Ebert on Palin - Thumbs Down

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2008-09-10 10:29pm

Roger Ebert on Sarah Palin: The American Idol candidate

BY ROGER EBERT Sun-Times Movie Critic
I think I might be able to explain some of Sarah Palin's appeal. She's the "American Idol" candidate. Consider. What defines an "American Idol" finalist? They're good-looking, work well on television, have a sunny personality, are fierce competitors, and so talented, why, they're darned near the real thing. There's a reason "American Idol" gets such high ratings. People identify with the contestants. They think, Hey, that could be me up there on that show!

My problem is, I don't want to be up there. I don't want a vice president who is darned near good enough. I want a vice president who is better, wiser, well-traveled, has met world leaders, who three months ago had an opinion on Iraq. Someone who doesn't repeat bald- faced lies about earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere. Someone who doesn't appoint Alaskan politicians to "study" global warming, because, hello! It has been studied. The returns are convincing enough that John McCain and Barack Obama are darned near in agreement.

I would also want someone who didn't make a teeny little sneer when referring to "people who go to the Ivy League." When I was a teen I dreamed of going to Harvard, but my dad, an electrician, told me, "Boy, we don't have the money. Thank your lucky stars you were born in Urbana and can go to the University of Illinois right here in town." So I did, very happily. Although Palin gets laughs when she mentions the "elite" Ivy League, she sure did attend the heck out of college.

Five different schools in six years. What was that about?

And how can a politician her age have never have gone to Europe? My dad had died, my mom was working as a book-keeper and I had a job at the local newspaper when, at 19, I scraped together $240 for a charter flight to Europe. I had Arthur Frommer's $5 a Day under my arm, started in London, even rented a Vespa and drove in the traffic of Rome. A few years later, I was able to send my mom, along with the $15 a Day book.

You don't need to be a pointy-headed elitist to travel abroad. You need curiosity and a hunger to see the world. What kind of a person (who has the money) arrives at the age of 44 and has only been out of the country once, on an official tour to Iraq? Sarah Palin's travel record is that of a provincial, not someone who is equipped to deal with global issues.

But some people like that. She's never traveled to Europe, Asia, Africa, South America or Down Under? That makes her like them. She didn't go to Harvard? Good for her! There a lot of hockey moms who haven't seen London, but most of them would probably love to, if they had the dough. And they'd be proud if one of their kids won a scholarship to Harvard.

I trust the American people will see through Palin, and save the Republic in November. The most damning indictment against her is that she considered herself a good choice to be a heartbeat away. That shows bad judgment.

Nothing really insightful, and frankly Ebert's opinion on politics carries about as much weight with me as Kissinger's opinion on movies, but it is still a pretty good burn, phrased in a way most people will understand from an "authority" most recognize.

Metatwaddle · Post by **Metatwaddle** » 2008-09-10 11:19pm

Ebert is a pretty smart guy. It doesn't surprise me that he's got sensible opinions on politics.

I wonder if this is the first of many political editorials by him. Is he getting into the punditry business?

Phantasee · Post by **Phantasee** » 2008-09-10 11:55pm

Metatwaddle wrote:Ebert is a pretty smart guy. It doesn't surprise me that he's got sensible opinions on politics.

I wonder if this is the first of many political editorials by him. Is he getting into the punditry business?

Great, another way of measuring a given candidate's support. "Did Ebert give him a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down? He hasn't reviewed him yet? How will I know who to vote for?!"

Gaidin · Post by **Gaidin** » 2008-09-11 08:41am

Phantasee wrote: Great, another way of measuring a given candidate's support. "Did Ebert give him a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down? He hasn't reviewed him yet? How will I know who to vote for?!"

It's almost like he started out as a sportscaster.

No but seriously...it'd just be another voice that people would only listen to if they agreed with their take anyway.

CaptJodan · Post by **CaptJodan** » 2008-09-11 01:09pm

Indeed, he is not an authority, so his arguments don't carry weight strictly from his background, but he does rightly identify things in politics we see all too often.

My problem is, I don't want to be up there. I don't want a vice president who is darned near good enough. I want a vice president who is better, wiser, well-traveled, has met world leaders, who three months ago had an opinion on Iraq. Someone who doesn't repeat bald- faced lies about earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere. Someone who doesn't appoint Alaskan politicians to "study" global warming, because, hello! It has been studied.

Fact is, I want someone who is more intelligent than I am running the Presidency, and I am shocked when I hear other people hope that they get someone who is basically their level of intelligence or "like them".

I realize where it comes from. Its this innate fear of those with education, that they will not understand the plight of the poor or feel like someone from the Ivy League will deal only with Ivy League problems.

The trouble is, we've had your "backyard barbecue" style presidency, and look how well it turned out. Maybe the American public needs to get its collective head out of its ass and see that it requires someone with characteristics of intelligence, wisdom, and maybe even gravitas that the average person doesn't possess, and that those are the types of people we should have running the country.