Anyone remember Sarah Palin?They screwed it up.

sportage

Lifer
Feb 1, 2008
11,493
3,159
136
A little revisit back to the John McCain campaign.
And, what started me on this was re-watching the movie GAME CHANGE.
And, comparing all of THAT to what we went through just a short time ago.

Sarah Palin.
Chosen the running mate for John McCain, and face it, she was HUGE.
The base loved her.
However their flaw was with trying to educate Sarah Palin into the job instead of playing on her natural rock star instincts.
The media picked her apart, and McCain i.e. his people were equally embarrassed.
Seems so long ago.

Then, Donald Trump emerged.
And after watching this movie Game Change about that McCain / Obama election, boy how things have changed since then.
What they, we, and the media didn't know then was that celebrity trumps intelligence every time.
McCain's staff should have cared not what the media said about Sarah Palin. Or how embarrassing her performance might have been when interviewed by the media.
All of this could have been avoided if McCain's people had or could have foreseen Donald Trump.
How winning can easily be done by running the candidate as a rock star, and damn the intelligence or lack of.
Sarah Palin had the rock star personality, and that could have won McCain the presidency but....
they screwed it up.
Trying to make Palin smart instead of celebrity.
Exactly as Donald Trump would later discover for himself.
What wins, what loses.
Donald Trump knew how to play the game. Trump knew celebrity always wins against old school.
And Hilary Clinton was definitely old school.

Sure, Obama probably was un-beatable, history making and all, but McCain and his staff were way too old school. They had no foresight on how politics would evolve in only eight years.
And now.... what about 2020?
Will democrats play the game old school, or celebrity?
Do democrats want to win? Or lose. Again....
 
Last edited:
Jan 25, 2011
16,586
8,662
146
I wholeheartedly feel she laid the groundwork for Trump. McCain is probably more responsible for Trump than he would ever like to accept.
 

UberNeuman

Lifer
Nov 4, 1999
16,937
3,087
126
I’m sure her sons, Trig, Trank, Troap, Trem, Tervis, Troute, Turnball and Tron remember...