The rules as applied to Sarah Palin haven’t changed. As we talked about over the summer, the former half-term governor of Alaska remains a deeply silly person whose opinions are not to be taken seriously. When news organizations routinely make a fuss about her random missives, they’re lending credence to a former officeholder who doesn’t deserve it.
But every now and then, one of Palin’s tirades stands out as newsworthy.
The right-wing personality released a new online video today, complaining about President Obama and immigration, offering the usual lines in a style that can charitably be compared to a teenager delivering a report about a book she hasn’t read (via Simon Maloy).
But then Palin added this:
“We’ll survive this president. The question is (overdramatic pause) can we survive the people who voted for him, twice?”
I don’t know, can we?
Look, I realize that Palin holds the president in contempt. It’s not entirely clear why, but she’s not an Obama fan. I get it.
But this struck me as interesting because Palin seems to be arguing that her most pressing concern about America’s future is the president that disgusts her; it’s Americans themselves.
For Palin, this may have been a throwaway line, which probably doesn’t deserve too much scrutiny, but 66 million Americans voted for Obama in 26 states. Only six presidents have ever earned more than 51% of the popular vote twice and Obama is one of them. The president took office thanks to the support of a big chunk of the American electorate.
In Palin’s mind, these people’s very existence puts the nation’s survival in jeopardy? The biggest threat to America’s future is Americans?
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."