Dr. Maccoby participates in a Weekly Forum on Washington Post.com called "On Leadership". I am compiling all of his responses to the weekly questions here.
|
DATE: Feb 8, 2010 Burnish her leadership credentials? As Sarah Palin goes about laying the foundation for a possible presidential candidacy, what could she do to burnish her leadership credentials beyond her conservative base? |
Skillfully playing with ignorance
I am not interested in boosting Sarah Palin's chances to be president. At a time when America is painfully trying to recover from its bubblemania, Palin excites her base by throwing darts at a president who is making every effort to heal the country. She is an energetic, cunning, street-smart politician who skillfully plays on the ignorance of her fans.
Part of her feel-good charm is that she appears to believe the distortions of the truth and misunderstanding of the facts that fit their prejudices. It's likely that if she learned more history, geography, economics and international affairs, she would lose some of her ability to mangle reality with sincerity. By trying to burnish her leadership credentials beyond her know-nothing base, she might lose her leadership role.
| TMG Home | PTWC | Articles | Books | Contact Info | Comments |
This web site is being maintained by Maria