electorate.

Climate Change and Obama

2:28

Jake Tapper: “Do you take climate change seriously.”

Palin: “Uh uh I take changes in the weather, the cyclical changes that the globe has undergone for, since the beginning of time. I take it seriously but I’m not going to blame these changes in the weather on man’s foot print…”

At this time please note Tapper’s concerned look as Palin seems to have some sort of mental seizure, it looks like he’s about to call for help for her. As someone who splits her time from Alaska to Arizona – two places that are looking to be effected by climate change should really know better. Wait a second… She did know better. When Palin held office as Governor of Alaska, she actually created a Climate Change Subcabinet, so they could decide what to do about CLIMATE CHANGE. She didn’t create a “Cyclical Changes in the Weather Subcabinet.” But that’s not what this is about – it’s about politics – not Kaktovik or last year’s Iditarod that caused racers to run on dirt and mud.

2:50

Palin continues on about growing glaciers. I think there may be one over by Cordova somewhere, but since the vast majority are melting, and the sea ice is melting, and Alaska spent most of this summer literally on fire, how about we focus on THAT? After allowing her to cite such relevant data as the first mukluk in Alaska, Tapper responds with a bit more scientific information. “According to the data, I looked into it after you posted the thing about that one glacier that is growing, there are some… but 90% of glaciers are melting according to scientists…. The vast majority of climate change scientists disagree with your assessment, but I would like to move on…”

Good idea Jake, let’s see if we can find something that’s worth talking to her about.

On Chinese and Russian war ships 

3:45

“Let’s take his [Obama’s] recent trip up here which was pretty much a, you know a tourism jaunt.”

No disagreements there. All I saw the trip as a series of photo ops with less in the way of actual substantiative policy talk, and allowing Shell to continue their depressingly ill-fated quest to “drill safely.”

“How about while he was up here he carried a big stick, instead of a selfie stick.”

Nice zinger, but I’m not sure what calling for war with China and Russia over some planned maneuvers would do. She went on for a while on this… I literally have no idea what she said. Let’s move on.

And do you really want to go all Teddy Roosevelt, creator of the National Park system? *coughFederalOverreach*

On Trump and not knowing names of Middle Eastern leaders

5:30

“I’d rather have a President that is tough and puts America first, than can win a game of Trivial Pursuit…. I don’t think the public gives a flying flip if somebody knows who today is a specific leader of a specific region or religion or anything else, because that leader will change of course.”

Yes, Sarah, knowing the names of the people who you are going to have killed or going to have to make deals with is not an important bit of info for a world leader. Also, some leaders stick around for longer than a year and a half.

On speaking American

7:24

“…It’s a benefit of Jeb Bush, to be able to be so fluent in Spanish because we have a large and wonderful Hispanic population, you know is helping to build America. And that’s a great relationship and connection that he has with them through his wife and through his family connections…” 

Oh, Sarah you’re doing so well… I’d just end that statement right here – you’ve answered the question brilliantly and gracefully. Oh you’ve got more to say? Must you? Do you really have to? Ok, continue.

“On the other hand, you know I think we can send a message to say you want to be in America? A) you better be here legally, or you’re out of here. B) When you’re here, let’s speak American. [She seems to know that she screwed up for the amount of times she looks off camera] I mean, that’s, that’s, speak English, and that’s kind of a unifying aspect of a nation is the language that is understood by all. You know I took Spanish in high school and I took French in high school… 

Lot of things here. First please note that she quickly corrected herself on the “speak American” comment that every single blog on the planet used as click bait. Second, please note that she’s clearly an idiot. She needs to look no farther than her state of Alaska and how it deals with Native languages. If her version of American was “understood by all,” then why are there electoral ballots in her own state printed in Yupik (which is arguably more “American” than English if you think about it).

Sarah, I know that your administration and the one that took over for you, fought Native Alaskans rights to speak their own language and vote through translated forms but in no way shape and form is it a ‘unifying aspect of a nation’ in the way that you describe.

On Nikki Haley saying that the Republican Party seems cold and unwelcoming to minorities.

8:38

“…I can’t think of any Republican who I know that would have that in their heart. I think that Republicans and Independents… that is the party of tolerance. It certainly doesn’t matter the color of your skin.”

I’m not sure what Republican Party you’re talking about. In fact you need to look no farther than Alaska’s crazed loner Congressman Don Young and his ‘wetback’ comments, or your new BFF Donald Trump. [Please see anything Trump has said over the last three months, I won’t even qualify this with a link.]

Donald Trump’s solid gold cabinet 

13:43

Jake asks her, in what seems to be a relatively set up question, what position she would take in the theoretical Trump administration.

Let’s pause for a moment and realize that this is the real world, and that an actual news organization of some relative merit is asking former Governor Sarah Palin what place she sees for herself in a Donald Trump administration. Yes, let the gravity of that statement sink in – and remember that we as a society have allowed this to continue. Members of major religions have flagellated themselves for much lesser offenses. But let’s hear what she says… maybe it’s something intelligent, like “I don’t see a place in government for a person who can’t be bothered to finish four years as Governor.”

“I think a lot about the Department of Energy, energy is my baby.”

Oh. Yeah, not sure what else I expected.

“Oil and gas and minerals, those things God has dumped on this part of the Earth for mankind’s use instead of relying on unfriendly foreign nations to import their resources. I think a lot about the Department of Energy and if I were head of that, I’d get rid of it. And I’d let the states start having more control over the lands that are with in their boundaries. People who are effected by the developments, within their space. So, you know if I were in charge of that it would be a short term job but it would be a really great to have someone who knows energy and who is pro responsible development it be in charge.”

You know those singers, the one hit wonders that can’t ever stop talking about that one song that they did back in the 80’s? Only you find out later that they didn’t even write the song, they just took the credit? Yeah, that’s Palin on energy. She ran her 2008 VP campaign saying that she took on big oil, taxed them and make Alaska rich. Well… she didn’t do that alone. The Alaska Democrats saved her lame plan, made it better, and put together ACES which took on the oil companies and fought for Alaska’s fair share of the revenue.

In this statement she also proves that at the end of the day, she’s a quitter. She’s given in this theoretical situation one of the most powerful positions in the world – one that can sway the economy of an entire nation and potentially the future of the worlds environment – and she decides to quit it.

Where have we seen this one before?

Here’s the interview from beginning to end, if you feel like punishing yourself. Go for it. Me? I’m out of gin.

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