Thursday, September 11, 2008

Roger Ebert With Some Realk Talk


Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun-Times, kept it real funky today in an article about Sarah Palin, drawing comparisons of her to an American Idol contestant. Here is a link, and here are the highlights:

I think I might be able to explain some of Sara 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 almost be me up there on that show! My feeling is, I don't want to be up there. I want a vice president who is better than me, 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 schools in six years. What was that about?


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I'd like to pile on Palin a bit more, as well. Why is that when conservatives and their pundits alike (Bill O'Reilly in specific), love to attack people like Lynn Spears when their daughters become impregnated, blaming the parents for terrible guidance, yet when Sarah Palin's daughter becomes pregnant it is a "family issue" that shouldn't be highlighted. I applaud Obama for not mentioning it, but that doesn't mean the media should refuse to, as well. Give me a break.

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