Whenever I come across a video of Marjorie Taylor-Greene making things up from a position of ignorance, I think of an interview with Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin during the 2008 Presidential campaign.
Katie Couric, CBS: "When it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious. What newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?"
Gov. Sarah Palin: "I've read most of them, again, with a great appreciation for the press, for the media…"
KC: "What specifically, I'm curious that you…?"
SP: "Um, all of them. Any of them that have been in front of me over all these years."
KC: "Can you name any of them?"
SP: "I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news. Alaska isn't a foreign country."
Like so many politicians, often Republican but not only, when asked to be specific about the origins of their information, they cannot answer. "All of them. Any of them." This is as spurious and disassembling a response as "the Internet." Palin could not even name one source. Speculation could lead to the proposition that she did not want to share such private information.
After railing against Roe v. Wade, claiming to be a Federalist, and explaining her disagreement with the Supreme Court on jurisdiction issues, Couric asks this zinger: "What other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?" Click here to watch Palin's deeply researched and detailed response. Maybe Palin is so well-read that to choose one source would be an insult to her genius. Or, perhaps this is the Tea Party's version of knowledge overconfidence?
You can see the full interview here.
Check out Saturday Night Live's take on the brilliant insight and creative thoughts of Sarah Palin:
"Katie Couric (Amy Poehler): You went to the UN for the first time. How was that experience?
Gov. Sarah Palin (Tina Fey): Oh, you know, it was just amazing, so many interesting people, though, I have to say, I was disheartened by how many of them were foreigners! I can promise that, when Sen. McCain and I are elected, we're gonna get those jobs back in American hands!"
When asked to be specific about a foreign policy issue, Palin responds.
Gov. Sarah Palin: [ after an extended silence ] Katie, I'd like to use one of my lifelines!
Katie Couric: I'm sorry?
Gov. Sarah Palin: I want to phone a friend!
Katie Couric: You don't have any lifelines."
If you are interested in Couric's perspective on the interview with Palin, click here. "My Goal Wasn't To Make Sarah Palin Struggle…It was an important moment to discover who Sarah Palin was…and we were able to reveal her as the candidate she was."
