Opinion: Palin’s Presidential race should have ended in 2012

Zachary Downes is a junior journalism major. Contact him at [email protected].

Zachary Downes

I’m not one who constantly follows politics, but lately I feel like everyone needs to know something crucial. Sarah Palin is planning to run for president in 2016.

Now you’re probably expecting an “I can see Russia from my house” joke, but I’m not going to say it. However, I am really curious about who writes her speeches for her because she is really confusing me at this point.

The Republicans’ favorite Alaskan native spoke at the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines on Saturday. As usual, she decided to say some off the wall things. This time however, she said something that some people would consider odd. Yes, I used that adjective for Sarah Palin.

In Palin’s speech, she basically contradicted anything she ever stood for. She said that middle class Americans were being taken for a ride for and that America can’t afford to have the politicians play games because so much is at stake. Then, she later described Barack Obama as a little boy. Right Wing Watch posted a clip of Palin’s online attack of the left for being racist and sexist.

Now, I’m not very up to date on politics and matters that typically pertain to this sort of stuff. I know enough to say that Palin will never cease to amaze the public.

Let’s flashback to the John McCain campaign. Palin was thoroughly against teaching abstinence education in schools. (Her daughter was pregnant at this time.) She was stricter than McCain on abortion rules and stem-cell research, made rape victims pay for their rape kits, and disapproved of library books due to same-sex parents. So from this, you can tell that she is pretty conservative.

In her recent speech, I am really confused as to where she stands now. She said the left is sexist and racist. I’m really not sure if Palin has an idea of who Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are. If not, that explains a lot.

After Palin’s speech, New York Daily News reported that Palin’s teleprompter froze, and she had to ad-lib in some parts.

This is just the icing to cake of why I think this is hysterical. If I was on TV and my teleprompter froze and I had to ad-lib, I feel like I wouldn’t contradict everything I stand for. I might sound dumb and stumble, but I would at least know enough to not make myself sound like an idiot.

I’m not really sure how Palin got into her position. Maybe it was because she happened to be “Mom of the Day” at the PTA’s hockey game for her kids’ elementary school. They probably handed her the job right there on the spot.

Who knows, I’m just really confused by Sarah Palin.