Media heads are spinning

Donald Trump was honored, so honored. And in introducing his least articulate and most irritating endorser this week in Ames, Iowa, he noted that she is “special.”

Her command of language is certainly special.

“Media heads are spinning,” Sarah said in her speech. Here is a link to the full transcript. Should you attempt to skim it, make sure you have an espresso. If your neurons are functioning, your head may spin, too. The buzzfeed page also includes the video, in case the words alone are not special enough and you want to relive the nightmare of 2008 by hearing that voice once again.

Here is just a tiny section of the endorsement speech:

Sarah during her triumphant 2008 campaign for VP.
Image from Wikimedia.org by user Therealbs2002.

“Oh, I just hope you guys get to know him more and more as a person, and a family man. What he’s been able to accomplish, with his um, it’s kind of this quiet generosity. Yeah, maybe his largess kind of, I don’t know, some would say gets in the way of that quiet generosity, and, uh, his compassion, but if you know him as a person and you’ll get to know him more and more, you’ll have even more respect. Not just for his record of success, and the good intentions for America, but who he is as a person. He’s not an elitist. And yes, as a multi-billionaire, we still root him on, because he roots us on. And he has, he’s spent his life with the workin’ man. And he tells us Joe six packs, he said, ‘You know, I’ve worked very, very hard. And I’ve succeeded. Hugely I’ve succeeded,’ he says. And he says, ‘I want you to succeed too.’ And that is refreshing, because he, as he builds things, he builds big things, things that touch the sky, big infrastructure that puts other people to work.”

Got that?

With endorsements like that, is it any wonder Donald Trump is doing so well?

So that you don’t have to, the spinning heads at The New York Times have chosen for you the juiciest quotes from Palin’s historic oratory. My personal favorite is: “He’s got the guts to wear the issues that need to be spoken about and debate on his sleeve, where the rest of some of these establishment candidates, they just wanted to duck and hide.”

I think I want to duck and hide.

I can’t say my head is exactly spinning, although it hurts. The mystery of Sarah is partly the mystery of Trump. What does it say about a country that The Donald can say the most sinister, ridiculous things, and just get more popular? Or that anybody cares whatever it is that Sarah is trying, and failing, to say?

Whatever education reforms we've enacted over the past several generations, they didn't work. Clearly, many children were left behind. And clearly, in this great land, that’s no barrier to fame and wealth.

As Sarah says: “Mr. Trump, you’re right, look back there in the press box. Heads are spinning, media heads are spinning. This is going to be so much fun.”

Indeed. Some things are so ridiculous that laughter can be the only response.

Like many Americans, I want my country back. I want a country were the members of the political classes are held somewhat accountable for what they say. I want a country where being a reality TV star qualifies you to be a reality TV star, and people don't assume that you are a leader just because you've been seen on TV. I want a body politic that makes some attempt to be rational and intelligent.I want two functioning political parties that make some effort to actually govern.

Republicans: If you can't do any better than The Donald or the The Ted, what is the point?

And I want less Sarah, please. She is years past her undeserved 15 minutes. And yet, I just wrote a blog post about her.

OK, now my head is spinning.